Open Water

With warmer temps this week we have spotted our first open water. I am sure the ducks are not far away. Temps going to 65 on Saturday will get things really moving along melting I caught Penny down on our side of the lake looking forlornly at her swimming hole. It will be a few more days before we get open water on our side At least the beach steps are clear of snow. They need a good sweeping. Spring clean up starts as soon as we get a little drier weather This week has been all about spring cleaning. The guys were supposed to be shampooing carpets, dusting and washing windows. Instead they found a couple of projects. The curtains in Red Pine open the correct way now and there just might be labels on the confusing switches in Red PIne stay tuned The maple trees are finally done running. We have a huge back log of sap waiting to be cooked squirreled away in pots in snowbanks, and fridges all over the resort keeping it cool until we can cook it down. Right now we are cooking it as fast as we can four different ways. From the wood stove above Kitchen stove. Notice the color difference between the pots. The one on the left has thicker syrup in it more concentrated it is brown under all that foam just like the pots on the wood stove a rich brown. The pot on the right is the clean sap that is not very concentrated. I used fresh sap in that pot when I started it up. People are so surprised that maple syrup comes from clear liquid that looks like water. As you cook it down that is where the brown color comes from Our outside cooker in the rain. A steady rain had us scrambling to keep the fire going. Yes I moved the cardboard box after this picture. My favorite way of cooking is on the wood stove it is just not the fastest when you have a lot of sap. We should have a good supply once it all cooks down. The snow is getting thinner and thi