Tuesday March 18, 2014 ( gathering # 6)

Attempting to blog directly from the camp at 8 pm tonight! A nice taste of spring with temp up to 54 today, however chilly breeze and heavier jackets were immediately sought out after gathering. It feels best sitting close to the evaporator!

Vickie and Chad brought chili and helped to gather  along with Brad, Dale, Karen, Bob, Kevin, Jenny and Adam (and Bruce Oney) Gerri showed up late, again. Karen brought pulled pork and Dorothy made applesauce. We had salad and good conversation.

 

Brad got the great job of scraping the mud out of the tracks!

Aunt Dorothy hitch-hiked her way to the camp, She must have borrowed footwear from Mark! Karen was sporting brand spanking new muck boots!

When the snow melted we remembered we have firewood!

Brad was very impressed with Adam's most recent snow sculpture. The expression on Mr. Snowman's face is indicative of how we all feel, happy but perhaps melting a little.

The totes in the camp are filled with heavy boards that need split. The old guys made the kid work for a bit. He was heavily supervised.






Thanks to the generosity of the Swartzlander girls and their barn, we have plenty of hot fire! We have laughed that we should have made a barn blog! The barn lowering project lives on in our hearts as a fond memory of hard work with great friends & family.  (There is the lingering aroma of wet raccoon poop in the trucks that may last forever.) Brad thinks he is being funny by filling his mother's boots with square nails as we write.

Thanks to everyone who helped tonight :)

Total sap today: 290 gallons and 17 Sandhill
Total syrup today:5 gallons
Total sap to date:   1800 Gallons and  82 gallons Sandhill Rd.
Total syrup to date: 34 Gallons