The dry spell at Lee Lake

It rained, it rained, it rained! We've had an unusually dry fall here in southern Wisconsin and it's been more of a blessing than a burden. It was most noticed by an early and fast harvest, but we could also witness it in the lowlands where I live. The other day I went for a walk to take some pictures of what this month of no rain has meant for us.

First, I must quick tell the story of how Lee Lake came to be so you can better understand what the pictures truly mean. In August of 2007, my home was struck with 20-some inches of rain. That winter we had a record 100-plus inches of snowfall, which melted on top of the already saturated soils. To make matters worse we received more than a dozen inches of rain in June. All-in-all they claimed it to be a 500-year moisture event, which means our area would receive that much moisture once every 500 years. Aren't we lucky to have been here at that exact time?

Well, we truly were lucky because the people who built our house more than 100 years ago positioned it on the highest part of the property, which meant when water was at its peak we only had an inch or two in our basement (because the groundwater levels were so high it seeped in). We also gained lakefront property. When we purchased the home it came with one acre of marshland. The August rain turned it into a pond and from there we began calling it a lake – Lee Lake. That was also because for a couple of months it met up with the neighbor's pond and covered the road that stretches between our two houses.

Now after a couple years of average moisture, and one really dry, warm month. I'm pleased to show you the shrinking Lee Lake.

 

At its highest point, the water was at the base of these trees.

 

This is the field on the other side of our lake. The muddy corn stubble was from corn planted in 2007, I think – it was a long time ago and all. If everything goes well, they might be able to use that part of the field again next year.

 

This is the neighbor's pond and lawn. We haven't seen the patch of ground here for three years!

 

 The trees around their pond mark how high the water once was.