Richard Petteys JR  has been in the Maple business for over 20 years. What once started as a hobby that reminded him of his Grandfather's Maple hobby, grew into a passion of Ricky's. Ricky (Richard) built his Sugar Shack a few yards from his grandfather's original shack. Starting off with sap buckets (as his grandfather once used) and a few tubing lines, Ricky began slowly each year replacing the buckets with more tubing. Tubing freed up more time on gathering and was more reliable. In the beginning Ricky had a simple 2x8 evaporator, which he replaced in 2003 with a larger 4x10 evaporator. In 2010 Ricky invested in a Reverse Osmosis machine, which allowed him to speed up the processing time. As the years continue to pass Ricky has made numerous updates. An automatic draw off machine helps keep track of the tempture of the syrup as it nears the limit to be pulled off. We often find Ricky spinning in a circle as he has the processing time perfected to the second as to what he needs to be doing...fill the stove with wood so that it stays intensely hot, check the boil, checking the density, filter press the syrup, fill the jugs and label jugs...turn and do it again. As family members walk in and out of the shack to help out where ever needed, we seem to flow with each other knowing just what needs to be done . Did I mention Petteys Farm is a Dairy farm? Yup so up at 4am to milk and then back at 4 pm to milk again, along  with all the everyday task of running a farm in the hours between. Crazy to think these poor men find time to rest no less run a full blown Maple business.

       **Family** makes it possible. Along with Ricky, his father Richard Petteys SR and Mother Dawn Petteys help out on the Dairy farm and Maple business. Ricky is blessed to have help from his 4 Children. Kaylie 13 yrs, Brody 10yrs, Zoey 7 yrs and Hunter 6 yrs old.. Ricky's Mother helps with the kids and getting them ready for school and picking them up from school. What seems as a total chaos at 3pm to most humans, is a smooth flowing system of kids and adults getting home, fed, changed and off to the barn/shack. Amazes me that everyone has their boots on and is smiling as they head out the door. 

     With the help of 7 children and half dozen of adults, things get accomplished. Each Year the family gathers in the woods to begin the sap to syrup process. The kids run and play Big Foot Hunters/ Gold Miners, while the adults begin the time consuming process of repairing the lines and following the "spider web" of line and stopping at each tree placing 1 to 4 taps in the tree before moving to the next tree. Great conversations and many laughs take place in those woods each year. We continue to carry on family traditions, as they are as important to us as learning the new updated methods. We treat everyday as a gift and an adventure waiting to be explored.