Maple Syrup

The Churchville Nature Center is heating up the maple syrup pot for it's up coming Maple Sugar Day on Sunday, March 3, 1:00 pm where the public can come to learn how to make maple syrup.

Sap from maple trees must be boiled down to become maple syrup.

Maple sap is being collected from maple trees. Maple trees produce a lot of sap, one or two taps will not harm a healthy maple tree.

Collecting sap from a maple tree.

A tap set in a tree allows sap to drip  in to the collection bags.

 It take a lot of tree sap collected from maple trees to make maple syrup. The ratio is 30 to 1, that means if you collected 30 gallons of maple tree sap it would give you 1 gallon of maple syrup. The sap collected must be boiled down to remove water and to concentrate the maple sugar into syrup. This is one of the reasons real maple syrup is so expensive to buy at the grocery store. If you want to learn how to make your own syrup stop out at the Churchville Nature Center or their Maple Sugar Day.

Maple sap being boiled to remove water and concentrate the sap into syrup.

For more information follow the link to the Churchville Nature Center.

A Good Seat to Watch the Winter

One of the simple pleasures of winter is to find a good seat to watch. The groundhog saw his shadow. Winter will be over soon enough. Please enjoy a few seasonal shots from Bucks County from the comfort of your favorite seat.

A good seat to watch winter.

Geese on the Neshaminy Creek.

Nature's cross roads, tracks across the lake at Core Creek Park.

This little one has a good seat to enjoy the winter sun.

Dawn drive taking my son to High School. Red sky in morning, sailor take warning, well the small winter storm did hit that day. Thank goodness it was a light snow fall, just enough to look nice but very little shoveling, the way I like it. One of the perks of getting up before dawn on your day off to drive my son to school.    

Sunrise across Bucks County, this shot from Rock Way.

Winter scene in Richboro.

See you in the Spring! I am looking forward to it Langhorne Players. I always enjoy your shows.

Thanks for viewing my shots and thoughts. Please feel free to post comments. As always, most of my shots are available in prints.

Washington Crossing National Cemetary Wreaths Ceremony

December 15, 2012 - Wreaths Across America - A few shots of wreaths being put on graves at Washington Crossing National Cemetery.

All Images (c) 2012 Mark Keefer Photography and may not be used without written permission.

Friday Night Photo Pick from the photo vault.

Some shots from Core Creek Park.

Some shot from the last few weeks around Bucks.

Venus and Jupiter Dance in the March Skies

Portrait of me with Venus and Jupiter over my shoulder.

I hope everyone has been enjoying this month's show. March 13, 2012, was an unseasonably warm night perfect for stargazing. The night's show can be seen over the next several nights during the early evenings as you look toward the western sky. Venus (brighter to the right) and Jupiter (slightly lower to the left) have not appeared this close together in 24 years.

Here is a link to a nice article on the conjunction at Space.com.

Venus and Jupiter above horizon at Northampton Municipal Park.