Bragging Rights

[3% Solution]

My grandson has been sending out feelers for colleges / universities.
So far three have come back; Norwich, Western New England and one in Maine.
They have some very good schlorships attached to them too!!
I guess I have to train my granddaughter to handle the sugarhouse operation for 2010!!!!
He's a good kid and will go far in his life!!
No Clan, I have already told him to stay away from you and Jim!!!!!!

Dave

[MaplePancakeMan]

Awesome.... college applications were fun i applied to 14 got into 12 waitlisted on 1 and rejected on 1. Ended up going to the one i applied to last.

Congrats and any scholarship helps especially with todays economy!

[jrthe3]

that is great i loved my college day went for four years graduated with a degree and one stupid mistake and here i am still turning wrench and making syrup learn from my mistakes and be safe in everything you do

[Clan Delaney]

My grandson has been sending out feelers for colleges / universities.
So far three have come back; Norwich, Western New England and one in Maine.
They have some very good schlorships attached to them too!!
I guess I have to train my granddaughter to handle the sugarhouse operation for 2010!!!!
He's a good kid and will go far in his life!!
No Clan, I have already told him to stay away from you and Jim!!!!!!

Dave

I only applied to one college out of high school, just so happened that they accepted me. Then after 2 years, transfered to another and put in 3 years there. Moved back home and ended up having to work full time to make ends meet, and school fell by the wayside. Never got that degree. Started out a geology major. Still get wistful when I drive through a nice road cut on the highway. Mmmmmmm.... complexly folded sedimentary strata.

Yeah, he should stay away from me. I'm just a little bit crazy. The maple sealed that deal. :)

[Sugarmaker]

Dave,
He will do well you your guidance!

Regards,
Chris

[Dave Y]

While we are bragging on our off spring. I had the privilege of going to Frostburg University in Maryland on Friday the 30th and listen to my son present his Master's Thesis. He is 24 yrs old and he now holds a B.S. in Biology and a M.S. in Conservation Biology. I could not be prouder. This is the son of a man who never finished high school.

[3% Solution]

Dave Y,
That's what this one is for ............ bragging about the family!!
That's great, I bet your some proud of him!!!!
I bet while you was listening to him your emotions were running a tad bit high, mine would have been!
Well you know my dad didn't finish school ( had to work) and what he always told me was "Make sure your children have better than you!"
I have passed this along to my children too.
Again, that's great, congrats to you and your family!!!!

Dave

[Haynes Forest Products]

OK Jrthe3 your not getting off that easy...What was that "little" mistake we are talking about?mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

[maple flats]

Wow, a bragging thread. I love it. My oldest (with BS) was the youngest director in the history of the company he works for. They are a dedicated service company for Morrisville State College. My oldest daughter is doing great (also BS) working for a company that contracts to Uncle Sam, (can't say more or you would have to be killed, besides I don't know much more.) This week she took her family (hubby, my grand daughter and grand son to Denver. She has to work 3 days but the rest of the time they are just having a great vacation) She often has to travel to teach a new program at military bases. Her job has taken her to Europe, all over US and Canada and to Japan. My third, a son, self taught in computors, with A+ certification also works for the same company my 1st son does. He trouble shoots computor problems, and repairs them. My youngest, an LPN works private duty and bills medicade directly. She is the only one living away, she is about 75 minutes down the interstate where her husband is in his last year before becoming a Chiropractor. He took 4 years post grad while running 21-24 credit hours each semester and kept an A average. This all makes me feel dumb. I have an AS in business and graduated with a 3.6 avg out of 4 but that is nothing compared with these new generation. As for grand kids, #1 has 2, boy 16, girl 13, both A students. My second has 2, boy 14 and girl 9, both A students. My third is not married and no kids, my youngest just had her first on Nov 6, 2008. He gets an A in sleeping and nursing.

[3% Solution]

maple flats,
Now that's some serious bragging right there now!!!!!!
We should brag about or families.
That means your proud of them!!!!

Dave

[Dave Y]

Maple Flats,
You have reason to be proud of your children. It is nice to see them do well.
I didn't metion that my daughter has an A.A.S. in photography and works as a professinal photographer.

[mapleman3]

Western New Eng. just a half hour away... Hmmm could use a sap collector or help fire the evap.... Hmmmmm

Congrats though, those all sound good

My daughters boyfriend just got accepted into Penn State, we'll see , he's waiting for 2 others also...
Ugg I said my daughters boyfriend , she's almost 17, But luckily for me he's a good kid with a real good head on his shouldes, football player and tennis team, and very academic Plus he's a Vikings/red sox fan like me... he aint so bad afterall !!! ;)

[maple flats]

I sure could go on for a real long time about my kids. #3 did give us a scare as he rebelled when he was 16. He quit school and moved out of state with his girlfriend who was 18. There he signed up and went back to school. A couple of friends there got in trouble and he came back home and finished high school. Then he went into the Air Force for 4 years and then moved back to his hometown. He had matured and has done very well ever since, and ex girlfriend is in California near where he was last stationed at Edwards Air Force Base. After the scare when he was 16 all turned out good in the end, except for the time being he seems to want to be a bachler. I must warn you, if you ever end up at the table he plays at a cassino you better be ready to lose some cash. His track record is super. I won't play him. It seems unfair that he makes much more a year playing Texas Holdem than I can working all these hours making maple syrup. Last year his net profit exceeded my gross sales and I had the best year ever. But he knows and loves poker, I love maple.

[3% Solution]

mapleman3,
Yeah he's a nice boy, he'd help you.
Give him a few minutes and he'd be running it for you!!!
Is Western NE, is that in Amherst?

Dave

[mapleman3]

Western NE is in Springfield.

[3% Solution]

mapleman3,
Ok, thanks for that info!

Dave

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Well, she's got a boyfriend, that's probably a good thing in this day and time considering the other alternative(s).

[Clan Delaney]

Is Western NE, is that in Amherst?

Dave

Amherst has UMASS, Amherst College and Hampshire College. One town over in South Hadley is Mt. Holyoke, and over in Northampton is Smith College. Often referred to as the 5 Colleges.

[3% Solution]

Clan,
Thanks for the info.
I got the map program out last night and checked it out.
I guess him and his girlfriend are going to be going to the same school.
That I think will be Western NE.
Didn't know it was a private school.
When they want to come home they can grab Amtrak which will bring them to Claremont (next town over). They can't have a car on campus the Freshman year.
Thanks again.

Dave

[Jeff E]

Bragging indeed.

Take a look at the photobucket 2008 file, a pic titled 'ye old sugar shack'. In the pic my wife seen by the arch, 2 kids are dumping buckets of sap, the other 2 are in the woods getting more. Cold, muddy, smiling.

Yesterday I hung some 1.5" line and the girls, 10 and 15, came out to help their old dad wire tie. They were each doing their own thing inside, each in their own rooms before coming out.
Once they got going they were chatting and laughing, working together. PRICELESS for dad to see.
I am appreciating these moments more and more, and this business is great way to make it happen.

One more story. About 4 years ago, we decided to take the kids to the Mall of America in MN, about 2 hours from our home. We collected sap first thing that day, and the kids jumped in the car afterwords and we headed to the mall to do the Camp Snoopy rides and such. We got there, and when they climbed out of the Suburban, I noted each one still had their barn boots on!
As you may guess, we enjoyed watching all the 'city folk' looking at the 'bumkins' walking through the Mall!

[3% Solution]

Ok, my turn again!!!

My wife and I have been married for 29 years and 1 day!!

Yup I'm bragging!!!

[NH Maplemaker]

Dave, when you get to 38 yet me know!! LOL your just a kid yet!! Jim L.

[3% Solution]

We're getting there!!!!

[mfchef54]

Congrats to both of you. work 21st.

[3rdgen.maple]

My Girlfriends youngest son has taken an interest in maple syrup. He tapped his first tree this year. Wednesday he was asking what he could do to help, well after the long list of things he could do he looked at me and said how much money are you going to pay me? Response was You get paid with all the syrup you can eat. Well that was not good enough for him. So I figured If I told him he could get a percentage of all the syrup he sold to his own customers that he would just be happy with the all you can eat deal. But no he asked me with a pencil and peice of paper in his hand how much a quart was, a pint was and of course how much he would get for each one he sold. I had to laugh but gave him the numbers. Can you believe he came home from school with that peice of paper and his teachers wrote on it there names adresses phone number and how much they wanted to buy. I never seen a grin on an 8 year olds face like that before. Each one of his teachers bought 2 quarts. The kid sold ten quarts of syrup in school. That is priceless.

[BarrelBoiler]

That's great! Do all you can to keep that little business man going and he will always land on his feet

[Clan Delaney]

WHAT?!? I haven't even sold 10 quarts yet! Look out for that one!

[3% Solution]

3rdgen.maple,
Yes you are right, that is priceless!!!!!
That is alright!!!!
So, I guess you have a road salesman.
Just how big is your operation???
Before you know it, he'll be boiling the sap for ya.
Good luck!!

Dave

[3rdgen.maple]

3% we are not that big yet. I think we are gonna have about 400 taps on buckets for this year. The good problem is we get alot of repeat customers. I have one that orders 100 quarts every year to give to his employees for gifts. Getting a little worried about meeting all the orders for this year. Keep getting more. I was talking about softmaples in another thread and I think I'm gonna tap them next year and get us up to 800 plus taps. If that is the case maybe an ro in the near future.

[3% Solution]

3rdgen.maple,
Yup I believe in baby steps myself.
Slow but sure.
Build up your clientel and build your operation accordingly.
Sounds like you have a nice little operation there.
keep that little guy selling for you!!

Dave