I Think It's a Secret, Ellen!

I finally finished the wrap/scarf that was supposed to be finished before Christmas! It's hand knit using a Vogue Knitting pattern with Knit Picks sugarbunny (80% merino wool, 20% angora). I finished it on the snow day last week, blocked it and it was ready to go for Sunday. Ellen was delighted that it was completed so we could do a photo shoot.

Every few months I take a run down to the South Side of St. John's Harbour. It's a different place every season so after a fresh snowfall I had to go for a look. I think it's such a cool place. All the fishing boats are docked, their crab pots are ready to go, but yet, there's a busy city right across the Harbour. There's something nice about looking across at the Waterfront. If you go up the South Side Road a little further, there's Fort Amherst. We'll have to go there sometime soon. That's another interesting place!

There are small bolted doors built into the cliffs along the side of the South Side Road. Some say ammunition used to be stored in there during the war and some people think the fairies used to live there. Perhaps they still live there because they can't get out. :-) I think what's inside those doors is a secret. A little mystery is good thing.

Then there's all the ice hanging from the cliffs. That, in itself, is a sight to behold! Makes the place even cooler (pardon the pun!) 

See the Basilica? Love all the coloured houses!

See The Room? (museum and archives)

The large white building is The Battery Hotel.

First sign of crab pots this year.

Portion of Battery Road

Water is pouring off the cliff behind the ice.

This is about 60-70 feet high.

An old train car. Trains no longer run in Newfoundland.

That's So Versatile, Ellen!

On Sunday past we took Ellen to Cape St. Francis with the notion that she could model near the lightstation. Not so! They have a fence put up and that's as far as we could go. We explored the immediate area and took a few snaps anyway. 

Ellen was amazed at the versatility of the piece she modelled. It can be worn backward or frontward or even as an apron. Ellen said it feels good no matter what you do with it. This is the piece I started knitting on the plane when we went on vacation. I got tired of knitting it (I have more exciting plans), so I added strings which ended up adding hundreds of stitches! and versatility. I really like it now that's it's finished. It's hand knit with Patons Bamboo Silk and Berlini Angora.

Back to Cape St. Francis. You go there by driving through the Town of Pouch Cove and then unto a dirt road for 4 or 5 kms. It felt like 4 or 5 kms. We didn't keep track. There was some other traffic around and lots of bumps (as you can see by the last picture) :-) There's a few cabins along that road and lots of fences near the lightstation. I went up on one of the cliffs to try and get better pictures of the lightstation, but you still can't see it very well. I guess the main thing is that the seafarers see it. There are plenty of big rocks in that area of ocean. In a few of the pictures you can see white waves in the middle of the ocean. Those are caused by the shoals near the surface. A lightstation is definitely a good idea in that area! Ellen thought so too. She wanted to stay inside the safety of the fence. It was windy enough out there to blow the wool off a sheep! You'll notice in one of the photos that at least one electric pole is secured with guy- wires that are anchored by galvanized bolts (rust free) drilled into the rock. It's a real pretty spot despite the harshness of the weather there sometimes.

With all the wind and the bumpy ride, Ellen was beat when we arrived home. She's been standing by the fireplace ever since!

The lightstation is out in front of the building in the picture

Kind of bumpy for taking pictures!