Sun - 5 Apr/15

Wishing All a Happy Easter.

Made our phone calls to Family this morning. All is well up north. Ground snow is gone - just the banks left to melt.

Lis, Nick and Marty got up really early (5 a,m,) to make Maple Syrup.

They got the raw sap from trees on their RV storage lot and from tapping the trees in a few friends yards. They hope to get at least a gallon. The average amount of sap needed is anywhere from 20 to 50 gallons of sap for 1 gallon of syrup. The amount depends on the sugar concentration and the final grade (colour). Modern "Sugar Bushes" use plastic pipe lines that bring the sap from the tree directly to the "Sugar Shack"

Catherine and Brianna will be driving from Ottawa to visit the "Sugaring Operation" today. Boy! I've now got a craving for real Maple Syrup. My favourite is the light amber. It is way more expensive for the real syrup; but worth it. When you consider the fuel and the time and labour, it really is still a good deal.

Canada, primarily Quebec and Ontario, produce 75% of the world's Maple Syrup.

Maple Syrup is a syrup usually made from the xylem sap of sugar maple (also red or black maple) trees, although it can also be made from other maple species. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before the winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in the spring. Maple trees can be tapped by boring holes into their trunks and collecting the exuded sap. The sap is processed by heating to evaporate much of the water, leaving the concentrated syrup.

In Canada, syrups must be at least 66 percent (maple) sugar and be made exclusively from maple sap to qualify as maple syrup. In the United States, a syrup must be made almost entirely from maple sap to be labelled as "maple", Vermont and New York have stricter regulations similar to Canada. Buy ON, QC, NY or VT for the real stuff..

We left for the OMS Easter Dinner in the Main Clubhouse at 12:25. Bill's Rule #23: "At an RV Park Event; being there a half hour early means you are already 15 minutes late" applies today. They were lined up to get in. I guess we should have used Bill's Rule #24 : "At an RV Park Major Event; being there an hour early means you are already a half hour late".

Olde Mill Stream RV Resort supplies the ham and potatoes while those attending bring "Potluck" items. Charlotte brought a big bowl of kernel corn.

The (self) serving of tables, selected by random number draws, began at 1 p.m. We were Table One and were called second last. We began eating after 2 p.m.; but it was worth the wait. There was still plenty left after all were served (including "seconds").

I spent the afternoon working on trip home ideas while watching (mostly listening) to hockey on TV. I am still hoping Ottawa can squeeze into the playoffs as a "Wild Card" team. They are bunched with four other teams that are tied or within a point of each other in the standings.

That's about it for today.