Day 6: Rainy night, sunny quiet day

Day 6: It was a quiet morning after an all night rain. I was awakened at about 1:00 AM to the crash of the empty ice chest being toppled from the picnic table. Checking out the window, a raccoon was looking for something to eat. Nothing here so he moseyed on up the trail to the next camper. Lake Chicot State park has over 100 improved campsites (paved lot, wood deck, water, electricity and sewer). There are about 6 people in the campsites this week. Next to us is a group of carpenters staying in a big towed RV driving to work each day and coming home late to sleep. They are from Florida.

“We had snow in Florida two times this winter. First time I ever saw it,” said a young man in his early 20s. They move from job to job staying as a group in the park. They have two large work trailers with pickups and another truck to haul the RV.

It had stopped raining when we got up and the clouds were parting. It was 40 degrees to start the day, but the forecast said 50 for the afternoon. We decided to try a local restaurant, the Fat Pig, for breakfast in Ville Platte, seven miles away.

“Tire’s low” said Margo checking the right rear tire that has been patched two times now, “it lasted two days, so it must be a slow leak.” Yesterday when we found we had to order a new tire, we bought a cigarette lighter air compressor that promises to fill the tire in 3 minutes. We opened the box, plugged it in and in about 3 minutes the tire was full again.

“Let’s go to town and see what happens” I said. So we drove in and parked at The Fat Pig. It opened to the cash register and had two rooms, on to each side. We moved to the left where there were people sitting at tables. Nothing fancy, but promising that it would be a local restaurant. I picked ham, grits, a biscuit, and scrambled eggs. Margo had a biscuit, scrambled eggs, bacon and hash browns. We also had coffee. We had to ask for ice water.

The waitress was a friendly older lady who, other than her top front teeth all missing, was neat in appearance. The service was quick. However the food was disappointing.

The hash browns were a McDonald’s style frozen pattie dunked in the fryer. The ham was just sliced sandwich ham. The grits were clumpy. The biscuits were likely not from scratch. Coffee was adequate, but not good. The bacon was curled and tasted OK. The price for the two of us was $13 including a $2 tip as the waitress was friendly and stopped by and visited. Certainly not worth a repeat—might as well do McDonalds.

We stopped at the Sears and Roebuck House (house bought from the catalog 90 years ago) that had a tourist shop and home made Cajun seasonings. We bought several varieties of “Slap Ya Mama” ($2.59) for 8 oz can. The lady in charge was probably in her 70s. She told us about the local flowers (magnolia in the yard blooming without leaves) and said that the cold winter had frozen most of the annuals that they usually have all winter long in the yard. We visited quite a while and gave her a bottle of WI maple syrup as a souvenir of up north. She didn’t know what it was, so Margo explained how it is made.

The tire was already getting lower, so we headed back to the park. I put in some more tire sealant, aired it up again and took a short drive to let the sealant work. We expect a call tomorrow at about 11:00 if the tire we ordered has arrived. Then we will feel like looking around a little more. At the camper, Margo caught up on her email. I did a little walking practice – slow and award—feels like the knee might buckle. I put on the brace and that made it even harder to walk.

The Leader newspaper showed up on the Internet in the afternoon. The last few weeks it shows up incomplete for the first day and then they get it fixed. This time about 10 pages were missing. Read through it all. My column on using correct grammar came through with only a few unintentional errors.

Had grapes and a sandwich for lunch and baked potatoes for supper. Both of us are reading books we picked up at the library yesterday.

Day 5 Settling In and Ordering a Tire

Having settled down in Chicot State Park (the locals pronounce it sheeeco—means tree stump), mid southern Louisiana, we started to get the camper organized, find some local sites to explore while practicing walking, and see about getting the tire fixed. This morning, it looked a little lower than yesterday, probably still has a slow leak.

The nearest town of any size is Ville Platte, about 9000 people. It boasts a Walmart, McDonalds and Burger King. It has a historical 150th anniversary booklet online at http://www.vpla.com/uploads/51187VPCompleteBook1].pdf. The morning temperature was 40 degrees and cloudy. The camper with the electric space heater was about 50 and our dual control electric blanket made it comfortable.

After cleaning up in the campsite bathroom—clean, but in need of fresh paint and some minor maintenance work, we headed to Ville Platte to find a local breakfast spot. The park road is badly in need of pothole filling. There are only a few campers in the whole park including a WI couple probably about our age who were tenting here for the night only, heading further south.

The 10 mile drive to town was on a scenic curving road with lots of houses in the woods along the way. Most trees have shed their leaves, but there are many magnolias, live oaks and other leafy green trees. Grass is mostly brown in the yards, but along the ditches a lot of green white clover and other weeds.

Louisiana has always been the worst state for roadside garbage that we have ever been in. The area to town is reasonable, but some places are really bad. At town we couldn’t find a local restaurant for breakfast so ended up at Burger King where it was 55 degrees inside as “the air conditioning won’t turn off.” We asked a mother-daughter combo about breakfast places and were told “the Pig Stand” is good for any meal with lots of local flavor and color. The only problem is that is has no sign to tell where it is or no sign on the restaurant itself! “A caterer driven out of New Orleans came down here and started it couple of years ago. Didn’t put up a sign. The crawfish are in season now—really good, but small because of the cold winter.” Stopped at the Super Walmart to get a tire—but they didn’t have a p235R70 15 car tire—the Buick Roadmaster used a big tire. Got a cigarette lighter air compressor and another can of tire sealant and some groceries. Also got a large 3-shelf plastic drawer set for use in the camper for our clothes.

Stopped at the City Hall and tourist bureau and picked up some local brochures. There was a sort of museum area. The local parish (county) is called Evangeline after the poem by Longfellow of the Acadian Settlers in Canada getting forced to leave and come down here and become “Cajuns.” She said to be sure and stop at the restored Sears and Roebuck house where they sold Cajun spices and sauces.

Walked across the road to the small brick library. Lots of computers and internet access and used books for sale. We bought a few for nights in the camper. We drove around the town a little. A few big old mansions; some nicely landscaped areas and lots of camellia bushes blooming with a few daffodils and paperwhites and pansys for color. Lots of closed businesses too.

Stopped at Good Year tires and asked about a tire. After a lot of calling around he finally said for $142 complete we could get one our size. It should come in Thursday (2 days) and he will call when it does. While waiting I visited with a young couple and their toddler waiting for their tires. I had mentioned we were from MN. The natives down here have a very very pronounced accent—we have trouble talking to each other at times.

“Got a strange fish in my nets two weeks ago,” he commented. “Called the DNR cause they want to check on non-native invasive fish. They said it was a walleye. Ugly look’n fish I thought. They said it was OK, and to release it back in the water. Said it must of come down from up North. Normally we get stripers now—I think they are called crappies where you’ll come from. It’s crawfish season here. I been trapping them now for a month. You cut up a shad and put it in net trap and leave it set a few days and then pick it up. Can get up to $40-50 for a trap full. Really good to eat—you boil them.

“The MN Vikings almost beat New Orleans for the NFC title this year,” I commented, “it was a good game.” “Yeah, it was a good game,” said the tire office clerk, a gray haired friendly lady, “I got so scared I hid in the corner when New Orleans got behind and just watched when they tied or got ahead. It was too hard on me!”

“We’re having a very cold winter this year. Had snow once last fall and 5 inches two weeks ago. It’s good to have a cold winter sometimes. The mosquitoes get so thick otherwise. This winter it killed ‘em off. They’re going to have to start over again!” she continued.

We drove back to he park and ate our last of the 5 for $5.00 roast beef sandwiches from Arbies a few towns back yesterday. Margo cleaned out the car and we got the camper organized. The temperature hit 50 and started to look like the sun might come out.

Tomorrow we explore Ville Platte

Days 3 and 4 Tire problems again

Days 3 and 4 Tire Starts Leaking again!

I’m writing this while waiting at a Bumper to Bumper auto parts and repair place in LA while the crew is away at lunch. The tire that we had patched in MO started leaking today. We put in a can of tire sealer and filled it with air, but it didn’t fix it. Another can and a couple of stops for air to re-fill it showed it just wasn’t going to make it much further. We found this tire repair shop who said could get it fixed in 15 minutes at 11:30, but the crew didn’t get there and then left for lunch so we won’t see them until 1:00 or so.

Sunday we drove through rain all day long from Branson MO to almost the south border of Eudora Arkansas at Pineville Motel. Cost $40 and was OK. The rain was very hard some places with occasional lightning. At Branson we saw our first magnolia tree! There were a few snow piles from a foot of snow they got a week ago.

Southern MO and Northern AR are in the Ozark mountains; large wood covered hills and valleys. Hwy 65 varied from a two lane narrow twisting road to four lane free way around Little Rock. The south 1/3 of AR flattens out and becomes farm land, and as we moved along the Mississippi in LA, it is all flat with cotton, beans, milo, etc. There were many cotton warehouses and occasional unpicked cotton fields.

Hwy 65 in LA is straight and flat going through huge fields. We are about 30 miles from Natchez (across the River) and headed for Alexandria LA—state park there.

Sunday stayed in the 40s and 50s with the rain. Today is in the mid 50s with lots of clouds and possible rain tonight before a cold front came in. The local newspaper says that Natchez got 5 inches of snow last week—a very rare thing for them.

Many of the small towns along Hwy 65 in LA are extremely poor with most of the businesses closed. Houses are very shabby. Gas prices in AR and LA have ranged from 2.39 to 2.65 with lots of variability along the way.

We saw the first blooming flowers in Branson where there were pansies here and there around the town. Here in Clayton we see a few daffodils (jonquils), paper whites and grape hyacinths and a few camellias blooming. Hwy 65 ended at Clayton. We followed it from Albert Lea to Clayton. I know there is a piece of 65 in WI too, that seems not to be connected to the one at Albert Lea. Pretty interesting road with good and bad parts.

In Arkansas we saw and smelled many dead skunks on the road, a few opposums, and a squirrel or two. We saw a few huge flocks of geese flying over late Sunday.

We probably should just replace the tire, but it had pretty good tread on it yet. It hasn’t had many miles buying it as we don’t drive the Buick much.

It is evening now. We are in Chicot State Park in Louisiana. It is in the 50s. We finally got the tire patched about 2:30 and got back on our way. I think we will get a new tire as this one has cost us $50 for the first service call and two patches; $10 for two cans of tire sealant to get us from out on the highway to the garage and another $12 for the last patch It was on the edge of the bottom. The repairman couldn’t put a patch on it so put a plug in it. Held all day, but I studied the tread and decided it can be replaced.

Supposed to cool down now for a few days We are here for at least 2 nights (got my Federal Senior Pass which gave us ½ price – ended up at $9.50 per night).

We only use the electric hookup in the camper. We have an electric heater and electric blanket for cool weather and a fan for warm. With wireless internet—we are pretty much civilized.

Branson MO

Day 2: Princeton MO to Branson MO

The tires were up; the roads wet, but not very slippery when we left the motel at Princeton MO at about 7:30 with the goal of getting to Branson by afternoon. The ground had about 3-4 inches of new white snow on top of both bare areas and old snow drifts. The temperature in the morning was 30 degrees with the local forcast to stay in the 30’s all day.

The forecast for Branson was 61 by mid afternoon with partly cloudy. By noon, we were in mid MO. They had not had any fresh snow, but there were some snow banks in the ditches. Mostly open—no snow!! As we drove along the temperature kept rising to 45 at noon and finally at about 3:30 when we pulled into Branson, it was 61!

We stopped for lunch at the Truman Dam along Hwy 65. The visitor center was closed, but we had a picnic in 44 degree, sunny weather. Felt pretty good as the first time we have seen over 40 since Nov.

Northern MO had a lot of farmland. The land became more rolling and wooded as we progressed southward through the state. After Springfield, we were in the edge of the Ozarks and left farming behind. An area north of Springfield on the north side of the Missouri river was very flat and all farmed.

We drove through mainstreet Branson. It is amazingly filled with tourist places. Most of the big theaters are closed until sometime in March. The Roy Rogers Museum is closed, possibly permanently. Some big theaters were for sale. The economic downturn seems to have hit Branson too.

We looked for a cheap motel. The advertised prices ranged from $24.50 to about $40. Many of the larger hotels didn’t list a price and many were closed for the season and a few for sale. We forgot to bring along our own Raid and Glade (necessary for the cheap motels) so picked a respectable looking one called the RIA Motor Inn towards the west end of town--$44.50 with tax. It is OK.

As it is Saturday night, the town was quite busy and full of traffic. We went to
Billy Bob’s Diner, a small mainstreet 1950s décor restaurant. It had meta-flake red kitchen chairs, metaflake red oil cloth covered tables and a black and white checker board floor. There was a counter with rotating stainless, red top stools. I had the burger basket and Margo the chicken basket. Pretty good!

We didn’t go looking for tickets for a show. We had planned to be here a couple of days, but the forecast says rain Sunday and cold (highs of 30s) for Monday and Tuesday. So we will poke along tomorrow towards Hot Springs Arkansas. I might take the mineral springs hot bath treatment to get my leg feeling better.

I was really sore in my thighs today. When we had the flat tire yesterday, I was out in the wet snow trying to take off the wheel, and getting up and down (good exercise for my legs), but since I hadn’t done a thing for 3 months, the muscles were sore as heck today! Sure is a pain getting back in shape.

I am using just one (left) crutch to walk the last two days trying to get my right leg working again. The ankle gets sore, the knee, the foot, and the leg. I mix aspirin, ibuprofen, and Tylenol to try and kill the pain. Works sort of—of course you have to not mind a belly ache and bleeding out the rear end as side effects (and maybe a failing kidney).

No car problems except after I started the engine this morning, I heard sort of a metal scraping/grinding sound from under the hood. I popped the hood and listened awhile. I think it is something running on the main drive belt (maybe the idler/tensioner pulley, or the water pump bearings or the alternator bearings or maybe something else). When we get settled somewhere in a warm place, I will work on the diagnosis. The Roadmaster has so much insulation to keep you from hearing the engine, you don’t notice it with the hood down and the doors shut.

Sixty one degrees is really pretty warm!!!

Trip South -- Re-Learning to Walk

DAY 1: Margo and Russ’ Trip South by Auto and Popup Camper Feb 19, 2010.

Highlights: Snowstorm and flat tire

Daily Goal: Pine Island to Branson MO via US Highway 65 550 miles (Big Goal--Go south far enough so there is no snow and warm weather to practice walking after 3 months of broken leg and crutches)

We left Pine Island, Friday at 7:15 AM, a beautiful sunrise and clear; temperature -3 F. We decided to take Hwy 65 south from Albert Lea as far as we could go. To get to Albert Lea, we took Hwy 14 to Hwy 56 south headed to I90. Hwy 56 was so pot-hole ridden, we had to drive 40 mph to dodge them. Some put sinkholes to shame. South of Brownsville it was OK. Note to self: Send Gov. Pawlenty an email!

US Hwy 65 parallels I-35 going south through Des Moines and on through Missouri to Branson. Our goal was Branson, where the off season motels are usually $30-40 in February. We had planned to spend another day there sitting through a couple of Time Share sales pitches to get a free meal and a free show.

Southern MN and the North 2/3 of Iowa was very snow covered with big snow banks along the roads and in town. Hwy 65 goes through lots of little towns, some alive; some dead; and other somewhere between. Lots of old farms with abandoned big barns; a few well kept and many on the way down, being replaced by big shiny steel bins. Very few cattle. Lots of trucks hauling corn on the road near a few big ethanol plants. Three clusters of huge windmills producing electricity. Along the road we saw the storehouse for the windmills with rail road cars being unloaded full of generators, propellers and tower components. Until you drive right along side these parts on the ground next to you, you really don’t realize how huge the parts are. The generator housing seemed about the size of a Caravan; the propeller longer that the railroad flatcar—everything on huge scale.

At Des Moine we hit snow. It got worse and the road became snow covered and very slippery. We moved along with traffic at 30 mph. The 95 Buick Roadmaster is rear wheel drive, and even with the trunk loaded and the camper on behind, was really slipping on the hills—thought we might not get up a few.

Some spots were wet and others slippery so at 4:00 pm we pulled in just into Missouri at Princeton to the Circle S motel. We remembered it as an emergency stop on a trip many years ago when we were headed back from a Jan vacation and got snowbound then too. The motel was $49.50 and nice.

The motel clerk recommended the Crossroads bar and grill just a block north across the big slippery intersection—no sidewalks and everything snow covered and slippery. We decided to drive over. We pulled into the road and the back of the car felt like something was bumping. I crossed the intersection and pulled into the small parking lot, head first with the trailer behind and parked; got out and found the back tire on driver’s side flat.

Margo went into the bar and grill to see if a tire shop was still open at 4:30 and I decided to take off the wheel cover. Took out the plastic lock release lever and all it would do is slip off the plastic lock. Couldn’t budge it at all.

The bar tender called a tire shop who said they would be over in about a half hour. So we had a pop and beer and waited. The service truck came over and a heavily bearded, rough looking 40 something guy got out.

“Can’t get the wheelcover lock loose,” I said while on both crutches for maximum sympathy, “can’t do much since I broke my leg.” He tried and couldn’t get it off either. “Let’s see if I can air it up,” he drawled with an accent that sounded more like Texas than northern Missouri. It held air, but you could hear it hissing out. “Follow me to the shop and we will fix it there” said John (at least his shirt had that name on it).

I carefully backed the trailer out and followed him 6 blocks over a slippery hill to an old fashioned garage—Princeton Tire Shop, and pulled up in front of the bay door and stopped as motioned. “We’ve got coffee and a warm room inside,” said John in a friendly way. “Gonna hav’ta chisel the hub lock out—it’ll still go back on again, but won’t lock very tight.” “Go ahead “ I replied.

The waiting room, about 12’x12’, had a small cash register, a wobbly old brown table and half a dozen chairs. The wall were chipboard, painted white, and altogether a man’s place. An foot wide green board 8 feet up ringed the the 10 foot tall room. One wall had green John Deere toys; one old oil cans, jars and garage items; one stoneware including a crock and whiskey jug, and some glass jars and such, and the rest with miscellaneous antique looking items. One wall had a bunch of 50’s tin car posters and a Route 66 sign. A coffee maker and full pot of coffee gave the room an oily coffee smell.

After 15 minutes, John’s partner, Jim, came in. “She’s ready to go. We patched two holes. The wheel cover is back on and should hold OK. Jim was a thin fellow, grizzled with graying hair. He used a cane and one of his legs seemed to be bent sideways. He stubbed out his cigarette, set down his cane and wrote up the bill. “Yer lucky ya got us ta night. I just got back from therapy on my leg and with all the snow, was telling John we might as well shut down early.” Sure glad you didn’t. We really appreciate it” I replied. “It’s 50 bucks with the service call.” I gladly paid him cash and we backed out, slid our way over to the motel and parked for the night.

Margo walked across the street to a grocery and picked up sandwich makings and we settled in to watch the snow out the window, and Kansas City TV. Four to six inches of snow for Saturday and continuing into Sunday. Roads are snow covered and wet in northern MO, and just wet further south” stated the forecaster while showing pictures of accidents on the freeway and around town.

The Circle S Motel has heat, wireless, cable, and HBO, so we are settled in for the night! It looks like if we get to Branson tomorrow, we will be out of the snow, unless, says the weatherman, we aren’t out of snow. Our tire is holding up; the snow seems to be stopping, at least for a while, and Margo is making sandwiches. We made about 350 miles. Gas was $2.37 at the MO border, but we had filled at $2.49 in IA. Further into MO, it is 2.49 to 2.60—not too bad. The Buick with it’s huge V-8, gets about 18 mpg.

SCFHS Class of '65 Reunion 2000

St Croix Falls Class of 65 Reunion July 1, 2000

Saturday afternoon at 2:00 pm the proud remnants of the SCF class of 65 gathered to recall the joys and sorrows of their High School years. The smaller than usual group was offset by the increasing substantiality of the individual members. The afternoon started informally with snacks and visiting and was crowned by water balloon shelling of the emcee and the "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" HS memory competition.

The author of this article interviewed each of the old timers. Summarized below are the truly remarkable achievements of the class members and some of their plans for the short futures they have left.

Tom Montgomery and his lovely wife Pam were there early as co-hosts and planners of this year’s reunion. It was agreed by all that the informal nature of the event was not due to weak planning on the part of Tom, Gary Harlander and Dan Woolson, but to their precociously perceptive insight into elderly people. They realized that rather than entertainment, the opportunity to relive the past, show pictures of the children and grandchildren and telling and re-telling stories was exactly what was really desired by the class members. Kudos to these wonderful gentlemen and their amazing sensitivity to the needs of the class(take note women-the men of 65 are truly modern men).

Tom has finally found out how to go back and improve his college record. This had been bothering him for 3 decades when he finally hit on the solution of becoming a computer consultant for a company that provides the computer systems and software to manage universities. He helps the university with the software. Currently he is doing this for the University of MN. He has found that his own college records were very much in error and has been able to correct them! He will invite us to his re-graduation magna summa mucho cum laude next spring (when he decides which college it will be at).

Gary Harlander was their early with elegantly designed signs to direct the traffic efficiently and quickly the the reunion site. He also wrote the liability insurance policy for the gathering(see him in Rice Lake, WI for all of your insurance needs-right on Main Street). The cost of only $850 for the policy (liability up to $1000) was covered by the free-will donation box on the table (note: if you did not see this and failed to contribute your share-just send it directly to Russ Hanson, 15937 County 27 Blvd, Pine Island, MN-55963 and I will see that it gets into the right hands). As master of ceremonies, host of the game show and judge of the athletic competitions he was truly masterful. All of his classmates were excited by his status of being the first male of the class of 65 to actually have body jewelry (although the rumor was that the jewelry was a cleverly disguised hearing aid). His new dental work was also widely approved as it gave him a more forward-looking appearance.

Dan Woolson never arrived. The general view was that he was worried that his status of "most times married" might not hold up. We thank him for his help in planning!

Duane Anderson attended his first ever class reunion. He also won the prize for having traveled the longest distance-coming from Buena Vista, Colorado. His career there as a cowboy, saddle maker, hunting and dude ranch guide was by far the most colorful of the gathered friends. His saddle making career and work inside and outside of state and federal institutions certainly give prison rehabilitation programs a good name. There were some problems understanding him with his Scandinavian cowboy accent, however it was agreed by all that his cowboy "Uff Da" brought to mind pictures of a cowboy eating lutefisk.

Jennifer Mueller (insert married name here) came in somewhat late. In cruising the Cushing establishments of entertainment she had run into Marlin Olson, class of 67 and as soon as they were able to drive had come on to the reunion. Jennifer was so excited to see her old classmates. She proudly showed them her AARP card, the latest of her marvelous accomplishments and achievements since graduating. She and Diana Brown were the "B" team in the millionaire competition of facts from the 1965 Sentinel (they choked on who was the senior class president?). Jennifer has been an important support person for her fellow women classmates as they lead their wildly interesting and riotous lives, she provides the calming stable influence that they so often need when they come down! Jennifer regaled us with a story of when she attended the class of 64 reunion and Gary Loudenback claimed NOT TO KNOW HER.

Diana Brown Whyte was there early, although her recently retired husband only came at the end of the day as a designated driver. She was wonderfully enthusiastic about her son’s recent marriage the excitement of making friends with her new in-laws. She is teaching the third grade in the Milwaukee area as she has for many years and has her sights on retiring in a few more years. Diana has not, like some elementary school teachers (you know who you are), gotten into the habit of talking to her peers as if they were little children. She keeps it fully on an early teen level and often soars above. Diana was on the losing side of the millionaire contest when she and Jennifer failed "What is Tom Montgomery’s last name?" The team never recovered momentum after this. Cheers from the crowd failed to motivate them, as the cheers were totally unorganized and spontaneous, causing confusion, incoherence and general disarray. They certainly were not done this way in HS when "WE" were seniors

Donna Ogilvie Witasek was there early with her first husband Tom. They live in the Winneconne, WI area where she is teaching PE in the elementary school with 6 classes of exciting and enthusiastic children. Donna and fellow cheerleader Sandra Lucken Berg were overheard discussing golf with ever decreasing scores as the afternoon progressed. Donna and her partner won the water balloon toss competition (although her partner was heard to mutter-"it just the same as the 60s I never did break anyone’s balloon then either"). Donna was very disappointed that none of the teachers from SCF were there, as she had brought along 3 test papers that she thought she could get a total of 6 extra points and change that one miserable A to an A+ in Mr Bilderback’s 8th grade class. (If the author may be allowed to reminisce: Many a time I have longed to be back in 4th period band and to hear the melodious saxophones set off from the squawking clarinets, the gastric drum rumbles, the mis-tongued brass and general mayhem with Mr Bilderback smiling in particular at the Tenor Saxophones whilst scowling at the whole rest of the band).

Sandra Lucken Berg traveled from Hudson to her alternate office in the Grantsburg area and then to the reunion. As a businessperson with her own public relations firm she has found an occupation that wonderfully suits her gregarious nature. Of course, she did have to lobby the class of 65 for the new casino in Hudson so that the travel, entertainment and hours were billable and properly tax deductible. We were treated to the wonderful amount of information she has immediately available on fellow classmates and our old neighbors. The ever-thoughtful Sandra says "a dossier on each of you may come in handy in the event you return to the area and become active in any organizations".

Gail Felland Felland attended her 6th consecutive reunion. She surveyed the attendees with the question "So when are you going to retire and what are you going to do?" Sadly, she has no idea of what she might do while retired, thus the effort to search out the best ideas of her peers (we can’t all be leaders, but Gail certainly is a gracious follower). Gail has lived in Minnesota for many years and has adopted the MN dream of the "Cabin at the Lake in Wisconsin". She spends her holidays and many weekends on Cedar Lake where she loves company. However, be gracious and call a few hours before coming on any prolonged visit to stay with her (work: 612-883-5820-Fax 612-883-5880) west of Osceola on M.

Gordy Peterson continues to be the person with appearance that is least altered with time. How he manages to maintain his slim build and healthy appearance is a secret that the rest of us would certainly like his plastic surgeon and barber to pass on to ours. Gordy works as a carpenter doing all kinds of construction and remodeling. As modest and unassuming as always he specifically insisted that I make no mention to those of us with cottages or homes in the area that he does high quality work for reasonable prices and gives free estimates.

George Gullickson is a faithful attendee of the reunions. He has worked as a computer engineer at Medtronic for more than 2 decades. However, cutbacks in medical insurance and Medicare funding and the ensuing problems at Medtronic have forced him to take up farming the 75 year old Gullickson farm on Bass Lake to support him still working full time at his chosen profession. George and his lovely wife Marcia won the contest for the fastest draw for retrieving pictures of their children (although there was a very close competition for this prize with Diana and her wedding pictures). George is very much the same in spirit and appearance as he was in HS except for being two feet taller and 100 lbs heavier on a ruggedly strong frame.

Don Hoag and wife came early and as they live in the Dresser area were up to date on the local scene. Don has over three decades in at Anderson Window where he is the supervisor of a very stable shop. He has such excellent rapport with his workers that the newest one has been there for 23 years (or was that 3 years that seemed like 23 years?) Don won the prize for most grandchildren and spends much of his spare time babysitting them in their new house. The glass ceiling that some people run into in their work certainly hasn’t hurt Don’s career.

Tim Nagler was also a visitor from a distance, coming from Indianapolis to visit his classmates. Tim was a short time HS student in SCF leaving a few months into his freshman year for the wicked and worldly Amery HS. As he attended his first 8 years with the Town kids, he knew them well and provided a focal point for those who still retain early memories. Tim was treated poorly by the master of ceremonies in the millionaire quiz by being selected on the A team with Sandra Lucken in a futile attempt to aide the B team. Tim having, left in 1961, would be very unlikely to have any chance of answering questions from the 1965 Sentinel! We apologize for such a gross injustice, however it is likely that behind the scenes this is just more revenge from the Town kids for having a father that saw farther ahead them their fathers! (for further information see Polk Co. court case Nagler vs the SCF Board of Education on foolish additions to obsolete buildings). When asked how he moved from being and English teacher to running a construction company, Tim compared diagramming sentences and grammar constructions to reading blueprints and building houses. A marvelously talented individual!

Russ Hanson cheerfully accepted the responsibility of coordinating the planning for the 40th reunion in 2006. He is planning on getting help from the other members of his class through the use of the Internet and e-mail (that is except for Jennifer who thought that she might have only B-mail). Russ has changed little from his HS days except that he proudly shows his college BS degree. Having started with a MN governor-like body he has continued to enhanced it in the over the 23(base 16) years since he graduated 1st(base 12 rounded off) in his class of 81(base 10) students.His wife Margo was elected honorary chair of the menopause discussion group(this was a high honor as she was not even a class member). Russ continues to maintain his cutting edge not only in technology but in his whole life. His wife assured fellow classmates that he was certainly as edgy and cutting as ever with his friends. As a hobby Russ began building a house at the time of the 30th (base 10) reunion. He expects to complete it in the year 2000(base 11).

A visitor from the class of 67, Marlon Olson came to share the day with the idols of his youth. His adoration for the upperclassmen was still evident with his language sprinkled with "sirs" and "madams" to show his respect for his elders. He traveled even farther than Duane, coming from Alaska to worship at the feet of the upperclassmen and women. A gracious spirit of condescendence was evidenced by his superiors as they included him in the discussions and reminiscences as if he were their equal. It was agreed that underclassmen showing the proper respect as exemplifed by Marlon would be welcome at future reunions. Thank you for attending Marlon!

Last Week for Crutches!

On Thursday I have an x-ray to see if my knee and broken leg are finally ready to walk on again. We plan to hook on the camper and head south Friday to find a warm ice-less area to practice walking on for 3-4 weeks before coming back to tap the maples in Wisconsin. Spring!!!!!

Here is a newspaper column from last week:

Rearranging Nature

“Practice your wave,” Byron told Margo who was sitting at the passenger window of his 1950 2-ton Chevrolet truck. We put the truck in super low and crawled our way though mainstreet Prentice, WI, accidentally becoming part of their 1978 summer parade; waving and smiling, wishing we had some candy to throw out. The truck had a sign, B &V Lumber, and was loaded with the bright orange 1947 Cletrac crawler, a DNR TP 110 label. When the parade route turned off mainstreet, we headed straight on out of town to Cushing to bring our new crawler home and begin re-arranging nature on the farm.

Back in 1970, a very dry year on the farm near Cushing, I watched as my cousin Harvey Roberts made one of our silted-in cattail swamps into a very nice farm pond with his big Cat Dozer. It made me realize that I too needed a dozer if my life was to be satisfying and complete.

That summer I worked for the WI DNR fire control group out of Grantsburg. Some of the time I was in the Sterling fire tower, but much of the time, I was at the station in Grantsburg where Glenn Nelson, Bud Nelson, Leslie Anderson and our boss Earl Meyer worked on projects while keeping prepared for forest fires. Glenn and I were the summer help and painted the inside of the garage and insulated and paneled the inside offices in the old cement block building. My name is likely still hidden under the paneling at the outlet next to the door that exited to the east.

During the time I was there, I got to see Bud and Leslie drive the Oliver Cletrac AG-6 and International TD-6 fire plow crawlers. These small, narrow tracked tractors pulled a two-way fire plow to make a wide furrow and stop a ground fire. The operators preferred the International as it was easier to turn. “the TD-6 clutches and brakes a track when you pull the lever, but the Cletrac just brakes, so you have to really yank and then it might not come around,” Bud told me. The crawlers were new in the late 40’s.

My brother, Everett Hanson, worked for the DNR out of Grantsburg starting in the early 1970s. He told me:

“Bud Nelson hated his Cletrac. He thought the IHC (T-6) replacement was vastly superior with it's excellent turning ability. With a fire plow, the Cletrac almost refused to turn. Bud claimed that he went from tree to tree bouncing off one side or the other. If the bounce went wrong he had to stop, raise the trailer plow, turn and try for the next tree. It wasn't quite that bad but if you had previously driven a T-6 it was maddening.”

“The Cletrac had a nice smooth sounding 6-cylinder Continental engine but I preferred the bark of a 4-cylinder T-6 with only a spark arrestor for a muffler--probably why my hearing is so poor. If you have really worked my IHC M hard you know the sound, you can almost count the cylinders firing. The assumed (mostly by those who fought fire from behind a desk) advantage of the differential steering of the Cletrac was slow gentle turns that would get you though swampy ground with out getting stuck. When pulling light loads the Cletracs turned fairly well.”

“The Cletrac had about 40 hp and the T-6 had just a little less, I think. The number was alway had TP for tractor plow on the old units. TD stood for Tractor Dozer. A lot of the old crawlers were 1947's with less bought in the early 50's. There was a larger purchase of 6 cylinder T-6's in the 1960's.”

“The old crawlers had trailers made by the Tomahawk DNR mechanics. They were long single axel, tilt bed heavy trailers. You tipped the back down; drove the crawler slowly up the two heavy metal rails and then the trailer tipped forward either gracefully if you were going very slowly or with a bang if not. An old army truck pulled the trailer loaded with the crawler and plow. At the fire, you backed the plow and crawler down the ramps and headed out to contain the fire.”

“The Cletrac was painted orange. It was narrow, not much over four feet wide, so it could skinny through the woods. The mechanics at Tomahawk WI added a metal rooftop and mounted two 70-gallon water tanks, one on each side of the operator, who sat on the broad bench seat; strapped in with a seatbelt and protected by canopy and tanks somewhat from the brush and trees as he plowed a furrow ringing the fire. They only pulled the plows; no front blades for pushing. The older crawlers generally had an 1 1/2" hose with a nozzle and some had an operator added 1" or a 3/4" garden hose for mop up. The early crawlers did not have water tanks just a back can mounted on the side running board/fender.”

“There were a few dry years in the 70's but 1977 was the year of the big fires in WI. The State bought, with much Federal Funding assistance, many new 1978 International 3 ton trucks, John Deere 450C crawlers, flatbed trailers and 4x4 pickups. They got rid of the 4 cylinder IHC T-6's and all of the Cletrac AG-6's. They still had some 6 cylinder T-6's but they would soon be replaced as with no dozer blade their non-fire use was very limited.”

In the summer of 1978, Everett, working for the DNR at Grantsburg, told me that there was going to be an auction of crawlers. “the Internationals go for $1500 to $3000 and the Cletracs for $1000 and up. These crawlers are 30 years old, but in almost new condition. We maintained them very well. We only used them for plowing around fires; maybe only 20-40 hours a year. Everything is like new. They are selling the old tilt-bed trailers too, as the new John Deere’s won’t fit on them. ”

In 1978, I was a married man; a school teacher with a job in Amery with summers off, helping at home on the farm when I wasn’t teaching. My teacher’s salary in those days was less than $12,000 a year including coaching, yearbook and bus chaperoning. Margo, knowing how badly I needed a crawler to make life meaningful, said “go to Cushing and ask the banker.” Mike agreed that I needed a crawler, “up to $2000 I can give you a personal note.”

Margo and I drove Hwy 8 over to Tomahawk on Friday, August 27, 1978, the day before the Saturday sale. We had our pickup with the aluminum topper. We spent the afternoon studying the five crawlers for sale. Everett told me “look at the tracks and rollers. If they are good, the rest should be good. Check the brakes and clutch for signs of wear. I talked to the Tomahawk people and all of them are good. The Internationals are likely to be used more as they were preferred by the operators. See if the oil looks clean, and look for any leaks.”

We ate our sandwiches from the cooler and inflated our air mattresses in the back of the truck; opened the side windows and slept fitfully over night in the back of the DNR lot. The auction was to start at 9:00 AM. We breakfasted on doughnuts and coffee brought in by the auction crew. Remember, $2000 dollars was 1/6th of our gross yearly income, and we were driving a 1961 Chev at the time (Grandpa’s old one that he bought from Bud Jensen—I think it was Larry’s go-to-college car).

We looked at the crawlers with the hundred or so other folks at the sale. There were two Internationals and three Cletracs, some trailers and some miscellaneous surplus tools and DNR gear. The first International went for $2500. Then a Cletrac went for $1350. Then the other International for $2000 and the next Cletrac for $1400 without me bidding.

“Did you come over here all this way and now you aren’t going to buy anything?” said Margo. “You better buy the last one.” I was waiting, hoping that the last one, the nicest one of the Cletracs would be the cheapest. My goal was $1250.

I started the bidding at $700. It quickly went to my bid of $1250 and then the other man bidding hesitated. “That sounds like a really good price,” coaxed Margo. She knew me and how hard it was for me to spend money. The auctioneer pried $1300 out of the other fellow. “This is just like a new machine folks. Don’t go home and kick yourself for missing this deal. Each year these sell for a couple hundred more. I got 13,13,13,13, go 1350. So with Margo poking me in the ribs, I bid $1350, and after another long spiel, the other fellow finally said $1400. I immediately yelled $1450, trying to intimidate him and keep my ribs from being broken. That did it! It was ours and the banks.

I settled up with a check that I said would be good Monday. The trailers went for nearly $1000 each, so I didn’t buy one. I did buy a brand new large stainless steel monkey wrench for $5.00 from a group of 20. Later, when Everett saw it he called Tomahawk and asked them to send a couple to Grantsburg rather than giving them away at the auction!

“Is there anyplace I can load it onto a truck?” I asked the DNR representative. “Sure, you can back up to a ramp we have over by the shed. Tell us when you are going to pick it up and we will have someone here to help.” We arranged for next Saturday.

Before the auction, I had asked Brother Byron, “Do you think you can haul a crawler on your truck if I buy one at Tomahawk? Everett says it weighs 7000 lbs.” Byron had bought and overhauled a 1950 two-ton Chev truck for log hauling. He had rebuilt the flat bed with very heavy white oak planks. “Oh, I think we can get it home with the truck,” he said. “You buy it and I’ll help you get it home.” We knew that if we had to we could hire Cousin Harvey to get it.

Early the next Saturday morning, Margo and I climbed into the old Chev truck and with Byron driving headed out for Tomahawk. Scott stayed with Grandma. We cruised along about 45 mph. I had arranged with the DNR for pickup just before noon. The DNR representative looked at my auction receipt and handed me a key and said “It’s right over there, next to the ramp. Are you sure that old truck will hold it?” Byron said “well, let’s drive it on and see what happens!”

He backed the truck up to the ramp. I told him “you drive it on,” worrying about what might happen. It started right up and had a wonderful throaty roar as the 6-cylinder Continental engine came up to speed. Byron put it in low and slowly drove up the earthen ramp and edged it on to the truck bed. The truck squatted down as he drove it all the way on, cutting the power and hopping off.

“Well, the springs are holding, even though they are bent a little down. It’ll likely sway some on the way back, but if we go slow, we should be fine.” We locked the brakes and chained it down to the rack.

We were in downtown Tomahawk stopped on mainstreet at the stop sign and the truck engine killed. “H’mm,” said Byron, “must be vapor lock.” We got out and opened the hood and looked at the engine. “Needs to cool down a little, I guess,” he continued. Meantime, the downtown traffic had to go around us. After ten minutes, it started up, much to my relief and we were on our way.

When you overload a truck, the back springs let the rear sway. At over 35 mph, the sway was too much to drive comfortably. We chugged along slowly, the truck swaying like a hula dancer, all the way to Prentice. The traffic was backed up and mainstreet closed. They were having their annual Prentice Progress Days Parade. Cars were backed up on one side waiting for the parade to end and parade units on the other. The policeman saw us coming, an antique truck loaded with a DNR fire crawler and waved us into the parade route! We became part of the parade as we drove through town and then continued on Hwy 8.

We got home at about dark, seasick from the swaying ride, but with no more problems. We backed the truck up against a steep ditch bank where we could drive the crawler off and give the truck a rest. We drove it around the orchard taking Scott for a ride with Dad and Mom admiring it. “Needs a blade,” I said, thinking of my next purchase.

The next year, we returned to Tomahawk and bought a surplus $700 tilt bed trailer built for the Cletrac so we could haul it from farm to farm. I found a dozer blade and had the Branstad Blacksmith, Al Mesecher, modify it to fit the dozer.

We have had the Cletrac now for 32 years. I started working on fixing it up last summer as the gas tank had gotten rusty and other parts need some work. It is true, for me to be a fulfilled man, the ability to rearrange nature has been key! You buy some land and then you clear brush, build ponds and roads and make it yours, just like getting a wife and re-arranging her until you are satisfied with the results.

The Indian Priest Father Philip B. Grodon 1885-1948 has been digitized and put online in the newsletters of

Canku Ota (Many Paths) An Online Newsletter Celebrating Native America At www.turtletrack.org

The links below are to the chapters that appeared in successive newsletters.

The Indian Priest
Father Philip B. Gordon
1885-1948 by Paula Delfield

Introduction: http://www.turtletrack.org/CO_FirstPerson/FatherGordon/FatherGordon_Intro.htm

Chapter
1: The Indian Priest Reminisces http://www.turtletrack.org/CO_FirstPerson/FatherGordon/FatherGordon_01.htm

Chapter 2: Ancestry http://www.turtletrack.org/CO_FirstPerson/FatherGordon/FatherGordon_02.htm

Chapter 3: Indian Childhood http://www.turtletrack.org/CO_FirstPerson/FatherGordon/FatherGordon_03.htm

Chapter 4: Life on the Reservation http://www.turtletrack.org/CO_FirstPerson/FatherGordon/FatherGordon_04.htm

Chapter 5:
Murder and ‘Buried Gold’ http://www.turtletrack.org/CO_FirstPerson/FatherGordon/FatherGordon_05.htm

Chapter 6: Happy Reunion http://www.turtletrack.org/CO_FirstPerson/FatherGordon/FatherGordon_06.htm

Chapter 7: Indian Problems http://www.turtletrack.org/CO_FirstPerson/FatherGordon/FatherGordon_07.htm

Chapter 8: College Days http://www.turtletrack.org/CO_FirstPerson/FatherGordon/FatherGordon_08.htm

Chapter 9: Indian Allotments http://www.turtletrack.org/CO_FirstPerson/FatherGordon/FatherGordon_09.htm

Chapter 10: Ordination and More Problems http://www.turtletrack.org/CO_FirstPerson/FatherGordon/FatherGordon_10.htm

Chapter11: Mission at Reserve http://www.turtletrack.org/CO_FirstPerson/FatherGordon/FatherGordon_11.htm

Chapter 12: The Budding of an Orator http://www.turtletrack.org/CO_FirstPerson/FatherGordon/FatherGordon_12.htm

Chapter13: Father G and the KKK http://www.turtletrack.org/CO_FirstPerson/FatherGordon/FatherGordon_13.htm

Chapter 14: Indian Priest and the Irish http://www.turtletrack.org/CO_FirstPerson/FatherGordon/FatherGordon_14.htm

Chapter 15: More Indian Problems

http://www.turtletrack.org/CO_FirstPerson/FatherGordon/FatherGordon_15.htm

Chapter 16: Problems on the Farm http://www.turtletrack.org/CO_FirstPerson/FatherGordon/FatherGordon_16.htm

Chapter17: More KKK and Other http://www.turtletrack.org/CO_FirstPerson/FatherGordon/FatherGordon_17.htm

Chapter 18: An Unforgettable Journey http://www.turtletrack.org/CO_FirstPerson/FatherGordon/FatherGordon_18.htm

Chapter 19: World War II

http://www.turtletrack.org/CO_FirstPerson/FatherGordon/FatherGordon_19.htm

Chapter 20: Last Days of a Great Man http://www.turtletrack.org/CO_FirstPerson/FatherGordon/FatherGordon_20.htm

Local History Books on Internet

I recently put four out of print books of information on local Polk/Burnett Co Wisconsin history on the internet so anyone in the world with internet access can read them and look at the pictures. You can find them by going to www.google.com/books and searching by title in quotation marks “Stories of the St. Croix River Road” or “Stories of the Trade River Valley” or “Doc Squirt” or “Wolf Creek School History Wisconsin” or "Doc Squirt: The Life and Times of Roy Jack Hennings" and see the whole book for free! You can search for any word in the book and find all of the pages it is located.

Links directly to books:

Stories of the Trade River Valley

http://books.google.com/books?printsec=frontcover&id=7EQV1CQ2uSMC#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Wolf Creek School History Wisconsin

http://books.google.com/books?printsec=frontcover&id=Gns8EScnF5sC#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Stories of the St. Croix River Road

http://books.google.com/books?printsec=frontcover&id=7EQV1CQ2uSMC#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Doc Squirt: Roy Jack Hennings Cushing WI Character

http://books.google.com/books?printsec=frontcover&id=YVZCw8gib6wC#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Search the four books above for names, locations or words

Search the full text of our books

Winter Meeting of the Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers Association

Last Saturday we got up at 4 am to drive to Neillsville Wisconsin to the winter meeting of the Wisconsin Maple Syrup Producers Association (WMSPA www.wismaple.org/ ). Attendance was 120 this year. The meeting is really for producers who do maple syruping as a business rather than hobbyists. This year there were three morning speakers and then afternoon roundtable sessions with the speakers to get more information. Many vendors of syrup producing equipment and supplies had nice displays with the emphasis on tapping trees using plastic tubing, vacuum pumps, power filters, and evaporators; the automation of the process, so a drip of sap gets pulled from the tree to the bottle in a matter of a few hours, untouched by human hands!

Brenda Heinen, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture talked about the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) federal grants and loans available to improve our energy efficiency. If you earn half of your income from farming, or have a business in a rural area or in a city under 50,000 people, you can apply for money for to improve your energy efficiency or replace fossil fuels with renewable sources. Maple producers, who use a lot of energy cooking sap to syrup, can apply for more efficient sap evaporators, reverse osmosis sap filters or windmill or solar power generation to provide electricity for the business. Much of the money in previous went to Iowa and Nebraska farmers replacing corn dryers with newer more efficient ones. You can get a grant for 25% of the cost or a guaranteed loan for 75%. There are people in the Stevens Point USDA office to help fill out the forms. For more information on REAP .

Another program has money to help is Value Added Producer Grants (VAPG). Farm examples included fruit to wine, trees to lumber, milk to cheese, and sap to syrup. Planning grants to $100,000 and matching grants to $300,000 for capital projects are available. Brenda encouraged people to call the office and see if their projects would qualify. For more information on VAPG .

A speaker from the Wisconsin branch of the National Agriculture Statistics Service (NASS) gave us production numbers for maple syrup in Wisconsin for the last two years and selling prices. Production for the 2009 season was about double the previous two years. Wisconsin retail prices were much lower than most eastern states with the average price of a pint at $7.40 as compared to $11 in CT and $9.65 in VT.

I talked to several producers who were expanding their tapping this year because the syrup price went up significantly since 2007 and continues higher now. We were encouraged to report our production figures so Wisconsin, now 4^th largest producing state, will have correct numbers. Some producers are resistant to reporting for fear of government interference. Many smaller producers are not surveyed, so the real production in Wisconsin is higher than the statistics show. I talked to one producer with 900 taps who stated “it is none of the state’s business what I do.” The maple statistics are located at on the internet Here

The third speaker was also from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection (WDATCP) . She went through the regulations for making and selling maple syrup in Wisconsin. Producers who make syrup and sell all of it retail (at your own business, home, stand, farmer’s market, etc), are not required to have a license and are not inspected. They are expected to follow the rules to make safe and good quality syrup. They are not allowed to sell their syrup to others to sell at retail. If you sell sap you do not need to be licensed or inspected, but are expected to produce a clean safe product. Since syrup is intensively processed by boiling for long periods of time and since pure maple syrup (66% sugar) has no dangerous molds or spoilage, syrup is considered inherently safe!

If you produce syrup to be sold by others you must be licensed and inspected yearly. That is somewhat like the Grade A milk house standards. If you bottle the syrup for wholesale your bottling facility must be a separate room and meet another set of regulations.

These standards have been in effect for over 20 years, but large retailers have continued to buy from unlicensed small producers. I think that will continue, as these are treated as guidelines rather than enforced rules.

One of the audience members emphasized making good clean syrup under sanitary conditions. She told about a customer who said “I’m never going to buy syrup at a farmer’s market again. I saw pictures of the maple woods with old Kitty Litter pails hanging from the trees. Yuk!”

Margo, our son Scott, and I attended the winter meeting. We have been attending for many years. It was the first time for Scott, our chauffer, who thought that we were really too small of a business to be interested in government grants, licensing and such. With the economy still sour, and maple syrup prices sweet, syruping looks good.

We met some other local syrupers at the meeting. Al and Linda from Hustad's Syrup from the Cumberland. He buys sap directly from producers and supplies tapping equipment to them for the season. He has a large processing plant and a retail outlet.

Steve, of Anderson Maple near Cumberland was there with a display of maple equipment for sale. He says he is opening his business on weekends now and is ready for the season with lots of supplies on hand. He decided not to do his open house this year, so stop in early and get your supplies before the busy season gets underway. He has an online catalog.

Duane and Lynn from Frederic will be buying sap again this year and tapping their own trees. They have a licensed syrup producing facility. Last year was the best year Duane can remember for syrup production per tap at 2 quarts. A few of us old timers remember 1977, probably the best year ever in NW Wisconsin, but don’t have numbers to make a good comparison. The Hanson’s had so much sap that ran so many days in 1977 that we never collected more than about 1/3 of the pails that year as we couldn’t keep up. That happened to Steve’s dad too.

Rodney and Jackie from Clam Falls attended their first winter meeting. They began tapping just last year, starting big with 300 taps. They enjoyed making syrup and plan to continue. We talked about how you turn a hobby into a small business. Doing syruping as a small business requires some additional tax paper work, but lets you deduct that new tractor you need to collect sap and allows you to change your woods from high regular property taxes to low agricultural tax rates. The rule of thumb is that 20 taps per acre qualify it for ag status, potentially dropping your property taxes to 10-20% of the non-ag rate.

Sadly, there was no queen candidate for this year. The Wisconsin Maple Syrup Queen is elected each year and spends time at places like the State Fair, First Tapping, and other statewide events. The candidates are generally from families involved in making syrup. It appears that we have to sweeten the pot to get candidates.

If you want to try making maple syrup, you first need to find a maple tree. Any tree in the maple family from boxelder, red maple to sugar maple will work. In a normal year, each one-half inch diameter hole, 2 inches deep into the tree will produce ten gallons of sap that will cook down to a quart of syrup. You will need a spile or tap, a tapered tube you tap into the hole that collects the sap into a food grade jug or pail (not catfood grade!). During the mid March to mid-April season, most days will have little sap, and a few days will run over even a 5 gallon bucket. The sap has to be boiled and boiled and boiled, 35-40 gallons down to one gallon. Doing it in the house is just not a good idea unless you wanted to have your wall paper fall off from the steam! One of my neighbors used a gas grill and was proud that he made a gallon of syrup with only two $20 tanks from a single tree with four taps.

After your first year, you spend the winter thinking about a better cooker and pan and where you can find more maples. The next year your improve your cooker and soon you need a roof and walls around it and you are hooked for good!

MAPLE SYRUP OPERATION INSPECTION GUIDELINES Handed out at the meeting by

Wisconsin Department Ag speaker

Maple syrup processing is a seasonal activity that occurs in early spring between March and April and may last anywhere from several days to several weeks. The environment at some of the operations can be very rustic and operations may be remotely located.

Due to the temporary duration and sometimes remote locations of this type of food processing activity, it is recommended that the inspector use reasonable discretion and sound professional judgment when addressing food safety concerns regarding issues such as sanitary reclaim of water, temporary hand wash stations and plumbing requirements.

The MAPLE SYRUP OPERATION CHECKLIST (F-fd-332) is designed to help the inspector check through each activity of maple syrup processing establishments but does not replace the Food Processing Establishment Inspection Report (F-fd-2).

SAP COLLECTION AND STORAGE

Sap may be collected with pails, commercial bags and/or through a tube system (with or without vacuum).

NOTE: Be aware that in the past the food additive Para-formaldehyde had been allowed to be used by operators to control microbial and fungal growth in maple tree tap holes. This practice is NO LONGER allowed.

Equipment should be cleaned and sanitized prior to and after the season. Reason: No equipment should be put away and stored while in a dirty condition and because of the long storage period it is recommended the items be rewashed and sanitized prior to use.

Equipment should also be stored clean and protected during the production season.

• Pails shall include covers that provide protection from debris and rain water. Pails shall be food grade; stainless, galvanized metal and plastic in good condition (sanitary and easily cleanable) are acceptable.

• Collection bags shall be good grade plastic and intended for this use.

• Tube sap collection systems shall include food-grade plastic tubing that is free of visible soil and maintained in a mold free condition.

• Sap storage tanks shall be made of food grade material, clean and in good condition; Underground tanks and/or concrete cisterns may be used for sap storage as they help to keep the sap cool - they must be of sanitary construction and easily cleaned.

• All openings to sap collection and storage tanks shall be kept covered or effectively sealed if located outside the building.

• Sap transfer hoses shall be kept capped or plugged between uses.

SAP PROCESSING

NOTE: Occasionally operators install collection pans or tubes inside the evaporator hood to reclaim hot condensation water for cleaning and hand washing purposes. Some operators also reclaim water from Reverse Osmosis systems. Regardless of which reclaim water system they use, the reclaim system should be checked for sanitary design, reasonable construction materials, and protection from contamination. Only potable water may be used on finishing

SYRUP COLLECTION AND STORAGE

• Syrup tanks and bulk containers shall be made of food grade material, rust free, in good
condition and clean. Syrup tanks shall be kept covered.

• Filter socks shall be clean and sanitary. Filter presses should be rinsed with hot water
after each day's use.

• If ultra violet lights are used, they shall be shielded or shatterproof.

SYRUP FINISHING AND PACKAGING

• The finishing room shall be separated from all other processing activities. Milk house
type construction is recommended with regard to doors, walls, ceiling, floor and lights.
The family home kitchen is not approved for syrup finishing and packaging at a licensed
facility that wishes to wholesale the bottled syrup.

• The finishing room shall be kept clean, neatly organized and free of unnecessary
articles.

• Suitable equipment wash sinks are required for cleaning and sanitizing utensils and
equipment. The inspector should question the operator about the cleaning procedures
and determine if improvements are required or needed and make recommendations
based on assessment.

« A hand wash station shall be provided with potable water, hand soap and paper towels. NOTE: If one hand wash station is conveniently located to serve both the room equipment product contact surfaces for final rinse and sanitizing. Reclaim water may not be bottled for sale as drinking water.

• The evaporator room shall be constructed with walls and ceiling that are sealed tight to control entry of birds, rodents and insects, and a floor that is smooth, durable and maintained in a clean condition. Dirt floors and household pets are not permitted. The walls and ceiling are not required to be completely finished however, they shall be maintained in a clean condition. Painting all exposed raw wood a light color is recommended.

» Evaporators may be fueled by gas, oil or wood. All fuel storage shall be kept outside the evaporator building.

• Diatomaceous earth may be used as a filtering agent. Must be food grade. NOTE: It has been reported that egg shells have also been used as a filtering agent. Egg shells may not be used due to allergen concerns.

• Defoamers may be used in small amounts; a common one in use today is vegetable oil such as Crisco Shortening. Be sure defoamers are food grade and not an allergen concern.

• All overhead lights shall be shatterproof or shielded.

• Ventilation shall be sufficient to remove steam.

• A hand wash station shall be provided with potable water, hand soap and paper towels.

• Equipment shall be maintained in good repair and in clean condition.

• The evaporator may include a vented hood to effectively remove steam. The steam-side of the hood shall be smooth, durable, impervious to moisture, and easily cleanable. Vented hoods made with wood frames shall have the wood surfaces only on the outside of the hood.

« Utensils such as cloth filters, hydrometers, thermometers, skimmers, etc. shall be made of food grade material, kept clean and stored protected between uses.

room and the syrup finishing room, a separate hand wash station is not necessary in the finishing room.

• Water supplied shall be obtained from a source that complies with current DNR regulations, transported and held in a sanitary manner and be sampled and tested each year for compliance with microbiological standards.

• Syrup finishing equipment shall be cleaned after each day's use.

RETAIL CONTAINERS

• Commercial retail packaging containers are recommended. If glass jars designed for multiple use are re-used, they shall be washed and sanitized prior to filling. Only new lids shall be used on glass jars that have been returned for re-use. Old lids shall be discarded; rings may be re-used if in good condition.

• Retail containers shall be stored protected from potential contamination.

• The retail sales area shall be separate from all production areas.

• Labels shall conform to minimum requirements (common name of the food, name & location of the processor or distributor, net quantity). Ingredient listing is required if table syrup (not "Pure" maple syrup) is produced.

GENERAL ITEMS

• Outside surroundings shall be neatly maintained.

• Toilet facilities (includes outhouses) shall be properly supplied, conveniently located and include a self-closing door and hand wash station,

• Waste, refuse and junk items shall not be allowed to accumulate on the premises.

• Maple syrup grading requirements may be found in ATCP 157 subchapter II.

• The inspector should be observant for foreign sweeteners (sugar supplies) stored on site and check product labeling for ingredient listings. Product samples may be collected if doubts exist regarding added sweeteners. "Pure" maple syrup is considered adulterated if analyses results reveal malic acid is less than 0.35% and soluble solids is less than 66%.

• Lead taps may not be used for sap collection at the tree. Lead-based solder may not be used for equipment repair to product contact surfaces or plumbing.

ACTION LEVELS FOR LEAD IN MAPLE SYRUP

The Food & Drug Administration has advised the Maple Syrup industry of a 500 ppb (parts per billion) standard. As long as the results are below that level, the FDA does not take any action. To promote a uniform interpretation, Division personnel are requested to use the following guidelines, based on laboratory analysis results for lead.

• If test results are less than 250 ppb, no follow-up required.

• . If test results are at least 250 ppb but less than 500 ppb, this is a preventive action limit.

The Supervisor will direct follow-up with an on site visit to determine potential sources of contamination and use the visit as an opportunity to educate the manufacturer on possible causes and preventive action.

• If test results are at or above 500 ppb, this is an action level. The Supervisor will consult with the FDA to determine the most appropriate follow-up. The follow-up action may include an on-site inspection, evaluation of equipment and facilities to determine potential causes and holding the product. The Division of Food Safety will work in a cooperative manner with FDA in an effort to eliminate causes and reduce test results on future sampling.