Heads up - it's rolling in

We watch the sky a lot, when we're not checking weather reports.
 Sometimes the best predictor is looking out the front door over the horizon!

Note the melting lake water. The temperatures have been less that that to keep the lake frozen. Water is most dense at 4°C and becomes less dense at both higher and lower temperatures. It is an anomaly in the world of compounds.

Ice floats and water, at temperatures just above freezing, sinks. Water is nearly isothermal with depth. Down in the depths of a lake the temperature is constant. Without any wind, this would be even more true. But both water density and wind mix and modify the lake. This is why sky watching involves watching the lake, too!

Due to the density-temperature relationships lake water temperatures tend to stratify and separate into distinct layers. You can see the meltwater on the top of the lake. Underneath a demon lurks in the constant temperatures deep below the surface. With the wind, it mixes the layers, whether there is ice or not.

You can see the weather moving in! It brings winds and the moisture whipped up from Georgian Bay to be dropped on those near the Great Lakes basin. This water cycle fascinates me. 

Evaporation, condensation, precipitation, respiration.
The interaction of photosynthesis and respiration by plants, animals, and microorganisms characterize the food web. We are all connected.
These organisms are all part of a food chain or web . A food chain is a linear connection between one organism and another relying on one another to survive. A food web is an interconnected web that illustrates the many connections between organisms.


I am fascinated with watching both the sky and the lake. And then a gorgeous sunset. What a blessing.

The wind on the ice surface causes the ice to flex and bow. It is most magical, especially when the shoreline is melted and the center of the lake is still frozen. The water rushes up and down like the tides at the shoreline. It is like the mother's hand that rocks the cradle, gently soothing the soul.


This is the water at the Bala falls on a slow day in winter! Check out my YouTube video for the sound! It is a powerful force, adding to the sensory experience of Muskoka.


Other effects on the lake, include water levels. In many lakes, especially in Muskoka with a complex web of streams, brooks, rivulets, creeks, ox-bow rivers all leading to a larger river or Georgian Bay.
Our lake has frozen, but it is not unmoving. The lake level changes regularly.

The Moon River, a massive transportation system for people and logging in the early development of Muskoka, was used by tribes 7,000 years ago.