By Joann M. Ringelstetter
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes. Just click on the desired photo and look for the blue “BUY” button.
In April, 2010, on Day One of a 13-day photography trip to North Carolina, one of our first stops was Deep River County Park near Hobart, Indiana. Our main reason for visiting this park was to see and capture a few images of the historic John Wood's Grist Mill. While exploring the park, we discovered the Deep River Sugar Shack, where park staff host Maple Syrup Time, an annual demonstration of how sap is collected and turned into maple syrup.
For probably ten years prior to that discovery, Ruth and I had been discussing that we should try to get out in late winter to photograph the maple sugaring process. We knew we could go to an annual event like the one held at Deep River, but our preference is to capture scenes away from the crowds and in the natural habitat. What we really wanted to find were the old-fashioned metal sap buckets, rather than the newer tubing that has replaced the buckets, but we didn’t really know where to look on the backroads to find this.
In October of that same year, we went looking for fall color on the backroads of Monroe County, Wisconsin. Early in the morning, as the sun began to warm the day, we stumbled on what looked like a dilapidated sugar house near the driveway of an Amish farm. We could see some family members in the yard, so we pulled in and asked them if it was a sugar house. They confirmed that it was and kindly allowed us to take some photos of it.
Again, this generated a discussion about how we should remember to go in search of tapped maple trees towards the end of the upcoming winter. But time, even in the long, seemingly endless winters of Wisconsin, has a way of slipping by for us and soon we realize that we’ve once again missed the rather short maple sugaring season.
Another five years passed before we discovered two more sugar shacks in Wisconsin, in the autumn of 2015. Well, actually, there were three. In early October, we were in an Amish area of Vernon County and noticed a new sugar shack built in front of an old sugar shack. Later that month, we decided to visit the Richfield Historical Park in Washington County. This park is home to many historic buildings which have been restored and are maintained by the Richfield Historical Society.
We hadn’t visited this park since February of 2008, and the snow-covered roads within the park weren’t plowed at that time, so we only took photos of the 1871 Messer/Mayer Grist Mill. In October of 2015, we thoroughly explored the park and were pleasantly surprised to find a beautiful red sugar shack, which was built in 2005 by a Boy Scout as a project to earn his Eagle Scout status. Again, here we were at a sugar house, but in the off-season. But I did peer through the window and saw what I think was probably a maple syrup grading kit on the table.
On March 9 of this year, after getting a little snow cover during a winter of low snowfall, we decided to do some photography in the Amish area in Columbia County. The day was full of many blessings. Early in the day, as the Amish children were arriving at school, some walking, some driving their own buggies, we discovered several very large maple trees that had been tapped for maple sap collection. Hanging below the taps were large plastic pails. They weren’t the old-fashioned buckets we were hoping to some day find, but it was still better than tubing.
As we headed home that day, Ruth had an idea. “Why don’t we stop at the MacKenzie Center and see if they have any trees tapped.” This is an education center about a half hour north of Madison that has an annual Maple Syrup Festival on the first Saturday of April. We didn’t know if we’d find any trees tapped that day, but it wasn’t out of our way to check it out. We pulled into the first parking lot we found and, to our sheer delight, we spotted some old-fashioned metal sap buckets hanging from taps throughout the sugarbush.
A short distance from this parking lot, we found the Wallen Sugar House, where they boil maple sap and prepare it for the finishing process. I had often heard that it takes about 40 gallons of sap to make one gallon of maple syrup. A large sign by the sugar house said, “When sap is first collected from the tree, it is 95-99% water and only about 1-5% sugar. In order to make syrup, we concentrate the sugar by evaporating much of the water. When the sugar concentration reaches 66%, we have maple syrup. The amount of evaporation needed depends on the initial sugar content of the sap. If the sap contains 2% sugar, we must collect and boil 42 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. With sap that is 5% sugar, we need only 17 gallons of sap. The trees at the MacKenzie Center produce sap that averages 3% sugar.”
The sign also said, “Historically, pioneers used iron kettles to boil syrup over an open fire. The Native Americans might have taught early European settlers to make maple syrup. However, Native Americans did not actually make syrup, since they would have had no way to store or transport it. Instead, they made maple sugar by putting very hot rocks into a hollowed log filled with sap. They boiled sap beyond the point of being syrup, until it eventually crystallized. They stored the sugar in a birch bark container, called a 'makuk' by the Ojibway. If kept dry, the maple sugar kept for a very long time.”
A couple months ago, we had read that Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup (yes, I spelled that right) on Old Route 66 by Shirley, Illinois still used metal buckets for some of their sap collection. We had been wondering if we needed to travel over 3 hours to get a few “old-fashioned” photos of the sap collecting process. But the Universe delivered it to us close to home. If you get a chance, take your family to one of the maple syrup events. Some have pancake breakfasts and most have free maple-flavored treats.
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Happy Spring and Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
Shunpiking To Heaven Backroads Blog
Saturday, March 24, 2018
Wednesday, March 14, 2018
And So It Goes – Savanna-Sabula Bridge
By Ruth A. Ringelstetter
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes. Just click on the desired photo and look for the blue “BUY” button.
In early 2015, as I was contemplating a route to Missouri, I came across some information that they were going to begin construction of a new bridge across the Mississippi between Savanna, Illinois and Sabula, Iowa. This bridge would be built near the existing bridge, eventually replacing it. So, I knew we needed to capture some photos of the historical bridge before construction started.
Our only previous visit to Savanna had been late in the day, and before we finished in town, darkness was upon us, so we didn’t even see the historical bridge. In April of that year, on the first day of a 10-day trip to Missouri, we decided to head south to Galena and then follow the Mississippi south.
As is true along a lot of the Mississippi, there are railroad tracks running right along the shore. Double tracks in fact, and very active. As we pulled up to the north view of the bridge, Joann got out of the car, but before she could get her equipment out, a train whistle blew and a train came down the tracks. Unfortunately, before it passed under the bridge and cleared our view, it stopped and just idled there for what seemed like forever. We wondered if we would get any decent pictures before we had to move on.
The bridge was originally built in 1932-33, and was a toll bridge until the 1980’s. It was famous for its narrow lanes, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. Before this bridge was built, the only means of crossing the river at this point was by ferry.
Eventually the train moved on and, after capturing some photos from the north side of the bridge, we drove to a small parking area just south of the bridge where we could photograph it from another angle.
I hadn’t been following the new bridge construction, and we were out all day last Friday, so I was surprised when I got home and found out that the historical bridge had been demolished earlier that day.
We wouldn’t have driven all the way down for something that was over in a few seconds, but we were saddened to hear that it was gone. The new bridge had been built very close to the old one, and it would not have made as good of a picture with the new one right behind it, or in front of it, depending on the side you were on.
We only recently started chasing after these big old bridges, and by the time we did start, many of them had already been removed. We’re very thankful that we made it to this one before it was demolished.
If you would like to see videos of the demolition from various angles, visit this WQAD Channel 8 page.
Enjoy any old bridges you come across (or drive across) in your travels, since you never know when they may disappear.
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes. Just click on the desired photo and look for the blue “BUY” button.
In early 2015, as I was contemplating a route to Missouri, I came across some information that they were going to begin construction of a new bridge across the Mississippi between Savanna, Illinois and Sabula, Iowa. This bridge would be built near the existing bridge, eventually replacing it. So, I knew we needed to capture some photos of the historical bridge before construction started.
Our only previous visit to Savanna had been late in the day, and before we finished in town, darkness was upon us, so we didn’t even see the historical bridge. In April of that year, on the first day of a 10-day trip to Missouri, we decided to head south to Galena and then follow the Mississippi south.
As is true along a lot of the Mississippi, there are railroad tracks running right along the shore. Double tracks in fact, and very active. As we pulled up to the north view of the bridge, Joann got out of the car, but before she could get her equipment out, a train whistle blew and a train came down the tracks. Unfortunately, before it passed under the bridge and cleared our view, it stopped and just idled there for what seemed like forever. We wondered if we would get any decent pictures before we had to move on.
The bridge was originally built in 1932-33, and was a toll bridge until the 1980’s. It was famous for its narrow lanes, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. Before this bridge was built, the only means of crossing the river at this point was by ferry.
Eventually the train moved on and, after capturing some photos from the north side of the bridge, we drove to a small parking area just south of the bridge where we could photograph it from another angle.
I hadn’t been following the new bridge construction, and we were out all day last Friday, so I was surprised when I got home and found out that the historical bridge had been demolished earlier that day.
We wouldn’t have driven all the way down for something that was over in a few seconds, but we were saddened to hear that it was gone. The new bridge had been built very close to the old one, and it would not have made as good of a picture with the new one right behind it, or in front of it, depending on the side you were on.
We only recently started chasing after these big old bridges, and by the time we did start, many of them had already been removed. We’re very thankful that we made it to this one before it was demolished.
If you would like to see videos of the demolition from various angles, visit this WQAD Channel 8 page.
Enjoy any old bridges you come across (or drive across) in your travels, since you never know when they may disappear.
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Happy Shunpiking!
Ruth
Saturday, March 3, 2018
Hug a GI Day
By Joann M. Ringelstetter
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes. Just click on the desired photo and look for the blue “BUY” button.
March 4th is National Hug a GI Day, a day to show our appreciation to GIs, the people who serve in our armed forces, with a friendly hug. And it nudges me to tell a story of a veteran we met in Rockford, Illinois on the first day of last year’s spring photography trip.
It was April 23rd and the day was a sunny, blue-sky kind of day. We left home mid-morning and headed south, crossing the Illinois border a little before noon. After visiting historic Macktown, one of the earliest settlements in northern Illinois, we drove into downtown Rockford. First, we photographed some old neon signs and then we parked in front of the Veterans Memorial Hall and Museum.
This building is also known on the National Register of Historic Places as Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall. A memorial stone in front of the hall says: This memorial hall, the first of its kind in the United States, dedicated to our veterans of all wars, was completed in the year 1903 with dedication ceremonies on June Third of that year by our twenty-sixth President Theodore Roosevelt with these words: "No more fitting memorial could be erected to the men who fought than a hall such as this.....a hall beautiful because of the uses to which it is consecrated."
After capturing a few photos of this beautiful hall, I walked down to the corner where there was a veterans memorial, entitled “Victory.” The sculpture, by Gene Horvath, depicts men and women of diverse ethnic groups from all branches of the services.
The plaque below the sculpture reads: “To all Veterans, to our neighbors and friends, to the men and women who served in every branch of the Armed Forces in time of war or peace, we dedicate this memorial. Remembered here before us are brave veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf conflicts. United by love of country and service to each other we celebrate our ethnic diversity as we salute each individual’s victory of courage over fear and hardship. We will not forget our comrades who died.”
As I stood in front of the memorial, a man approached me with a big smile on his face. He asked me if my sister was in the car down the street. I told him she was, and he said, “She told me that I should have you take my picture in front of the memorial.” I must admit that I was a bit confused at first.
He told me his name was Mark and that he was a veteran who had served in the Persian Gulf War and that he had suffered injuries and was a Purple Heart recipient. So I told him to stand in front of the sculpture and as I snapped a couple of pictures, he held up his hand and sang some kind of marching tune. I only wish I would have thought to take a video.
When the photo session was finished, Mark told me that everyone called him Smiley, which was a great name for him because he had been smiling the whole time. He said everyone at the Veterans Memorial Hall knew him. Then he told me it was his birthday that day and he was wondering if I could spare a little change because he was on a mission to collect enough change to maybe get a motel room for the night and “watch a little TV.” He said he needed only another $13 to make that dream come true.
I wished him a Happy Birthday and told him I didn’t have any change on me, but if he wanted to walk back to the car with me, I would give him something. On the way back to the car, he told me that he was homeless because the injuries he had suffered in the war made it hard for him to work. I could see that he was having trouble with his feet and with his eyes.
When we got back to the car, I put my equipment away and Mark continued to talk. He gave Ruth and me his full name and rank and then talked about the war and the injuries he had suffered. As he talked, I grabbed a small notebook and wrote down some notes. Of course, I couldn’t help but wonder about the truth of all this, but it didn’t really matter.
Here was a fellow human being a little down on his luck, but still as good-natured as could be and who had such hope that by nightfall he could collect enough change to get a cheap motel room with a TV.
I reached for my wallet and took out a $20 bill. I handed it to Mark and said, “Happy Birthday, Mark. Get yourself some lunch and enjoy that motel room tonight. He looked at the money in his hand and tears filled his eyes. Then he hugged me and said, “No one has ever been this kind to me. Thank you so much.” As he headed down the street, Ruth told me that all he had asked her for was a penny. And then we laughed as we heard him say, “Now I can even get some chips!”
Whether you do it in person or through email, text, or social media, give a GI a hug!
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes. Just click on the desired photo and look for the blue “BUY” button.
March 4th is National Hug a GI Day, a day to show our appreciation to GIs, the people who serve in our armed forces, with a friendly hug. And it nudges me to tell a story of a veteran we met in Rockford, Illinois on the first day of last year’s spring photography trip.
It was April 23rd and the day was a sunny, blue-sky kind of day. We left home mid-morning and headed south, crossing the Illinois border a little before noon. After visiting historic Macktown, one of the earliest settlements in northern Illinois, we drove into downtown Rockford. First, we photographed some old neon signs and then we parked in front of the Veterans Memorial Hall and Museum.
This building is also known on the National Register of Historic Places as Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall. A memorial stone in front of the hall says: This memorial hall, the first of its kind in the United States, dedicated to our veterans of all wars, was completed in the year 1903 with dedication ceremonies on June Third of that year by our twenty-sixth President Theodore Roosevelt with these words: "No more fitting memorial could be erected to the men who fought than a hall such as this.....a hall beautiful because of the uses to which it is consecrated."
After capturing a few photos of this beautiful hall, I walked down to the corner where there was a veterans memorial, entitled “Victory.” The sculpture, by Gene Horvath, depicts men and women of diverse ethnic groups from all branches of the services.
The plaque below the sculpture reads: “To all Veterans, to our neighbors and friends, to the men and women who served in every branch of the Armed Forces in time of war or peace, we dedicate this memorial. Remembered here before us are brave veterans from World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf conflicts. United by love of country and service to each other we celebrate our ethnic diversity as we salute each individual’s victory of courage over fear and hardship. We will not forget our comrades who died.”
As I stood in front of the memorial, a man approached me with a big smile on his face. He asked me if my sister was in the car down the street. I told him she was, and he said, “She told me that I should have you take my picture in front of the memorial.” I must admit that I was a bit confused at first.
He told me his name was Mark and that he was a veteran who had served in the Persian Gulf War and that he had suffered injuries and was a Purple Heart recipient. So I told him to stand in front of the sculpture and as I snapped a couple of pictures, he held up his hand and sang some kind of marching tune. I only wish I would have thought to take a video.
When the photo session was finished, Mark told me that everyone called him Smiley, which was a great name for him because he had been smiling the whole time. He said everyone at the Veterans Memorial Hall knew him. Then he told me it was his birthday that day and he was wondering if I could spare a little change because he was on a mission to collect enough change to maybe get a motel room for the night and “watch a little TV.” He said he needed only another $13 to make that dream come true.
I wished him a Happy Birthday and told him I didn’t have any change on me, but if he wanted to walk back to the car with me, I would give him something. On the way back to the car, he told me that he was homeless because the injuries he had suffered in the war made it hard for him to work. I could see that he was having trouble with his feet and with his eyes.
When we got back to the car, I put my equipment away and Mark continued to talk. He gave Ruth and me his full name and rank and then talked about the war and the injuries he had suffered. As he talked, I grabbed a small notebook and wrote down some notes. Of course, I couldn’t help but wonder about the truth of all this, but it didn’t really matter.
Here was a fellow human being a little down on his luck, but still as good-natured as could be and who had such hope that by nightfall he could collect enough change to get a cheap motel room with a TV.
I reached for my wallet and took out a $20 bill. I handed it to Mark and said, “Happy Birthday, Mark. Get yourself some lunch and enjoy that motel room tonight. He looked at the money in his hand and tears filled his eyes. Then he hugged me and said, “No one has ever been this kind to me. Thank you so much.” As he headed down the street, Ruth told me that all he had asked her for was a penny. And then we laughed as we heard him say, “Now I can even get some chips!”
Whether you do it in person or through email, text, or social media, give a GI a hug!
Photos in this blog post can be purchased as wall art, paper prints, downloads, phone cases, and keepsakes by clicking on the photo. You will be taken to the gallery website where you will see a big blue "BUY" button. Or to see all photos available, click on the "Browse Galleries" button on the menu at the top of this page. Thank you for your interest!
Happy Shunpiking!
Joann
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