St. Andrews, NB: Last Days in Canada

Days 65 and 66 of trip. Wednesday and Thursday, August 13 & 14, 2012

Yesterday was to be a fairly short driving day, so we didn't have to get a super early start. We had such a great dinner the night before at Lily's Garden Cafe that we decided to skip breakfast, pack up camp, and go to Lily's again for an early lunch on our way out of Rockwwod Park. We were the first ones there, wiping the heavy dew off the outdoor tables. The lake was glassy, the light was lovely and lunch was delicious. What a nice way to end our stay in St. John, New Brunswick.

We drove leisurely to St. Andrews, N.B., where we had reservations for a night's stay at the Montague Rose Bed and Breakfast. Found it with no trouble ...a lovely Italianate 3-story house that was once the town physician's residence. 

Joe, the owner, greeted us warmly. Once we moved into our beautiful room (which I can't believe I forgot to photograph!!!!), we struck out on foot for Water Street, where the attractive shops and galleries lined the waterfront. We did a little bit of fun shopping. 

In an art gallery we found a handmade shaker Knitter's box to keep my current knitting projects.I love it!

We found a handsome sweatshirt for Curt, and then, wonder of wonders, we stumbled across a yarn shop right at the dock! If you've been reading the blog at all, you know what happened next. But this time the yarn I found was something I've never seen before: 100% mink! It's about the softest fiber I've ever felt. Naturally, it wasn't cheap, so I limited myself to two skeins: a lovely soft white and a rich cranberry red. I've already wound the cranberry into a ball and started experimenting with it. I'll save the white till we're not camping...not sure I can keep it clean rolling around in the truck.

Here's my new fiber friend, Janice, pusher of mink! I didn't ask how they get the fiber from all those little animals...wasn't sure I wanted to know!!

Back to the B&B to relax and get ready for dinner. Joe had recommended the Europa, an inn and restaurant owned by a couple from Germany. We had checked out the menu on our walk and decided that was, indeed, where we wanted to eat. But I must confess, I soaked so long in the tub (a jacuzzi tub, no less!), that we got a bit of a late start. When we arrived at Europa the hostess told us there was nothing available.

We asked if we could put our name on a list for later in the evening. She reluctantly agreed, but told us not to get our hopes up. So while we waited, we checked out a couple other eating places in town, but decided to hold out in hopes of eating at Europa. We also went to explore the Blockhouse, a defensive structure used in the War of 1812. The Blockhouse defended the cannons and the cannons defended the city from U.S. attack. The write-up was fascinating!

Finally, with much persistence, patience and persuasion, we did manage to get a table at Europa. And it turned out to be such a delightful meal; we were so glad to be able to dine there on our one night in St. Andrews.

We went light...lobster bisque (are you surprised?) and a delicious asparagus and smoked salmon salad. The food was presented beautifully, so naturally I had to take a picture.

We took our time, since the dinner was light and we were trying to be elegant (not so easy when you've been camping over 2 months!). We struck up a conversation about the lobster bisque with a couple at the next table, Chris and Wendy. and from there we discovered that Wendy and I are both music teachers. When I mentioned the mandolin, she lit up and said, "Chris has just published a book on the mandolin!" Well, that's not something you hear every day. After a few more questions, we found out that Chris, who is Christopher Norton from London, is a VERY widely published composer and music instruction writer, with over 200 publications from sheet music, to instructional books in all instruments, to musicals. He is the most prolific author for a very well known British music publishing company, Boosey and Hawkes. I've bought some of their publications in the past for the women's string group I play with in the Texas Hill Country...now, when I get back home I'll have to check my stash and see if Chris wrote any of them!

Here are Chris and Wendy...you never know who you're going to meet when you sit down for dinner!

We had a wonderful visit with them, and as we parted, it felt like we were old friends. We had a great time, too, with our waitress, Reecie... She's the one who made it possible for us to be able to dine at Europa.

This morning, we had more new friends to meet at breakfast. As Joe served up fruit, muffins, tea and eggs Benedict, we had a wonderful conversation with the other B&B guests, Ruth and Vivian, from Ottowa. 

We were all enjoying our conversation so much that we lingered at the table almost until,checkout time. Curt and I had to scramble to get on our way!

We made the trip back to the place we love so much...Lubec, Maine. The weather was just what you'd expect for The Maine coast: blustery, windy, and rainy...perfect for setting up the camper! We had no sooner arrived at the campground when our friend Lynne Josselyn arrived. So we let the camper sit unopened while we all headed to one of our favorite restaurants for a hot lunch. That was perfect, because when we returned, the weather had mellowed out a little, and we were able to set up the camper without everything getting soaked.

This afternoon while Curt enjoyed himself in the Lubec Library, I spent a couple of cozy hours at Wags and Wool, my favorite little Lubec Yarn shop. Every Thursday afternoon, Karen, one of the owners, invites people to come and knit and share refreshments (she calls it Knit & Sip), and today just happened to be Thursday! What better places than the Library and yarn shop to spend a blustery Maine afternoon?

Lynne, our indefatigable pastor friend, has planned a whole slate of activities for our next 3 days in Lubec. Sounds like we're going to have some serious fun (again!). So I wanted to be sure to get this blog post written tonight before all the activity begins. It's great to be back where we can hear the foghorns lulling us to sleep at night. They've already succeeded with Curt, so I'm going to head for bed and drift off to the muted "hooooooot!"   "Toooooooooot!" of the East and West Quoddy Lighthouses. Goodnight, all!