This sweet girl just lights up on ice π. We have so many pictures where she is smiling behind her helmet as she plays π
The BEST skating partner! ππΆ
My most of the time team of one Maintenance crew finished shoveling the ice for tonight so it would be ready for another day of hockey and skating π
Below 0Β°F today and it didnβt stop these kids from getting out on the ice to play a little hockey ππ₯Ά

Even after a busy day of presents, food, and inside fun the kids wanted to get outside to do some night skating now that everything is solid again π
Rink is open, and the fire is goingβ¦ π

Finally finished up flooding for my 8th year of doing this at 4am for a total time of 18 hrs. That equated to about 1484 Gallons (5618 L). Now we wait for it to freeze but this morning as you can see there is already a thin sheet of ice on it.
13 hours in and the rink is full. Now I need to fill the whole thing up a couple more inches to be skateable. π

9 hours in to flooding and it still hasnβt covered the high side of the rink π. Also, the temperature keeps dropping and we are at 18Β°F now π

Finally, the day and time have come to flood the rink π π With 3 hrs in so far and this is all the water I have but only 1 hr of it has been 2 hoses. The wind has not been super helpful today as I have had to walk around it quite frequently so far.

What? You donβt use a snow blower to clear your backyard π€·ββοΈ
cooler weather is coming again and I need to prep the rink area π
Had a great morning at the US Pond Hockey Championships. The kids enjoyed skating around as well.


These four wasted no time this morning getting outside to skate in the New Year!

After all the hockey played on the rink this afternoon it is time for the “Zamboni” to get to work… OK it is done now ππ


From the Lens - Backyard Rink Glow

The season is upon us… π
This year I upped our rink game by making the rink 70' x 32' compared to the last 6 years of 46' x 32' π. The kids are going to love it. Now let’s get colder MN so we can skate soon π§βπ (sorry MN friends but the kids want to skate)

Wordless Wednesday 03/20

Let the thawing begin as another backyard rink season comes to a close (March 2019)
With the temperature outlook for the rest of this week and the current standing water on the rink, I decided to puncture holes in the tarp… What a great backyard rink season and the kids are already wondering when we can set it up again ππ

Had to get the snowblower to the backyard tonight to keep the ice clear… Now we can tackle the driveway #priorities π

Look what I found on my run this morning in Ankeny, IA… Do I spy a backyard rink ππ… Looks like a nice setup π
