Another adage; it is said that, where I sit by a nice pine fire, there are four seasons. Almost Winter, Winter, After Winter, and Road Construction. An educated guess in it's origins might involve a real inventive sport to blame for the coining and word of mouth with the snowbird gang and barflies to name a few. Like many, it is a twisted tale.
A disagreement:
During Almost Winter, the leaves go psychedelic. You can explore previous posts. There you'll find good times, folks. Good times.
The After Winter period revels in waiting for the Big Thaw.
The mouth of the home water. The river is pouring over the frost line, six feet up from lake level. When the line backs to the first rapids, game on for the first river steelhead. The Pond is at the left in back and early this year served as catalyst for The Thaw as well as major and minor tackle preparations.
Very exciting this After Winter is. For afterwards, one gets all dirty with fish.
Winter. At it's birth, forty degrees is a three layer consideration. Near it's death, t-shirts at thirty-five and sunny. Shorts and crocs for the adolescents.
In between; Sixty below windchills or a frozen lake so quiet you can hear a pin drop in six fresh inches on the far shore.
More to come. It just got born.
Road Construction equals summer. Here, the main thread gets wider and straighter to accomodate the tourists. Along with winter, it's aptly named. Frost heaves up on rock and clay with passion and lust. They feast on road the whole while.
Spanning three or four months of real summer-type weather, Road Construction seems a short, memorable season.