Cook'n by the Creek: Maple Me Up

Sunday, March 22, 2015

Maple Me Up

What a Sunday, we took the Maple Syrup tour to Hamilton's all you can eat pancake breakfast, a beautiful ride over the creeks, hills and valleys to end up with sugar maple treats at Rathbun & Weber Maple and Honey Products. Seriously in a matter of a few hours we all turned into a bundle of sweetness! Amber called this morning to ask if we wanted to go with her, Kent and Jim. Of course what a way to spend the day, family and maple goodness.

Hamilton's Maple Products is on Collins Hill near Ulysses, during December they sell "you cut" Christmas trees that are trimmed to perfection and all sizes. They also offer sleigh rides, hot cocoa and treats. Now is sap tapping season when they offer breakfast. For $7.50 you get all you can eat delicious light fluffy pancakes with a choice of crisp bacon or sausage patties. Scrambled eggs, juice and coffee extra. The maple syrup pours freely along with tasty samples of maple covered nuts and walnuts, maple cream, maple mustard, maple barbecue sauce and.......tada big drum roll......maple cotton candy, I mean WOW E WOW this is "sugar Cheryl's" kinda day!

After we had our breakfast fix Jim took us on some beautiful dirt roads (still snow on a few of them) weaving our way back on the Eleven Mile and to the Rathbun & Weber Open House. It doesn't appear there will be a shortage of deer this year, we saw fields of them grazing on what grass was showing along with one flock of turkey. The wildlife highlight of the day was 2 mature Bald Eagles, one immature and an immature Golden Eagle. We were stumped on the Golden Eagle until we googled images and sure enough we all agreed it was. Also Dick saw a Bald Eagle flying down Clara Valley this morning, such a beautiful sight. Even the animals and birds are saying....winter is gone let new life begin.

As if we all aren't sweet enough (wink) Rathbuns and Webers had the best samples of all. How about a dish of creamy smooth vanilla ice cream topped with your choice of maple/apple/walnut topping or good old maple syrup (my pick) and sprinkled with maple covered peanuts, walnuts or pecans (pecans for this sweet tooth). They had maple frosted donuts, maple cheese cake and hot brewed coffee with.......maple creamer. Seriously this is my kind of food.

Mel Rathbun and I are cousins. Our grandmothers were sisters and let me tell ya Gramma Carrie and Aunt Minnie were tough gals. We both realized today that blue eyes and the love of maple proves we are of the same blood line! I know I have mentioned many times how much I love our area and the many people that have given me wonderful memories but it is a fact that I love. There is hardly a road to travel that doesn't bring up a thought of someone that touched my past. Mrs. Margaret Rathbun and her husband Ernie is on the long list of good memories. Mrs. Rathbun was one of my teachers in grade school, I loved her kind quiet being. She was one of my girlfriend's aunt. We spent a few weekends on the Rathbun farm in our teen years. The last time we were staying my friend jumped out of the hay loft and broke her leg, 3 compound fractures. Today pulling up beside the barn brought thoughts of long ago. Looking at the barn I was surprised, it didn't look as big as I remember.

After we "mapled up" and bought treats for later we headed down the 11 Mile. Not far down the road as I was looking for more wildlife I saw the poplar tree hedgerow along the creek. A big smile, the trees were exactly the same as 1966. How do I remember that year? It was the year Jerry McDermott came from Los Angeles, CA, to live with Dick's family. We had a good time teaching the "city kid" the "country boys" way of life. Out coon hunting one night we spotted a coon high up in one of the poplars right at that very spot on 11 Mile. We spotlight while you (Jerry) climb the tree and shake the coon down. Keep going we said, just a little farther. Like very slow motion the top breaks out of the tree taking the coon and Jerry to the ground. It was a draw on who scrambled faster when they landed. Lesson #1, never climb a spindly tree after dark with a mean old coon in it.

My "gentle man" pick of the day is Reuben Donovan. He was a quiet spoken, generous and talented man that was kind and giving to his family and anyone in need. In our first years of marriage money was tight and Reuben had seen me waxing our car one day. Stopping he asked if I would clean and wax his cars. Of course I would thinking it is something I enjoy and would like the extra money. He brought his antique cars for me to do. I charged him $15.00 for washing, waxing and cleaning the inside. I can still remember looking at him when he said, "No, it is worth more than that and handed me a 50 $ bill. I then said no that is too much but he said if you don't take it I won't bring the other cars down. Reuben's way of helping others was the quiet way with no fanfare and look what I did. I bet there are many Reuben touched with his quiet kindness. Another good guy from my past.