Dear Curiosity Journal,
As vehicles pulled in for the Maple Syrup Workshop, Rufus and I waited at the picnic tables and commented that this was the coldest start to the Driftless Curiosity season so far. We entered into our third year of hosting events with the usual nerves of meeting new people and presenting to a group in less than ideal conditions; soft trails, hilly terrain, and brisk weather. However, the crew embraced the adventure, asked great questions, engaged in tapping trees, and enjoyed the smell of evaporating sap drifting up into the treetops. Rufus loves to boil snacks in the sap and tossed a couple of carrots in during our presentation, which the group thought was funny. We were so occupied with teaching the class and leading the demonstrations that we didn’t take a single photo until we came back to clean up and remembered the carrots, which were perfectly cooked and provided an energetic boost for hiking up and down the hill a few more times. We buttoned up the sugar camp as the snowstorm rolled in, and by the time we arrived back in the farmhouse for a cup of hot coffee, we were snow-driven, wind-whipped, and rubber-legged, but filled with the warm feeling of sharing an old tradition and gathering with community on the land.
~Joy