It’s Friday (It’s Friday (It’s Friday (It’s Friday)))

Yup, it’s the moominbeach again. It’s February (February (February (February))). Three years ago the GG and I came up here in February. There was an absolute ton of snow. The bay was covered with ice out beyond the island. We strapped on our snowshoes and walked out on the ice around to Cedar Point and back. Click over to this post to see photoooos. Today? There is not a lot of ice in the bay. There is nice solid ice out to the second sandbar. There are a few wimpy little hummocks at the second sandbar. There is some ice for a way beyond the second sandbar but I wouldn’t be caught dead trying to walk on it. If you look closely, you can see that there is open water beyond that.

It is pretty unusual for our bay to have open water in February although I’m not willing to automatically blame “global warming” or “climate change”. I am not a disbeliever exactly, I just don’t think we have collected enough accurate weather data to know why the Great Lake State is having such a warm winter. I just know that this is pretty weird.

When I was a kid and we had our dog Tigger, The Commander once drove my old coot and Tigger out to the moominbeach in the winter. Tigger loved the cabin. We would pack Tigger into the back seat of the car on an old rug. We would head out old US-2 toward Six Mile Road. Now, Tigger would be really nervous until we got to Six Mile Road. Why? Because if we did not turn right onto Six Mile Road, she knew we were going to the vet. Once we made that right turn, Tigger’s attitude would change to excitement. And then, when we made the turn onto Birch Point Road, we would slip off her collar and let her out of the car and she would run like the wind the last half mile or so to the two-track cabin road. I think that Birch Point Road might have been gravel in those days. At any rate, there were NO houses along it at all and very few cars and people didn’t drive like bats outta hell. And it was okay for dogs to travel around the beach area without dog collars or leashes or whatever. I’m not gonna say that all of the beach dogs were always totally under control. Tigger did NOT like the milkman OR my friend Kev. But in general, I think having the freedom to run wild in the woods is not the worst thing for a dog. But times have changed and that’s a whole ‘nother story anyway.

Anyway, my old coot and Tigger got dropped off out there in the winter once and the intent was to walk to town on the ice. As they got out onto the ice, Tigger rocketed out toward the island and by the time the old coot got out there, he could not see her anywhere. He called and called and called. No Tigger. I would’ve been totally freaked out about this but the old coot resigned himself to continue walking to town. And guess what? When he got to the house, who was there to greet him? Tigger! That’s who. And no, Tigger did not run all the way to town. When Tigger realized that she had lost the old coot, she was smart enough to run back to the beach and up the road to Doc Read’s house. Doc Read put Tigger into *his* car and drove her back to town.

I was going to write about Coast Guard helicopters ca-ca-cas but you get this instead.

It is Friday. The I-500 Snowmobile race is not today, it is tomorrow. Saturday. Today is Friday.

Good night,
-KW

7 Responses to “It’s Friday (It’s Friday (It’s Friday (It’s Friday)))”

  1. Sam Says:

    I like that concept: “the freedom to run wild in the woods.” Gimme gimme. Love your stories and imagery, KW.

  2. Margaret Says:

    Woot, it’s Friday!! I am a worrywart, so I wouldn’t go near that ice. Last year’s looked way sturdier. 🙂

  3. jay Says:

    I remember running wild in those woods – really running. Tough feet as a kid.

  4. kayak woman Says:

    Yes, oh boy did we run. Like the wind. And make “forts” in all kinds of odd little spaces.

  5. Pooh Says:

    Love the stories about Tigger and ‘the old coot’! I’ll add my vote to the freedom to run wild in the woods.

  6. DogMomster Says:

    Yeah… wishing the UP- (and Troll-) world weren’t so phobic about friggin’ dogs! Sheesh… Ol’ Sam took baby Ernie around the Cabin property and showed him the ropes… Ern tried to do the same with Alfred, but Alf had a brain the size of a walnut, so it’s debatable how much Alf got out of that (yeah, it’s been since 2005…)…

  7. DogMomster Says:

    ^^ Alf *has* a brain the size of a walnut….