Grady Weed
03-28-2009, 03:22 PM
This is an old Plymouth sitting in the field of an older gentleman named Arnold Smith. Arnold is pushing 90 now and is a typical Mainer. He cuts his own firewood. plants a garden, made timber out of his tress he probable planted many years ago, and still makes Maple Syrup from his Sugar Maples as he has for the last 70 plus years! He is dying from a progressive disease which is slowly robbing him of his mind. when Arnold passes on, he will take with volumes of hard earned knowledge that is slowly passing off the scene itself.
Take Maple Sugaring. For hundreds of years Maine farmers and New Englanders have been tapping the trees to make Maple Syrup. It is a sweet treat we all look forward too starting in February. About mid way in the month, the sap houses start tapping the trees and putting out buckets. Some will run plastic tubbing while others still do the old fashion way. Any Maple Syrup is delicious, however you get it in the sap house! You drive along the back country roads and see the steam rising off the in the distance and smell the sweet golden elixir when you walk in the sap house.
The whole season last only 6-8 weeks at best. On the 4th Sunday in March, we have Maple Sugar Sunday. Some do the whole 2 day weekend. The sapper opens up his sap house to the public and gives out samples of the sweet stuff on pancakes in the morning, then ice cream in the afternoon. Some sell hot dogs and cokes, maple whoopie pies, maple cotton candies, maple sprinkles and sugar, baked beans, the list goes on! In short, it is a blessed time for all you attend and those who put the show on. We have as a family enjoyed the Maple Sugar Sunday for 21 years now. We also help out a friend, Ashley Gerry, in the sales every year. We look forward to it all year long.
Arnold is sort of like this old Plymouth. Old, from another time and generation, slowly passing away with no one to pass his knowledge off too. His kids do not want to take up sapping, it's very labor intensive and extremely hard work. The return is not very much. It is a labor of love. So you really have to want to do it. I just wanted to post this image of the car as it reminded me of of Arnold's devotion to the old days. I will miss him when he goes.
Canon EOS 5D, Shooting Date/Time: 3/28/2009 13:03:06, Shutter Speed 1/30Sec. Av(Aperture Value) F16, Evaluative metering, Exposure Compensation +1/3, Over cast skies with the sun to my left and behind me, ISO 100, hand held, Lens: EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, Focal Length: 53.0 mm, RAW, White Balance: Auto, One-Shot AF. Cropped to 90% of frame left here for a 11x14 print. Left side had a ugly tree and lots of deep mud in front of me. Imaged from 10 feet away, close as I could get.
Take Maple Sugaring. For hundreds of years Maine farmers and New Englanders have been tapping the trees to make Maple Syrup. It is a sweet treat we all look forward too starting in February. About mid way in the month, the sap houses start tapping the trees and putting out buckets. Some will run plastic tubbing while others still do the old fashion way. Any Maple Syrup is delicious, however you get it in the sap house! You drive along the back country roads and see the steam rising off the in the distance and smell the sweet golden elixir when you walk in the sap house.
The whole season last only 6-8 weeks at best. On the 4th Sunday in March, we have Maple Sugar Sunday. Some do the whole 2 day weekend. The sapper opens up his sap house to the public and gives out samples of the sweet stuff on pancakes in the morning, then ice cream in the afternoon. Some sell hot dogs and cokes, maple whoopie pies, maple cotton candies, maple sprinkles and sugar, baked beans, the list goes on! In short, it is a blessed time for all you attend and those who put the show on. We have as a family enjoyed the Maple Sugar Sunday for 21 years now. We also help out a friend, Ashley Gerry, in the sales every year. We look forward to it all year long.
Arnold is sort of like this old Plymouth. Old, from another time and generation, slowly passing away with no one to pass his knowledge off too. His kids do not want to take up sapping, it's very labor intensive and extremely hard work. The return is not very much. It is a labor of love. So you really have to want to do it. I just wanted to post this image of the car as it reminded me of of Arnold's devotion to the old days. I will miss him when he goes.
Canon EOS 5D, Shooting Date/Time: 3/28/2009 13:03:06, Shutter Speed 1/30Sec. Av(Aperture Value) F16, Evaluative metering, Exposure Compensation +1/3, Over cast skies with the sun to my left and behind me, ISO 100, hand held, Lens: EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, Focal Length: 53.0 mm, RAW, White Balance: Auto, One-Shot AF. Cropped to 90% of frame left here for a 11x14 print. Left side had a ugly tree and lots of deep mud in front of me. Imaged from 10 feet away, close as I could get.