When I was a young kid, my parents decided it would be fun to bring their three little bamboo girls to a maple farm...We're proud Canadians after all and isn't that what every family does during March Break holidays?
But, not being particularly articulate at the young age coupled with the fact it would be a lost-of-face to complain about the could when your younger siblings haven't made a peep about it; I held my tongue for as long as possible. When my feet went from uncomfortably cold to downright painful; I started to express my discomfort. But, I suppose when one's got two younger kids to attend to...Well. there really wasn't much they could do other than to tell me to deal with it.
But you see, I was and am (or so I've been told), a very impressionable child. Images of blue toes amputated due to frostbite (I had been reading the Little House on the Prairie books about pioneers and the dangers of being frostbitten) and the fact that all fair maidens and princesses (I still entertain the idea that I'm a descendant from Chinese royalty from mom's side as her maiden name is a Wong and kings are known as Wong Dai) always had all their toes and fingers. Bitter thoughts of how I was on the brink of losing my fingers and toes coupled with the chilly wind led to bitter tears as I fashioned up all sorts of pretend-headlines in the next day Toronto Star newspaper about this poor Chinese kid who lost her toes...Sacrificed so her parents could better attend to the needs of her younger siblings. I'd be a heroine of sorts...Besides; as the eldest in the family, one hardly gets good roles in fairy tales as the eldest is almost always painted as wicked or selfish and thus it will be my duty to show that the eldest can also bring glory to family and country...
But, not being particularly articulate at the young age coupled with the fact it would be a lost-of-face to complain about the could when your younger siblings haven't made a peep about it; I held my tongue for as long as possible. When my feet went from uncomfortably cold to downright painful; I started to express my discomfort. But, I suppose when one's got two younger kids to attend to...Well. there really wasn't much they could do other than to tell me to deal with it.
But you see, I was and am (or so I've been told), a very impressionable child. Images of blue toes amputated due to frostbite (I had been reading the Little House on the Prairie books about pioneers and the dangers of being frostbitten) and the fact that all fair maidens and princesses (I still entertain the idea that I'm a descendant from Chinese royalty from mom's side as her maiden name is a Wong and kings are known as Wong Dai) always had all their toes and fingers. Bitter thoughts of how I was on the brink of losing my fingers and toes coupled with the chilly wind led to bitter tears as I fashioned up all sorts of pretend-headlines in the next day Toronto Star newspaper about this poor Chinese kid who lost her toes...Sacrificed so her parents could better attend to the needs of her younger siblings. I'd be a heroine of sorts...Besides; as the eldest in the family, one hardly gets good roles in fairy tales as the eldest is almost always painted as wicked or selfish and thus it will be my duty to show that the eldest can also bring glory to family and country...
But I digress...And you can see why I had trouble expressing all that in the above at the age of 9ish. Anyway, now as a full-grown articulate adult, I visited Mountsberg maple farm out in Halton.
Quaint and informative as it is; this definitely something more suited for the young families or tourists who's new to maple farms. Tickets were $7.25 each but family packages were available. There are wagon/hay rides, maple candy demonstrations (and samples!); informative trails through the maple trees with signs explaining the process of turning sap into the maple syrup and everyone's favourite, the pancake house! But very pricey! I can't recall the exact price but was remembered feeling taken aback by it considering an admission fee was already taken.
On the way out, we stopped at a small aviary for birds of preys. The snowy owl was breathtakingly beautiful.
All in all, it was an educational trip (I learned that a maple tree produces 50L of sap and that 40L of sap is needed to make 1L of syrup); a bit pricey as we finished it in about 40 minutes. But, I can see for young families it can be a great outing for the kids.
Quaint and informative as it is; this definitely something more suited for the young families or tourists who's new to maple farms. Tickets were $7.25 each but family packages were available. There are wagon/hay rides, maple candy demonstrations (and samples!); informative trails through the maple trees with signs explaining the process of turning sap into the maple syrup and everyone's favourite, the pancake house! But very pricey! I can't recall the exact price but was remembered feeling taken aback by it considering an admission fee was already taken.
On the way out, we stopped at a small aviary for birds of preys. The snowy owl was breathtakingly beautiful.
All in all, it was an educational trip (I learned that a maple tree produces 50L of sap and that 40L of sap is needed to make 1L of syrup); a bit pricey as we finished it in about 40 minutes. But, I can see for young families it can be a great outing for the kids.
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