January 16^th, 2005:

It was –33 this morning, but sunny and not too much wind. It takes the car a little longer to get warm, but once warm it doesn’t really matter what the outside temperature is. It has been a very cold week, with some winds making it colder yet. We had to go to Saskatoon for a few days and even plugged in the car a couple of mornings. Aside from the ice, the biggest hazard in winter driving is the ice fog from car and truck exhausts. Sometimes it takes a while to get through an intersection as each car waits until it has visibility.

Despite the overcast, cold and wind there have been some very nice periods. I went for a walk last Tuesday, while the sun was still out. It was –23° at the time, up from –29° overnight, but dead still, and walking was very comfortable and pleasant. The multi-colored sparkles on the snow added the icing.

Last fall, we listened to an interview with someone from the Canadian Safety Council, talking about snow tires. When they stated that good snow and ice tires would cut stopping distances in two when compared with ordinary all-season tires, we decided to go for it and bought a set of Michelin X-Ice tires. What a difference! In Saskatoon, the streets are terribly icy yet we had no trouble at all sliding through intersections or getting away from stop signs, and the ice ruts hardly bother us at all. We still drive with typical winter caution but feel much more secure.

I don’t know that Michelins are the best, but they are considered very good tires. There are a lot of brands to choose from and I guess one would have to look for a comparison to tell which brand is the best. Someone told me the main thing is that they be made of soft rubber, and there are lots of cheap winter tires that meet that criterion. The cheapest are still away better than all-season tires for icy conditions.

The cost made us cringe, but of course while we are wearing the winter tires, we aren’t wearing out the all-season ones, and we will change over again in March. We should be able to get at least an extra year out of our tires.

It’s official: Fisherman’s Cove has been bought by a team headed up by Colin Mackie, from Edmonton. And guess who will be on the management team? Our own granddaughter, Sheryl Kopchuk, who will be remembered by many Cove customers of five years ago when she worked in the dining room. She has taken extensive training in business management since then, winding up with a degree, a diploma, and a couple of certificates. She will move up here about the middle of June.

Colin tells me the gas bar will be opened on April 12^th, and even though the rest of it won’t be open for a while, the coffee table will be there for gas customers and locals. It sounds as if they realize how important people from the local area are to the business, and want to welcome them back. The place will be in full operation by the Victoria Day weekend in May.

They will operate as The Cove, and have an e-mail address: thenewcove@hotmail.com in case you want to contact them.

A strip of land along the north end of the property has been sold to Francis Kehrig, and will be an extension to Almi Campground. The old motel (on the site of the original Fisherman’s Cove) will no longer be a part of the business, and we’re not sure about the four old cottages.