• Thursday-What'sUP January 28 - 01:01 pm

The Laurium recreation area, which includes the BiCentennial Arena, a playground, and the remaining building from the 1934 location of the Houghton County Airport, is looking a bit lonely in this shot by Dave Antikainen. It seems to be lacking the joy and laughter of the kids playing on the equipment, while Mom and Dad set up a picnic on the tables provided. Even the sun is just barely making an appearance, being almost blotted out by the falling flakes. If you squint your eyes you can make out that the sign says: Park Closed 10 P.M. to 6 A.M., so if you hit the times right, I'd say you could still play on most of the equipment and even end up with a softer landing at the bottom of the slide! Anybody want to join me?

Good morning from Kansas

Sure, Mary, I'll join you - sounds like fun to me!

Good morning from the thumb. We have crunchy snow this morning. It is about 5 below right now.Time to put another log or two in the wood stove.

You know, as crabby as the kids here have been, I've been saying the only thing we need is a good 1 1/2 foot snowfall to get them in the appropriate spirit. Raining here and gloomy. Want the snow covered playground.

drizzly and 46 here in Abilene....not great for the trip to Midland today but I guess it is better than a foot of snow!! I wonder if I could still drive in the stuff......

Morning from Blacksburg,VA.
The little bit of snow we has last weekend is gone and my 9 year old is becoming a weather forcaster, prediciting the next batch. He would be on that playground in a heart beat!!! He should attend MTU with his big sister. He could build some statues.
Eveyone have a good day!

Lovely airport cam shot right now.

Anybody see the moon this am? It's huge and it looks so cool with the pink, blue, and purple sky. It doesn't even feel like it's 2 degrees out there.
Huskie hockey this weekend!! Go Tech!!

That's the Full Wolf Moon, so called because its when the wolves howled for food outside the villages in January. Beautiful and, as the weatherman says, it's severe clear. Five below here at 7 a.m.

Today's picture is a bit lonely and cold looking- but, made me think of a TV documentary I saw about Finland. It showed toddlers, and small children outdoors at a Daycare center- all bundled up in snowsuits and playing on the slides and in the snow. The caregivers were saying that the children are brought out every day for fresh air. And they all looked so happy, rosy cheeks, toddling along in all their winter clothes! Cool, huh? Can't imagine daycares in this area taking the kids out to play in the snow! (course, my kids are long grown, so I don't know for sure ;))

Mary says: I'm not sure about the daycares in the area, but I know the schools still send the kids out for recess, all bundled up of course, unless the temperature is 0° or below 0°. They need that fresh air and time to blow off steam and besides, they aren't out there long enough to get that chilled! :->

Hey! It's 2 degrees here in Northern NJ, too!

Minus 11 degrees in Cental Wisconsin, but what a glorious beginning to the day! The sun is rising and the trees along the river are all covered in frost! I wish I could be outside to enjoy this gift of a day, but instead, I will enjoy thinking about the playground and a picnic...Sigh!

Thanks for the wonderful thoughts every morning!

Did a double take this morning. Thought we might be having a visit from the northern lights. With the cold temps (-2), at least for here, there was an ice-snow falling. The refraction of the area ground lights was giving the effect of the borealis.

We grasp for any resemblance of the north!

It is ironic that the Detroit Free Press has nice article on page 4E..PORKIES WORTH THE TRIP can be read at http://www.freep.com/sports/outdoors/porcupine27e_20050127.htm

BBBBBBUUUUUUURRRRRRRR -5 degrees in and around the Lansing area so seeing that picture warmed me up a bit, very nice thank you for sharing. Have a great day all.

Wow, even for a transplanted Hoosier living in Florida, THAT is one heck of alot of snow!!! It's half way up the monkey bars!! Have a warmer day everyone!

There are "kids" playing on the hill at Ripley -- guess the sun brought them out, even in the cold.

http://www.admin.mtu.edu/urel/cams/ripleycam/motion.html

Is that round top building where we ice skated in the late fifties and early 60's? Quite the walk on Friday nights especially going home! Some nights we opted for bowling @ Millers because it was a "shorter" walk.

Michelle, Fl~
The snow in my yard is touching the clothes line which I forgot to remove in the fall. You should see that sight! There's about 4 inches of the clothes line poles sticking out of the snow :)

Dave in Laurium. Are those pictures of Pewabic St and 5th St. in your gallery taken after a recent storm this year? Or are they of some time past?
Guess Michigan is cold all over this morning. Well below Zero this AM and supposed to go to 8 below tonight. Good day to stay in by the fireplace if you can.

Ray... they were taken after the most recent storm we had..

Well, the men that work in one of the buildings at the old Laurium Airport pictured above are taking advantage of the breaking weather and widening the streets today, here's a couple shots of the process. This is the second cutback for the winter... they do a GREAT job!!

Dave--you have any pics of the apt building you lived in on pines st--Makis-or of when it burned down???

ts.. I probably do have some pics of the building somewhere in one of the many boxes, but most of them would have been lost in the fire.

ALso we went to the airprt to see the hole on top the hanger that was made by Dr McClures plane when he was killed hitting it on takeoff into the sun

Blue skies, bright sun, beautiful snowflakes. U.P.? Nope....Arlington Heights, IL. Looks pretty but won't last. Streets will be dirty and sloppy.

Well, it's noon now, sunny and bright blue sky. Just as beautiful as it gets here in the U.P. Cold but pretty.

mary, I would join you in a heart beat ...if only I could... Sob Sob Your cuz Theresa No snow here Yet....

Dave, Laurium - Thank you for the fantastic pictures!! They are totally awesome!! Makes me wish I was there, even in all that snow!! Can't wait to see it someday (when I retire). Keep up the great work. All you guys from Little Betsy, get ready cause I am moving in full time in 6 years!!

Lake effect here in Milwaukee, and no one knows how to drive safely in it....wish I was back in da UP!

Ahh, the old Laurium Ice Rink (right of the Gipp Arena) I remember it well-spent many a Friday night skating there indeed. Would help to scrape and sweep the ice, Mrs. Berryman would give us a free 1/2 pint of chocolate milk for our hard labor.

Norma in Midland, you should move in full time, Laurium would love to have you! or Calumet, or Mohawk, or Ahmeek, or Kearsarge, or Fulton, or Bootjack, or Copper City, Get it yet? Here's your sign!

Dave: I can't believe how much snow you have. You must spend most of the days clearing it from the driveway.

Your collection of pictures are exceptional. Your 'Winter Moods' reminds me of when I lived in Caumet. That is just way to cold for me.

You have a wonderful gift, I hope you will continue to bring us the pictures we like to see.

Beverly

"G" those snow pictures made me so cold I misspelled Calumet.

I drove by the Dollar Bay school today. As I approached I heard the wonderful sounds of kids playing. It was six degrees farenhiet, and the entire school was out for recess. I stopped and watched, as it brought back memories when I was a kid. When they closed school in Wakefield because of a blizzard, we would spend the entire day playing outside.

While stationed at the now closed Calumet Radar Station the winter of 66-67, I experienced 22 feet of snow fall. That's one of the reasons I enjoy so much seeing pictures of Calumet from afar...way afar[:-)ya'all have fun, while I doze in the sun!

taana moon looks very nice in tampa too

Onpas tullut lunta sielläkin maailmankolkassa!

japei go raith maith agat

ts..........when did that accident happen? I see no info re NTSB re accident or injuries....just curious...........very very recently....?

The rink was renamed years ago. It is now known as The Gipp Arena not BiCentennial, named after George Gipp.

I can imagine you stock up in the winter for food, medicine, and other gear. Be hard getting out and about there I see. I do that here in TX but for convenience. Can't imagine that snow, but it's beautiful!

Hey, I ate my FIRST Pasty last night...SUPER GOOD! It was delivered in the promised 2 days!

Walter, What are you and japei saying? :)

THANKS DAVE. NICE CLEAR PICS.

The building that housed the Ice Rink was originally a hangar. There was a long grass strip to land planes that ended at the hangar.

Liz - We must have skated at the rink at the same time.

Didn't get a chance to stop by Pasty yesterday. Used to skate at the bi. Don't remember there being as nice of a playground back then though! Dave- thanks for the pictures of the snogo! I always thought those banks looked a lot taller after those things went by! Use to be scared of them when I was little!

Everyone still calls it the "Bi". Easier to say than George Gipp Arena.

Doc Mc Clure plane accident was in the late 40s He owned Mc Clures garage on 7th and pine--now Bob Harters---also the apt building down the hill from the garage--the hanger he hit is the sandstone building on the right in the pic---I think you can still see the patched hole--east front

Doc Mc Clure hit the sandstone building on the right in the picture---later 40s

Hi everybody! I used to iceskate there when I went to CHS, walked down from Hecla street. Loved skating at the armory too! Sure do miss the winter fun skating, snowshoeing, xc skiing, and the northern lights..... heavy sigh...
60 degrees here today in southern NM, hanging clothes outdoors, but snow and cold and schools closed in the northern part of the state! Wild! Stay cozy!

"the Gipp" is harder to say than "the Bi"???