Here we are my friends, in drizzly Newfoundland, where yesterday’s sock picture was taken from near the overlook at Cuckold’s Cove, in Quidi Vidi (say “kitty vitty”) Newfoundland. (That’s Cape Spear in the distance. More about that another day.) Several clever knitters will be mailed a skein of sock yarn, since the magic words “Cuckold’s Cove” appeared several times in the comments. (I’ll email the winners when I’ve got a minute tomorrow.)

We are indeed (as another knitter guessed) in Old Joe’s backyard, more or less, since Joe’s parents split their time between Newfoundland and Toronto and we’re lucky enough to be able to enjoy their home here as base camp for a weeks vacation in what’s home for my Joe (Young Joe.)

Today we began our grand adventure, traipsing about St. John’s. Megan is really taken with the brightly coloured old row houses, and I was really taken with how taken she was, so I took pictures of Megan taking pictures of row houses.

The girls really were delighted, exclaiming each time they spotted another particularly bright one. A yellow house with purple trim and a bright pink door just about put them both into a fit of sheer joy. We went to The Rooms, which is a beautiful, beautiful museum here. It’s a gorgeous place, full of traditional Newfoundland things and art and animals.

The animals (we discussed it) are all dead.

Joe and Sam felt badly about that in the case of this eagle.

We were all relieved in the case of the giant squid though.

This is Meg looking it over. The thing was massive. Huge. Palaeolithic sort of enormous. They grow up to 18 metres, but this one was a rather reassuring 6m (that’s 18 ft.) Dudes. Gross.

There were whale parts:

and some very keen, very old sail makers needle sets, but I didn’t get a picture. It’s a fantastic place, and the price of admission (only $20 for a family) included this wonderful view of The Narrows and St. John’s harbour.

You will note the weather is still of a questionable nature, though it doesn’t take long here to get the hang. By the afternoon, when it was just gray and cold rather than cold and raining, we were all stomping about the downtown admiring fishing boats and saying “Didn’t it turn out to be lovely?”. My hair was huge. I think it’s the mist.

I think some of you have heard me talk about NONIA before, it’s the Newfoundland Outport Nursing Industrial Association, and it’s the only health care system in the world built on knitting. (You can read more if you click here.) We went by there this afternoon, and I poked around a wee bit.

I learned something interesting while I was there. See Joe’s arm?

Joe’s pointing at at many fine and sturdy pairs of good wool socks, most all knit from Briggs and Little wool, near as I could tell, and he was enchanted with them. Kept saying “Look at those! Those are good socks! Those are grand socks. Oh, yes. Those are socks that really know what a sock should be.” If I’d have known that worsted weight socks would thrill the man so much, I could have been churning out his sock supply a lot faster than I have been. Buddy’s got big feet.

There were sweaters and beautiful notecards I always buy there… and it was a lovely afternoon.

A lovely day really. Tomorrow is Regatta Day here in St. John’s, provided it doesn’t rain. It’s a provincial holiday (one of the only ones in the world that moves to the next day if the weather doesn’t co-operate) and we’re very excited. The Royal St. John’s Regatta is the oldest continuous sporting event in North America, and tomorrow 50 000 people will descend upon the shores of Quidi Vidi lake for a huge garden party the likes of which cannot be described. I will be there, and I’ll have a sock in progress.

Stand by.