From New York to Houston and beyond, a whole lot of attention has been paid in recent days to the remaining ice floes of Lake Superior and, in particular, Marquette.

Photos published in the Mining Journal showing people enjoying the ice made their way via the Associated Press to newspapers and other far-flung outlets. The area’s ice was also mentioned by Al Roker on the Today show.

A photograph of a Marquette lifeguard on duty with ice floating in the bay even ran in a newspaper in much farther north Thunder Bay, Ontario, where there is no ice left floating in Lake Superior.

Pat Black, of the Marquette County Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the publicity was good for the area and we tend to agree. It’s also nice to think that something good can come from the fact that there’s still ice in the lake in June and, according to some forecasts, maybe even July.

To many area residents who suffered through one of the worst winters on record for the area, seeing the ice chunks on the lake every day is a continuing reminder of that wintry grip of Mother Nature, which still has yet to completely loosen.

It’s good that something good can come from that.

With fishing, boating and swimming activities largely curtailed because of the ice or frigid water temperatures, the summer will be shorter along the Lake Superior shoreline, providing less chance to enjoy those precious few days.

No doubt as temperatures rise, we’ll see sunbathers photographed lying next to ice chunks on the sandy shoreline. Perhaps creating more postcards that might bring more attention to the region. But eventually, this winter and its remnants have to retreat for good. Right?

Hopefully, that will occur before it’s time to get ready for the next winter. Grab your beach towel and a shovel. It’s the U.P.