In spits and spats, chills and chillies, winter is coming. Haven’t we’ve had years where it just gets cold, we have black ice, and then one day it snows? The Western Challenge has been called on, then off, then on again, and now the search is on for a venue, to be announced Thursday.

Here in Maine, the hope was that the new thin plate on Plymouth Pond would submerge under the weight of the snow, wet out, and freeze into a lovely sheet of grey ice. Here’s a reality check:

Dave Godine will check it again Friday, but we’ll be looking further afield as well. Stand By.