Sugar Shack

Our ride out to the sugar shack, Bob & Beauty. We could have driven in for it was dry enough...but who would want to pass up a wagon ride!?!

We were reminded that life in the woods would indeed be moving at a much slower pace.

This guy was our musical entertainment while we were enjoying our pancakes and REAL maple syrup. There is a funny little story behind this picture, so I'll set the stage, pun intended. In Feb. we celebrated Jon being sober for 24 years (YEAH~HOORAY~YAHOO!!!), back in what I refer to as the crazy daze, the guy would dance all night long with me...now when we do go to a wedding dance its a couple of slow dances and his dance card has been fulfilled and he's good for the evening. When I have reminded him how much he used to dance, he says "why do you think they call it liquid courage?" So we're eating pancakes, listening to Woodland Willie and he starts to sing "Love me tender" and I think hey it is a slow one...a girl has to try...right? I look across the picnic table at Jon and say "so...are you going to ask me to dance??" and with out skipping a beat he said "I need a few more pancakes in me." It was good humor and a good laugh:)
Our other entertainment for the day was my Heaven on earth!! When we first laid eyes(and my hands followed with in seconds) on the sheep and goats, Jon knew it would be a very long visit in the woods. This little guy was 11 days old, he just had his tail banded, goodness he was so so sweet.
Sweet curiosity.This is the actual sugar shack where the maple sap is boiled down to make maple syrup. My Grmpa & Grma made maple syrup when my Dad was growing up and when I was growing up, seeing all this was a sweet walk down memory lane. We would go to their home in the woods and help empty the sap buckets off the trees. Grmpa would let us put more wood on the fire, Grma would can the syrup and my Dad would take some of it to sell down in the "cities" that's what Minnesotans call Mpls/St. Paul.Inside the sugar shack, look at all that sweet steam, the ratio is 40 to 1, it takes 40 quarts of sap to make 1 quart of syrup. "Jody Bloom"
When I showed Grace the pictures from my amazing day she said this one should be titled "Jody Bloom" The floor of the woods was covered with these little Violets.

Even the view out the outhouse window was wonderful, the Violets look like a carpet.

Nieces:)
A girl after my own heart!I'm tellin' ya, my Heaven on earth...I am one happy camper!!!
The ride home did not disappoint either, it was a day that was tailor made for me.