Blog 03/10/08

March 10, 2008

First, a note about the SVU Institute Choir’s performance as a prelude to the recent CES Fireside satellite broadcast. The Choir presents a fair share of challenges in that there is rarely a Wednesday night (Choir rehearsal night) that there is not a something else going on at the University. But Sister Cottle just hangs in there, working with those that come and encouraging those that do not - and the results speak for themselves. There was a good turn out Sunday night and they sounded great. The University is lucky to have Sister Cottle (for that matter- so am I!).

We now know how maple syrup (I'm talking about the real stuff - not the Log Cabin fake syrup) gets from the tree to table. Believe it or not - there is a thriving Maple Syrup industry in Virginia - some 50 miles north of Buena Vista - in Highland County (in the hills - population 2400 people and 3000 cows). Each year on the first two weeks of March the county hosts Maple Syrup days and one can travel the county and visit various Sugar Camps (as they are called) and learn about Sugaring. We went last Saturday and here is what we found out. Trees must be Sugar Maple trees. The tap goes into the tree about 1.5 inches. The trees must be tapped at a time when it is warm (above freezing) in the day and cold at night, usually starting in February and ending in March. The sugar water is collected from the trees by a series of tubes (no more buckets – the picture of the buckets on the tree that you see on the blog is for tourists only) running by gravity feed to a collection barrel. Oft times they will have as many as 70 tubes running into one collection area. When the barrel is full the sugar water is taken to a “camp” where it is heated and condensed by this crazy looking contraption that bubbles and steams and looks mysterious, and after 12 hours – whalla – maple syrup! It is then bottled and distributed. There are three varieties – Light, medium and dark amber – depending upon the strength of the maple taste. Dark has the most taste. Also, according to our guide, the real maple syrup is much better for a person that the fake kind (of course he was trying to sell us some of the good stuff). Most interesting and now I know something I did not know before.

A Happy Birthday to both Heather and Dillon this week. And is everybody gearing up for March Madness starting a week from Thursday?

Love
Elder/Dad/Grandpa Cottle

By the way, what's with that header picture? Who are those people and what possible crime could they have committed? They look so innocent!