Mid-September wrapup on the Northwoods lake

Dwight Peck's personal website

Summer 2019

A photographic record of whatever leapt out at us

You may not find this terribly rewarding unless you're included here, so this is a good time for casual and random browsers to turn back before they get too caught up in the sweep and majesty of the proceedings and can't let go.

Mid-September wrapup on the Northwoods lake

Most of this summer, in northern Wisconsin at least, has been blessed with fine weather; now, in September, for our sins, it's been cold, rainy, and grey, day after day -- but here's an exception. 14 September 2019.

Rounding the erratic rock into the little cove on the north side of 'Indian Bay' (on the map below)

A cove within the cove, tucked behind the little point

Not all of the erratic boulders are poking out of the water.

Across the little cove, staring at the erratic boulder again, and the cove within a cover

Coasting past 'Pink Island'

'Pink Island', now part of the new Forest Reserve

Rounding Tigertail and heading north 3km to home

Passing Raymond's (or 'Crescent') Island

Passing Gale and Dave's house -- every afternoon, when passing up this side of the lake, we wave exuberantly and Dave comes out, with earphones on, to wave back (or he comes out first, and we wave back). On 45 tries this summer, the Dave Wave score was 44 hits.

A comfortable cat curled up, and . . .

. . . he doesn't even seem to be asleep. Not entirely.

A peek into 'Frog Bay', 15 September . . .

. . . and its wreck of an old tree.

What a mess. It's been nine years and three weeks since . . .

. . . that woodpecker-riddled monster fell over in the middle of the night, 23 August 2010. Here are Kristin, two brothers, and a brother-in-law investigating the wreckage, during the drought years, on solid ground.

Ducks in repose

A cute little muskrat diving for cover in the long grass

An autumn tree getting out ahead of the crowd

Three eagles in a tree, and two of them now dashing off for Adjidaumo, 17 September 2019

Leaving behind the juvenile

He's being punished for something, probably, but . . .

. . . isn't having it. (The gentleman fishing on the dock missed the entire event. So focused upon fishing was he.)

The juvenile, too, is headed for the nests on Adjidaumo.

We're racing in pursuit, sneaking round the southern side of Adjidaumo.

And there he is. (Not really, that's one of the adults.)

The two eagle nests in one go

Carrying on towards Tomahawk Bay, we're passing Cousin Rob's dock, in a quiet little cove (it's in the lee of the wind and waves from every direction).

Looking out at little peninsula from Cousin Rob's dock

After a leisurely tour round the Bay and a peek into the canal, back towards Cousin Rob's dock and the main lake

Rounding the point

Straight ahead, 2km northward to Mussent Point

An uncertain day, 19 September, certainly grey, but not yet raining

Melvin the Doge, bored by wandering round the property with most of the summer crowd gone off, comes on over to greet the boss.

Something of a breeze here on shore -- we'll see what it's like out in the middle.

We're trying to talk Melvin into joining us on the hydrobike. He's at least psychologically allergic to water that's not in a small bowl.

He might be prepared to give it a go this time.

Long moments of indecision

But in the end, it's as well that he demurred; we're bouncing along happily, but hanging onto a pontoon with his furry little paws would be challenging.

Bouncy, into the wind

Scrubbing some of the old dirt off the pontoons

A fun, but slow, progress towards the centre island

A restful interlude in the lee of Adjidaumo

Doomed tag alders -- if the water level stays high, the last of these may be gone by next summer.

Our noble, plastic steed of the lake

Back to the north end of the lake, where . . .

. . . we find it funny that someone's raft has succumbed to the wind and waves and ended up in the farthest northern swamp. (It turned out to be our nearest neighbors' and we should have reported it at once.)

Back to the dock at the end of day. (Note that the raft that had been pulled up onto the neighboring shore is mysteriously no longer there.)

To celebrate the end of summer, a fine crop of dead and dying pine needles on the lawn

The raft at Mussent Point -- a dysfunctional sailboat -- to keep the jetskis away from the shore

Kristin pedalboarding across the lake to meet Stephanie for some healthy exercise, 19 September 2019

We're heading south towards the highway bridge, 3km almost exactly

The best weather we've had in some time

Indefatigable

Shooting the gravel bar connecting 'Beaver Island' to the mainland

Noisy traffic on the highway, nearly to the bridge

We've just snuck under the highway bridge into the peaceful South Bay.

There are only three cottages on the South Bay shores, hence the peacefulness.

A woodpecker condominium

Back under the bridge, and passing Chase Island

A long stretch back to the main lake

Surveillance wherever you go

With undiminished energy, winding up a 7 or 8 kilometre pedal