Winter stuffs and Maple Syrup Adventures

So this winter has been a major doozy.  It seemed that winter started the moment my morning sickness went full throttle and now that I am feeling more like myself wouldn't you know winter is still hanging around the Great North.  Doesn't Canada know I'm feeling better!  Which means bring on the green grass, wild flowers, and birds singing.  Not ice pellets, frigid wind and the sound of scraper trucks driving past my house! Mother Nature is seriously one confused old lady!
Thankfully Canadians seem to have this long winter thing under control.  Once the holidays subside after, New Years, they begin preparing for Winterlude.  The canal gets a make over and yummy hot food stands pop up.  Then in February they turn downtown into a winter wonderland, transforming the snow into slides, mazes and statues.  Once you wrap your head around dressing appropriately for the weather, being outside doesn't seem so bad.

"sliding at winterlude"

"hanging tuff at winterlude"

                                               "being idiots in front of snow sculptures"  

Derek and I have the "embarrassing parent" pose down to a science!

    "partying Canadian style with french? english? soldiers and a giant inflatable beaver.  And of course       zip-lining in below zero weather--good times people!"

However when March comes, the snow has turned into gray mush.  Melted snow creates mini ponds in your back yard and everything starts looking really icky.
Enter "sugar bush" season.  Where the fluctuating temperature creates the perfect environment for extracting syrup from the maple trees.  Through out the country side little farms open up for the city folk to inspect the sticky harvest.  Added bonus are carriage rides, animal farms, and red cheeked kids running amok through puddles, while parents ooh and aah over maple syrup.

Thankfully we have good friends who watch over us here in Canada.  They make sure we experience the authentic traditions.

 Derek and I had the pleasure of accompanying our friends to a "leave the kids at home" night at a proper sugar bush restaurant called "Bean Town".  Complete with bon fire, French Canadian maple food, carriage rides, Old Lumberjack man making maple syrup taffy, and of course music and dancing.  It was like New France at Busch Gardens only colder and with out fried pickles.

  Outside "Bean Town" sugar bush farm.

 Mmm...pickled beets--I'll forgive them for not having fried pickles :)

 Our pea soup, cole slaw, foie gras, and bread--All the "non" maple syrup foods

Sorry about the creepy group shot.  What's up with our eyes?  

We had pancakes, bacon, beans, potatoes, egg souffle 

and like 2 quarts of maple syrup to drench everything in.  It was all you can eat and I think we might have taken too much advantage of that. 

 Old Lumber Jack man preparing the maple taffy. How you ask?  Boil maple syrup, get some snow, and pour.  I think when I'm an old Lady I'm gonna rock overalls and a Davey Crockett hat  :)

**Warning--Prepare to feast your eyes on some post maple syrup feast hotness!

 Here's what Charlie's Angels look like after consuming a bazillion calories of maple syrup!

Pretty sexy eh?

    

 

Watch out Cameron Diaz here we come!

After all that "hotness" we decided to chill out in the attic with the men-folk.

We ended the night back at the restaurant where they had a local guy playing some French Canadian tunes.  Then they switched over to club mode all I have to say to defend this video is I "blame it on the boogie".  Hahaha--we had a great time.  Now if I can only get Mother Nature to lighten up a bit.....