Thursday, March 03, 2011

Maple Sugar Day in Fairmount Park

Because L. couldn't enjoy Modo Mio, we had to come with an alternate plan to spend some time together. It was supposed to be a relatively warm Saturday, so I suggested we go to Forbidden Drive and take a good walk and catch up. On Saturday morning, I found an email from she-J. informing me that it was the park's annual Maple Sugar Day and that she planned on attending. Funny thing about Maple Sugar Day: without meaning to I have been there for the last three years. The first year I went with J. and a much littler S. (seriously, he is so grown up!) and then accidentally found myself there with L. during her so-much-fun visit last year. I don't know what it is about that specific weekend. Maybe there's some breaking point in my brain that says 'seriously, get yourself together and go to the woods and enjoy maple sugar products.' Anywho. So we combined forces. L. and I drove to the park and met up with J. and S. Here is the syrup/sap table. We tried some sap, but it was mostly water. Still cool.
Pancakes were being made on a griddle.
And then put into my belly.
S. took a try at the yoke of a syrup farmer's life. Wow. I just made up what that is. I have no idea.
The buckets were empty but just the contraption alone was pretty heavy (note that the one bucket is still on the ground).
Three maple sugar candies for a dollar. Which reminds me that I owe L. a dollar.
Sometimes when I take photographs of S. my favorite part is the fact that he's telling me to. He has this own vision of what he'd like to see himself doing, and he knows that I'm always willing to take a photo. For example, he climbed up on this fence of his own volition and I took this photograph.
But he was more interested in me taking these photographs.
And he was right. S. as a Tron/Motorcycle riding character (probably got that wrong, probably a Star Wars reference of some time) is more interesting/captures him better.
We walked closer to the Wissihockon, where S. went off and did fierce battle against Sith forces. J. and L. had never met in the flesh, but I like them both and I think they got along well enough. I don't know what that means.
Again, S. fighting an opponent. It was really funny to watch when we were further back. His running and stabbing and whatnot. I'm not sure my imagination is capable of that sort of feat any more.
At some point I became S.'s adversary. This is him using the force to keep me away. I didn't like it. And he didn't like it when I tried to use my own force on him. This went on for a bit.
Ready for battle. Spoiling for a fight.
Eventually I had enough (as lame grown up types often do) and S. turned to L. (whom he had been a little wary of before, new person and all) and asked her to fight. She accepted the challenge.

And took no mercy.
But I don't think she was victorious in the end.
He-J. and N. came by later on and N. got his pancake on.
The end. I think this year I'm really going to try to go out this way and take woods walks with more frequency (I said this last year and definitely didn't do it).

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