Sunday, October 16, 2011
End of season signifiers
It's mid-October. Anyone with a north country seasonal cabin knows what that means. If the pump's not turned off, the pipes drained, and the traps filled with antifreeze, you've been pressing your luck. If the refrigerator hasn't been defrosted and unplugged, the results in May won't be tolerable. If the place hasn't been cleaned, you won't be happy next spring.
We were at Sidetrack to take care of those things. (We also made contact with the contractor who we thought had been hired to so some repairs. It turns out, there had been a failure of communications. He's now ready to order materials and go to work.)
While there, I made the neighborhood rounds with my camera. Here are some signs of fall at the lake.
Things that float have to come out of the lake. Some are towed away for formal storage. Others are parked in yards for the season when the lake is not liquid.
We were at Sidetrack to take care of those things. (We also made contact with the contractor who we thought had been hired to so some repairs. It turns out, there had been a failure of communications. He's now ready to order materials and go to work.)
While there, I made the neighborhood rounds with my camera. Here are some signs of fall at the lake.
Things that float have to come out of the lake. Some are towed away for formal storage. Others are parked in yards for the season when the lake is not liquid.
Of course it's not just floating things that go into the water in spring. There are all those support structures, too. Some come out of the water simply. Others come out in sections that sit in family groups. Still others get stacked in artistic piles. And one of them has to be the last one out of the lake.
Things besides watercraft get covered up for the snowy season. Like this wood pile. I fear the casual covering won't survive the winds of winter.
Cooking grills are carefully covered, and these covers probably will survive the blizzards to come.
But the pink flamingos might get chilly.
I wonder if being tied to a chair will help this grill stay put.
Chairs get special attention when people close up their summer cabins. Once again, I'm reminded of art exhibits.
These chairs had their backs turned toward the lake, but had a pile of brush for protection from gusts off the lake.
I suspect these chairs will stay put even though they're not tied down.
Another set of chairy acrobats were hanging from another deck rail.
This chair and its attendant pumpkin by a fire pit seemed to be daring winter to come. How long will it stay put?
Other chairs are more elemental. I wouldn't expect these to be put away or tied down at any time.
Some summer toys turn into leaf collectors now. I do wonder how much snow will bounce off of them before they're smothered in the white stuff.
When you put a padlock on the outhouse door, you know the season is over.
The faded flag is not a political statement, it's just a result of solar power.
I'll bet this tool of summer will be rolled into a more protected place before long.
A few flowers still had the power of blooms.
But most of them looked long past their prime.
And this pair of garden frogs look like they know what's coming and that they won't be getting any shelter from the cold and icy season to come.
So long, Little Blake. See you in the spring.
