Float Toronto, Toronto, ON

After all the climbing up lighthouses, walking around the ocean floor and climbing up steep Saint John streets last week, Gord and I were craving a float so we did an hour long one at Float Toronto (Queen W/Gladstone) this morning. We love floats and find them very relaxing. Thanks, Micha!

Mistake Rib Knitted Scarf

I knitted another scarf to donate using a squishy mistake rib pattern, an easy fun pattern.

I used a Caron Anniversary Cake Special Edition (the colour is Peppermint Plaid) and 6.5mm needles. 

I cast on 23 stitches (multiples of 4 plus 3 stitches).

It's a one row repeat: slip 1 knitwise, k1, *p2, k2, repeat from * to last stitch, p1.

Saint John Ale House, Saint John, NB

Gord and I had supper at Saint John Ale House on Market Square. 

He had two Blue Pearl oysters from Grand Digue, New Brunswick, and lobster bisque and  I had salt & pepper wings. All were good.

Beer Bread, Saint John, NB

Gord and I enjoyed a $5 happy hour beer at Beer Bread. 

We shared an order of Beer Bread (Pigeon Brewing Pale Ale, dulse and hop-infused salt; served with seasonal whipped dip.) which was good.

Queen Square Farmers Market, Saint John, NB

Gord and I checked out the Queen Square Farmers Market in Queen Square. There were stands selling produce and other things plus a lot of vendors selling international food. Great place to come hungry! 

Gahan House Port City, Saint John, NB

Gord and I had supper at Gahan House. The vibe at this Gahan is so different than the one in Charlottetown. It’s more formal and not pub-like or fun and our server was cold and not very friendly.

He had a baked bacon, leek, parmesan, panko oyster and a baked smoked Rockefeller oyster along with fish cakes (PEI potatoes, cod, haddock, fennel salad with mustard vinaigrette, horseradish-cucumber aioli). He enjoyed it all. 

Wasted Day Brewing, Saint John, NB

Gord and I had a cold beer on the sunny patio on top of Wasted Day Brewing’s shipping container by the harbour. It was a great spot for people watching.

It was eventually too warm upstairs in the sun so we moved to the lower level.

The Loyalist Burial Ground, Saint John, NB

Gord and I checked out the Loyalist Burial Ground, which is beside King’s Square. It’s a little historic cemetery dating back to 1783, when the Loyalists arrived in Saint John. Some of the gravestones are almost 250 years old. I like wandering around old graveyards. We found the oldest grave … Conrad Hendricks who was buried in 1784!

Saint John's original burial ground was established on this site shortly after the landing of the United Empire Loyalists in 1783. After its closure as a cemetery in 1848, the site became a memorial garden with tree lined walkways and flower beds.

For upwards of 100 years, it remained a unique place of beauty in the centre of a busy industrial city. However, time and neglect gradually took their toll and by the late 1900's the burial ground was in a state of disrepair.

In 1994, the Irving family undertook a restoration program as a gift to the people of Saint John. They commissioned and carried out a refurbishing of the entire site, including the construction of brick and granite walkways, benches, specially cast memorial gates, railings and light columns. Hundreds of trees and thousands of flowers and shrubs were planted and the magnificent Beaver Fountain was created.

It was back in 1925 that K C. Irving established his first Saint John business on Union Street adjacent to the burial ground. For many years, he looked out over this very site from his office in the Golden Ball Building.

The Canadian Beaver, a prominent motif found throughout the site, depicts the hard work, enterprise and tenacious resolve of the city's founders and those who followed.

Work on the site commenced in the Spring of 1994 and was completed the Summer of 1995. 

King's Square, Saint John, NB

Gord and I checked out King's Square. It was a lovely place to walk around.

It goes back to Saint John’s Loyalist days in the late 1700s. After the American Revolution, thousands of Loyalists came to the area and Saint John was officially founded in 1785. The square was part of the original town layout and has been a gathering place for the city for more than 200 years.

The square was named for King George III and granted to the city of Saint John by Royal Charter in 1785.  In the early years, the grounds were the site for such public uses such as oxen roasts, fireworks displays, militia parades, cricket games, public wells, a slaughter house and agricultural fairs.  It was developed into a park in 1844 and the current design of paths was laid out.

Big Tide Brewing Co., Saint John, NB

Gord and I had supper at Big Tide Brewing Co. (on Princess Street). 

Moosehead Brewery, Saint John, NB

Gord and I did a fun brewery tour this evening at Moosehead Brewery, Canada's oldest independent brewery. The brewery was founded in 1867 and is still privately owned and operated by the Oland family. The company is now in the sixth generation of family ownership.

Since it's a working facility, we had to have closed-toe shoes and wearing safety goggles.

Jessie was knowledgeable and informative. We got to try some samples plus an unpasteurized Alpine.

There were a couple fellas singing when we were finished the tour.