Not long ago, my husband and I bought a small (decommissioned) church in New Brunswick, Canada. The church had been totally abandoned for about 15 years and the neglect was definitely showing. Fixing it up demanded a major time commitment. We found a cat sitter, packed up our dog, and headed out on our summer adventure: Vashon Island to Upper Cape with Southern Illinois “on the way.” We plan to spend from August through September and then head back.prayer wheel I thought I would chronicle our adventures here.

First, our route to Upper Cape was not a direct one. We drove through Washington and a bit of Oregon to get to Sun Valley, Idaho where we have some relatives. We spent a glorious afternoon and evening there -with a concert thrown in, and then headed out to Illinois (down through Wyoming and Colorado before heading east through Kansas and Missouri). My hometown was perfectly hot and humid as summer should be and Toby loved the woods walk despite his attraction to little burrs. You will be glad to know it only took an hour and he was good as new but I think his experience set a new record. That shawl made it to 1/4 done in the process for those of you who are keeping track.toby

After my hometown, we headed across Ohio, then Pennsylvania, New York, New Hampshire and Maine. Toby loved the hundred mile view from the lookout at Hogback Mountain. 100 mile viewWe all enjoyed a long interlude in Kennebunkport on the water. The houses were spectacular and the day was glorious. Then it was on to Canada and our summer project. Fully 4000 miles on our trip odometer, one new windshield (stone chip), and a halfway completed shawl.

Meet our new little home away from home. Bringing this lovely place back from the neglect it suffered will take some serious work. It once served as the home of a fiber artist and we have found bits and pieces of equipment I recognize – small pieces of spinning wheels, a huge warping board, several bobbins and spindles, etc. I brought my spinning wheel, my knitting, and a little tapestry loom, so I think we are going to get along fine – eventually. churchRight now, we are cleaning out the stuff left behind by the previous owner and starting demo. I know there will be fiber and fun along the way. More as we progress!!!

p.s. Check out the lichen on the steps to our front door. the church even came with dyestuffs. 😉

lichen redo