Palm Sunday Weekend

April 3rd through 5th, 2009

Lake Lucerne
When pulling into the bar Friday afternoon, snow was the first thing we noticed. The battle between winter and spring seems to be going winter's way so far.
Lake Lucerne
The auxilary sap cooker was in full boil and the sap was still backing up. Despite both cookers being fired all day and night over the weekend, the sap surplus grew.
Lake Lucerne
Good news everybody! The new rain gauge (it can be seen live if you pan the webcam all the way to the north) showed almost an inch of precipitation over last week. The inflows we checked are trickling in at best, but that's better than last weekend when they were bone dry. 29 inches to go.
Lake Lucerne
While waiting for his fireing shift, a maple syruping miscreant came across a drink call the "Pink Panther" in a cocktail book I should not have left out. The ne'er-do-well repeatedly demanded that the dubious concoction be made. It could not have been worse if it had been garnished with Pink Owens Corning Fiberglass. We made two to be sure of its awfulness. We're sure. It's ghastly.
Lake Lucerne
Absinthe to the rescue! The "Green Fairy" erased the Owens Corning Fiberglass taste (It's really not so much the taste, but the texture!) from our palates in the same way a powerful herbicide cleans weeds, and any other plant life, from a garden. Plus the "Louche" was entertaining.
Lake Lucerne
A few frames of bar rail bowling were played for the coveted "Planet's Cup" shown here just right of center. None had the skill/luck to wrench the much sought after trophy from its barside home.
Lake Lucerne
As mentioned before, the syruping fires were kept buring all day and night.
Lake Lucerne
I personally like when a red cone of flame shoots from the stack of the cookers at night.
Lake Lucerne
The lake ice was checked. 17.5 inches. Ice-out did not occur all weekend.
Lake Lucerne
The ice did just start to pull away the the north shore.
Lake Lucerne
I'm told that the Nicolet Golf course could open as early as next week, but I fear it could be a few weeks after next if the cold and snow continue. Watch for the ice to start pulling away from the west shore this week. Realistically, ice-out is 2 to 3 weeks away and the "Pink Panther" should never appear in any respectable cocktail book.


-Nemo