One of the more varied things you can see while hiking in the woods is fungus. If you are going mushroom hunting – be sure to consult with an expert before eating any you find!
Isadore Link was born on April 4, 1860 to William J. Link and Mary Ann Sauter in New Vienna, Iowa. Isadore was Walt’s great-grandfather.
When you are on the trail, food is important. You want to have energy for the hiking, but you don’t want the food to be too heavy (you have to carry it after all!) or elaborate to prepare. I’m a slow starter in the morning anyway, so one of my favorite trail breakfasts is Logan bread with coffee and a bacon bar. It can be eaten cold and munched while packing up the camp.
Martha Ann Fisher was born in Celina, Ohio, on March 28, 1869 to John Benjamin Fisher and Ann Redmond.
I’ve posted about the tools, materials, and even the hooks used in fly tying. Today we’re going to tie it all together (sorry!) and make a fly.
We’re going to make a fly called a Blue Wing Olive. It’s intended to imitate mayflies of the genus Baetis. There’s thousands of species in the genus, but most of them have an olive green body, with grey wings, tail, and legs.
Eleanor Anna Johnson Hoel was born on March 23, 1910, in New London, Iowa. Her parents were Walter Carl Johnson and Ellen Lorraine McCabe.
Despite rumors to the contrary, we don’t spend all of our time outdoors backpacking. We also go fishing!
As the weather starts to change, the maple tree in the back yard starts to drip sap. It’s not a sugar maple, so it wouldn’t make a sweet syrup. Plus you need a lot of sap to make syrup.
Georgie talks about making syrup in the notes she wrote about growing up in West Point. On the Bruegenhempke place, there was a row of soft maples north of the house. Sometimes they collected the sap and cooked it down.
Her great-uncle Ben Wellman had a sugar camp in the timber, and in the spring collected maple water. In February, when it froze at night and warmed in the daytime, they collected maple water in buckets. Maple season in Iowa lasts 3 to 4 weeks.
Aunt Teresa would make maple sugar candy in a pan with molds which all had different designs on the bottom. You can buy or make your own maple sugar candy today. It is often shaped in molds that look like a maple leaf.
Digging Deeper
This is an interesting article on the history of making maple syrup posted by the Maple Valley Syrup cooperative.
Arthur Link was the only son of William and Elizabeth Link. He was born on December 11, 1930, and died of pneumonia on March 11, 1932, aged fifteen months.
He was, of course, Mom’s little brother. And she spoke of him pretty often. Losing a child is a traumatic thing for a family, and it was no less so ninety years ago than it would be today. It’s just that back then it was more common.