Advertisement
Published: November 3rd 2012
Edit Blog Post
Glassworks
I don't know why, but I really like the color palette in this one. Our continuing adventures in the land oop north!
On one of the early days during our stay, maybe the second or third, we drove with Dianne, Nick and Noah to a collection of artisan shops in Crawford Bay. We rode the ferry across Kootenay Lake, then drove through beautifully winding forest roads to the shops. The first one we went to, the reason we had come in the first place, was North Woven Broom Co. Dianne needed the bristles on her broom replaced, so while she negotiated, Jess, Noah, Nick and I wandered around and looked at things. There were stacks of broomcorn bushels, half-finished broom shafts, and strange elderly machines here and there, with the finished products hanging overhead, leaning against walls, or arranged in displays. There were big brooms, and little brooms, and littler brooms, and the whole place smelled fantastic - the warm scent of polished wood, the hazy scent of threatening rain, and the dry, tickly smell of the broomcorn.
Next we visited the artisan weavers. One woman sat in front of the store at a smaller loom, while another woman sat in the back at a large loom. Drawers containing yarn, labeled by color,
Dearly Departed
Spoilers: this bike will meet a tragic, violent end. ;_; ran all around the back wall, while the bulk of the room was taken up by completed textiles, intricately patterned and brightly colored.
From there we went next door, entering a world of glittering glass and iron in the blacksmith and glass blowers combined shop. Lamps and stained glass windows showed off the combined skill of the artists, and bowls, glassware, plates, ornaments, and figurines highlighting the skill of the glass blowers. Upstairs the work of the blacksmith was shown in the forms of wrought-iron chandeliers, door hooks, fire irons, and large metal wall hangings.
We spent some time talking with the artisan upstairs, who was enameling little copper pennies with brightly tinted glass powders, turning them into little buttons decorated with ladybugs and irises and other assorted little things. After chatting with her for a while, we adjourned across the road again, under an increasingly threatening sky to the potter's workshop. A young woman sat at the wheel, spinning clay into a medium-size bowl. Her workshop was small but well-organized, and filled with colorful ceramic wares - kitchen stuff, mostly. Our conversation was dominated by the topic of the weather, and we didn't stay long. Afterwards, we
No Farther
A flooded out trail. quickly stopped a jewelers, and then briefly, a cafe at the end of the road to see if they did ice cream. (They didn't.)
Then, just as soon as we got in the car and started driving, the storm broke. It came pounding down! We couldn't see very far ahead, and there was even some hail in the mix. Fortunately, the hail didn't last long and wasn't all that big. For a pair of girls who have had hail in their hometown exactly once, it was exciting. We made it safely back to the ferry stop despite the limited visibility, and for some reason, despite the cold, everybody decided they still wanted ice cream.
There was a little store by the ferry stop, so we trooped over there along a gravel path that rather more resembled a stream. Whilst everyone else opted for frozen treats, I decided I'd rather have something a little warmer. My potato soup, served in large paper coffee cup, did the trick admirably, though the actual flavor was only so-so. The ferry was arriving just as we came out of the store, so we hustled back to the car pretty quickly. The rain mostly
Vagabonds
The wandering percussionists. stopped as we went back across the lake, so we got some nice photos of the misty lake horizon.
Speaking of gorgeous Canadian scenery, Kathleen took us on a drive around the area, taking us to the family's favored swimming hole, pointing out osprey nests, and walking around flooded dock areas with us. We also took a bike ride with her and Noah around Kokanee Creek Provincial Park, where they pointed the gaping wounds left in some of the tree trunks by pileated woodpeckers, a stream where salmon fry are stocked at certain times of the year, the flooded playground mentioned before, and patches of gigantic skunk cabbage. The bike ride actually took a little longer to take off than expected; first, Noah had to bend the wheel of his beat-up bike back into shape, and then we left Rascal's leash behind and I had to dash back and get it.
We also attended a festival in downtown Nelson. With a stage at either end of the main drag and a wandering percussion band, the event was scored with an eclectic and enlivening soundtrack. Booths set up along the road offered fair-trade clothing, east asian antiques, gorgeous hand-made
Performance
What I want to know is: Where can I get some pants like that? kaleidoscopes, organic bacteria for composting, musical instruments, knitted baby caps, utili-kilts, wax candle bowls, and felted masks. We snacked on pastries sold by a heavily-accented Eastern European woman and ate Thor's Pizza calzones for dinner. How's that for multicultural, eh?
Last but not least, we went back to the swimming hole with Kathleen, Roy, Luke, Ben, Noah, Nick, and Andrew. The water was ridiculously cold, so I didn't go in. Wimp, I know. The younger guys swam out to floating dock out in the son, different people, including Jess, paddled around in a kayak, and Rascal learned that while a mat of floating driftwood may
look solid, it's really not.
Next, we moved onto some of the national parks!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.098s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 10; qc: 49; dbt: 0.042s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb