ice fishing

the day before margo and andrew & ben and sab left to go back to work and school, paul, ben and i 

drove up to gross reservoir which is nestled up in the mountains behind our property.
we spent the afternoon ice fishing. 

brrrrrrr, it is cold up there but oh so beautiful.

in fact, ben spent most of his time taking photos.

even with the ice 12 inches thick, it's still a strange feeling to walk across a big lake. i don't think i'll ever get used to it. as we made our way to the fishing hole, i felt more comfortable and tended to hug the shore which is actually where the ice is thinnest. buck up, janet.

often, we use the vacant holes left by previous fisherman but today the holes were completely 

ice-packed so we (paul) had to drill our own. then we set down to jig.

it is so very peaceful up there. 

so quiet and still, you can hear the moaning, the slow lurching of the heavy lake ice.

the reservoir is stocked with wall-eye, lake trout and kokonee salmon. 

paul did have a bite, but we came home with nothing. nevermind. 

it was still a lovely afternoon in the mountains, as always.

p.s. last night, we bundled up and went on a night hike with flashlights in hand looking for deer and other animals spotting them by their "eye shine". there is always something to do in the mountains no matter the season......or temperature.