Spring is just beginning to unfold! This means that for some of us (me!) it is birthday season, and for many others in New England, it's maple sugarin' season! Thanks to a happy confluence of Maine Maple Day (a sort of open house/celebration of yumminess), my birthday weekend, and some great weather, we were able to explore how maple syrup is made-and eaten!
Stop numero uno was at the "Brookridge Boilers" in Lyman, ME. This was a smaller operation, but thanks to the scenery and the nice weather, there were lots of visitors, and of all different species!
The lambs (or "lambies," because they are so ridiculously adorable), were happily hanging out with their parents...
...shivering together in the blustery weather/still looking unbelievably adorable...
...and generally distracting us from taking photos of the sugaring operation with their overall adorable-ness (see above & below).
Ultimately, Charlotte and I were able to tear ourselves away from the newborn critters to take a look at the operation. When we entered the sugarhouse, they were in the midst of production: syrup is produced by boiling off the excess water in the sap. Brookridge Boilers just uses a typical, wood-fired "Leader" evaporator, but it makes for quite a rustic sight, and the sample of warm syrup hot off the fire was fantastic!
After bidding farewell to Brookridge Boilers, Charlotte and I followed some spray-painted signs we spotted, which led us down small country roads to what was apparently a second sugarhouse (next to the cool old Amish barn below).
Turning off the country road, we stumbled upon "Sap Camp" at Gile's Family Farm in Alfred, ME, which proved to be an absolutely incredible operation. After parking, we got in the very long line of locals, and eagerly awaited to fntfr the sugarhouse (see below).
Upon fntfring, we were treated to a glimpse of the world of high-technology maple sugaring. This is not a joke-it actually was quite impressive, beginning with the reverse osmosis filter (below), which separated much of the water from the sap (gathered from ~3,000 trees).
Afterwards, as you can see, a much larger evaporator (oil-fired, this time) is used at Gile's to concentrate all the deliciousness that oozes from the trees.
Despite the scale of production we were startled to learn that this entire operation still only produces about 4 gallons of syrup per hour. Think about THAT the next time you see a bottle of maple syrup for sale!
Well, with Maine Maple Day behind us, we took one last short excursion to the "summit" of Mount Agamenticus, an old ski slope right near York, ME on the ocean.
While it doesn't look like too many people use the ski lift these days, there were still plenty of folks at or en route to the summit.
The view up there is fantastic! Aside from spotting fires, you can easily get a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean on the one side...
...and then turn 180 degrees for an equally panoramic view of the White Mountains and the Presidential Range (including Mt. Washington!). Sorry for the lack of summit photos-it was extremely windy, but if you zoom in on this last photo, you can see some snow still clinging on to Mount Washington.
Anyway, it's back to the grindstone for both me and Charlotte, but our "happiness" batteries are charged up from this fun excursion, so it's alright. Hope you're doing well, too!
The cake in its pristine condition (this didn't last very long). 
Approximately 37.5% percent later, I am SOLD on this birthday cake. Mmm!
Anyway, "Prickly Pear Friend" is pretty cool (and I am super-excited to have him), but Audrey is the real show-stopper these days.
All you need for some good wholesome fun is Audrey, a fruit fly (or full-size fly) a toothpick, and a camera!
And, voila! Bug problem-and boredom-solved. Obviously, as the spring progresses and larger flies again invade my apartment, it will be necessary to post more graphic flytrap images. In the meantime, though, enjoy this benign sequence. 
Stop numero uno was at the "Brookridge Boilers" in Lyman, ME. This was a smaller operation, but thanks to the scenery and the nice weather, there were lots of visitors, and of all different species!
The lambs (or "lambies," because they are so ridiculously adorable), were happily hanging out with their parents...
...shivering together in the blustery weather/still looking unbelievably adorable...
...and generally distracting us from taking photos of the sugaring operation with their overall adorable-ness (see above & below).
Ultimately, Charlotte and I were able to tear ourselves away from the newborn critters to take a look at the operation. When we entered the sugarhouse, they were in the midst of production: syrup is produced by boiling off the excess water in the sap. Brookridge Boilers just uses a typical, wood-fired "Leader" evaporator, but it makes for quite a rustic sight, and the sample of warm syrup hot off the fire was fantastic!
After bidding farewell to Brookridge Boilers, Charlotte and I followed some spray-painted signs we spotted, which led us down small country roads to what was apparently a second sugarhouse (next to the cool old Amish barn below). 
Turning off the country road, we stumbled upon "Sap Camp" at Gile's Family Farm in Alfred, ME, which proved to be an absolutely incredible operation. After parking, we got in the very long line of locals, and eagerly awaited to fntfr the sugarhouse (see below).
Upon fntfring, we were treated to a glimpse of the world of high-technology maple sugaring. This is not a joke-it actually was quite impressive, beginning with the reverse osmosis filter (below), which separated much of the water from the sap (gathered from ~3,000 trees).
Afterwards, as you can see, a much larger evaporator (oil-fired, this time) is used at Gile's to concentrate all the deliciousness that oozes from the trees.
Despite the scale of production we were startled to learn that this entire operation still only produces about 4 gallons of syrup per hour. Think about THAT the next time you see a bottle of maple syrup for sale!
Well, with Maine Maple Day behind us, we took one last short excursion to the "summit" of Mount Agamenticus, an old ski slope right near York, ME on the ocean.
While it doesn't look like too many people use the ski lift these days, there were still plenty of folks at or en route to the summit.
The view up there is fantastic! Aside from spotting fires, you can easily get a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean on the one side...
...and then turn 180 degrees for an equally panoramic view of the White Mountains and the Presidential Range (including Mt. Washington!). Sorry for the lack of summit photos-it was extremely windy, but if you zoom in on this last photo, you can see some snow still clinging on to Mount Washington.
Anyway, it's back to the grindstone for both me and Charlotte, but our "happiness" batteries are charged up from this fun excursion, so it's alright. Hope you're doing well, too!
My buddy. Cute, isn't he?
A sand dollar!
And my favorite piping plovers. I swear I could watch them running back and forth all day.
Our beach finds.
And the photo... How attractive.
Well, after over 1.5 years of Charlotte residing within 1.5 hours of the White Mountains, we finally had a brainwave: why don't we GO to the White Mountains?!? This brainwave was inspired in part by the beautiful winter weather of last weekend, our desire to cross-country ski, and our equally strong desire not to do work on such a beautiful day. 
So we gassed up the trusty Subaru (thanks Mr. Graziano/Daddy!) and headed north. Within perhaps one hour of leaving Dover, our drive was graced with gorgeous views of the Whites, and soon we had Mount Washington-you can guess which one it is-in our view more often than not. It was spectacular!
Before long, we arrived at our destination for the day: the gorgeous Mt. Washington Hotel and Bretton Woods Nordic Ski Center. The place is famous for great skiing, the cool-looking hotel, being the site where the Bretton Woods institutions (e.g. the IMF) were established, and, um, halfway decent views of Mount Washington. 
In addition to the excellent views (which you can see here), another great advantage of XC skiing at Bretton Woods is the grooming. With those grooves, it's like skiing on autopilot! It's also very handy for those lacking in the coordination department, although I will say that even with the grooves, hills are still hills. (Quick note: Mike wrote this paragraph; Charlotte could probably ski down the side of a building with her eyes closed).
Anyway, the sights were incredible, and the occasional spills were far outweighed by the opportunity to practice skiing on a gorgeous day and soak in some truly breathtaking scenery.
I should also mention that with over 100km of groomed trails, Bretton Woods was also fun because you can select routes that take you to different fun destinations. Charlotte and I picked a route (approximately 12km total) that took us, at our furthest, out to this fun warming yurt! It had great views of Mt. Washington, chairs and benches, and, as you can see, quite a lot of snow surrounding it. 
Were you worried this blog post would end without the obligatory smiling self-photo? Well, fear no more! And, finally, Charlotte was very kind to note that this photograph highlights what is perhaps my own most prominent geographic feature (my nose). Hint: look at her forehead. Wow! No wonder you can't see Mt. Washington too well in this one!
