Kids out in the Snow

Well, they say that we have had 176.7 inches of snow so far this year!! I did some snow shoeing this last weekend and had a lot of fun watching the kids out in the snow. This week the Arctic blast has taken hold, but the insulating effect of Lake Superior only has our temperatures down to just below zero for highs and 10 to 15 below at night. Not too bad comparatively so . . . those farther inland from Lake Superior are 30 to 40 below zero at night (not including wind-chill). The lake provides us cooler temps in the summer and warmer temps in the winter. We have never had to have air conditioning in summer, just the cool breeze off the lake with the windows open have been all that we need.

We went sledding this last Saturday, Breanna's first sledding trip and I'm certain she had a blast as she didn't want to stop even though she was freezing. It seemed as though the faster we went, the better it was. So we graduated from the "kiddie" hill to the adult hill and flew down with the best of them. She loved it, as did I. The boys had a great time and Kameron had to go at it alone as we all went into the lodge for hot chocolate (Kellen's blood sugar went low, Margie Jo's fingers were cold, and Breanna's toes were freezing). He said that he made a friend with a sled that was just like his. I think Kameron would be able to stay outside all day no matter how cold as long as he was having fun. I have next Friday off and will be taking the boys ice fishing and I can't wait! It has been too long and I hope to bring home some fresh, ice-cold trout for dinner.

The nights have been clear without any clouds and the stars have been spectacular. The stars at night have always been amazing up here in the Keweenaw Peninsula. Without the cloud cover, the temps just seem to drop like a rock. It almost feels like being in outer-space. It is just so quiet and dark with nothing but the sound of your own breath. I love those moments at night, outside in the dark with nothing but the stars and the freezing air. It feels so good.

I'm looking forward to the time off next week for the long weekend. It will be great to spend some time alone with the boys, doing boys stuff. They love to ice-fish, and hopefully we will catch something to make the time out on the ice that much better.