Blown Away (by the experience and the food)

 I am a fan of the series on Netflix called "Blown Away". It documents a glass blowing competition and, knowing this, Christine, for my birthday, bought us a glass blowing workshop.

The studio is in the Artscape Wychwood Barns complex.

 

 Artscape is made up of a group of not-for-profit organizations with a mission to make space for creativity and transform communities. To fulfill our mission and vision, we engage in social enterprise in the following fields: real estate development; property management; performance and event services; consulting and knowledge exchange; artistic programming and community animation; and creative entrepreneurship development. From their website.

When we arrived we parked and walked past some of the live/work spaces as this complex houses some artists, has some studios, a large event space, green space and community garden.

There are a number of Artscape locations in Toronto but this one is in the old streetcar maintenance barns.

This studio is just a teaching space and Chris had booked us for a " date night" workshop so there were just the two of us.

After signing waivers we chose the items we would make and were talked through the process

We decided to make a little glass bird and a bud vase. Next we had to pick our colours.

First the instructor got some melted glass (which is kept constantly melted in this oven) on to the end of a rod.

Handed it off to Chris. She went first and I took photos.

She then rolled it tapped it into 3 different colours while rotating the rod.

The instructor smoothed it in a small wooden cup and

periodically put it into "the glory hole" (another extremely hot oven) to keep it pliable.

Then with pincers the tail is formed. Another blob of melted glass is attached and the pincers used to make the beak. It is then placed in a cooler oven to gradually cool down (over night)

I went through the same process to make my bird. I found it surprisingly difficult to manipulate the glass. I had been hoping for a Blue Jay but think it will look more like a Bluebird as I couldn't get the tail long enough. Photos of me are by Chris

Then it was on to the bud vase. Blob of melted clear glass, dipped and turned in coloured glass

and blowing it into an orb. Usually you blow straight into the rod but we blew into a hose attached to the rod so we could see the effect. In this case I was surprised by how easy it was to blow the bubble and then, more gently, until it was an orb.

Then it was Christine's turn to go through the same process (she chose different colours  though)

We wont be able to pick them up for a few days but I am looking forward  to see how they turned out.

Our instructor was is a helper on the Blown Away show which is filmed in Hamilton and said that they have just finished filming another season. Our workshop was from 5pm to 7pm so we were hungry afterwards and I proposed that we just walk the block to St Clair and eat somewhere there. Chris said she had heard that there was a restaurant with a Michelin Star close by but doubted that we could get in without a reservation. We decided to try. Surprisingly we had no problem though we were definitely under dressed ( the workshop instructions had been to wear no synthetics and nothing loose so I was in a cotton tshirt and jeans)

The restaurant was FK (Franks Kitchen) and it turns out it was a Michelin recommended restaurant (still way more than I had ever experienced).

This was my appetizer. One solitary Nova Scotia scallop....raw, slightly ceviche with the vinaigrette. It was one very tasty mouthfull but I then ordered the beet salad as well. (pureed beet base, cheese centre, surrounded by golden beets ... plated beautifully and absolutely delicious)

Squash in pasta, with a light cream herbed sauce and shaved truffle. The helpings looked small but the intense flavours would have been too much with larger helpings.

Chris had the Iberian pork chop on a bed of braised cabbage with a berry compote on top.

Of course we had desserts, no pictures of those, The service was just right: attentive without being intrusive, thoughtful not pushy, informative and enthusiastic without going on too long. We left feeling that we had eaten but were not stuffed. I loved the meal but wow it was rich. Chris compared the prices to two other restaurants that she had eaten at in the last couple of weeks and said that it was about the same price but the food and the service were far superior here.

Woolstock

Woolstock used to be held at the fairgrounds in Woodstock and there was an annual pilgrimage of the Paris hookers to this fabulous fibre festival. More recently (not sure of the timing or the why) it has moved to the fairgrounds in Paris.

Three buildings full of yarn, wool and anything related to knitting, crochet, weaving and rug hooking.

 

I met Pam and Sue there and having vowed to buy nothing, as I am trying to decrease my "stash", I only bought a couple of scains of wool for whipping. There were other J.J.s there and I was told that Peggy and Pat had both been there earlier. We then had lunch at Winsey Mills and I met some "Paris Sketchers" for the first time. I think I will probably try and attend some of their events as I really enjoyed the urban sketching in the Junction.

Inspired, I came home and finished this piece with 2 rows of crochet for the edging. Fall designed by Connie Bradley.

I blanket stitched the backing on. It is now for sale in the Woodhouse Gallery in Port Dover.

Three fishing tugs on the hard for winter maintenance. This took a huge crane that we saw on our last race night.

Beginning to see "duck rafts" form on the lake as the various species gather before heading south. I think these are Mergansers.

Long Point Bay is also filling up with "Lakers". The Seaway, which includes the Welland Canal, is on strike so nothing can move between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. I can currently see 7 ships sheltering in the Bay, waiting, and there are even larger clusters off Port Colborne and Port Dalhousie (at either end of the canal)

They get to enjoy the pretty fall sunsets.

Friday the 13th

 

Although it is not until the first weekend in November, the Sailors Night flags have arrived and in sorting them I found that we were missing a set. Hopefully the replacements will get here in time.

I think George and I attended Friday the 13th in Port Dover just once. It is an event that most Doverites avoid as the traffic is snarled and the town is very crowded with the bikers and the people here to see the bikes.

I tried to drive into town but Hwy 6 was plugged so I drove down a side street and parked at the top of Brant Hill to walk in.

Bikes are no longer parked on the main street, so they were parked all over the place.

Plenty of police around;

directing traffic and keeping an eye on things.

Main street was for pedestrians only and was packed,

vendors lined the street selling all manner

of bike related stuff,

with an emphasis on skulls,

and gruesomeness.

No idea what their story is!

Walking back down I focused more on the bikes

and their artwork

and accessories.

Patios and bars were full with the sound of live music coming from every direction.

The weather cooperated with the rain holding off until the evening.

A last look up Main St and I walked across the bridge and back to my car.

Kawartha cottage final days

 

We checked out another lock

on the Trent-Severn system,

this time at Buckhorn where we went for batteries (for the star tracker), groceries, wine and a bathing suit for Rick. When packing he had never imagined it would be this warm.

Warm enough for me to swim on a few days

and for Rick to wade.

Both of us decided we preferred kayaking to canoeing and one day we kayaked all the way up the lake and let the wind gently push us home.

That, along with our morning walks, constituted our exercise.

I was inspired by the fall colours

to paint.

Rick was able to get some lovely night sky photos

and some astrophotography. Andromeda.