A Great Day in the Woods...

sloshing through oozy mud.




It was great fun, though, watching the kids in our homeschool group...

haul a small tree through the woods,

man a crosscut saw,

watch Mr. Yoder wield a cool, medieval looking axe,

collect bucketsful of sap,

or just hang out with friends under a big loud bell.

I can only be talking about Sugarbush 2009, of course! Thanks to the folks from Merry Lea forewarning us about the right way to dress for a day in the woods, we were more or less prepared for the cold, dressing in layers with hats and boots. Except for my kids. It wasn't their fault that they outgrew their boots, and I didn't get around to buying new ones. At least they were wearing old shoes. They also learned the history of maple syrup making, toured the sugar house and learned about the evaporation of the sap, made their own wooden spiles ( little sap spigots), and got to sample the syrup itself on pancakes cooked on griddles over a fire. Yum!