Droning On
July 15th through 21st   


It rained on and off early last week but all the thunder and fury added up to almost nothing. A little less than a quarter of an inch is not the rain event we had in mind. Much cooler than usual temperatures have frozen the shrinking lake to about 72 F.


The American Cancer Society held a "Relay for Life" at Cardinal Park in Crandon on Friday. There were games, music and auctions but the most moving were the luminaries; decorated white bags lit with candles serving as memorials or to honor survivors. They shrouded the path with a soft light all the way around the park.


There were two ski shows this week on Lake Lucerne. Monday's show had some good crashes.


And a rainbow fragment, but our favorite performance was Wednesday's.


On Wednesday, the sun was not so behind-the-clouds. The acts were better lit.
I also got to ride in the "triple rig" which allowed the camera to get a different angle on the action.

Being so close and having good light is 95% of a respectable image. Shiny green costumes, three queen waves and having a working camera at the time make up the other 5%.
Being so close to the acts can also capture some of the more subtle nuances of personality that may be lost when the lens is further from the subject.

In between the ski shows, we got droned on the north end of the lake.
We had always wondered what the view would've been like had the fire tower at sugarbush hill been relocated to the lake. Now we know and we didn't have to climb all those stairs!


Given the drone's performance, the only question remaining was, "Will we get our own in time to buzz Footstock?" Signs point to yes. Other signs pointing to yes are Lake Lucerne's chances of getting a real amount (over on inch) of rain in the next few days. Storms are forecast for both early and late next week. Last we checked, the lake was down an inch from the start of July. Go, rain, go. As for the lack of heat this summer, there is hope. When you compare the climatological factors at play, it is interesting to note that we can compare 2014 to previous years. 2002 and 2009 had many factors similar to this current year and if that trend continues it could mean good news for August. In those years the hottest weather waited until that last month of summer to arrive - let's hope that's the case again this year.

-Nemo misses tossing carved pumpkins off the top of the fire tower.                                                                    Previous   Next