The sun graced us with it's presence today!! Pretty but not quite as warm as it looked. There was a stiff breeze out of the south that kept it feeling chilly.
The trees felt it too....even the middle of the woods had ice in puddles as well as buckets. There seemed to be a little more run on the north side of the woods where the wind was perhaps not as much a factor.
Note the hole in the ice where the sap has been dripping.
The great run of 1050 gallons last Tuesday left us with quite a project in terms of getting that all boiled down...and still working on that today. We had perhaps 250 gallons left in the upper tank so we started a fire early today. The full sun and temps in the upper 40's led us to think we would have a big sap run today...so getting started early seemed wise. Turned out to be a good thing anyway as it was still well after 9 when we shut the evaporator down.
Finished gathering BEFORE dark tonight!
The boiling was a bit slow today. There was a lot of socializing going on for starters. And a lot of cooking. (The fire served as a cookout today as much as a sap boil. The guys had bologna and bratwurst mid afternoon to tide them over until tacos at 630 which held them until brisket was done an hour later followed by pork loin by 830. Like a five course meal. ) Finally, Adam was not there to keep the fire going and admittedly Bob is spoiled. He had some issues multitasking. And missed Katie asking him oodles of questions.
Cody's college friends, Dave and Justin, now Rine extended family, wander in like stray cats every now and then. Today was the day. Their enthusiasm kept us laughing today. Dave decided to drive today...that actually went pretty well. Brad clearly enjoyed bossing him around a bit.
Dave using the tongs as both an eating utensil and a pointer while lecturing Brad..on something.
Quote of the day (by Bob) "keep the flames 4 inches above your bratwurst to avoid the dog taking it". Apparently the dog (piper) had herself a little snack straight from the grill.
The Michael Shumway family X 5 came to help as well as Brad, Molly, Emily, Kevin, Jenny, Curt, Evan, Kelsey, Dan C. and Nancy.
Dave and Cheryl came to visit for a bit this evening and enjoy the warm fire. Erin and Tinleigh came in time for dinner. Aunt Susan spent most of the afternoon and early evening with us but admitted it was sill a bit cool for her.
Curt toasted marshmallows and smores were enjoyed! There was a loud card game, some sampling of brownies and "failed " strawberry pie. 
Tinleigh busied herself with drawing. We enjoyed a game of Otrio, Tinleigh won the first round fair and square. Bob seems to have enough "blank canvas wood" for her to make beautiful pictures for awhile. Spent some of her downtime tonight trying on buddy Brad's boots. Total Sap Today: 260 + 10 gallons
Total Sap To Date: 1,912 gallons
Total Syrup Today: 9 gallons
Total Syrup To Date: 37 gallons
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