Look Ma, I'm weaving!

I had this apparently optimistic plan to sew the heddles in two days and weave for the next 7 days.

It took 5 days to knit the heddles and do a little more clean-up/prep work, and I was finally weaving on the 6th day. I've got a day and a half left.

But I'm weaving! I'm finally weaving!



Oh and by the by..........I got screeched in tonight. :)

I'm here, I'm really here

Now that I've been here.....



.....for a few days, and have settled in a bit....



I have to say two things -

1) I'm really really enjoying myself. If it weren't for the lack of flush toilets in the longhouse.... I could live here. I could be a Viking woman.

I'd lose the addiction to the internet eventually. It would be good.

2) And, I'm really looking forward to my day off tomorrow.

Yes, I know, a study in contradictions.

DARC does L'Anse aux Meadows - the blog

I've mostly been writing about our trip to L'Anse aux Meadows over on the blog for the Dark Ages Recreation Company - click the link here. The photography on the DARC blog, by the by, is not mine.

Short version - visitors are time consuming. I'm not as close to weaving at this point as I'd hoped. And contact lens are a pain - literally. I could try the fuzzy world of no contacts and no glasses - once I start weaving. I'm convinced a blind person could do it. But for the setup, I still need to see what I'm doing.

Oh my - I've never met so many creative ways to butcher the taste of seafood in my life. Deep frying seems to be a way of life here, unless they're pan-frying it in a squad of butter.

Karen

We have arrived in Newfoundland

Trust Neil to find us scotch. Oh right.... single malt distilled whiskey. Can't use the word 'scotch' because it's not made in Scotland. The Scots even tried to stop them from using the name 'Glen' but the Supreme Court of Canada beat them up.

Glenora is North America's only single malt distilled whiskey, and it's in Cape Breton. Neil bought 3 bottles.



We moved on to getting to Newfoundland. There was a ferry - this great maw enveloped many 18 wheeler trucks, a few cars and trailers, RVs, and many more ordinary cars.....



And then we pulled away from land.



Six hours later, we arrived on The Rock dead tired and crashed in a nearby hotel. I didn't get my first real view of Newfoundland til the morning. First impression - very much like Iceland.

Second impression - not really like Iceland. Too many trees.

We spent a night in Gros Morne, and wandered the shoreline. Found this creature - a live mussel, still secreting his 'glue' that anchors him in place to all these rocks beneath him.



Karen

Yup, we're on the road again

Haven't really felt like blogging til we got here.

Ben and Jerry's factory tour in Vermont was a bit of a bust. We don't have a scoop shop in Ontario, and we can't get all the flavours routinely in the grocery store. I had wanted to try some of the new flavours that I found on their website.

It didn't happen. They don't have all the flavours available at their on-site scoop shop - only the most popular. At their --main headquarters---. This should be the jewel in their crown. The hospitality should be superb.

Now, they did have all the flavours available - in 1 pint containers. Stupid. I'm traveling. I don't routinely carry a freezer in the car. There were four flavours that I had wanted to try. I'm not going to buy 4 pints of ice cream that I couldn't possibly finish before it melted and I'm not a fan of that much wasted money or food. Very disappointing.

But on the bright side... this morning, we left Alma, New Brunswick - home of the world's largest tides. This boat is a working vehicle - just temporarily grounded (literally) - while the tide is out.



Alma is a very peaceful town, even swarming with tourists. I think I could have enjoyed spending more time there, basking in the tidal changes, good food and a great hotel (Parkland Village Inn) and the change of weather - taking lots and lots of pictures.

Hopewell Rocks, just a little further along the road is another site that demonstrates the range and power of the tides. You can walk on the ocean floor at low tide, and just observe it from above at high tide. We were here in 2005 - this time, there were too many people.



London Wul - a wool shop I totally fell in love with 5 years ago - also a disappointment. I think it's me this time 'though. She does have a lot of stuff, just nothing I wanted. I have different tastes in fiber now. I want more than most shops can offer. I want spinning wheels in the shop to try out, fiber to spin, handmade fiber tools... I don't know really... just more.

It seems like most fiber shops are all about the Knitters. And frankly, I'm tired of it. There's more to do with fiber then knitting. Yes, yes.... blasphemy, I know. Get over it.