Here Fishy, Fishy, Fishy...

Looks like a painting, doesn't it?

ICE PARTY. Tern Lake is located about 40 minutes from Seward, an hour plus from Kenai, and an hour and a half from Anchorage; it's on the road system, so not technically a back-country lake, but it still falls into the category of "remote" for sure. So what a surprise to show up last Sunday and find literally hundreds of people there! Why? Fabulous ice.

The temperatures up here just kicked down into the freezing zone, and word was out that ice on Tern measured more than 3 inches in multiple spots. There was no event, no social media invite... just good old-fashioned word of mouth and a clear crisp sunny day. Game on. I took the time to count and there were over 50 people that I ran into (or should I say skated into?) that day that I knew by name, many good friends. It felt like a huge impromptu party, but the dress code was pretty wonky and the thermostat was set super low. There were pick up hockey games, picnics with folding camp chairs and crates for tables, and lots and lots of skating.

Tern Lake

J and Indigo join the party!

HERE FISHY, FISHY, FISHY. Do you remember that Sesame Street skit? The one where Ernie and Bert are in a boat, and Ernie keeps trying to call for a fish to jump in? None do, until Bert, totally dubious and at the end of his wits, screams at the top of his lungs, "HEEEEEEERE FI-SHY FI-SHY FI-SHY!!!!" And a whale jumps in the boat. Ask and thou shalt receive, in dramatic fishy fashion.

So at one point, I noticed a dead fish suspended in the frigid water beneath the clear glassy ice. Others were noticing too; you could see pockets of people gathered in circles, staring down.

Nope, not a painting... a salmon! Guessing the color is decomposition and scale fungus. Beauty appears in the strangest places!

And then... J spotted a not dead fish. A very much alive fish! And you could skate above it, chasing it almost, as it flitted about, making a few last runs before likely succumbing to its friends' colorful demise. It was the strangest sensation, and one that made you laugh out loud with the wonder and whimsy of it. A few short video clips (might have to click to the actual blog site, not the emailed version, to watch) of what it looked like to us human types, feeling like we were flying above the aquatic underworld - enjoy: