Louisbourg Day Five

My last day at Louisbourg just makes me want to return next year.  It was only a half a day for me because I drove home today also.  6.5 hours!!  I'm always a little sad to leave, the peacefulness of that place.  Being a little part of the magic, that's what it's about.  Holding bits of history in my hands, it's why I have to keep going back.  Thanks everyone!!!

Louisbourg Day Four

It was another amazing day at Louisbourg.  One day left.  The week went really fast.  Everyday I've learned something new.  I love that!  So I've decided the weirdest place I've knit is now Louisbourg beside the sheep munching away while we wait for word to commence digging, from the archaeologist.  It seemed like a very natural thing to be doing actually.  I did get my photo taken and apparently I'll be famous on Facebook.  Or infamous whatever the case may be.

Here are some more photos.

Louisbourg Day Three

 All hands on deck, there was a lot of louisbourg earth sifted through today.

 A buckle was found along with pieces of pottery, glass, iron, and animal bone.

A brave guard on duty, perched atop the gate.

Another beautiful day spent at Louisbourg.  I did some digging today,  processed artifacts,  walked the ruins trail, which is a really interesting walk around the site where there are remenants of foudations.  The yummy raspberries I picked on the way was a bonus.  I visited the sites where we were excavating a couple years ago.  One of my favorite spots at Rochefort Point.  There is a whole different feel there,  quiet, peaceful,  all you can hear are waves crashing against the shore.  

Louisbourg Day Two

It was another great day.  I spent most of the day in the field lab washing, and labeling artifacts.  It's my favorite part.  I get to see what they found last week and examine all the pieces up close.  Here are some pictures.  There are also pictures on their Facebook site.


These are pipe stems, all the sites have been littered with them,  it was a favorite pastime.

 I love putting the Provenience label on each piece, we use a quill pen and acrylic ink.

 The Boat Builder on site is a very talented young guy.  Here are some of his tools, the wooden planers he actually made himself.   It's pretty neat!  His goal is to build a boat that was used in Louisbourg during it's time.  I check in to see his progress regularly.

If anyone is interested in the public program the info is on the park website.  I'm amazed every year, of all the great people that work here.  This year a little sad because of the cuts to funding for Parks Canada.  Understanding our history makes us stronger and our Culture makes us human,  civilized.  Why can't they see how important it is?  Everyone should be speaking out!!  We're in Canada,  not some under privileged nation.  That's my rant.  The End.

Louisbourg Day One

 My first glimpse...

 Treasure!!

The excavation site from last week. 

Treasure

So I'm sitting, drinking a steamer.  Waiting for lunch hour so I can eat at my fav lunch spot.  I'm working all evening shifts this week,  then I'm on vacation for 8 days.  Yippee!  My vacation has been the same for the past 4 years.  I'm a creature of habit, well aren't we all really?  I travel to Louisbourg, Cape Breton every August to join an archaeology program, it's a public program, that anyone can do.  My volunteer vacation. My goal this year is to try to contribute as much as I can as payment for everything  I've learned from them.  I've felt very privileged to be around the crew they have there, such a wealth of knowledge.  You know what the best part is?  As soon as I drive into that little town and see the fortress across the water my shoulders relax, I exhale, and a smile blooms on my face.  It's pretty cool.

What I've Been Doing...

I Finished my Teva Durham "Openwork Cardigan"

A Tea Party, with the new teacup from my friend D

Started a new project "Lace Rib Shrug" by Dawn Leeseman

 Finished my "Balm to the Soul" Shawlette by Jaala Spiro

Working on "La Paloma" by Sebastian Iradier

                                   

Sharing

So lately I have been feeling rather grateful of the things I have, we've recently bought a farm share.  Organic mostly or as close to it as they can get.  Eating what's in season and not just what we fancy is a challenge.  How many ways can you eat a radish?  Anyway I love it.  I go every week to pick up our boxes it feels like Christmas.  Sometimes I peek and look online at our list of goodies sometimes I leave it as a surprise.  Our valley is so plentiful, it's a shame to go to the grocery store there are so many farmers, and producers of whatever you could want right here.  We even have a local dairy.  It's given me motivation to try some new recipes.  Our share farmer is so organized we get some recipes on our newsletter every week.  It's pretty simple stuff.  We always seem to make things so complicated these days.  Like nothing is worthwhile unless it's traveled 1000km's to get here and left a massive footprint behind it.  I though we were suppose to be an intelligent animal.  Makes you wonder.

On Growing Up and Knitting

Coffee shop post
So I'm sitting and knitting.  Sometimes I do stand, a little more challenging.  A little silly at my coffee shop, but perfectly acceptable at my knitting group.  Anyway I was thinking about how a new project takes awhile to get to know. The intimate details of how the yarn will knit up is a bit of a mystery sometimes especially if you like to change the pattern a bit like I do.  I find you have to spend some time with it to get the flow.  That of course got me thinking of an analogy.  Knitting is like growing up.  You need to make a few mistakes to understand what you're all about. So back to knitting I realized after undoing my work for the third time, I now have the patience for pulling out my work.  I have developed the fortitude to withstand the humiliation of a mistake.  Does that mean I finally have grown up?  Hmmmmmm.

My tuesday night knitting group was last night.  Even though I was only there for a short time and only knit 4 rows,  it feels great to hang out with the like minded,  all creating something beautiful together.   They are a pretty special group of women and men, all from different backgrounds all supportive and caring.  It's more like a support group, but very positive.  Where we knit we are surrounded by a rainbow of fibres.  Last night I saw some Canadian Bison yarn.  Cool.