Black's Cliff Birch Bark Blog

Excerpt: This slow sluggish spring has been good for one thing "Sapping." The maple trees have been slowly waking up and dripping. The snow and rain the last 2 days has not slowed things down. This morning we got over 2 buckets of sap from 35 or so trees. Some are not producing any yet and some trees are in... Read more

Excerpt: Words escape me this morning. We are retreating to the woodstove with Mexican Chicken Stuffed Shells, 2 DVS's The Hobbit and Life of Pi, and my knitting needles and Troy's Ipad and we may make it through the weekend.... Read more

Excerpt: Just as I was grumbling about winter never ending while drinking coffee, watching the weather man say 2- 4 inches of snow Friday a flock of birds invaded our feeder. Spring is always fun to see the different birds that stop through. I missed a picture earlier in the morning of 4 grouse stopping in but got the camera... Read more

Excerpt: In the hope that spring has sprung we have gotten our maple cooking pots out. So far we have collected about 4 gallons of sap. Not quite enough to get the cookers going. The trees the last 3 days have shut back down along with the temps. Wednesday looks like it is the start of warmer temps in the... Read more

Excerpt: We spent a very nice weekend away from the resort visiting friends and family before spring work hits. Did I say friends.... Does anyone else have a friend like this? Everyone needs a friend like this but everyone with a friend like this should be careful at all times where they leave their Iphone unprotected or you get to... Read more

Excerpt: Too much snow in the woods and Char Schmelzer = shopping trip to Ironwood. Ironwood is 1 hour north of us and has as many strip bars as it does antique stores and a wonderful pasty shop for lunch. What a combination antiques, strippers and pasty's Joe's Pasty shop is not fancy but it is great food. They have... Read more

Excerpt: As of 1pm today spring has sprung, the maple trees started to drip as temps soared to 40 degrees! Yeah last year our maple season was over by mid March and hopefully this year we have a better year collecting. We need temps during the day to mid 40's and below freezing at night to keep the trees flowing... Read more

Excerpt: One of our guest Gail ordered 13 Christmas Balls last fall. She knew she would not get them by Christmas as my list was filled up for Christmas but I got them done this week. Gail has got balls, lots of balls Dancing Balls, Alaska Balls Red Balls... Blue Balls (I love these with the variegated blue sparkly yarn)... Read more

Excerpt: Craig came back from Arizona for a month to work on a few things.... a few things turned into a few more things... and lets just say everyone will notice something in their cabin fixed or added before they are all done. My Iphone has been busy catching everything going on Craig started out going through all the drapery... Read more

Excerpt: No end to winter in sight = time to get some inside projects done When the guys get let loose on cabins scenes like this happen. Kitchens migrate into bathrooms Cook while you clean? Time for some touch up stain and varnish in Bayview How is that for spiffy cupboards Murry? Just for fun I think we should play... Read more

Excerpt: Another 4 or so inches of snow arrived last night on top of the large amounts we already had. Now I love winter do not get me wrong.... but I have had enough.... it is pretty but..... time for spring I went down to the lake in my Columbia high topped boots to find out how Cliff was doing... Read more

Excerpt: When will Cliff wake up from hibernation and sink into Lower Kaubashine? Well here are the 2013 entries. I am not going to publish times there are not more than 2 people on any day, so if Cliff sinks on a day 2 have picked then we will just split the pot between them. The pot this year is... Read more