Bubbles

Winter keeps on playing games and taunting us, seemingly hiding just around the corner like a little kid playing hide and seek. Everyone is ready for the snow to show itself and stay so they can start playing on their skis, snow machines and dog sleds. At the same time folks are really happy to have the extra time to get out and go on one last bike ride or hike and enjoy the unseasonably warm weather. While there is no real snow on the ground yet the temperatures did finally start dropping to seasonably reasonable temperatures this weekend. I did not really appreciate how much they had droped until Sunday when I drove past Balaine Lake and noticed people gliding around on ice skates. I thought they were nuts at first for skating on such thin ice so I pulled over to watch. After all just two weeks before UAF had a log rolling competition in that very spot. To my surprise the lake had frozen deep and crystal clear. It was as if I had just crossed over to a wintry Alice in Wonderland so I pulled out my camera and started marveling at all the shapes frozen in the ice. These bubble particularly caught my attention. The way they were layered and textured under the ice blew my mind. I have never seen anything like it. I was not the only one. Many folks that day were stopping by to marvel at the newly frozen lake. I'm sure a few of them returned the next day with skates.