Loudon, NH

[Russell Lampron]

Parker I have about 400 gallons in my holding tank that I am going to boil in this afternoon. It has been so cold here that everything is frozen. Have you gotten anything this past week? A couple of days it ran pretty good considering the cold wind and low temps. If the extended forecast can is somewhat accurate Tues thru Sat should produce some good runs.

Russ

[Russell Lampron]

We boiled on sunday and made 8 1/2 gallons of syrup. My total for the season is only 20 gals so far (actually alittle more but we have probably drank about a quart, it taste so good). The sap started to flow alittle yesterday and I'm hoping that the extended forecast is somewhat correct. If it is the sap should start flowing good today and continue for a while.

Had a close call with my RO machine. The heater in my RO room had failed and everything was frozen. I borrowed a heater from my mom and got things thawed out. Everything works ok and there is no sugar in the filtrate tank but I was nervous for while.

Russ

[sweetwoodmaple]

Hey Mr. Ethiopia, where are you? Did you get tapped yet or hang it up for this year?

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Don't be hard on Kevin, he had a bad motorcycle wrecking on his way to visit Parker about a month ago and is banged up too bad to make syrup this year.

[sweetwoodmaple]

Wow, I didn't know that. He was at my place in early Feb, so it must have been shortly after that?

Feel kinda stupid now...

[Parker]

I had not herd that either,,I did hear a motercycle stop at my house a few weeks back,,I was down in the sugarhouse,,was the day roy got the pump set up in Hill,,,Roy did say Kevin was there on a motercycle,,,,,,

[Maple Hill Sugarhouse]

Sweetwood- your not hard on me/I'm hard on myself...Yes the accident happed on a corner on Parker's road about 3/4? mi from his house. I got into some Frost Heaves and it shot me right to the side of the road=no time to react.(Didn't help the sun was shining in my eyes=Sun glasses lens falling off so i had safety glasses on/maybe i would have seen the Heaves? and approached differently). I road the shoft shoulder out for about 70' and got down to near 10 MPH when the front tire hit the real soft stuff/well down i went on my left side-Rest is history.

I did stop quick at Parkers house where he dumps his sap to bend out the left foot peg away from the motor some more-Rode the bike home insted of waiting for a tow co. that i could have called. As i was a little hurtin' on the left side and wanted to get to the Hospital to have it checked out-I didn't stop in and see parker i headed out 30 seconds later.

Last night coming back from Uihlien Maple in Lake Placid, N.Y. i almost had a new hood ornament on my wife's new van/under 600 Mi.-4 deer jumped out in front of me-I about had to lock up the brakes going uphill when in you mind your foot is saying more gas to keep your speed up until the top. They were about 20' from being history.

[Russell Lampron]

Finally had a good run here in Loudon yesterday. Collected 555 gallons of sap, alittle over a gallon per tap. Ran about half of it through the RO machine and boiled it last night (saving the other half for maple weekend). Not sure how many gallons I made but the sap was just under 3% and it seemed like I drew off alot for the amount of sap I boiled. Hoping for another good run today.

Russ

[Russell Lampron]

Boiled about 300 gals thurs night to save some for the maple open house this weekend. We didn't get a frost so I didn't think the sap would run very good. Boy was I wrong! Had a better run yesterday than the day before. Boiled off another 300 gals last night with enough left in the woods to fill my 600 gal bulk tank. Then to wake up to a 26 degree temp reading this morning. Looks like the sap should run good today too.

Love that RO machine! 600 gals used to be a next to impossible weekend marathon boil. Now it will only take about 6 or 7 hours. I have made over 30 gals of syrup and only used about 3/4 of a cord of wood so far.

My 6 year old grandson helped me all afternoon yesterday. He swept the sugarhouse floor, gathered the buckets that were low enough for him to reach and helped run the pump when we were gathering. Forgot to mention that he also drank the syrup that was left in a pint can in the sugarhouse.

Russ

[powerdub]

We were singing the song today about that RO machine. Allowed us to visit seven other operations. I kind of like that visiting stuff it is a lot of fun. Lots of free food too. :wink: