FOLLOWING POSTED BY JORY SQUIBB 22NOV08
Yesterday's first skate of the season was real Magic. Lloyd and I, wondering why we were bothering, traveled to Howe Hill Swamp to find the 10 acre beaver pond open in the middle, but with 1.5-2.25 inches of ice everywhere else. The steady 20Knot NW wind sent streamers of light snow caterwalling across the beautiful black gold. The morning was darkly cloudy. The swamps margins were wild and bleak. I looked at Lloyd. Lloyd looked at me. Smiling...
This is it! This is the treasure of a seven month wait. We might be the first skaters in Maine. I hesitate to publish some of the day's rituals, as my essential paganism bled through the Buddhist veneer: spread-eagling on the ice. hugging. kissing. talking to it. making deals. promising to return ASAP.
After a few circumnavigations, slaloming around the tussicks of grass, the rocky mud bars and many stumps of the swamp's margins, we yielded to the call of a busy day.
And so I hope today is a further improvement on our activities: Skimbatting on a 7 acre pond on Rt 90 just west of the Rt90 and Rt 17 intersection. It's not much to look at, but should have 2.25" of ice and be suitable for skimbatting and skating. Certainly too small for iceboats. I know it's not worth the trip for our far-flung ice hounds, but I think a good chunk of the locals will be there. Report will follow tonight.
Sailing nice black ice. Its been a good season so far. No big ice, no skis, yet...
Ciao Dicky Saltonstall
Check out the North American web site for some of the same pics, ice reports and more
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nasaskimbat/
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