This collection of pictures came today from Jack Dowd. Joe's Pond ice fishermen, here's something to work for -Slides
I guess with all that super equipment a fish wouldn't have a chance . . . I think that's sonar in the TV corner . . . Sure is well equipped. Thanks, Jack, for sending those.

We were on I91 today - it was cloudy when we left here around 11 o'clock, but by the time we got to Fairlee the sun was breaking through the clouds, and in the Hanover/White River area it was actually spring-like. We took a few pictures to show you the difference in the snow cover. The first two pictures were in the Fairlee area - going down, and the third coming back just at sunset, about at Bradford, I think. I tried to get a shot of the Ox Bow in Newbury where the fields were flooded, but after a day on the road the window was pretty mud and water spattered, but perhaps you can see the water in the fields. That area is always under water around this time of the year, but we were a little surprised there was that much melting going on.

Then we got back to Joe's Pond and wanted to show you the snow bank at Craige's - remember the nice path they had tunnelled out about a week ago? It's completely gone. Filled in like it had never been there.

But even here there was some melting going on and a little water running here and there on streets and paved drives. According to WCAX, some large sugar makers started tapping in January in order to have all their trees done in time for the first run, and apparently they have made some syrup. They also said syrup is going to be very high this year - around $50. I just checked the Morse Farm web site, www.morsefarm.com and theirs is $59.95 a gallon. That's a lot. WCAX cited increased fuel costs as the reason the price is so high. I tried to check on the price our neighbors, Ruth and Glen Goodrich are charging this year, but they are having a new web site built and there was no information. I ran onto an article the AP did in 2006 about them you might like to see, though: Click Here

This might be a good year for us to get out the buckets and spouts and tap a few trees so we can make our own syrup again. Fred and I did that one year, in a make-shift sort of way. We tapped about a dozen trees, gathered the sap in pails, boiled it in the kitchen on the electric stove and the steam made the wallpaper peel off the walls and the electricity bill about doubled that month, but we made a little over a gallon of syrup, as I remember. I think it was about $12 a gallon in the stores back then, and it probably cost us way more than that but regardless of what that gallon we made cost, it was darned good and you can bet we used it sparingly. Once you realize how much work goes into something like that you appreciate it a whole lot more. We only did it that once, though - but we still have at least some of the buckets and spouts . . . I bet know what Fred would say if I suggested we try it again!