Scenes from a Commute

Finally got them. I believe those are cranes standing in the field. I first saw them last year. Never had seen one before. I didn't quite believe it then and I only saw them one afternoon. But they're back again this year (a little early, along with the raptors). First saw them Monday night driving home. This year they're sticking around a little (I think the cold surprised them).


And here's a "zoomed" image (not sure how this one turned out.

The other news from the commute is the buckets are up on trees. It's maple syrup season. Not sure what the product will be like this year. One of the collections options they have are plastic bags hung from the tap. One farm I passed must have put them up over the weekend and there were a few bags which were nearly full on Monday. That shouldn't happen this early in the season (although the sap may have been running earlier than they expected). The first few days should be slow as they collect sap that's mostly water. Then the sap taps into the sugar reserves the tree stored (this is what makes the syrup) and then finally it'll grab other nutrients. The sugar is what makes the syrup profitable, but it's those other nutrients that really give it the maplely taste. The largest volume is in the middle, when there is a high sugar content in the sap. Later the other nutrients become a major factor and the sap which becomes thicker and less sugary.