Bubble, Bubble, Bubble

The icicles are dripping, the crows are cawing, and the creeks and rivers are swelling with the water from melting snow. Those three things mean it's the time of the maple moon, or the time when Native Americans and early Minnesotans would make maple syrup. The sap is flowing.

I helped out this weekend, but didn't take anything close to the huge amount of photos I did last year. (Check out last year's post for more about the actual process) This year, we had more than 250 visitors and the weather couldn't be beat. A 58-degree day is even more precious when you've been through a long, cold winter like we've had this year. We saw flocks of swans flying overhead and a few eagles. My job was to explain the indian process of boiling down sap, and I helped the kiddos pour their sap into the big kettle we had. We'd stir it from time to time. Even though I cringe at the high cost of maple syrup, I understand exactly why it costs so much. It's a pain in the you-know-what to make.


The Percheron horses, Mac and Jack, made several trips up and down the site with trolleys full of guests. Jack worked up quite a sweat that day, because he hadn't worked all winter. It looked like shaving cream.


One of the best things about the day, besides the maple sugar, the weather, and the people, was the fact I didn't hear the annoying 'maple syrup' song once. It's practically tuneless and uninspired, but we had to sing it last year to the school children. It was painful for all. I'm glad I missed out on that this year, but I did tease several people with the bubble, bubble intro...just for fun.
Several old friends stopped by, including Brad who is a college student in Wisconsin. He's in the ballcap in the foreground. You might remember the pictures of him from last summer where he was running around under the influence in his long underwear. I'm sure he does the same thing at college.

Brad won't be repeating that spectacle here, though, because he got a summer job jumping out of helicopters and fighting fires out west. It sounds just like him. What an adventure. He'll have a blast, pardon the pun, and we wish him the best of luck. Stay safe, Brad!