And The Wheels Turn

Posted on June 21, 2024June 21, 2024 by Greg Washburn

Day two of summer has arrived! Summer solstice burned in hot and humid yesterday. It’s been a very hot week and very typical for this time of June. I have spent most of June (to date) up in Saranac Lake working on a capital project on Amy’s house. After deliberating the scope and timeline an agreement was made with Amy’s carpenter friend Peter to do the project ourselves with me being an assistant. We started at the tail end of May demoing the old deck. Then the rebuild.It’s been fun and challenging! Amy’s choice of natural white cedar for the deck sealed the deal for me way before we even started. Way back in February when I arrived at her place to rent for the night for the first time she had shown me the project. She had mentioned the white cedar then. I was sold and time would lead my hands to the project. But not before the subtle dances of courtship followed a certain soundtrack. Enter the many hours traveling back and forth to see each other. The distance has been no hardship for either of us. The mix of time spent in the Adirondacks and the valley has a certain flair to it! And the wheels turned.

Where’s the time go besides covering those miles? Health concerns,procedures, and doctor visits eat through the hours like ravenous dogs. My knee situation is one ongoing problem. There’s more but the point is not to showcase my health struggles but rather acknowledge the investment of time it takes to overcome them. This has been a year of huge change for me. I stand pounds lighter and healthier these days. I have lost weight and overhauled my diet thanks in part to my wellness coach! Fate would bring Amy into my life at a time when I was needing change. And change has come in waves for me. And I ride an imaginary surf board at times. High on top,sitting at a dead calm, and sometimes tossed under kissing the coral. It’s all a little surreal at times and I feel like a bystander in some strange manner when I wake sometimes at 3am suddenly. But I am lucky! Blessed with the simplest of things when I need them most. The connections to nature can be loosened a little at times but fortunately never broken. I try to keep myself surrounded by nature as much as possible! And those little things found in nature become huge and meaningful in the passing of days. Perhaps I have learned to look for them better. My inner spirit batteries need a good charging to keep the balance! It’s working well and I continue to work on becoming a healthier me. It’s taking some time. And the wheels turn.

Eastern pond hawk visitor. A small wonder.

I have truly enjoyed my time in the village of Saranac Lake! Staying at Amy’s while working has been great. It keeps me off the road and helps me focus on the project. We sometimes get out onto the Rail Trail to ride our bikes for some relaxation time. The sight of the mountains always pumps me up! We have done some paddling as well on some of the nearby ponds and lakes. One morning while driving back from nearby Bloomingdale after picking up some lumber I was struck by the magnitude of the moment! Here I was! Right where I had sometimes envisioned myself as a future me. Living and working right in the village.Of course I could never have envisioned all of it! Too many things had to change first. And if it seems like I am in a different place these days on my journey it’s because I am! I am doing my best to move forward on this new path. Out beyond that crossroad I headed down in February. And the clock enters my schedule in new ways. It turns with the new season. All the extra daylight sure changes things but it’s easy to take it for granted since it comes on so gradual.That’s part of what I always attempt to capture here. There’s so much to see and do when summer hits. And if you are wondering. The wheels turn.

We will soon be done with phase one projects at Amy’s and take a little break there. We are about to open Camp Edith and get it ready for some summer times! Summer will also see me returning to some of my invasive species volunteering work. It’s all being placed on the calendar in neatly arranged time slots. Here at the Homestead there are things to keep up with every week. The small lawn grows quickly! We also have a tiny garden out by the silo. A fun little “throw and grow” project that we are experimenting with here. So time is balanced between two places these days. It’s working though. Things continue to get checked off the lists each week. We are due for a new series of adventures soon! It’s taking some planning to assimilate into each other’s lives we have learned. It’s no surprise or no big epiphany. It’s simply a new reality to share together. So the wheels turn! Between the valley and the Adirondacks. In the Adirondacks and in the valley. And all sorts of destinations in between! It’s all cresting a unique set of MOONTABS! ✍️

Spring Has Sprung!

Posted on May 8, 2024May 8, 2024 by Greg Washburn

Spring continues to ramp up in the valley and things have gotten very green! The grass is really growing now and lawn work is way overdue!But priorities come in many different forms when a person interacts with nature! Lately it’s been a mix of work and play! Awhile back Amy came down for the weekend and we foraged for a variety of annual forage items. We started with burdock behind the barn. We have an abundance of it and the roots are edible if they are small. We got some decent ones! No worries ever running out of them! We have many!

We next targeted chives and leeks. Chives grow all over the open fields here in great numbers. Scissors work well to collect them into a container. For leeks we headed into the forest in parts of the sugarbush. They were still rather small but very potent so they would make a nice addition to the soup we were planning to create. There’s no shortage of leeks on the farm so we harvest the entire plant unlike what others do elsewhere. Some people only harvest one leaf from each plant! That’s ultra conservative but not something we need to ever do we hope. Our patches remain sustainable for now although two former harvest areas have all but disappeared since the forest die off of 2016/2017. We will continue to harvest responsibly and believe that we can manage to maintain a balance.

Our final forage item was the water loving species we call Cowslips. There’s a nice patch near the farm where it’s easy to quickly fill a grocery bag! Scissors also work well for harvesting these greens. We target the smaller leaves as the bigger leaves and blossoms are bitter. We were a little late to the harvest but still managed to find plenty of small leaves. Our foraging items were beginning to add up!

Now the work of cleaning our items began! Burdock is especially dirty and takes some time to prepare. Cleaned roots were chopped into small pieces that would cook down in the soup. Chives are super easy to clean and chop up. Also into the soup. The Cowslips were washed and then boiled to reduce their size. The water was discarded and our boiled Cowslips were added to the soup. We were going for an all veggie type soup so no meat was added. Potatoes were cut up as well as a few carrots. We had a nice concoction going! In the crock pot it shimmered away for several hours. The result was a hearty and healthy dinner! For Sunday breakfast I made eggs with added chives and 10 year old aged cave cheese. Interesting story there to share sometime! I also made French toast that we smothered with maple syrup! Life was good! We live in the land of plenty! Knowing how to forage enhances the connections to nature!

Cave cheese and chive eggs with French toast!Yum!

Amy had to return to the Adirondacks Sunday afternoon and I was missing her already so I decided to do some work up on the hill. There was a log that needed to be brought down for firewood that had blocked a sap haul road earlier in the season. While I was up in the Mother Tree area I targeted a bunch of invasive wild honeysuckles that were taking over the clearing. The Mother Tree was tapped this spring for the first time in years along with several others in the area. It’s a large three tree cluster that’s actually one set of roots. It easily carries 8 sap buckets! It sustained some damage during the die off but survived mostly intact fortunately. Most of the former Mother Tree Loop that we used to tap suffered grievous losses so it’s been abandoned. I got pretty wild ripping up the invasives once I got started. I may have won a small battle but we are still losing the war. See the old post “The Battle Of Evermore” for further details. Before I quit for the evening I also drew out a 16 foot butternut log that the tree trimmers had cut near the power lines by the road. It may make some nice lumber and needed to be salvaged regardless.

The week started productively and I put down the remaining 2” planks in the former woodshed so we could stack sap buckets in there to dry. My friend Gary came to help me wash buckets after I had done 100 the prior day. We finished all of them and some other sugaring gear. I hauled water from the spring like usual as I can pump it much faster that way. There’s still the main evaporator pans to pressure wash and the big storage vat. I am running behind! I have enjoyed two days of brown trout fishing down on Henderson Harbor and out on Lake Ontario with Gary and his son. He has a nice setup for trolling! I learned something new and even drove the boat a little! I caught my first two brown trout ever and ended up eating them. They are ok but not my favorite fish! It was a great experience though and we had the water mostly to ourselves!

I headed up to Amy’s on Thursday of that week to participate in a spring cleanse with her. It involves special food and drinks. Teas and no sugar to speak. We dined on a rice and mung bean dish called Kitceri although with vegetable juice we made ourselves. We were supposed to stay somewhat idle but we ended up doing a lot! I bought a bike from a local bike shop in Saranac Lake. What a great store and the owner John is awesome! Check out “Human Power Planet Earth Bike Shop”! I decided to buy local in the Adirondacks and support local small business. It was a great choice! I love my bike! We rode twice that weekend and visited the “Slow Turn” for some reflection time. Always a good idea! We also hiked into a somewhat remote pond for some water viewing nature time. Rain would slow us down at one point but we enjoyed a healthy spring cleanse that my body no doubt needed! Amy knows the ways of healthy living and she’s a tremendous help getting me to a healthier lifestyle!

Last week would find me traveling many miles! Returning from the Adirondacks Monday. Fishing Lake Ontario Tuesday. Picking up a friend at the Dexter airport Tuesday night and a trip to Cooperstown with him on Thursday. I found time to volunteer at the IRLC Ferrone Woods Preserve in the Town of Macomb on Wednesday where a new trail system is going to be developed. We had to remove some deer hunting stands and blinds as part of the transition here. It a lovely and unique parcel that I will feature at some point. Friday was spent getting caught up on some miscellaneous details. We all have plenty of those! Saturday would find me way up in Chateaugay at a memorial service. Later shopping in a favorite store in Malone. I drove up in the “Blue Bomb”. My former Ford Focus that I gave Zane that he has given back. My neighbor Mike The Mechanic has assured me that it’s road worthy again after a new timing chain and other repairs. It’s my grocery getter and farm vehicle for running errands. A new old addition to the fleet! So last week I totally romanced the road!

There’s lots of other things being planned and discussed right now. Time will reveal what happens next. Getting caught up some at the farm is a big part of that. But taking time to charge my batteries out in nature remains a priority and a place of focus. Writing and blogging often get tabled unfortunately. But my spirit energy is recharged through motion. Always staying on the move. My knee problem continues to be a serious condition. I manage with it. My life is shifting as part of my forward momentum. My beloved Adirondacks are once again a big part of the shift. Meeting Amy, a woman of the Adirondacks also part of my shift. Things have aligned in so many ways and life is busy but enjoyable in the push for adventure.

Discoveries abound in this new and exciting blend of sceneries. Life is changing fast just like the season. There’s something big happening right now! Worthy of its own blog post! They have shown themselves! The brown ghosts of May. I speak of the morel mushrooms! I found my first one of the season Friday. They now occupy my time and my refrigerator! So watch for my next post! It will showcase this special fungi and all it means to me! It’s hard to get it all written sometimes. I will try! Mornings are best for blogging! Fueled up with maple syrup infused coffee. Playing music. Enjoying the numerous birds who inundate my feeding area behind the tiny cabin. There’s always the trails amidst the trees here to explore. Sunrises and sunsets. Meals and mundane tasks to complete. There’s always time if we allow ourselves to catch our breath for a minute. That’s difficult sometimes. We are driven by a fast moving society. I am driven by other things as well. To seek and to learn. To expand my knowledge of the natural world. And to try and preserve my health and strength. I must learn to accept new ideas and new approaches. I must evolve in a sense. The old ways of my life that were harmful must go. It’s all so overwhelming if I let all those thoughts in at once.It’s all so very simple these connections to nature when I embrace that mindset and enjoy the simple things of life. Time and an older body may slow me down eventually but for now I won’t let it. I still have way too much energy to burn. 🏄🏻‍♂️🚀

Down To Earth

Posted on April 24, 2024April 24, 2024 by Greg Washburn

It’s been awhile since my last post and like usual a lot has been going on! I managed to get final sap boil done right ahead of going up to the Adirondacks to view the solar eclipse with Amy. She’s the reason I spend so much time in Saranac Lake. I will continue to respect her wish for privacy but will be including her presence in my posts as we have adventures together whenever time permits. We had wrestled with a location to view the eclipse as a large turnout was expected for the Adirondacks. I headed up on Sunday morning ahead of the eclipse and we got out to scout a possible location near “The Slow Turn”.We went to a stand of large pines Amy named “The Wisdom Keepers” first then hiked up to a nearby ridge top. It looked promising so we decided it was going to be our location to view the eclipse.

Finding a place to view the eclipse be like…😂

Monday’s weather was great for eclipse viewing! Fairly warm and sunny. We headed out early and got settled into our spot without encountering other people. We enjoyed snacks while waiting for the main event on a comfortable blanket. I rolled in some snow that was still hanging on minus some clothes for a comic relief moment! We got a nice laugh over that! As for the eclipse itself it totally exceeded our expectations! We watched it unfold with our special glasses and when totality hit it was truly a MOONTABS moment! The temperature drop was very noticeable and the birds went quiet as the sudden darkness overtook everything. I didn’t spend valuable time trying for photos as I truly wanted to fully experience the event. And then just like that it was over! Lucky for me I was in the Adirondacks as folks back home in the valley had clouds to contend with just as it occurred! Things continue to align for me and the coincidences can no longer be called that! There’s certain forces at work it appears! I embrace the alignment that arrived on tiny wings it seemed. Manifestations do work it appears! Consider it!

Eclipse viewing ridge. Now called Corona Heights!

Upon returning to the valley I continued to try and rest my knee which has been rather painful throughout the last weeks of sugaring season. I had gotten a cortisone shot recently but it hasn’t solved my issues entirely. I went perch fishing with my friend’s out near the St. Law. River two days in a row as a way to rest it somewhat which was beneficial. We hammered some really nice perch using two hook rigs tipped with tiny minnows! They sure are tasty fried up! Yum! What a great time!

After that I have managed to bring in the remainder of the sugaring mini-tubes and buckets. Washing buckets begins later this afternoon and it’s snowing wet snow! Zane and I rinsed the tubing last week and pressure washed all the white storage containers. Progress seems slow at times but there’s always other things going on. The forest is greening up slowly and the tiny flowers I call the “tiny ones” are thriving despite the continued chilly weather we’ve been having. The muskrats were building up their old houses again recently and shortly after the rain events occurred with huge deluges over a two day period. Inches of rain fell so their predictions came true! I never doubt their advance warnings as they have been clearly accurate far too many times to even question it. How they know remains a mystery however. Too bad I couldn’t talk to them! What wisdom do they possess that they might share? Or is it simple intuitive behavior that touches them somehow? I remain in awe regardless and never see them as simple rodents who should be considered a lesser species. Perhaps we are the lesser species in our arrogant approach to nature and in our destructive tendencies. My spirit energy hints at a larger connection that we as humans have lost somehow. That sixth sense I now call the “5+1”. It is a worthy study to continue. Time, trees, and trails of discovery!

Last week saw me attending a TILT event in Clayton. I helped with the tern grid installation out on Eagle Wing Shoal. The common tern is plagued by gulls and other predator birds on their nesting sites. The grid keeps the bigger birds out while the smaller terns pass safely through. After that I did some trail stewardship work for IRLC to finish out my day. If you’ve never read any of my posts describing theses two local land trusts then Goggle both TILT and IRLC to learn more about them!

Construction of the the annual tern grid.It’s rather complex when completed!

All of last week’s activities were completed to free up time for a foraging weekend with Amy. I will be featuring it soon as it’s a rather interesting series of events that’s connected to my attempts at better health. Natural food sources surround us here in the valley and several exist right here on the farm Homestead property! So until then this gets things caught up a little! ✍️

Preparing For Reentry

Posted on April 3, 2024April 3, 2024 by Greg Washburn

Syrup season has continued its rollercoaster ride into April now. The deep freeze that happened recently while I was back visiting the Adirondacks shut everything down again. But I got a chance to experience winter again as snow would blanket the village of Saranac Lake on a memorable Saturday. Time away from the valley is good for my focus and always enjoyable. My reasons for visiting the Adirondacks so much recently are rather private at the moment but I expect that to change eventually and I share a few things in time.

Returning to the valley would get me back on task. Helping Zane pick up a different car would involve a road trip to Port Leyden, New York. It was trailer time with the truck! Horsepower and loud music! Very fun day with my son. We got the car licensed for him which was an educational experience for Zane! Good stuff!

I had added a few new taps as the smaller trees began to stop producing sap. Scattered around the string I targeted big survivor maples in the out of way locations. Some along the high bank beside the Rastley Road. I also cut my way into the old Mother Tree Loop.All together some 60 plus buckets were pulled and reset on fresh wood. There was a window of opportunity coming where it appeared we would get a possible decent run. A lot of work moving taps but it left me well positioned and satisfied by my decision. Call it an experiment! And the weather would hit just right! March 27th. A day that would see one of the biggest sap runs of this unusual season hit! The big maples would seal the deal. Full and overflowing buckets on many of the fresh taps. A respectable run across the string overall. We would bring in enough sap for me to light the fire and run the evaporator into the evening.

So I was moving forward to towards filling the 30 gallon barrel of commercial grade syrup. We were well past Dark Robust grade now. Firmly entrenched in the super dark “buddy” creation of late season. Bittersweet is a good way to describe it! The tree buds give it a signature flavor. I was planning another Adirondack weekend as the sap wasn’t going to do much I predicted and I was caught up again for a moment. Thursday was a day of many details. I picked up the last of the neighbor’s sap late that day. Thursday also found me busy getting things ready for a job in Saranac Lake on Saturday. Tree removal. I boiled again on Friday morning. The barrel was creeping towards the top!

Friday would see me safely arriving in the Adirondacks and ready for a Saturday morning tree job. The boys from Gouverneur who had worked up on Black Lake with us were scheduled for a 9am start. It was a tricky piece of real estate on a side hill but the neighbor agreed to let me get the wood and debris out on her property. It went quite well overall but there were a few unexpected problems! It the end all was well! The neighbor lady asked me if I needed any red bricks. Sure I said! I have a project where I needed them! So a large number of them were added onto the already heavy trailer for the trip back to the valley. What a load! I had quite a lot of fun hauling it actually! Pushing the truck up the hills and cruising the downhill stretches.

I went back up to Saranac Lake for Easter dinner and later enjoyed a nice trek off the rail trail with my friend. She’s actually more then a friend to me at this point but her privacy is important to me and will be protected as such. Time may offer glimpses into our adventures eventually but for now all that’s necessary are a few basic facts. My time in the Adirondacks has taken on a new meaning and I am spending more of it beyond the blue line. Enough said! Our walk took us back into the red pines that the locals simply call The Pines. It was amazing the transition that one week had brought! The snow was gone and spring was in the air. We communed quietly for some time below the towering,slender red pines. The word turn kept popping into my head. I was wishing for a special name for this unique place and my thoughts would gravitate towards its creation. I settled on the name “The Slow Turn” for the forest of red pines. Unusual perhaps but relevant to me. As I gazed skyward I perceived a circle of sorts above us. One that exists in a larger circle of all nature. Time passes here as it does everywhere. But I felt that in the natural order of changing seasons it was turning slowly. Thus the name!

This week finds me hauling gear from the sugarbush. Pulling taps and buckets. Bringing in the storage totes from the mini tube runs. I gathered a small amount of sap from the most recently tapped large trees. It’s low grade stuff but will advance the level in the barrel.Final boil running water is next after today. The barrel will be topped off with carryover surplus dark syrup from last year. A held in trust moment! It’s raining hard this morning so the sugar house will be a nice place to work today! The forecast calls for snow! The tiny Mayflowers I found yesterday will be getting a surprise! No problem for them as they are very hardy little specimens of beauty! Foraging will follow the close out of sugaring. All in all I rate this season successful! Good because we lived it. Good because we participated in our annual hobby! My inner spirit is very much in tune with nature right now. A bonus of any sugaring season. There’s plenty of maple syrup to continue to lace my morning coffee! We have worked the trails and spent time amongst the trees. We were gifted greatly through the entire process! There truly is nothing like it! It’s all connected! The forest,the sugar house, and our passage of time throughout the changing season. It is enough! ✍️

The Comfortable Orbit

Posted on March 24, 2024April 3, 2024 by Greg Washburn

The sugar season continues to creep along. As of today we are still in a rather frozen set of days.Last week did not bring any significant sap runs.But it’s still been a memorable season. After our March 8th evaporator launch I would boil the remainder of the storage tank sap the next day. It ended up being a rainy, windy day so being inside was nice! I had company that day but that is a story outside of this one. Things show themselves here as the story gets written. I coaxed the evaporator along fairly briskly and we were rewarded with our first batch of the season! It was medium colored and very favorable! This photo pretty much it all.

It wasn’t a big boil that rainy day but there ended up being a couple batches to run off. We gathered the string again on Sunday with the help of Zane,Patrick Bourcy, and neighbors’s son and family.We made an arrangement to boil away the neighbor’s sap from their close to 90 taps. They had brought down about 90 gallons total that morning. The gather went quickly but there wasn’t a lot of sap really. I decided to boil what we had away as we still had plenty of time. A some pancakes entered the conversation and we got hungry thinking about them! So Zane ran to the cabin to grab everything we needed. A makeshift kitchen was set up and soon people were tying into hot pancakes with fresh hot syrup poured right on top! Yum!Some light snow was falling and the sugar house got a little with 7 people inside! My Uncle Art had showed up so that got us to 7.It was a fun and productive afternoon. The neighbor’s got about 2 gallons of syrup total out of their sap. It was all mixed with ours at that point but that didn’t matter as we knew their sap equaled 89 gallons.We finished with a small amount of syrup and were totally caught up for the moment. Floating along in the comfortable orbit of a launched syrup season. It’s a good place to be! The evaporator set up to batch out steady, lots of sugar wood , and well positioned with taps. Now we just needed the sap to run!

Monday would dawn sunny and clear but it stayed a little cool throughout the day. Zane helped me get firewood for the cabin cut and stacked. I was going to run out soon. By afternoon I had talked myself into setting more buckets up along the Long Narrow Meadow in a small section of big survivor maples known as part of the reserve. I was getting concerned about the smaller trees we’d tapped. It seemed like they were going to produce lightly. Some were running ok but others were just sitting there mostly idle. But we weren’t getting idle sugaring weather either. I ended up with an additional 31 bucket taps which I hoped would produce well and boast the sap intake. This put us to 535 taps totals across what had become a rather long string. My prediction still continued to be that it would take all those taps just to possibly get the syrup we needed to fill orders. Time would tell.

Tuesday would see us needing to do a full string gather after a nice frost overnight. The sap ran rather well overall but once again the smaller trees were underproducing. We brought in some 500 gallons of sap by dark. Zane and I decided to fire the evaporator to get a night boil on. He left after helping me get started so I had the night boil all to myself. Nothing new for me really after lots of it years ago. I made some decent syrup still within the Amber Rich grade but it was close to Dark Robust grade. I ended up finishing the sap the next day with a second boil.The sap wasn’t really doing all that much so the gather was postponed until Wednesday.

Pushing up on 418 gallons when right to the top.

Zane and I gathered the entire string on Wednesday. We got enough sap to get a boil on that ran well into the evening That pretty much tied up that entire day. Thursday was a day of catching on errands and that sort of thing. Friday morning would find me going up to grab the neighbor’s syrup and run it through the evaporator. I felt that the syrup was at the final cutoff for Dark Robust. I had a busy Friday planned!A couple days up over the blue line for an overnighter and a day outing which a friend who was quickly joining the MOONTABS journey. But that is another story for another time! There was sugaring to come but it wasn’t going to happen over the weekend. We would just need to wait and see! ✍️

Maple Syrup 2024: Pre-Launch

Posted on March 11, 2024March 11, 2024 by Greg Washburn

It’s funny how things that might have been the focus of my recent anxiety can quickly disappear.When I last posted I was preparing to hike St.Regis Mountain with a couple friends but was a little hung up on the upcoming syrup season. The hike and the good company of my friends would shake off the ghosts that day! We had an excellent time and the rain would hold off until we had finished our trek! It was super windy at the top and scary up in the fire tower! It’s a hike worthy of its own post really!

As for the remainder of my time in Saranac Lake it too is worthy of its own post sometime! Certain things were happening in a strange twist of fate and my response to the moment and the energy would place me in a flow that was totally unexpected. I spent a cold Thursday at an event at the Wild Center in Tupper Lake. I truly enjoyed my company and walking around touring the facility. At the trout tank I had an interesting photo moment! There is a story coming that I will title: What The Fish Told Me.”I left for the valley on Friday March 1st with fully recharged mental batteries.Ready to tackle my problems and my hesitation about sugaring . March 1st is a tapping day typically but conditions were less then favorable. I wiped out miscellaneous details and got settled back into the cabin. Saturday was spent troubleshooting the tractor coolant issue. I found the problem quickly! A burst bypass hose on the new water pump. We had suspected it was pretty worn but the blowout confirmed it. I got online and ordered one. To date it still hasn’t arrived! Regardless I decided to set taps on Sunday and began hanging out buckets alone. I was using the Honda side by side in place of the down tractor and it worked out well. It was pretty warm which made for comfortable tapping but didn’t thrill me with the fact that there were several super warm days coming. By days end I was way up to my neighbor’s property and had hung 150 buckets by myself! A start and a commitment.

Monday would find me tapping more with my friend Gary helping out. Tapping trees and sugaring in general was all new to him but he was totally enjoying himself! He’s very in tune with nature and finds the landscapes of Macomb fascinating. The two of us did well setting in buckets and mini tube runs up across the neighbor’s property on a string we call the “Great Northern Loop”. It’s a productive string typically and we had invested some time into building the tubing runs last year. Less buckets means easier gathers. The mini tube runs are removed after the season ends,labeled,washed, and stored away.We did a few buckets also close to the trail. We stopped for a hearty lunch of venison stew that I made with meat Gary had given me. Yum!.Afternoon would find us setting buckets and mini tube runs on the “Southern Loop” on my neighbor’s property. We had a decent day and got out 94 taps bringing the count to 244.Zane helped me get the storage tank in place in the sugar house that evening. We also had to get the evaporator pans in place plus the various pipes for the flow systems. Progress was being made and quickly!

Tuesday would Gary and I tapping on a section of my farm called the land. Buckets and mini tube runs on some big maples that survived the 2016/2017 tent worm/drought events. We also hung more buckets in miscellaneous locations along the string. The buckets that I had set Sunday had begun to fill with sap even though I considered the weather against it flowing. We used the side by side and plastic totes to do a sap gather that brought in over 100 gallons of clear sap! Not a bad start really as it was very warm! On Wednesday I went for groceries and fuel plus miscellaneous items needed for the week. I had contacted my tractor dealer Monday and had the hose I needed for the tractor expedited to their location where I picked it up. I tapped two big maples behind the barn that run mega amounts of sap most years. So with those 8 taps the count was at 358. A good number but the sap was not moving much still. I went under the lights and replaced the bad water pump bypass hose. I then proceeded to flush the coolant system with vinegar per Mike The Mechanics recommendation. It appeared that my tractor repair was successful! I went to bed rather beat but feeling like things were coming together.

Thursday would see my good friend Patrick Bourcy helping me set more taps! Remember him? He’s the creator of the Facebook group Just Go Outside and shows up in many of my blog posts. We did a variety of buckets on the growing string and mini tube taps on the ridge called Green Mountain. Our count for the day was 146 bringing our grand total to 504 taps. We were in a good place and as I stood on the top of Green Mountain a stiff cool breeze from the north would boost my spirits even further. A frost was coming that night and with all the good fresh taps we had a shot at a decent sap run! The work might just pay off!

And just like things began to change for me! Gone was the decision whether we should tap at all! We had! Gone was the anxiety about the tractor issues. It was fixed! Sure it had other issues but it was useable! I felt a rising energy within myself. Sure there was still plenty that could go wrong but we were trying to have a sugaring season and that meant everything! It didn’t matter now how things turned out. The weather was out of our control but the long range forecast was somewhat encouraging.Things were beginning to ramp up and what I was feeling was nothing new. Pre-launch is a “sit on the edge of your seat moment” like no other. A time when you question why you weren’t better prepared and ready. But such thoughts don’t help out at all. It’s best to just keep moving forward! So we will!And we do! Each and every year as our annual hobby arrives on the tail end of winter. Albeit a strange winter this year but there’s no changing that. We will make the best of everything and do our best. It’s a simple place of stubborn perseverance and resolve. The MOONTABS will tally up and we no doubt experience a most unique sugaring season. But it will not have been missed or canceled. That would be somehow wrong to me. After all someone once said: there are but a finite number of syrup seasons in a person’s lifetime. Who would write such a serious but truthful quote? Someone who values life and rural heritage perhaps. Someone who loves their hobby with a passion that borders on madness. Someone who loves to create things. Someone who knows that sugaring drives the hands and engages all 5 senses and the 6th as well. I think you know who wrote the quote. The inner voices whisper at times and fuel the inner spirit. The farm property is a place of grounding and connection. The world begs explorations and adventures but I will always be drawn back to the dripping sap drops that follow frosty nights. There is a place of blissful happiness there. But first we must launch! Things are headed in that direction. More so each day now. It is enough.✍️

Wading Through The Brambles

Posted on February 28, 2024February 28, 2024 by Greg Washburn

Choosing a title is always fun for me although this title might be a little confusing. Maybe it will make sense if you read this entire post! February is leaving us in a series of unseasonably warm days unfortunately. Many people are relishing the warm spell and I can’t say I blame them but this year’s maple syrup season is in question. I typically wait to tap trees until March 1st and this year is no exception. But the long range forecast is less then ideal. Very warm for this time of year.This may prove to be an insurmountable challenge. Recent coolant system repairs to the tractor with Mike The Mechanic seemed successful on Monday but by the time I drove it back to the farm something was horribly wrong. We need the tractor to work the sugarbush so I have a huge problem now. I had to just walk away from it as Tuesday was a fully booked day and I was scheduled to stay in the Adirondacks. So this post is headed in a direction of negative energy which will not help me solve my issues . Being here in the Adirondacks until Friday will give me time to focus. I am staying at a new Airbnb in Saranac Lake and the location is perfect for reflection . Off across the village the mountains are visible from this lofty vantage point. Today I will set my challenges aside and concentrate on the hike that’s planned. There’s a whisper in my brain where the practical side of me says not to sugar this year. The stubborn side of me says absolutely not! Good thing I don’t need to decide today! Getting outside on the trails will quiet the whispers. I need to remember something very important! I have been challenged before. Time and time again. Knocked flat to my knees and worse. And time and time again I’ve taken my feet. Wading into the brambles where there’s no visible path. I’m confident that I will emerge from the other side. Maybe scratched up a little but pushing forward. I needed to write this today for myself. Negativity is not the answer.

This winter has been memorable though. Remember WHIMS? Winter has its moments. Living in the tiny cabin has been good for my spirit energy. I am much closer to nature on the farm. Driving less as I am already there. Waking up and closing out my days there. It’s easier to throw myself out onto the land and get things done. I’m more inclined to wander off into nature also. At night I often stand on my tiny porch landing and gaze up into the sky. The moon has been incredible lately! Mesmerizing and hauntingly beautiful! I’ve managed to get a little snowshoeing in when we had decent depths of snow back in January and as recently as last week. I’ll be working on some stories from those excursions when I get them assembled in some worthy content. Today is not a day of creation for me it seems. I am preparing for the hike and that’s where my mind is wandering. But I wanted to clear my head some,check in, and tell you some simple truths. Everyday is not perfect or without concerns. MOONTABS is not all fun adventures. Some adventures are of a different sort. I humbly acknowledge my blessings and my struggles. I am grateful for my return to better health. For a surge of energy that’s returning. Looking forward to new experiences and time with new friends. The universe is bringing certain things together I’d like to think. Things are headed in a positive direction for the most part these days. I must accept those things I can not change and work through those things I can. It’s time to go into the forest to wander. Something’s waiting for me there. How do I know? Because it’s always been that way and forever will be that way. Connections to nature can’t be broken for me. It is enough.

Clowning Around At The Ice Palace

Posted on February 16, 2024February 16, 2024 by Greg Washburn

Mid February arrived yesterday and we have returned to winter weather. It’s actually snowing right now and we got about 5” over the night. Over the past few weeks we’ve had some unbelievably warm weather! It hit 52 degrees February 3rd. At the time of writing this the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival has come and gone. The Ice Palace lies in a giant pile of some 3000 plus blocks.Torn down and forgotten to most people. But a success story in its brief moments of glory. The warm weather had threatened it severely and it was blocked off at one point for safety reasons. It becomes a liability unfortunately and gets torn down soon after carnival. I never got to see the final palace in person as I had to get busy back here in the valley with other projects. But from the pictures it was quite the final build! This story centers on my final days of of volunteering.

Tarps were placed to protect the palace.

Patrick Bourcy and I had decided to head up to volunteer once more on Monday January the 29th. The ice palace was moving along nicely despite work being canceled on the previous Friday due to warm temperatures and heavy rain. I had stayed up to volunteer that Thursday but received the word that the build was canceled for Friday. Since my room was already booked I stayed in town and wandered downtown for some dinner. I talked to some people I knew who were out and made some new acquaintances before the evening was over. Getting most people to tell their stories is easy once you get them started! It’s an interesting part of any adventure for me. I watched a number of individuals participating in karaoke at the Waterhole before walking back to my rental. Great entertainment and some of them were very talented! I am not a karaoke singer but encouraged one fellow to get up and sing a song that I recommended. He sang Rooster by Alice In Chains. A grunge era classic and the crowd loved his performance! I made the best of my last evening there and enjoyed my walk back beside the quiet streets. Living at the farm homestead does not offer those kinds of moments. It’s nice at times just to have a little social interaction. A throwback to my former days decades ago but very different for me now. Time has changed many things. Me most of all. And I have wandered far from the story. But I wanted to try and capture a little something of the energy of the village itself. The lights of the Hotel Saranac lighting up the night sky over the town. Noisy revelers heard in several of the bars I passed on my walk back closed doors where they were busy talking about who knows what topics. There’s a certain romantic charm hanging over the village where most have settled into warm confines as I walk the streets alone to return to my own cozy space for the night. Perhaps you must experience it. Perhaps it’s just me. Distant yet part of something at the same time. That’s pretty heavy! 😂

The drive up Monday. Music and watching for deer in a blurry quick photo.

I met Patrick Bourcy Monday morning in Tupper Lake and caught up on recent news on the short drive to Saranac Lake. We had both decided to support the Creepy Carnival theme and had brought masks. He’s a big Friday The 13th fan so his Jason mask was no surprise. I had my leftover Halloween costume from my October stay at Birch’s Lakeside in Cranberry Lake from when I participated in the Halloween party there. We hit the ice prepared! Ice saw in hand and ready for action! Lots of laughs and some pretty funny photos!

The ice cutting went by way too fast it seemed. There were lots of volunteers and we were disappointed that that didn’t cut a lot more. But we had a good time and wandered over to help the ice carvers for awhile. It was a pretty warm day really so getting cold wasn’t a problem. People loved our costumes and we got in a bunch of photos!

We spent a lot of our day making slush and hauling it up to the palace. I had no interest in walking the now much higher walls. The palace was growing nicely and there was an abundance of volunteers so finding a job was challenging at times. But we managed to stay busy and the day would pass. Part of me wanted to return to finish the ice palace but I knew that I couldn’t spare anymore time there. Due to everyone’s tremendous effort the ice palace was finished on time for the opening date of Winter Carnival. Photos of the fireworks were awesome and Patrick Bourcy was actually there that Saturday with his daughter to see them.

In reflection I am very happy that Patrick and I got to volunteer with the build this year! It’s always a great time! I hope to return next winter to continue my trend. This made year 4 for me assisting as a volunteer. I’d go everyday if I could figure out how to rent the time properly. That’s hard to calculate with the weather being such a wild card. But it’s very far in the future now it seems. Or is it? Time speeds by quickly and those things that seem so far away often find us quicker then we expect. My time in the Adirondacks is the ultimate battery charging moment. Throwing energy into beautiful settings and into life changing moments. The farm homestead grounds a piece of me yet the call of the wild beckons always. Finding the balance is the goal. Perhaps I have already found it. Things can cloud the mind and hide the sun at times. Overthinking can be detrimental but focus remains important to me. I do know this: I am searching for something. Beautifully elusive and connected to nature in a grand series of invisible dots. I don’t know what waits for me out there over that next hill. Or even who will join me in this grand wander of time and circumstance. But isn’t that what awakens our spirit energy? Hope and belief in the future? The exciting arrival of new seasons and new adventures? MOONTABS continue to add up with each passing day. All kinds. Life is unpredictable. I’m happy. I’m sad. I’m just ok. Blissfully lost in simple moments or bogged down in heavy mud. But I am moving forward. Making better health decisions and following most of my doctor’s orders. (Sawing ice wasn’t on my list of rehabilitation exercises!)I can’t control many things but I can control my reaction to those things when I choose that level of resolve. Writing here on this page is a good place to settle my thoughts for a few moments in time. Remember those forests of Tazmania? That fictional destination I take you where you might get lost or be lost right about now? Don’t worry I’ll get you back! I’m wandering around there identifying trees in the forest. The snow continues to fall and add up here at the tiny cabin. What to do next…🤔✍️

The Cutting Crew:The Rhythm Of Regiment

Posted on February 2, 2024February 4, 2024 by Greg Washburn

February. The turning point of winter for me.Maple syrup season is but a few short weeks away at this point. Are we ready for it?Never really to be honest! But that’s another story! It’s been a very strange winter to say the least. My health scare taking center stage as the new year had barely begun would change my direction to a degree. But I have bounced back and made some substantial progress I like to think. Also another story. But isn’t that what life’s all about? A series of stories interwoven into a journey of unknown destinations. The spirit energy rises and falls like the mercury in an an old thermometer. (Funny in this digital age that those might become unknown to younger people!)Living at the farm property that I now call “The Homestead” has grounded me in a most positive manner. Also another story! This story is way more fun to tell!

I have been following the progress of the “growing” ice on Lake Flower as the 2024 Saranac Lake Winter Carnival loomed on the horizon. There was a February 2nd deadline for completion of the annual ice palace and the weather was going to tell the story far beyond human control. However volunteers got out on the 3.5” thick ice of early January and kept it clear of snow. Slowly the depth of the ice in what’s known as Pontiac Bay began to grow. 10” would be needed to start cutting the blocks. If you are new to this page I would suggest going back into my posts and reading about our previous volunteering activities for the project. We started volunteering in 2021 and have made some great MOONTABS! The ice continued to grow with some cold nights and chiller temperatures. The start date for the build was slated for January 22nd. I made my plans accordingly,dropping everything so I could attend day one! I dug out my old antique ice saw, contacted my room rental person, and packed my gear in anticipation of the work that lay ahead. I also invited my good friend Patrick Bourcy to come with me. Zane had to begin his second semester of college and couldn’t accompany me. A first since we had begun volunteering in 2021. It gave me pause to think about all the changes that find us along this journey of life. If you don’t remember Patrick Bourcy he’s the founder of the Facebook group “Just Go Outside”. We get together for some fun adventures when time allows. So it was on! My doctor had consoled against me using the ice saw so Patrick would be my saw buddy! I hit the road at 6am that Monday morning for the 2 hour plus trip to Saranac Lake picking up Patrick in Tupper Lake in anticipation of the 8am start time. We got there in plenty of time and after signing in waited for our instructions from the ice field foreman. Dean is a veteran of 40 plus years of ice palace building and we waited patiently for his orders. I saw a few people that I had met from previous years volunteering and we exchanged greetings like members of a class reunion. There were new faces and new acquaintances to meet as we waited for the motorized ice saw to make its appearance. All was ready.

Patrick takes a turn at opening “the chute”.

The layout crew snapped some chalk lines to get the initial ice field set up square. A chainsaw was used to open the “chute” to the excavator that would pluck the blocks of ice from the newly opened water. It’s a time consuming task but necessary for progress to begin. Once opened the chute would be opened each morning for the daily ice block harvest.You might ask how do we get to be part of the ice cutting crew? That’s easy! I showed up with my personal ice saw in 2021 and made it happen as they needed volunteers.The rest is history as they say. Making the “cutting crew” is more brawn then brains! I fit right in!😂But being a member of the cutting crew also involves playing the game of personalities! Taking orders from “several bosses” can be tricky. Staying chill is key. Learn your job and do it right. Always try to be one step ahead. It’s a team effort and there’s a rhythm of regiment that must be followed. After all we are opening the ice field and creating open water sections. Safety becomes important. So it’s a team effort and it’s best to remain quiet and follow orders! Getting kicked off the team would be a crushing blow to an Icewalker turned laborer. What’s the big deal being a cutter? Perhaps you need to be there. I have loved it from day one! But I have an obsession with ice and a compulsive love of menial task so I enter a special place out there on the ice field. There’s an air of anticipation that always seems to permeate the atmosphere. Free the blocks so the pike polers can get them to the chute so the ice palace build can start. It’s almost too intense in a comical way! We can cut the blocks way faster then they can be removed from the chute. But there’s more to it then that honestly. The cutting crew moves onto other tasks once their frozen gems are released to float the ever enlarging piece of open water. I don’t mind the push or the frenzied energy of the daily routine. It reminds me of my former years on numerous construction sites. Work is work and task is task. Wear the harness you are given and plow through each day.

The ice saw makes the block layout that we cut free.

I probably did more cutting then my doctor had advised but he had cleared me for running a chainsaw so I found my comfortable groove out on the ice field and kept it. Besides he had no clue about the size of the chainsaw I run! He never asked!😂 Besides I felt great and there was no holding be back. I had my saw buddy Patrick there with me anyway. Most years I would “stick” the field until all the cuts were made despite how tired I got. That’s how I made the crew in the first place. I had a secret weapon anyway. My super sharp ice saw was superior to anything else out there being used. So I could make it look easier then it actually was really! Hey work smarter not harder was something I had learned as an electrician apprentice many years ago.We were cutting on only 10” of ice which was the minimum that could be used. The motorized ice saw does most of the cutting. We just make the final cuts needed to get the blocks ready for the “spud crew”.

So the spud crew consists of 4 individuals who strike a three block section of the ice that the cutters have prepared ahead of them. They follow us and down the ice field. It’s important that we never get cuts to far ahead of them as sections can suddenly break loose and toss the spud men into the water! Losing the ice spuds would be bad! Ice tools are valuable! 😂 All joking aside we take safety seriously! I have never seen anyone go in but have witnessed some very close calls! Zane never cared for cutting ice but could always be found on the spud crew. I was always of how he fit right in with the older men. He was strong and capable so was excepted into the group. I was missing him this year but perhaps he will get to return again.

The ice cutting usually only takes about 2 hours or less and the crew moves on to other jobs. I took a job slushing in the newly placed ice blocks as the walls of the ice palace began to take shape. It’s an important part of the build acting like a mortar to freeze everything together. Patrick took a job hauling slush from the slush pit where several volunteers mix snow and water to create it. It takes many buckets of slush to “grout” in the blocks! Especially around the corners. The pike pole volunteers stay busy getting the blocks to the excavator where this older fellow Cliff gracefully plucks one after another most of the day!

It’s important to note that we never go hungry while working on the build! The coffee ladies of the Civic Committee show up with coffee and hot chocolate. Also breakfast sandwiches and sweet treats! Yum! A 50/50 mixture of coffee and hot chocolate is a favorite choice for volunteers. Lunch is provided most days by a local business who delivers the famous “ bowl and roll”. A cup of hot soup and a large buttered roll! Yum! One things for certain at this annual event: community spirit! The village pulls together volunteering and local businesses donate all sorts of things. Even heavy equipment! There’s never a dull moment that’s for sure. The ice palace build is a beehive of activity.

Patrick and I stayed most of the day helping out. I got a joke going with him shouting out “mud here!” when I ran out of slush! On the construction sites of my long career masons would yell out “mud here” to the mason tenders if their mortar boards needed mortar. I found it appropriate and no one knew why I was yelling it so it became even more entertaining! Patrick said he didn’t know me to the other volunteers! So lots of laughs! It’s refreshing to throw yourself into something so out of the ordinary I find. Far different then my days at the farm often working alone. It’s a nice change being around people and having fun while doing something rewarding. Day one went by super fast and the build had successfully started with no major hurdles. There was plenty of work to come in the days ahead but we had something to show for our efforts! I made plans to return for additional days of volunteering but that is another story! MOONTABS were being made in what I call “MOONTABS In Motion!✍️

Happy New Year!

Posted on January 1, 2024January 1, 2024 by Greg Washburn

What a strange winter so far! Mild weather continues and there’s been almost no snow. It’s been helpful getting cabin work done so that’s a positive! Things continue to move forward inside and each week shows more progress. We expect to put the Airstream away this week which will mean a transition into the cabin full time. It’s going to be a little bumpy at first but we’ll manage. The new wood stove finally showed up so that’s on the list for January. The loft was the focus last week and it’s well on its way to being finished. I am happy to report that the whitewashed ceiling was a success! I created a custom look with a combination of primer.paint, and water in equal proportions.

We enjoyed some leisure time over the holidays which was nice. On Xmas Eve Zane and I hiked up to the mountain to have a campfire on the Low Point. It was very cloudy and visibility was limited but we enjoyed ourselves until well after dark. We chose an old pine stump for our fire and it made a wonderful blaze. The pine resin smells incredible and the flames were a bright yellow. At times they were tinged with green. The old stumps are what remains of the former pine forests that once grew there. Forest fires destroyed them and burned so hot that large sections of bare rock are all that remained. The bare rock surfaces of the mountain have changed very little in my lifetime. They are a favorite place of mine to reflect on the passage of time. The solid rock remains a constant in my life journey story. That is the draw. From the high ground the lights of the farm twinkled in the distance. Home for us these days. Hiking to the mountain was a celebration of returning to the farm full time after an 11 year absence. Dinner was waiting in the crock pot for our return.

On Christmas Day I decided to fly my drone a little. It was the replacement of the one that had crashed in Quebec last August and I hadn’t even used it once. It was a totally calm day so flying conditions were ideal. I still have a lot to learn about piloting a drone but I did ok with it. Eventually I hope to take it up to 400 feet but for now I stay below 100 feet. It takes good photos that go right to my phone. It also can copy to an SD card if I prefer that option. I safely brought it to a landing when the battery began to run low.Mission accomplished!

We fired up the sawmill recently and ran a monster log through. A 12’ salvage log from our neighbors at camp. One of those that was mentioned in my last post. It sawed out some beautiful boards and planks that will be used in the woodshed project at some point. It still needs a floor in one section. It will make a nice multipurpose building once we close it in more. The old Roundoak wood stove in the cabin will be repurposed to heat the woodshed eventually. But that project must wait for now.

I recently asked for a favor at a local restaurant where we hang sometimes. It’s called the Iron Horse Cafe and it’s one of the nicest places near us. Morristown isn’t a long drive for us and it’s easy for friends to meet us there. On their menu they had poutine and several different types of hamburgers. I asked the waitress if the kitchen would make me an “A La Poutine”. It’s a fully dressed hamburger smothered with gravy and poutine. They were willing to make it and it turned out pretty good. However their poutine is made with mozzarella cheese so I asked the owner if I could bring cheese curd for it the next time I ordered one. No problem he said! I first learned about A La Poutine in Quebec a couple years ago on our way home from our fishing trip. A local had suggested we try it! It’s a big entree and difficult to finish in one setting! I ordered several pounds of cheese curd from a producer in Clayton. The business is owned by the Bechaz family who uses milk from their own dairy farm to make the curds. It gets made on Thursdays so I made sure to grab it that same day! I took 2 lbs into the Iron Horse and gave one to the owner to try. The other went to the kitchen for my A La Poutine. It turned out fabulous! I couldn’t finish it so brought the rest home to share with Zane. I don’t know if the Iron Horse will ever have it on their menu but I do believe they will make it for us again sometime! Bechaz Riverdale cheese curd is the best I have ever tasted! I am getting hungry just thinking about it! I may try to make it myself sometime! It a hearty meal that just may be bad for my heart!Try it out for yourself!

So that’s pretty much it lately. Eating,drinking,and being merry to a degree.Lots of work on the cabin and lots of other miscellaneous details that come with life. As I reflect on the year just past I am amazed at how fast it seemed to go by. But it was a year of adventures and plenty of hard work. Each season brought many blessings to us. Good health and good fortune. Zane’s graduation was a big event as was his starting college. It wasn’t a big year for travel although our fishing trip to Quebec was epic! As was my 2 week Adirondack sojourn. I can say exactly when the cabin will be finished but it’s going to be awhile. There’s the remaining siding to complete and the remaining sections of the deck. I suppose I shouldn’t get so frustrated by the amount of time it’s taking. It’s a very custom build after all. Life is good here at the farm. It will be different not living in the camper but I won’t miss buying propane for the furnace. I am glad that I got good use out of the camper and have enjoyed it immensely.Perhaps I will travel with it in 2024. I am hoping someone will wish to join me but I am prepared to run solo if that’s necessary.

As for 2024 I am patiently waiting for the ice to form and the snow to fall for a return to ice walking. There’s an upcoming trip to California to kick off this year’s travel. As for maple syrup season I am not sure at the moment. We are seriously lacking firewood and there’s a few issues with the tractor. We will be returning to the Quebec bush in August once again. That reminds me that I never completed the bush living series I started! That’s ok as the photos will remind me of our special week and the memories will return like a film. My spirit energy will need a good battery charging soon that’s for sure. Each day starts with maple syrup infused coffee here at the farm. Life is good and the land grounds me with purpose and resolve. I can’t predict how tomorrow will turn out. All I can do is push forward and try to make good decisions. Writing will be a part of my 2024. That is a given. There are plenty of stories left to be told! MOONTABS await!✍️