There haven't been any updates for a while because the Northerns have been out in the back yard skating. Today, there is no skating - it was really warm today. Right now, at 9 pm, it is 57 degrees. Normally, that would be good, but when you can see things like rubber duckies floating on an ice rink, it makes the Chief Icemaker unhappy. The temperature is predicted to stay above freezing for thirty-six more hours.....
When there is ice, this is after-work central. This messy corner is the hockey locker room at the Northerns' house. There is a lot of gear crammed into the bag and spread out all over NorthernMommy's normally nice area (it'll get cleaned up in the Spring, promise!)
Good ice day. (Well, the ice is a fair bit pebbly and rough, but y'all can barely see that in the photo!)
Testing - Ice Day #1
NorthernDaddy was going to detail the whole rink building process and all the fun things that went into the miracle of having ice in the back yard, but then he realized that the account would be boring. Instead, he'll share a few notes on things learned in the process....
- It takes a lot of water to fill even the smallest rink. At 16' x 22', this rink is small. It still took running a hose for more than eighteen hours (spread over four days) to fill to the minimum depth.
- Resurfacing is an art. For those ice-impaired readers, resurfacing is the process by which the skate grooves and bumps on the ice are filled/removed to make a smooth surface to skate on. In short, it's what the Zamboni does at a professional rink. Lacking a Zamboni, it's gotta be done by hand. There are as many techniques to resurface ice as there are backyard rink makers - everyone's got their own particular method.
- Resurfacing can will become an obsession. There are scores of internet posts on favorite methods and the discussions in the locker room at hockey practice center around backyard rinks. NorthernDaddy has only had three nights of rink maintenance, and he's already chasing perfect ice. (Hot water bucket dumps are the current favorite for his rink.) (What should the rink be officially called? "Northern Ice"? "Dinky Rink"? "Frozen Duck Pond"?...Any ideas?)
-Many internet posts on the subject of flooding (resurfacing) are potentially deceptive. You can read tales of leisurely outings to the backyard to let the hose gently pour out onto the ice while drinking a favorite beer. NorthernDaddy isn't sure where this kind of thing happens, but it sure isn't in Northern Vermont. It's really cold - hauling a hose out of the basement is work (gotta keep the hose from freezing) - there sure isn't any beer drinking going on here!
- Hockey pucks disappear into snow banks fast. Finding them is quite difficult. Finding them while a four-year-old helps by whacking at the snow with a hockey stick (yelling, "Find the puck!") is darn near impossible, but heaven help you if you quit looking before you find the puck....(Good news: pucks are available in 12-packs for $15. Keep that in mind.)
- There's an old saying about backyard rinks and the removal of snow/skate shavings at the end of each skate session. It goes: "If you skate, you shovel." Well, not if you're four. Four-year-olds don't have time to shovel. Mothers of four-year-olds get a pass, too. They have to accompany the child into the house to remove hockey gear. New saying: "If you skate, Daddy shovels....."
- Pressure cracks in ice can be alarming. Imagine, late at night, in the dark, a rifle going off directly underfoot. Be sure to include the totally irrational stab of fear that the ice will break and you'll fall into the water - you know that the water is no deeper than 8", but your brain forgets that for a second or two....
- There is no better outdoor winter fun than skating on one's own backyard ice rink.
- Fresh ice on your very own rink is absolutely beautiful at night. Sure, it's really stinking cold, you can't feel your toes, your breath is freezing to your beard, it took ten minutes with a propane torch to thaw the water spigot, and your gloves freeze to the hose, but it is totally beautiful to see fresh, glass-smooth ice on a rink that you built.
