The Sugar Shack

We've been making maple syrup for a number of years now and it's one of our favorite things to do at the farm.  I believe that one of the reasons we love it so is because of how special it is.  It can't be rushed, it only happens once a year for a few weeks, it is the first harvest of the season and it is a fairly simple process that hasn't changed much over the years.  

We've gone through several iterations of how we boil the sap, from stock pots over the old fireplace, to a homemade barrel evaporator, each time getting a little bit better and a little bit faster.  We finally decided to upgrade to a permanent evaporator and then we decided to build a sugar shack to put it in!  

Bryce did lots of research and finally landed on buying a kit and building it himself with the help of Harris and Bill, my brother-in-law.

It's such a fun addition to the farm and during sugar season it's so cozy and smells incredible as the sap boils away.  

During the non sugar season, aka the other 50 weeks of the year, it serves as a storage facility for our beekeeping supplies and it's where we hang lavender to dry.  

Friends often come over to hang out in the shack, and a have a beer or two, during the season.  

It's such a fun addition to the farm!

Sailing The Sea of Cortez

A few weeks ago, we once again joined our friends on their sailboat for almost a week of sailing the Sea of Cortez in Mexico.  It was such a different sailing trip this time because the weather was decidedly cool and windy.  The theme of this years trip was whale watching!  We were fortunate enough to get up close and personal with Humpbacks, Gray Whales and a Blue Whale.

Our first night was spent on the boat in the marina at La Paz.  It was the last night of Carnivale and we got to see their amazing parade and float while we ate a delicious dinner.

After La Paz, most of our time was spent on the water.  The guys did a Mezcal tasting, we had a lot of good  conversations, ate delicious food and in general had a grand time.

Bryce always enjoys concocting a new drink for each boat trip and then it gets named while on the boat.  This one incorporated Mezcal and tequila and was named The Baja Breach.

It's always pretty amazing when they put the sails up and sail (we also motor a fair amount). 

One late afternoon, as we made our way to our anchor point for the night, the Captain, Ben, spotted spouts in the distance.  We changed course and spent the next few hours watching humpback whales breach.  It was spectacular and magical and otherworldly to watch them from the boat with no one else around. 

We also went on an excursion to see Gray Whales.  They came remarkably close to the boat (we were with a guide on a panga, not the sailboat).  Most of them were Mamas with the babies as in the picture below.  You can see the baby swim right along side Mama.  One whale came right up and check out the boat... I'm still a little testy with Bryce for getting the Go-Pro right in my shot! :) 

Our last whale excursion was to try and find a Blue Whale, the largest creature on earth!  Right away we spotted one.  We never saw more than a 1/3 of his body but my favorite thing was watching him spout.  The water went so high!

That same day, a pod of dolphins swam all around our boat!

Our last evening, we went back on land for the evening and explore the town of Loreto.