First Frost!

Tuesday September 29th was the first frost of the Fall Season. It also frosted pretty good this morning. The leaves are 50% changed and with the high winds of Sunday and Monday a lot of them have blown off already. You can start to see into the woods a little bit better now.

The lake is now under 70 degrees. After our COOL summer we have had an awesome fall so far with a bunch of upper 70 and lower 80 degree days in September. I did more swimming in September than the whole summer combined, the lake was at its warmest point of the summer the second week of September about 76 degrees. It was awesome snorkeling in September and the lake is so clear right now, I could easily see the bottom at 20 feet. September 20th was the last time I was in the lake, I wont be venturing in now until sometime next summer.

For those of you that are not Lake Gilmore residents or cabin owners I will give a brief summer recap. (I have decided this will be a mostly Fall, Winter, Spring blog)After ice out in late April we had a cold May and June, July was a little bit better but still way colder than normal. August was also colder than normal. Brrr is all I have to say for the summer.

The nesting pair of Loons hatched two chicks and one made it all summer and I haven't seen it for a couple of days so I assume it has taken off for its flight south. I have herd reports of Loons gathering in good size groups on the bigger lakes, I read that they gather and socialize like this for a couple of weeks on the bigger lakes before heading south. Loons typically make there migrations alone or in pairs. I will miss the Loon songs all winter and already I am looking forward to that first tremolo in the spring...... Take care and enjoy this fall season.

Jon

Ice Free Baby!

Gilmore iced out last night about 7:00 PM! Winters grip on Lake Gilmore is lifted. Thursday November 20th to Thursday April 23rd was the 08/09 Lake Gilmore ice covered season... let see how many days was that.... getting out Julian Calendar...... 154 ice covered days.

The kids have already started asking when I will get the water trampline set up. (We found a used one for $50 at a garage sale last year, it needs some pathing but those things retail for $1500 so it was a steal.) I think the water trampoline season isnt going to start until at least after Memorial weekend. Sheesh kids were wading in the water the last two nights. I am going to have to have genetic testings on them because I wonder if they might be part frog or some other cold blooded beings....

Take Care

Jon

Wood Ducks, Hooded Mergansers and Gilmore Loons.

Last night a pair of Loons finally landed on the lake, they have about 100 feet of open water all around the North, Northeast and Northwest shores. What a sound performance they put on last night, yodels, wails and tremolos! It was almost like they wanted everyone to know "We are back to our Gilmore summer home!" I didn't get much sleep because I didn't want to miss the welcome home loon song party.

It took a while before the Loons swam by the house and I took the pictures above. I did get to see a pair of Hooded Mergansers, a pair of Wood Ducks, and a pair of Mallard Ducks. A pair of Swans flew over just as I am writing this and a couple Purple Martins are circling above the cattails looking for a meal......... ugh that means the bugs cant be too far behind!

Jon

Ice Ducks and Hungry Deer

This morning this duck was swimming in the open water in front of the house then decided to hang out on the ice. The yard is finally drying up and turning greener. This also means that the ditches are greening up and boy have the deer been in the ditches eating the fresh grass the last few days. Last night while I was hauling manure for the garden I counted over 20 deer in a 10 mile round trip..... they are starting to look a little healthier, not so many ribs showing.

Dead Horse Lake opened up yesterday and the Loons are sure making a ruckus. Two trumpeter swans have been on the lake since it opened up. A couple Loons keep flying over Gilmore and calling out.... I often wonder each year if the pair of Loons we always have on the lake is the same pair or one born from the pair the year before.

Jon

Loon Calls and Northern MN Swimming!

The awesome weather has continued and the snow is pretty much gone! We have about 15 feet of open water in front of the house and the dog was in the water Wednesday night chasing minnows so he was the first in the lake this year. On Wednesday night I was stacking some wood in the wood bin by our lake side fire pit and stop dead in my tracks by the majestic Tremolo call of the Loon!Ahhh what a sound it amazes me that it can have such an effect on me. The Loon was circling the lake looking for open water, it flew around it twice with its Tremolo call every few minutes, it was almost like it was telling the lake to hurry up already and shed its ice so it can get down to the business of spring (wink wink). On the way to work on Thursday I noticed the open water on the South side of Little Sand had several Loons gliding through the open water. On my trip home I noticed even more, must have been about 10 in all.

Thursday brought more nice weather and the first human swimmers to Lake Gilmore (at least at my house) Connel fell in up to his knees while climbing on the rocks next to the beach and Kiana tripped and slid off the bank and all the way in! Boy did she scream! Connel was right there to grab her and haul her into the house. When I asked her what it was like as she was warming up in the shower she said "very cold daddy", she is just under 3 years old. It wont be too much longer and the kids will be in the lake every day, for me I wont be in that water until sometime in July!

Take Care

Jon


Jon

Lake Pictures on 4-15-09

LOON!

Tuesday brought mid 60's and a Loon! As you can tell by the wall paper on my blog I love Loons! It wasn't on Gilmore but on the open water where the sand river runs from Lake Ida into Little Sand. Boy does that lift my spirits even higher! Tuesday night I heard a few frogs making a little noise in the swamp across from the house. The peeper frogs should be singing any time now.

On Monday I seen a Blue Heron in the little slice of open water near the Eastern Shore of the lake. The last few days have been sunny / breezy and in the 60's so the lake ice is really starting to take a hit. The ice in front of the house is starting to honeycomb and break up.

When I drove by Little Sand this morning and after work I seen the Loon again today! Cant wait to hear the first loon tremolo and wail.

The snow is almost all gone in the woods and the yard is starting to dry up and a little more green is here and there.

Take Care.

Jon