Trip to Canada, and back

A friend and I went east to Canada for a fibre festival (spelled the Canadian way). First stop was in downeast Maine, where we got out of the car to admire the scarlet reds of the blueberry barrens. They must have been at their peak. I couldn’t imagine the color being stronger.

We had an uneventful border crossing, then had lunch in Saint John, New Brunswick. It started to rain. We drove all the way to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. The hotel was in a beautiful spot overlooking the water. Charlottetown has a lot to offer. And it was so refreshing psychologically to be out of the United States for awhile.

I didn’t take any photos, except this one of artwork in the bathroom. It really caught my eye. I was imagining watercolor paints applied this way.

I took two knitting classes, one on dealing with variegated yarn and one on knitting with speed and efficiency. I thought the speed and efficiency class would teach me some magical techniques, but actually the only secret is practice. I learned there are three types of knitting – picking, throwing, and lever. She taught us lever knitting, as it is the most unfamiliar, and probably the fastest. The fastest knitters in the world use lever-style knitting. Here’s me trying to tension my yarn the way I was taught. She recommended taking a photo so I could reference it later.

We had a great time. We stayed overnight in Saint John, about halfway home, to avoid another long session of driving on Friday. I got home on Saturday, feeling disoriented by just being away for four days.

Sunday Sam and I took a walk on Schoodic Bog Loop trail. It’s always a rewarding trail. The views of Schoodic Mountain and the fall colors were gloomy against the gray skies, but beautiful. It’s nice to be home!