Sweet Fun

Just for fun, Steven and Noah decided to try making maple candy from one of the pints of finished maple syrup. It was a sweet success!

In Search of a Winter Adventure

The Schoeck family headed north in search of some winter adventures. Or should I say, Schoeck family plus two Wintenburg boys. We often invite Jonathan and Christopher along on our adventures.  Together we ventured north to Vermont in search of snow because we were not finding any here in Connecticut. 

We did find some snow at Sugarbush Resort. Not a lot, but enough to take skiing and snowboarding lessons. Steven decided to improve his skiing by signing up for a group lesson. As it turned out he was the only adult who signed up for the morning class so he had a private lesson. The rest of us decided to do something brand new and take snowboarding lessons.  God blessed us with a warm and sunny day. It was so warm we had to start peeling off a a few layers.

Steven Skiing

Christopher learning how to go down on heel edge

Jonathan learning to go down on heel edge

Noah learning to get up by himself

Hitting the slopes wiped us out! The next day we needed to replenish all those calories we burned off so we took a detour on our way home to Ben & Jerry's. 

Free Sample of Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

After the tour of the factory we were treated to a free ice cream sample. Of course that was not enough so we went into the ice cream store to "try" different flavors.

Steven and Cristina discovered a new favorite: phish food.

The boys really love sugar

 After some deep discussions and a vote we all came to an agreement that everyone's favorite ingredient is: Sugar! 

Round Two

Yesterday was round two of boiling sap. We were blessed with a beautiful and sunny day. Though it was quiet without the festivities of having friends over, it was just perfect for father and son to spend some time together. Noah learned to split wood for the fire and Steven applied all that he had learned from last Saturday's experience into round two. 

Steven and Noah claim they worked ALL day but every time I joined them in the sugar shack I caught them hanging out, listening to music, reading a magazine and playing words with friends! But I guess they did get some work done because they made 3/4 of a gallon of delicious maple syrup.