It’s really getting close now— the ice masters are out checking the ice thickness, people are making plans and in some places folks have already been skating ! It’s worth noting that these fellows are in their eighties and were skating this morning (13 december). One more old one to see — it shows what the ice masters do and how some folks just cannot wait. One scene shows a skater with the ice pics around his neck. They use these to pull themselves our of the water if they fall through.
This is great Sjoerd What a nice way to enjoy the winter. Do you skate as well? Ice picks around the neck....that is brave to be skating with such caution.
Impressive, Sjoerd! I grew up by the Mississippi River. When I was a boy, the river would freeze over during the winter, so we went ice skating and sledding and ice fishing. My grandfather, in his eighties, could spell our family name in the ice, in cursive - ten letters long, plus his first name, eight more letters. He made hearts, pierced by arrows, in the ice. I could stand up and even move forward sometimes.
BREAKING NEWS: We read in today’s morning paper that the first marathon on natural ice in the county will be skated this evening…in Friesland, of course. Daniel, what a wonderful story. I was surprised to hear the Mississippi River freezes over. I suppose that I thought that it was too large. Having said that, I remember some large rivers in Alaska that would freeze over in the winter and one of them had a tradition where one could guess when the “break-up” would begin. There was a tripod erected and it was movement sensitive; so you would be guessing when the thick river would first move, signalling the beginning of the break-up. You could buy tickets with your estimated month, day, hour, minute and second on it. The jackpot was a lot of money. Here you can read a little about it: https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-tech/when-will-tanana-river-ice-break But, back to your grandpa— what an ability that was! You must have been amazed to have seen him do that. Not only did he demonstrate skill, but he was getting up there in age as well. Chapeau!! Mel— no, I do not skate. My bride asked me if I was going out to find a place to skate, and I said, no— the ice is too hard and cold. Gale's of laughter broke out, and I donned my Paul Merton face and said , “ Wot”, shaking my head, showing confusion. The “ ice picks” are not the old- fashioned ones that you would break-up ice blocks with, rather small ones that can de bought all-over. The device can be closed to wear around the neck. There is also a whistle attached to call for help. Take a look:
Checking that the ice is safe first is so very very important Sjoerd. Four little boys have just lost their lives playing here on ice that was unsafe. Heartbreaking.
We've just heard that two little boys (brothers) lost their lives trying to ride their scooters over ice on a reservoir here.
