Skywatch Friday - Winter Sunset

Most of the fish houses were off of the frozen lake when these photos were taken a few weekends ago. The lake is totally devoid of them now that the March 3rd deadline has come and gone. Hopefully Spring is not far behind!

Detroit Lakes, Minnesota

Linking to Skywatch Friday - a weekly meme sharing skies from around the world.

Poles 'N Holes

Polar Fest was held a couple of weeks ago here in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. One of the activities was the Poles 'N Holes fishing derby. Basically, a several hundred holes were drilled in the ice and then occupied by fisherman for a few hours trying to win prizes. No warm fish houses here!

Each hole was about 10" across

Barricading the plowed out "streets" out to the fishing area.

Transporting participants out to the fishing area

Singing of the National Anthem before the start of the Derby

Scenes from the fishing area

Concession tent with food and beverages

First fish being weighed in - bonus awarded for being the first in.

Getting chilly? Warm up here.

This was an interesting way to spend a couple of hours on a Saturday afternoon. At least the sun was out!

Ice Fishing - Washington Style

It has been a busy week...taking care of Christmas (like finishing a big quilt that was a gift), visiting family, getting things done around the house while I am home in Washington and just relaxing for a change. No blogging.

While out taking care of some to-do things on my list, the dog needed a quick potty break. Lo and behold, I came across some ice fishermen. Yep, here in Washington they ice fish, too. But you can tell it is a different climate here - no fish houses required like in Minnesota. Hope the fishermen were successful this day!

We don't need no stinkin' fish house!

Good-bye to 2013 today. Let's hope 2014 is a good year for all.

Three Men and a Fish House

This scene is such a far cry from my post on Thursday. Not only did we get about 10" or so of snow this past week, the temperatures have dropped well below freezing, especially when you factor in the windchill.

Yesterday morning I got up and looked out across the lake as the sun was coming up. After I got the coffee brewing and turned the heat up, I noticed activity out on the ice. Yep, the ice fisherman were getting ready for their idea of fun and games.

Here it was, not quite 7:30 a.m., and the outdoor temperature was just under -19 degrees Fahrenheit. In other words - COLD! (Of course, it was chilly inside, too. I don't care for electric baseboard heat!)

I watched two guys with their auger start drilling through the ice.

Drilling the fishing holes

Then came the portable ice house. I think they were set up closer to the shore and decided to move further out closer to the budding fish house village. This fish house is a pop-up tent style contraption.

Fish House "Village"

Here comes the house

Next came their buddy, carrying his gear including a folding chair. You need a place to sit, after all!

Lugging the gear over

I guess after a consultation, another hole was drilled and the fish house repositioned. Then they disappeared inside to start fishing.

We need another hole

Around 11:30 a.m., I looked out again and they had packed up their fish house and were getting ready to leave. Either a) they caught their limit; b) they ran out of hot coffee (or beer); or c) they just got too cold and decided to call it quits. I doubt the answer is "c". These Minnesotans are a hardy bunch. I don't know how they do it.

Calling it a day

The trek back to shore

It has been so cold, my overhead garage door opener has frozen (at least I suspect it has). I will be calling for help on Monday since my vehicle is essentially trapped inside. There is only one entrance into the garage...the overhead door. This is a row of detached garages and none of them have a secondary entrance. Ahhh...winter in Minnesnowta.