Maple Syrup Festival - Terra Cotta Conservation Area

One weekend near the end of March, we took the kids to the Maple Syrup Festival held at Terra Cotta Conservation Area. This was the first time anyone from our family has been to this location, and I was as interested in seeing what the local landscape was like as much as the festival. Don't get me me wrong, I definitely have a sweet tooth and I love maple syrup as much as the next sugar-aholic, but the festival is not the most economical way to get a fix. The festival was well done overall: there was a scavenger hunt for the kids, several stations offering a maple sugar buzz (pancakes/toffee/popcorn etc), and the conservation area employees were generally knowledgeable and entertaining for the kids. Lily particularly enjoyed the tractor ride, lumberjack show and pancake house.

After visiting the syrup making demonstration, and getting the final scavenger hunt punch, I wandered over to a small waterfall feeding a lake to try and capture a landscape shot. I didn't bring a tripod along, so it was a challenge getting the shutter speed down enough to smooth out the water a bit, proping the camera against tree trunks and fallen wood for stability. It's amazing how harsh the pure afternoon sun can be in late March, with no tree leaves or clouds to soften it down. I don't think I got any portfolio grade images, given the harsh light and sterility of the late winter/early spring forrest, but it was a fun exercise none-the-less.