Smoke signals are drifting up into cyberspace from jungle computers….our trusty spy, Denis Guertin, is prospecting two of his three favorite lakes: little Lac Joli about the size of Chicky; and Lac Abenakis, which is slightly larger and only now getting thick enough for safety. These lakes are almost four hours north of midcoast maine.

The thanksgiving holiday, which was perfectly timed to kibosh the first sailing of the season, is now a happy memory. The fridge is getting back normal. The wood pile, after almost five days of fireplace fires is deeply dented. And now….with the iceboat gear sorted out and piled separately in the garage, certain natives’ heartbeats are beginning to fibrillate.

when you examine the basis for the thrills of ice activities, you might discern four slightly different joys: there is “just iceboating” which is the generic thrill of bringing together technology, ice, and weather to create an amazing, magical movement. any lake will do. there is “creating community” where we need some kind of common toy or activity to build a community which is usually only seasonal. there is “go-faster-than-him/her” where the heart quickens in runner to runner closeness. and finally there is “cruising” where either the lake is big enough or, if small, at least has little wild snippets to give us the feeling of spaciousness and adventure.

Lac Joli gives us a welcome head start on our lovely early-freezer, Plymouth Pond. Though it lacks the “cruising” dimension, it offers the other three possibilities, so i’m hoping that Denis’s report coming tonight might open something up. If anyone else is considering going up there, possibly for a two-day gig, please add your comment to this post, or contact me by email, jorybrenda(at)gmail.com I doubt I would go alone….

think ice! it’s coming soon….jory