Winter, sort of...

Winter?

Well, we bought boots, gloves, long johns, hats and heavy coats and winter has pretty much made fools of us.  There really hasn't been much of a winter here in Western New York.  We have basically had three snow storms.  Two dumped maybe an inch and one 5".  High temperatures have been generally in the upper 30's and 40's and even upper 50's on a few days. There is no snow to be seen anywhere.  To quote Yogi Berra, it's not over until it's over, but it has been one of the mildest winters in many years around here.  Not that we're complaining... Nor are we complaining about missing all the snow at home in Colorado!   It's been so warm here in fact, that the sap is starting to run in the Sugar Maples (see below).  It is supposed to get cold this weekend, but still not much snow forecast.

The sites have been very slow as expected, but things have picked up lately because the weather has been so mild. We've had quite a few folks from Down Under, since they're on summer break.  

We have been able to teach with the young missionaries quite a bit and visit lots of people in our ward, which has been great.   We love the young missionaries we serve with!  

I rushed out to take some winter pics after the 5 inch snowfall a couple of weeks ago, thinking I might not have another chance. These were all taken at the Smith Farm.  

(Note:  if you click on these photos, they should enlarge)

Niagara Falls

On a P-day last week we drove over to Niagara Falls, which is only about 100 miles west of us.  It was cloudy and overcast when we left, but having faith in the weather forecast, we headed out.  It turned into a beautiful day at the falls, although most of the view points are closed because of ice (check out the second picture, below)

American Falls, with Horseshoe in the distance

Fort Niagara

After our stop at the falls, we drove north about 15 miles to old Fort Niagara.  It is another of the many forts on Lake Ontario, owned at different times by the French, British and Americans.  Currently we have it... This particular fort was critical because it guarded the long portage trail used to get around the Falls from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario.  It played a major role in both the French and Indian War and War of 1812 and is pretty cool.  We hope to get back there in the summer when they have reenactments.  

This lighthouse stands right next to the fort, where the Niagara River dumps into Lake Ontario, downstream from the falls.  

This is the "French Castle" - built to look like a house, but it really was the first fort.  I'm not sure anybody was fooled...

Lots of cannon and mortars and such around...

The South Redoubt

Ann and some old friends...

I'm pretty sure he missed - his eyes were closed...

Inside the Castle

North Redoubt

Powder Magazine

Toronto is just across Lake Ontario from the fort - 26 miles

From the South Redoubt

On our way home, we came upon this little cemetery sitting out in the middle of a corn field on a slight rise.  There are hundreds of little cemeteries in New York.  People have been dying around here for a long time...

Sugaring Season

On our P-day we went over to John and Linda Harmer's home. They're faithful members of the Palmyra Ward and have a few Sugar Maples at their house that they tap every year.  They invited us over to see how it's done.  They just do it for fun, but there are large maple syrup producing farms around here who are serious about such things.  New York produces a lot of maple syrup every year.  

The Harmer's called this tree "Big Bertha."  It produces about 100 gallons of sap a year.  The sap to syrup ratio is about 40/1, so this tree produces enough sap for about 2 1/2 gallons of syrup.  
The Harmer's use several collection methods - this is the most modern and is similar to what the big maple producers use. 

You drill a 7/16 inch hole about 2 inches deep, tap one of these "spiles" in, attach a plastic hose, stick it in a bucket and wait for it to fill up.  The big producers have 2 inch plastic pipes running through their groves that are fed by these smaller tap lines.  The large pipes feed into huge collecting tanks.

This one is a more traditional set-up (well, modern traditional), with a metal spile.  For real traditional, think hollow wooden peg and an oak bucket hanging from it...  The crystal clear sap is almost tasteless, with no real hint of the lurking sugar content.  

Metal Spile (about 3" long)

This is the really modern traditional, I suppose.  Plastic everything, but very simple and functional.  The size of the tree determines the number of taps it can take.  

Ann, the tree tapper

Our Tap Trainers - the Harmers

The sap flow rate varies considerably depending on the temperature and other factors that I can't remember.  These weren't gushers, but they started running as soon as we took the drill out.  

Now to get to that syrup thing:  Basically you put a bunch of sap in a big pan, build a fire under it, boil it like crazy and several hours later you have syrup!  This cooker is called an "evaporator," probably because that's what it does.  It evaporates off the water and leaves the sugary good stuff.  A Mennonite guy built this wood-fired one for John, but you can buy all this maple-sugaring paraphernalia at the local farm stores or online.  The cooking process is pretty simple, but you have to keep a close eye on things or you can melt the pot if it boils completely off.    

As your mother always told you:  "A watched pot never boils,"  but in this case, it did...

We had a lot of fun with the Harmers - thanks!