Today started with breakfast al fresco. We sat at the picnic table outside our cottage and enjoyed the fine weather before heading back to the Evangeline Region. The handcraft co-op in Abram Village is full of items handmade by local artisans and crafters. We met Melvin and Lorraine Gallant and their two English Angorra rabbits, Taylor and Lauren ( named for two American country singers.) They are the most unusual rabbits we’ve ever seen. Taylor and Lauren are so fluffy you can’t see their eyes or their legs, they just look like giant furry pillows. Melvin had us pick them up and carry them to the table where we began to comb them. Within minutes we each had accumulated a large mound of “bunny wool.” The next step in the process was carding the wool to make it smooth. We both did a pretty good job with this part… but then came the spinning wheel. Melvin made it look supremely easy but we both had major difficulty spinning our wool into yarn. Peddling with our feet, keeping the right tension, and feeding the wool made for a very amusing experience. We felt better when we found out it took Melvin two years to master it. After we made our bunny wool yarn, Lorraine took over for the craft part of the experince. This time we used the wool from shorter haired rabbits. We each picked a template/pattern drawn onto t piece of felted sheep’s wool. Without going into too much technical detail, you basically take a barbed needle and push the wool through the template to fill in the pattern. We both chose a bunny template and outlined it with black wool. Then we filled in the pattern with white or grey. It is a really fun experince and it wasn’t hard once we got the hang of it. Prone to the occasional mishap Heather had a little run in with the barbed needle…. well several run-ins, however on the last one the needle broke off in her finger. I couldn’t look at it but Heather couragously pulled it out and continued with her bunny art. Lorraine and Melvin are delightful people who are both Acadians with a love for the area they call home.
During our bunny wool lesson,Alcide Bernard, the tourism director of the Evangeline Region, came by to ask us if we would like to sample some authentic Acadian food after our lesson.Of course, we were totally excited about this, Heather even more so when she found out that the menu did not include any seafood. The Centre Expo Festival is hub for cultural activities in the Acadian community and also a restaurant that is open daily during the summer. Alcide’s wife , Alvina who is the kitchen director, came out to tell us about all the dishes. There was a potato chicken soup called fricot, a potato pork loaf call Rapure, a meat pie, hominy chicken and Galettes Blanche ( a yeast roll.) Molasses was served with most of the dishes and really did compliment them. Alcide told us that the Acadian kids get a hot-out-of-the-oven galette, stick their finger inside to make a hole and pour molasses inside before they eat it. So, of course we had to try that. All of the food was so delicious and a lovely snack to tide us over until supper.
Heather wanted to drive along the coast and se the church in Mont Carmel. We had a few hours to spare befor the theatre so we ventured down a couple dirt roads to the water’s edge. Each time we saw a completly different view of the shoreline. The first road we traveled down literally endied at the edge of the water. The sand was deep brick red , and we walked out to see if the water their was as warm as we had heard it was. Sure enough, it was very warm. Our second dirt road exploration took us to an area called Rocky Point. We had to walk over some sand dunes to reach the water’s edge. We found a rocky beach with the ruins of an old dock covered with small mullusks. On our way back toward the Mont Carmel church, we were all suddenly overcome with extreme fatigue. All of us… Heather, production assistant Kimberly and me, at the same time! Kimberly just went to sleep, Heather tried valiently through mini naps to maintain intelligent conversation , and I tried not to fall asleep at the wheel. Finally, just as we reached the church I could no longer hold it together and told Heather she could go film the church while I took a power nap. I have to say here that I NEVER sleep in the car. That is why I drive, but before Heather was even 10 ft away I was asleep. I have no idea how much time passed. We even left the GoPro filming on the front of the car. On the way back to the Expo we all started discussing our sudden sleepiness and concluded that what we were suffering from was carb coma! Not only did we enjoy Tim Horton’s donuts for breakfast that morning but then we added potaotoes, hominy and bread for lunch. Oh yes, I forgot to mention that Alvina also brought us each a freshly baked cinnamon roll as well. Yep, definently carb coma. But it was totally worth it because the food was delicious and I felt great after my nap!
We returned to the Expo Center for the dinner theater. We had heard from several people that it was very funny, but would be performed completly in French. This was not a problem for Heather and even production assistant Kimberly knows some French, but I speak English and Spanish so I was a little concerned. We were seated at a table with several charming local ladies, who knew every in the show. As we enjoyed our salads and mussel appetizer they taught Heather several Acadian expressions…. C’est Ok …. drivez votre car and so on. They often find themselves throwing english words into their french conversations. The play began and we discovered that our servers were actually the actors and actresses on stage. It was very easy to follow and thankfully they had a synopsis written out in english that helped me understand the basic plot of the story. The body language and expressions were so well done that I found my self “understanding” what was going on. The story line incorporated the roles of our servers into the play. At the end of the play we also discovered that they were not only very funny and talented actors/actresses, but amazing musicians as well. Heather had mentioned that in the Acadian culture music and step dancing are super important. We were able to enjoy about 45 minutes of wonderful Acadian music, laughter and dance. Violins, acordians, guitars and even the tapping of their feet all blended together for a lively fun time. What was really interesting was their ” day jobs”… these include, church choir director, car mechanic, school janitor, high school student and special education aid. When the evening was over we asked one of the cast members to give us a mini step dancing lesson. Louis can step dance and play the fiddle at the same time. Unbelievable!! We left the Evangeline Region with a better understanding of the culture, history and warmth of the Acadians.
Enjoying the Journey covered in bunny wool,
Courtney and Heather
