Chinois and wooden spoon, closeup

Strainers of various sorts, and sppons, are a big part of the sap-to-syrup process. The top of the sap may need to be skimmed as it boils down, when a foam forms on top... and spoons are a bit more obvious. Making very tiny, even holes in the conical piece of watercolor paper which became the chinois strainer proved to be quite challenging, and this closeup is so large that it may look less than good, but when you see it in person it's a darned cute mini. I loved the process of carving the wooden spoon—meditative, but time-consuming. Now that the pressure's off for the contest deadline I'll probably add several more to the scene.