A Rite of Spring

One of the coolest things about living in this region is the proximity to many, many sugar shacks come springtime. We had the most glorious early spring weather this Saturday - sunny and really warm - and our dear friends J & R invited Max and I to the sugar shack for the morning (John missed out on the adventure as he was tied up at a charity Scrabble tournament).

We went to Stanley's just east of Ottawa. It was fabulous! We started out at the buffet and had a blast. There were no high chairs left so Max sat nicely in a booster seat. He is getting so big. He plowed through some pancakes, ham, half a plate of baked beans, and some juice. He really, really loved the mystery orange punch they were serving. After three glasses of punch, I let him know that there was no more. But this kid is no slouch. He demanded to be taken down off of his booster seat and then made a beeline to the giant plastic juice dispenser near us. He pointed at it and made the sign for "more". What could I do? The kid had a point. So, it was back into the booster seat for a half-glass of juice.

After brunch, we ventured outside to explore the grounds. Max was making his own way so it was an interesting and not very straight line to anywhere but we enjoyed watching him explore on his own. We went over and looked at the horses in a field first. Max definitely pointed at the horses and acknowedged them but he was more interested in the various tractors and farm vehicles around the property. Perhaps his love of big vehicles is overtaking his love of animals at this point? They had a petting barn so we ventured in there. I had Max in my arms but he decided quickly that he really did not like the petting barn. It was pretty crowded in there and did smell funny but I was surprised at his reaction. Everything was fine again when we got outside. Max explored the play structure and got reasonably close to a few giant animal statues they had outside in the children's play area.

As we were leaving the farm, I decided to get some maple taffy as it is my favourite sugar bush treat. I thought Max might like a taste of my treat. Big mistake. The kid got a hold of my popsicle stick and refused to let go. He was clutching that thing like he would never let it go. This continued well into our car ride home. When I finally wrenched it out of his hand because the taffy was melting everywhere and forming a casing around his wrist, he had a screaming fit and only quieted down when he fell asleep. I guess he inherited my love for maple taffy.

All in all, it was a most excellent adventure and a wonderful way to spend a sunny spring morning. Thanks to J & R for the invitation.

Here are some photos of our adventure: