Above the fold

It was only a matter of time before the Beer Man garnered fame (though not yet fortune) for his zany antics at the Balsam Lake WinterFest. Here he is striking a pose in the Inter-County Leader. I can only claim reflected glory, though my new winter hat is a stunner in its own right.

He's a winner

Here's lookin' at ya, No. 27.

Talk about being game. My youngest brother, Russell, took me up on a long-shot of an invitation to visit the Midwest in the dead of winter to partake in the Balsam Lake WinterFest and annual Chinese New Year festivities, which this year happened to fall on the same weekend.

Russell and our father did business in China for a number of years -- selling U.S.-grown Southern Pine lumber to the Chinese. He's been studying Mandarin, and I've been trying for years to get him up here to meet my Chinese friends, who always put on a stellar Lunar New Year feast.

Temps were in the teens and low 20s when Russell set out for his maiden voyage on snowshoes for the increasingly popular 5K Snowshoe "race." Sometime after passing Mile Marker 1, Russell decided to sprint ahead, clearly tapping into his former college football athletic self. Chris and I eventually caught up, realizing he had intuitively discovered our secret of North Country survival: Breaking a sweat in the coldest of cold gives you the (false) impression that you're kicking winter's ass.

Russ was a true sport in everything Loveless. He put up with drywall dust, lack of a bathroom and a furnace that broke just as temps were heading toward a week of sub-zeros. 

Here's hoping we didn't scare him off and that he'll return with his lovely wife when we're no longer in glamping mode.

 

Getting an ice fishing lesson from the master.

Jaguars fan (note the ski cap) from the very start.

Mighty fine fishin' hole. Alas, no bites.

Some Loveless winter lover made a snowman on the lake!

Scenic photo opp during the "race."

That crazy Beer Man.

Trusting the ice...

... even though they raced ATVs instead of trucks this year.

This photo begs for a Caption Contest.

No trip to Loveless is complete without a functional fire.

 

Loveless Lake is humble, but she's a beaut.

Old school

I may be building a modern lake house but waterfront activities are of the non-motorized variety, centered around hand-me-downs (canoe) and church bag sales (auger). Chris grew up ice fishing, and this year he's been eager beaver to get onto Loveless Lake. I'm more attracted to the notion of ice fishing than the actual sitting there and staring into the hole. But I probably just need to catch a fish. 

Chris easily shucks his gloves to spear a minnow, but I dread the idea of sticking my hand into the icy bucket and forcing a hook through a squirmy little fish. How lucky am I to have my own fishing guide on hand to do all of the hard work?

Experimenting with lawn chairs -- too chilly.

I'm with Handsome

Hard to remember that the North Country had a really slow start to winter. Not that we were complaining about the warm, sunny days and lack of snow. Then a few weeks ago, one of those arctic blasts arrived. Suddenly, Helloooo winter!

We celebrated with a tromp on Loveless Lake on snowshoes. As long as I've known Chris, he has complained about winter.  Swears this will be his last. Those damn dark days, lack of light, lack of energy, you get the drift.

But here he is again, bless that big ole Scandinavian  heart of his. Winter is better with a Handsome Handyman around.