The warm weather has continued through to the end of this month and we've made the best of it, travelling to various locations in Quebec, spending time with friends from Elliot Lake, as well as a most enjoyable trip to Massachusetts this past weekend to spend time with our daughter and son-in-law.
First on the list of recent activities, however, is the Twist Festival de la Fibre in Saint Andre-Avellin, Quebec. When a fibre festival is dubbed as "the largest in Canada" it goes without saying that I'd have to check it out and we did just that on Sunday, August 18. Saint Andre-Avellin is about an hour's drive from Ottawa and well worth the jaunt as there were three huge areas filled to the rafters with wool and fibre related items.
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| Photo Courtesy of Google |
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| Photo Courtesy of Google |
I managed to control my impulses to purchase everything in sight and am more than delighted with this skein of hand dyed fingering weight merino yarn. When finished John will have a new scarf.
A couple of days later we met Jim and Sue MacLean in Chelsea, Quebec for a delicious lunch at the Bistro Pub Manchester. We sat outside on the porch and talked so much I completely forgot about taking a photo of the four of us, but did remember to document the food!
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| Jim & Sue's lunch (times two, of course!) |
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| My Chicken Caesar Salad |
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| John's Sirloin Poutine - (rated best in Chelsea) |
Jim insisted we compliment lunch with some ice cream for dessert so our next stop was La Cigale Ice Cream Shop.
Their homemade ice cream is about as yummy as it gets and we joined their many satisfied customers in the shady backyard. We're so glad Jim introduced us to this amazing shop and it's pretty much guaranteed that we'll continue exploring (and eating) in Chelsea in the future.
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| Photo Courtesy of Google |
Last Thursday we drove to Magog, Quebec where we stayed overnight at the Motel de L'Outlet. This motel is right downtown and after shopping for some cheese, hummus, olives, a baguette and bottle of Quebec wine we spend a leisurely evening on the deck outside our room. C'est la vie!
The next day we drove through Vermont and New Hampshire to Massachusetts. It's a gorgeous and relatively easy drive and the scenery always impresses.
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| Franconia Notch, NH |
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| Franconia Notch Ski area |
Upon our arrival on Friday at Sarah and Tim's we had the pleasure of meeting our newest grand kitten, Walter. What a cutie!
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| Walter |
Our other grand kitten, Doug, had a rather stressful week with emergency surgery to remove a tumour on his chest. (Notice the lengthy incision on the white V of his shaved chest.) Taking antibiotics made him rather a sleepy boy, but we're happy to report he's on the mend.
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| Doug |
Saturday afternoon we went for a stroll around the Essex County Greenbelt Land Reserve. It's a beautiful spot and the gathering of various plein air enthusiasts added credence to its appeal.
Next, we went for a stroll on Crane Beach. Last time we were here (March, 2019) we walked along the beach to the right of the parking area, but as it was far busier this time we opted to turn left.
That evening, after a scrumptious dinner, we gathered around a backyard campfire - such bliss - thank you, Tim and Sarah!
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