3/29/21 – Since my last post we really haven’t seen any melting weather. In fact, we actually added a few inches of prime snowman making snow into the mix. Kit and Sig took advantage making the artistic masterpiece you see below.

Also of note; the backyard birds have been keeping things exciting as well. Last Wednesday Kit spotted a Black-billed Magpie, which is a rare find in these parts. Apparently magpies sometimes migrate as far east as Minnesota in the winter months, but typically take up residents on the western half of the US and Canada.

But wait, there’s more; on Thursday Clare snapped a picture of a mighty Northern Shrike! This little songbird doesn’t look like much, but don’t let that fool you, it’s a ruthless killing machine. According to The Sibley Guide to Birds, shrikes lye in wait from a high perch such as; fences, wires, and treetops. After they spot their prey (mostly insect, but sometimes small mammals and birds) they dive into action knocking their prey unconscious with their strong hooked bill. Captured prey is occasionally impaled on thorns for fast food later on. -Jessica

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3/24/21 – Things have really started melting in earnest this past week. As a result, Clare and Dan did another ice depth check to see how things are progressing. They reported 20″ of ice from top to bottom, with the top 11″ hard compacted slush/rotten and the bottom 9″ clear. -Jessica

3/10/21 – A sure sign that spring is on the horizon is the arrival of our first batch of new canoes. Not long ago Northstar dropped off these beauties. Unfortunately we won’t be able to christen them for a while. Clare and Kit drilled the inaugural hole through the ice yesterday and found 20″ of very solid clear ice. -Jessica

2/26/21 – Sawbill Canoe Outfitters is a family business now managed by third generation owners, Clare and Dan Shirley. The following photos were taken of Clare’s parents, Bill and Cindy Hansen, shortly after they took over operations in the early 80s from Bill’s parents, Frank and Mary Alice. Copies of these images may still be hiding out on brochures tucked away in the deepest recesses of your home filing cabinet. -Jessica

2/15/21 – Today, at 12:49 pm CST, we finally broke our nine day stretch of below zero temperatures. Huzzah! I’m going to celebrate by going for a walk without my ski goggles. -Jessica

2/4/21 – Last Sunday I grabbed my snowshoes and hit the lake. Although the parking lot was empty I wasn’t the only one out there…

Fishing through a hole in the ice was the activity of choice for my otter friend, and it appeared the eating was good. Don’t worry, we maintained plenty of social distance. -Jessica

1/22/21 – Tomorrow, Saturday the 23rd at 8pm central, Clare and Dan will be taking questions during a Facebook live event. I’ll be hiding in the comments section as well. See you there! -Jessica

1/11/21 – Minnesotans have been waking up to spectacularly frosted landscapes as of recent, including us. Up until now I would have described this phenomenon as hoarfrost, but meteorologists have been characterizing it as “rime ice,” adding a new term to my vocabulary and prompting some research into the difference between the two.

Most of what the state has been experiencing lately is called rime ice, which is caused when liquid water, in the form of clouds or low fog, comes in contact with something solid (such as trees), which it then freezes onto. Rime ice is generally on the heavier side and can look like frozen droplets.

Hoarfrost, on the other hand, is formed under clear, cold skies. The moisture in the air goes from a gaseous state straight to its solid form, skipping the liquid (i.e. clouds or fog) in between. Generally this type of frost is light and feathery and can be easily blown from whatever it clings to.

In the words of the great Bill Nye, “Did you know that…Now you know.” -Jessica

Source: CBC News article “Here’s why you need to know the difference between hoarfrost and rime ice” from February 11, 2020.

1/7/21 – Crew member Brian Henry (AKA Mongo) sent along a picture of a broken paddle handle he skillfully carved and repurposed into another handle for a bifold door. Pretty neat! -Jessica

1/1/21 – As 2020 came to a close we were rewarded with a winter snow storm just before Christmas. We now have about 15 inches of snow in the woods and between 11 and 13 inches on the lake. As a result, we’re now able to take advantage of the ski trails, but lake travel has become a bit trickier with the added snow and resulting slush. I ventured down to the lake yesterday afternoon and found I really couldn’t go very far without sinking into the dreaded sloppy stuff, however it seemed like some folks with larger wooden snowshoes were able to mostly stay above the fray. -Jessica