I had another busy week at school, but I think I am finally starting to get a good handle on everything that is expected of me. I felt more prepared for classes and I have a good grasp now of how I need to approach all of the readings and homework. We learned some cool processes in the lab including how to use the suction table (pictured below), three ways to humidify paper, and we used the Leica light microscope. I’m going to do a blotter wash of my WWII poster in the lab tomorrow, so I am a little nervous about that, but I am also very excited.
Friday night a few of the students, Richard, and I had dinner at Amadeus on the outdoor patio. It’s a German restaurant and the schnitzel did not disappoint. The patio is really cute too, it’s a partially covered courtyard with lots of creeping vines and mural art. I did homework mostly all day Saturday and Sunday. I got a head start on a report that’s due in November and finished most of the condition report for the parchment diploma I was assigned. On Sunday, Richard and I also had a big Thanksgiving meal of Caesar salad, grilled cheese, and curly fries, followed up by some pumpkin cheesecake from Pan Chancho. It was really delicious and we were pretty full afterwards. We also got to have a video chat with my family back in Regina.
I wanted to do a lot of homework on Saturday and Sunday, so that I would have Monday as an actual holiday. A day off to do something not school related. We ended up going for a long hike at Frontenac Provincial Park. We did the Cedar Lake Loop (13 km) in about 3.5 hours. The terrain was a mix of forest, lakes, and Canadian shield.
The fall colours were amazing!
The trail was very quiet and we got to see a lot of wildlife including squirrels, chipmunks, a woodpecker, nuthatch, chickadee, great blue heron, and three deer. I also heard a ruffed grouse drumming, but we never saw it.
The weather wasn’t ideal for photos as it was fairly overcast but it made for a nice hike. We sat on some Canadian shield granite and had a little picnic lunch about half way along the trail. The trees in this area of Canada are so different from the trees we are used to out west. There are a lot more deciduous trees here–lots of maple and oak trees, which is why the colours are so spectacular of course!
Before we headed home we were able to find a geocache. It was a lucky stop because that’s where the deer were. It always seems like every time we stop for a geocache we discover something really interesting–something we likely would have missed otherwise.
All in all it was a really nice long weekend and I’m glad I was able to take a day to enjoy the autumn colors of nature.