March 27, 2020 - Friday evening

36 degrees/clear skies/calm winds

Pentoga Road

I thought I ought to write this evening as I'll be up and out of the house, putting the finishing touches on the evaporator before sunrise in the morning.

And yes, it finally came today.

Each box was big and heavy and it took Sargie and I, both, just to move them around in the barn.

I was out the door Friday morning to check the bags in the maple woods. Only a couple had run during the night, so we got a reprieve of sorts. Believe me, we paid for it later when almost all the bags were full to busting at the seams, not once, but twice during the day.

Once again, we collected well over a hundred gallons of sap today, enough to make two and a half gallons of pure maple syrup. 

While waiting for the evaporator to arrive, I got to work on turning a bowl, one that I've piddled around with for the past six weeks.

Mississippi Brother Garry taught me several new chisel techniques and I was anxious to put them to use. 

The UPS man left a package at our front door. When I opened it, I found the most beautiful carbide chisel, a gift from Mississippi Brother Garry.

If the chisel allows me to turn bowls half as beautiful as those that Garry produces, I'll be tickled to death. 

Thanks again Brother.

When we weren't gathering sap, Sargie and I were working on assembling the evaporator.

First, we had to spray a special type of paint onto the pieces that made up the sides and base. That was the fun part.

Sorting out the pieces, the nuts, bolts, and washers, was a daunting task. 

Rather than coming with paper instructions, all directions for the evaporator are via a video on youtube. Problem is, our internet speed is between that of a rock and a tortoise. With the current lock down of most the nation, it appears everyone is online. 

The guy in the video loves to talk and tell stories. All we really wanted were the directions. I didn't need to learn how to tell dry from green wood or what happens if one lets a pan go dry over high heat.

Heck, I was putting up syrup before the person in the video was born.

Consequently, between little bandwidth and having to listen to the fellow tell stories while assembling the evaporator, Sargie and I were more than a bit frustrated.

The afternoon moved ahead quickly and we halted our labors in the barn to return to the woods and collect another forty gallons of sap. As soon as the bags were emptied, we returned to the barn.

It was past 8 tonight before we halted work. Though we carried the base and evaporator into the shop where it was warmer and the light much better, exhaustion caused us to stop for the day. The minds were willing, but our bodies were screaming in protest.

I'd like to be in the shop first thing in the morning and finish the evaporator. We're close, but we're not there yet.

First things first, however. I need to watch the last twenty minutes of the hour and a half long video to see how this whole thing comes out.

After all, a man's work is never done.

So are the tales from Pentoga Road...

Sargie saw the first robin on the year today down by the garden.