Dec 21/22 - tree up !

David and Vanda arrived midmorning and we walked towards Smiths Bay looking for a tree.  It was slushy heading across the lake so a walk along the shore was my first choice.  With the water going down, there was constant ominous cracking but of course that was because ice was suspended over the water along the shoreline.

Nothing.  That was the bottom line.  Nothing.  So I walked across the lake drilling depth gauge holes as I went.  Then we all headed across, finding a good tree right at the nearest point across from us.  We wrapped that up and David & I carried it back.  Into the house, we stood it up and de-tarped it, letting any snow drip off.

Angelika and Said arrived about that time and a little later, David and I moved the tree into place.  It was certainly easier with four of us !

It was too tall for the usual ladder, so the next morning David and I brought a taller ladder down from the garage.  I did my thing with the tree-top star and lights and a few ornaments higher up.  The rest of the gang did most of the decorating while I went into Britt for Mass.

Said and I pulled in a couple of pike during the day; one is in the fridge the other was marginal.  Sandy has been cooking up a storm - lasagna for everyone on Saturday and shrimp for the four of us yesterday (David and Vanda went home early).  Tonight it's partly my turn - whatever we catch today supplemented by some in the freezer, as needed, will go on the grill.

It was well over freezing yesterday and is so today.  It looks like from now on the temps will be below freezing but barely so, a far cry from the year with -38 !

Onward.