Finally a day warm and balmy in 20’s, no wind. Time for a stroll on good old Chicky. John E. and I , armed with axe and drill headed from Heron Beach (Lloyd’s) out to the recently open water, now black ice, in SE corner. Old hard walk on snow drifts up to 8″ thick, rare slush pots where water coming up through snow ice, and spectacular 1 Ft + new black ice. Drilled and chopped here and there, bare spots, under drifts, etc. Could not strike water anywhere. No ice fishermen, no snow mobile tracks, just our footprints on a previously untrodden surface of this planet, always a thrill.