Although sometimes that misconception is very close a reality, we in fact we have four.
I love the intensity our seasons. Winter is very cold, spring is turbulent, summer is beautiful, but sticky and fall is full of color. The life cycle that we have the blessing of observing is a constant reminder of the restless nature of our environment - it moves on whether we like or not.
Like most Minnesotans, I'm in full support of our environment's current efforts to thaw. Whether we have another snowfall or not, Spring is just about here. And it couldn't come any sooner; I caught a glimpse of my chest in the mirror the other day and I was borderline transparent.
One of my favorite things about the spring is watching the ice melt off the lakes. You know the expression "a watched pot never boils?" I would apply the same thing to watching the ice disappear from a lake. One day it's there and another it's gone.
Lake of the Isles is my local observatory. I walked around it earlier today, and enjoyed the amount of human activity I noticed (most likely related to the nice weather). Two months ago a majority of the activity would have been taking place on the ice, but now the ice is too brittle, so we are back to enjoying the lake via land.
Ice is a beautiful phenomenon. We celebrated its arrival by playing hockey, cross country skiing and fishing, and we will celebrate its departure. In the mean time, we've been subject to the elements temperamental and destructive nature. Over the last few months I've heard the lakes crack and grown. I've seen ice bursting through people's decks and drains like they were tissue paper. Along the north shore, I saw the ice overtake an entire bay (railings and all):
Two years ago we arrived at our cabin, in Hayward, to put the dock in for the summer. Over the winter the entire beach had been "remodeled" due to the way that the ice had shifted during the thaw - our steel dock was mangled.
Yes, we enjoy ice, but we forget about the incredible power that freezing and thawing water has on our landscape. You recall the misconception about Minnesota's two seasons? Well most colloquialisms have some truth - roads absorb moisture, moisture freezes and as the ice expands it breaks up the materials that make up our roads. Winter creates potholes, the potholes get fixed and then it's winter again.
