Our ice and snow is starting to melt quite a bit now. The temperatures have been staying above freezing for a few days. This mini-iceberg and the trees on the opposite bank show their reflection in the still icy cold water of this little stream.
Maple syrup, made from maple water from the Maple tree. We don't really think about. As Canadians we have been brought up with Maple Syrup and learned early in school how "syruping" is done. I don't ever recall being told why there is sugar in the maple water. 
The "boiling down" process is slow - sometimes continuing far into the night. When I lived up in Muskoka a few of my friends collected the maple water for boiling in to syrup every year. Many nights we sat around the out door fire pit with the iron pot hanging above, boiling down the Maple water. Evaporation that is too slow or too fast will affect the color, flavor and texture of the syrup. The flames were slowly fed throughout the night.
