Colder than a Witch's .................. um Broom stick

- 10 below zero , a  10 -12 mph wind blows out of  the North West,  It's still mostly dark,, sun just starting to brighten the Sky in the East ,,, the Crescent Moon remains very visible in the Southeastern sky,, just  a bit lower and to the right  is  Venus ,, very bright in the still dark sky.

A man wearing near every sweatshirt, and Hoodie he has. His "Bleacher Creature" Knit wool hat pulled over his ears,  and that hood  tight around his face,,, plus the best pair of gloves I - he -  owns.

Where is he headed ???  Out the Door and down the boat ramp to the Dock that runs parallel to the Fixed  Pier.  A 6 foot long - 1 inch in diameter steel bar with a knob on one end a a 4 inch flat plate on the other is in my right hand, and a yellow handle 16 pound sledge hammer is in the other.  Head down to end, 100 Plus feet , to where the Pier no longer acts a as a wind shield.  Pylons  - one  foot round pylons are there (these have been sunk 20-30 feet into the mud at the bottom of the marine)  they,  along with what looks like a 2 x2 foot horseshoe collar that is bolted back in the base of the dock hold that part of the Floating docks in place. There are 30 some of these in the Marina, ,,, ALL  need to be Struck a dozen times or so  with that 16 lb sledge to try to break the Ice that has formed on them , so that the collar does not get hung on the Pylon as the Tide moves the docks up / down on the Pylons,,, then the Steel bar comes into play chipping ice away from the dock and the collar....... 

There are 75 - what we call ICE EATERS - see photo -  scattered along the docks and attached to the Pylons to circulate the Water so it does not freeze; however, in temperatures below 15 degrees (and Certainly below zero temps ) they can only do so much to keep the ice at bay..  these Ice Eaters look like a five gallon pail - but open on both ends. With a 1.5 hp motor on mounts in the Pail with a small  6 inch propeller  on the motor  - there is a power cord (obviously) and then 2 lines attached to the top. The Ice Eaters goes into the water approx 4 feet down and is held to the dock using the same cleats that are used to hold boats in warmer weather... These SO break down.  Electrical problems, something - a  piece of a branch,  fishing line, rope, a plastic bottle , snaps off the wings of the propeller  - so that they need to be pulled from the water and either repaired or replaced - and NO that work can't wait for a warmer day.....

A really neat job is having to maneuver the Snow blower down the ramp onto the docks to clear the snow to make it safer to do the Ice Chipping or work on the Ice Eaters ,, you can see the path left by  the blower in the top photo.... 

I think I will remind myself of these Absolutely freezing day - when I get a few of those days in August when its  so hot you cannot breathe ,,, and  on the docks you can't  kneel down too long or it feels as if you are being burned !

Oh -  I missed some of the Real fun ..... there are 6 Pylons that are out in the middle of the Marina - AKA - NO dock near them, Just the post sticking out of the water., that floating dock is either moved or removed for the winter,,, so the  Ice eaters  are  hung from a board that forms a cross near the top of the pylon. Wires are strung from the FIXED  dock thru the air over to those Pylons.....   One of the those Ice eaters stopped working .. so the guys donned those Orange rescue suits - yup the ones you see on DEADLIEST CATCH - and they walked out across the ice to the Pylon and replaced the Ice Eater !!  

Is this Job worth $11 and hour !?- I think I should go to Stewarts or Mickey D's - they pay more !