Would you believe, the ice is still holding onto the pallet and the clock hasn't stopped yet. We thought it would surely happen today because of the wind we had, but as of 7 p.m. the clock was still ticking. Fred got some nice pictures tonight. The pond looked calm and even inviting where there is open water. The ice is looking pretty black - you can get a good look in this closeup. Also, you can tell there is a great deal more open water along the Barre Ave. shore. I think this is one of those years when the pallet is just going to sink quietly through the mushy ice. It doesn't seem to have moved much at all, unlike some years when it shifts from one side of the cove to the other as the wind moves the ice floe around. We just need to wait it out.

We'll have more to report tomorrow, I'm pretty sure.

Today I heard about another break in at a camp on Route 2 - one of the cottages that had been broken into before. This time the owners were there, but had retired for the night. It's pretty scary that burglars are that bold. I haven't heard of any other breakins, but I'll keep you posted. With more people coming back, there won't be as much opportunity for thieves to break in without someone seeing them, but everyone should be careful to keep their doors locked and keep a watchful eye on strangers in the neighborhood.

I'm reminded about what my grandfather used to tell us kids - especially the ones who came to the farm from the city and were skittish about going into the woods to get the cows. He would tell them, "It's not the wild animals you have to worry about, it's the humans."

This is what the sunset looked like tonight. That looks like a lot of ice still on the pond, but actually, there's more open water than you'd suppose around the shoreline and the whole upper end of the pond is nearly free of ice.