The Sugar House

Ducking under a low hanging branch

To get to the Sugar House, the Maple Museum, and the Pancake House, we will have to continue through the woods a little bit further.  There are easier ways to get there if you don’t want to hike through the woods, but what fun would that be?

Holden’s Sugarbush area was used for maple syrup production for over 30 years.  (If you’re interested in Ohio maple syrup production, I wrote this post a few years ago.  It’s not the be-all and end-all article on maple syrup in Ohio.  Just a brief intro.)

Another look up at the gorgeous golds and yellows

The arboretum stopped their maple sugar production in 2006 in order to conserve the forest.

And what a beautiful forest it is!  I’m so glad it’s here for us to enjoy.

As gorgeous as it is in the forest, I suppose we ought to find our way out or we’ll never get to the Sugar House.

Following the path

I just realized that it has been three days since I last picked up my camera and took a photo.  While that isn’t earth-shattering or record-breaking, it is unusual for me.  I’ve gone outside on walks without it, enjoying the walk for the sake of the walk rather than constantly scanning and capturing.  It’s been a lovely break.

The Sugar House

Here we are, finally.  At the Sugar House.  It was all closed up on Wednesday, as were the rest of the buildings.  I don’t know if or when they open them.  I will pay closer attention to the activity calendars I receive from the arboretum to find out when they’re open to the public.  I’d love to go inside.

Speaking of the Holden Arboretum activity calendars, I was contacted by their graphics person back in September about one of my photos of the Blue Wall (specifically, the 11th photo in this post).  They wanted to use it in their winter activities calendar.  I was thrilled and naturally said yes.  I waited until now to mention it because I wanted to be sure the photo was used.  We received our copy of Leaves Magazine yesterday and there it was.  My photo (with photo credit, of course).  How exciting!  A big thank you to Jackie at the Holden Arboretum.  (I don’t think she’s reading/visiting my blog, but you never know.)

Maple Museum

M and I are trying to decide which hike to take this winter.  They have an ice caves hike that sounds interesting and challenging.  It involves icy conditions, tight squeezes (claustrophobia, anyone?), and boulder climbing.  But I bet the photos one could get on such a hike would make it worth the challenge.  It is worth thinking about, but not over-thinking about.  Over-thinking about any challenging endeavor often leads me to chickening out.  That almost happened with the Blue Wall hike last January.

Not sure what this building is other than some kind of shed/storage area.

Today’s outdoor adventures involved work including using the push mower to mulch the leaves on the front lawn and working in the garden.  I also spent time just generally enjoying the fresh air, warm temperatures, sunshine, and lovely deep blue sky.  What happened to November?  Where is the snow?  There is not a flake to be seen, not even in the 10-day weather forecast (which we all know could change drastically at any time).

The Pancake House. Heavily processed because, quite frankly, it was a terrible photo. Still is, but at least it's a little more interesting. Maybe.

Well, we made it the Sugar House, had a look around the buildings from the outside, and now it’s time to leave the woods.

I’ll be back tomorrow with some scenes from the Layer Rhododendron Garden.  Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you enjoyed the walk in the woods and the visit to the Sugarbush area.  🙂

Maple leaf detail on the Sugar House

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