Travel

Peggy’s Cove

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Went to Peggy’s Cove a couple of days ago with a friend visiting from BC. It’s been a while since I’ve been there and couldn’t get over how built up the Prospect Road to the cove has become.

Peggy’s Lighthouse

We ventured out onto the rocks. It was a calm day, but we were still cautious and stayed back from the edge – the ocean there is very unpredictable and hazardous so although it appeared calm large waves can arrive unexpectedly.

Couldn’t resist taking another classic photo of the lighthouse – what you see on the horizon is the St.Margaret’s Bay shore along the Aspotogan Peninsula.

The Terrain Around Peggy’s

The terrain around Peggy’s Cove is abruptly different as you approach the cove. The land here was scoured bare by glaciers and granite erratics are everywhere left by the receding ice. All that manages to grow here, even after 12,000 years, are creeping and low bush shrubs.

The Swiss Air Memorial

One half of the Swiss Air Flight 111 Memorial is located just outside of the cove. The second half is located in Bayswater on the other side of the bay. The sighting lines cut into the standing rock on each site triangulates the actual point of the crash. The site is peaceful and yet disturbing. I feel it every time I stop there and look through the cuts in the rock.

Signting The Precise Location Of The Crash

The point on the horizon visible through the cuts is the actual location of the crash. It’s impossible not to think about the victims of the disaster when you’re standing there.

It really was a lovely day. The tourist season hasn’t yet begun so there were very few people around. We shared a lobster roll for lunch at the Sou’wester – noticed a woman nearby enjoying the classic gingerbread with ice-cream.

Sewing Inspiration

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It’s very hard for me to shop because I look at garments and notice the sewing imperfections and remember fabric in my stash and think how easy it would be just to make it. Instead, “shopping” for me is about ideas! 

Yesterday Sheila and I dropped into Desigual – their stuff is interesting although their sizing doesn’t fit me, it’s intended for women 40 years younger and skinnier than I am (I wear a size 12-14!) I actually tried on a black and white shirt in a large (forgot to photograph it) but I’d have needed an XXL (which they don’t make) to hang properly and even then I think the shoulders would have been too narrow.

But there was inspiration galore:

A denim jean jacket with inserts and sleeves in an almost sheer print fabric used in the shirt underneath. I’d never have thought of doing that but now I might.A shirt in contrasting bold colourful prints – I might have considered doing something like this. It’s a reminder to look through my stash of shirt fabric when I get home with something like this in mind.

Inspiration everywhere!

Toronto’s Harbourfront

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Yesterday I had lunch with Sheila who I met last spring in San Francisco at the Betzina Sewing Retreat. We were supposed to have spent a week together sewing again beginning of April, but I was hit with norovirus and couldn’t go. 

She lives in a high rise building in the Distillery District on the Toronto waterfront. Imagine sipping coffee on your balcony enjoying this view:

This is the Toronto working harbour – the terminus for the lake barges and occasional ships that come through the St. Lawrence:

Behind this high rise is the site of the recent Pan Am Games:

We wandered the Distillery a district – had lunch, window shopped, dropped into some of Sheila’s favourite stores including this one (didn’t record the name) – every pair of shoes here looked like it had come from the Shoe Museum:

Last we stopped at a coffee shop for some dessert and sat outside enjoying the warm spring afternoon. We won’t have window boxes like this in Halifax for another three weeks!
We had a lovely visit and both of us are looking forward to next April in San Francisco and another Betzina Sewing Retreat.

The Bata Shoe Museum

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It’s been there for 20 years but I’d never visited. After lunch Karen asked where I wanted to go. Our ultimate destination was her grandson’s daycare – her day to pick him up. So I suggested we visit the shoe museum which was near the daycare.

The hanging stained glass “shoes” in the foyer catch your attention immediately.

There was an interesting exhibit of the hazards of shoe manufacture to both maker and wearer – hazardous dyes, for example.

Irresistible to a tennis fan: Roger Federer has larger feet than I thought – larger than Bjorn Borg’s. This pair Federer wore at the French Open – you can see the clay embedded in the shoes clearly.

Sandals worn by Pierre Trudeau, toe slippers worn by one of the National Ballet’s ballerinas in the role of Cinderella – replete with “jewels”.Shoes belonging to Marilyn Munro and Elizabeth Taylor – I remember owning shoes just like these.

The shoe timeline exhibit from the earliest foot protection (found in archeological excavations) to contemporary – a must see. A museum devoted to shoes? Absolutely. Shoes reveal a lot about human culture. The Museum is definitely worth a visit. Put it on your list for the next time you’re in Toronto.

Quintessential Toronto

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My nephew and his gang and I attended the TSO (Toronto Symphony Orchestra) Saturday afternoon a week ago. We took the subway from the northern-most end to Dundas Street and back – the best part of our adventure as far as Charlie (age 4) was concerned. The concert (The Science Of The Symphony – a one-hour program for kids) was well put together and the two older boys enjoyed the music.

As we were leaving Roy Thompson Hall I turned back and captured the CN tower framed by two tall buildings with RTH in the foreground.

How more Toronto than that can you get?

More Photos From Peru

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Giancarlo sent some photos from our Peruvian trip the other day. Although these gals didn’t speak English and I don’t have much in the way of Spanish, I had years of sock-making photos on my iPhone – we had little trouble “communicating” about knitting…

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Sharing Knitting With Some Knitters

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Sharing Knitting With Some Knitters

I tried my hand at spinning with a “puchka” (a drop spindle) – a hopeless failure even with some expert help!

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Failing at Spinning!

Our motley crew! Photo taken at Maximo Laura’s Ayacucho Workshop. (Maximo is in the back.) The gal on the right is Maximo’s sister – she manages the Laura Ayacucho Workshop; she dies all if the yarn blending for the tapestries and she does a wonderful job. Missing from the photo were Giancarlo (taking the photo) and Wilbert (out with the van). BTW I was not the oldest in the group, Beth (second on the right) is older than I am.

Peru, Nov 3 2014

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A last word on Peru.

I got home suppertime on Saturday, Oct 31 – just in time to see parents and small children dressed up for Hallowe’en knocking on doors on my street. I got my stuff in, closed the door, leaving the lights off. Nothing in my house for trick ‘n treaters.

The trip had felt long, the flight from Lima to Newark took nearly eight hours, a five hour stopover, and short flight of two hours to Halifax. With the help of a bit of imodium, I made it home without difficulty. Since getting back, my goal has been to return to a reasonable diet of fruits and vegetables which I sorely missed in Peru.

Did laundry on Sunday, ironed shirts and pants this afternoon. Everything is now back where it usually lives. While I was ironing this afternoon, I also monogrammed two towels – last winter someone stole my plain white towel at the pool, I came home and machine embroidered my name on my towels in large letters so no one else will make the same mistake!

Returned to my regular schedule – up Monday morning for the aquacise class at 9:00 am; followed by a visit to the GP who reassured me I’ll live (but also thought it prudent to take stool samples, “just in case”). I’ll hear from him once he gets the results back from the lab.

The United Air people came today to pick up my damaged suitcase – covered with duct tape – to repair they have said – it’ll be interesting to see how they think they’re going to do that! The split runs completely from top to bottom.

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My back garden is in full fall mode – the flame bush must have been gorgeous a couple of weeks ago just after I left, now most of the leaves have dropped. There’s been some frost – not much left of the hosta. Coming weekend I’ll disassemble the umbrella and store it in the shed.

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And I’ve resumed the pair of socks I had half done when I left – another pair from leftovers – which I expect to finish this evening.

In spite of the TD, I really enjoyed Peru – a completely different way of life, even in the urban settings. I loved visiting the artisans and seeing how their work is one constant improvisation on traditional crafts – either in terms of technique, or subject matter, or both. I know what I saw will affect my own future creations.

I started a quilt before I left; tomorrow, I hope to pick up where I left off – I have five sets of four strips to join and turn into blocks, then blocks into rows… Maybe by weekend I’ll have another quilt top.

It will soon be time to start thinking about next fall’s adventure. It’s like Maggie Muggins (a radio show from my childhood) – “I don’t know what will happen tomorrow!” I have no idea where it will take me – last fall I certainly wasn’t expecting to spend two weeks in Peru!

Peru, Oct. 29 2015

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Last day in Ayacucho – several interesting visits:

First stop a women’s cooperative which supports approximately 30 single women (and their families). The women sell their handwork at craft markets and online.

The workshop of Julio Galvas Ramos – an alabaster carver. This Maestro does intricate carving – his son is a carver of sculptures as well, daughter, and daughter-in-law also work in alabaster carving jewelry and other small items like candle holders.

Galvas Ramo’s grandson – love the smile (around two years old), great giggle as well.

The tapestry workshop of Alfonzo Sulca – I came close to buying this small tapestry – didn’t because I had no idea where I’d hang it once I got home!

After lunch we visited Casa del Retablo – Maestro Silvestre Ataucusi Flores. The “Retablo” I think may be a uniquely Peruvian art form and Sr. Flores is certainly one of the best. It’s a “box” filled with little figures in a tableau – originally all religious in theme – but Sr. Flores’ work depicts the many aspects of Peruvian life.
The detail below shows Retablo makers at work.

And that’s it for now – it’s now 10:30; my alarm is set for 4:50 – we have an early morning flight to Lima – I have to get some sleep because my flight from Lima to Newark is at 10:35 in the evening…

You get the picture.

More later.

Peru, Oct. 28 2015

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Back in the land of the living!

I had a rough night last night, hourly bouts of diarrhea with constant nausea and some vomiting. During the night I contacted the Blue Cross travel insurance assistance line and had a lovely conversation with a young man in Montreal who encouraged me to be seen by a live doctor (necessary if I was to make any medical expenses claims).

So early this morning I asked Giancarlo to set something up. He consulted with the hotel management, I think, and so around 9:00 am he and I took a cab to the Clinica El Nazarine – one of the many private clinics in Peru. First you pay for a consultation (~$20 CAD -definitely reasonable – the same cost as Peruvians), then I was seen by an affable young physician and with Giancarlo as translator described the problem: that I needed to control the diarrhea so I could get on a plane 2 days hence, and clear up the nausea so I could eat something to regain a bit of strength.

Dr. Balleta did speak some English so among the three of us we managed the interview and physical examination pretty well. Dr. Balleta’s recommendation was an IV infusion of Dramamine (to settle my stomach) and something else for my weary gut. So I went ahead and did that. It took two hours for the litre of saline + meds to drip through but I have to say the results were immediate – the nausea was gone. He then prescribed a couple of different meds to calm my stomach further and an antibiotic I’ve never heard of (although I was able to find a description online) – I start that one tomorrow morning and take it for four days – a short course. The treatment and meds cost about $36 CAD – so for $56 I’m back on my feet – would have cost far more in North America.

As we were getting ready to leave I said to Giancarlo he better make sure he adds the clinic and Doctor’s name to his files for future need. Had he had the information, I bet I could have had the Traveller’s Diarrhea under control much faster.

By the the time we got back to the hotel I was actually hungry for some lunch. A plain fried egg sandwich (no mayonnaise) fit the bill and after eating I felt strong enough to rejoin the group for the afternoon visit to Sr. Sergio Rojas’ natural dying and embroidery workshop.

Here he’s dying sheep wool with cochineal which he ground from dried beetles (remember we collected some from prickly pear cactus last week, although these come from Brazil, apparently) – the longer in the dye, the darker the shade.

Add the juice of half a lime and the shade becomes more orange; add some ashes and  the shade becomes a lush beet colour.

The range of colours from natural materials like turmeric and indigo solo or in combination is quite amazing. (It all brought the reed dying we’d seen done by the basket maker – similar strong colours).


Inside we were able to see more embroidery work being done. Finished embroidered tapestries were on display in a “gallery” room (part of the residence/workshop complex). Although the room was dark, it’s still possible to distinguish the fine detail the women achieve in these cotton on wool hangings.

So I’d say tomorrow I’m back in business – I really feeling considerably more human now and expect a decent sleep tonight. Yeah!

Peru, Oct. 27 2015

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I’m a pretty efficient packer when it comes to travelling. Over the years, I’ve learned to bring about half of what I lay out and most of the time I use what I bring.

This Peru trip has been crazy. The travel notes warned me about the temperature range in Ayacucho ~ 6-10 C at night, high 20s C in the afternoon. I monitored the weather for a couple of months before departing and watched the daytime temperatures climb slowly. So I packed a mixture of sweaters and t-shirts hoping I’d covered all the bases – layers would be the answer.

Turns out more than half of what I brought I didn’t need and haven’t worn. Didn’t need the wool socks, the sweaters and turtlenecks. Even the light silk/cotton pullovers have been on the warm side. I have worn the t-shirts and cotton shirts, the cotton ankle socks but I could have got away with the one pair of Sketchers sneakers – the sandals and shoes weren’t necessary.

And of course, now that I’m hotel bound, I’m wearing the same few items over and over again.

Friday we depart Ayacucho for Lima. I think the trip was over for me Saturday. “Montezuma’s Revenge” has laid me low. I’m still forcing the electrolyte fluids but every swallow is an ordeal. Again, I managed to shower this morning, and I had more toast at lunch time. I cannot face quinoa, rice, potatoes. Maybe a poached egg this evening, maybe some more chicken broth. I know I’m not going far the next two days.

Sab has also succumbed. She experienced the onset when she got back to the hotel last evening. She and I have been checking up on one another during the day. Elaine has been feeling off colour but able to carry on.

The serenity prayer starts – “give me the serenity to accept what I cannot change…” Well this I cannot change! No point in fighting it. Just hoping I’ll feel strong enough to get back to Lima and then on to home!