On Monday morning, after I got off of work we headed to Anacortes to catch the ferry.  The weather was beautiful.

We took the ferry to Friday Harbor.

And checked into a cabin at the Lakedale Resort.

This was all because Deb Robson (apparently in cahoots with Dorothy, Janet and perhaps others) had an incredibly nice idea of offering to have me come to Deb’s Explore 4 retreat without a fee.  Least you think this is common,  I am told it is not and was the first time.  Apparently you need to spend time in a burn ICU to qualify.  We still had to pay for lodging and food so it wasn’t cheap but very much worth it.

The first day (Monday) I missed, but it was dedicated to Bond sheep and their wool, which I had never heard of before. Here are Deb’s samples.

Here is a beautiful spinning wheel at the retreat which belonged to Lois.

Here are some electric spinners.  The one in the suitcase was fascinating to me.

I had taken a nap in the afternoon but joined the group in the evening for dinner and a presentation about Beatrix Potter, a pioneering author and conservationist.

On Tuesday, we learned about Herdwick sheep (Beatrix’s favorite) and their wool.  Here are Deb’s samples.

In the afternoon Tom, Ryeleigh and I headed to Grandma’s Cove at American Camp.  It was gorgeous.

Above it was the site of the infamous Belle Vue Sheep Farm and its association with the Pig War.

Then we drove around the island, checking out this lighthouse,

Vancouver Island,

and Mount Baker.

We then stopped at False Bay and enjoyed the views there.

All of this walking tired out our beagle.

After dinner, we had a presentation about the Lake District, where Herdwick sheep originated.  I managed to finish spinning my Herdwick fiber samples after carding them.  The Herdwick was hairy and coarse but for me fun to spin (not others).

On Wednesday morning, I got up early and worked on spinning some of the Bond fibers I had missed on Monday.  The Bond was mostly already processed into rovings by different mills.  Samples 2-4 were dreamy to spin (like butter) but the 5th one was greasy and harder to be consistent.  I didn’t process the first sample (which is raw wool) nor get to samples 6-10.

Here is the gorgeous lobby for the retreat with the lake out of the windows.

Wednesday’s topic was Southdown sheep and wool.  Here are Deb’s samples.

I combed my samples and then spun them.  The first sample was a joy to spin, but the second one wasn’t.  It was sticky and had neps in it.  The third sample was nice to spin but a little slippery.

Then we got a sample of Suffolk wool from a local farm.  It was a joy to spin.

In the afternoon we walked around the property and visited the General Store which had never been open before for me. (This is my fifth Explore 4 retreat.)

We visited my favorite tent camping site on the property.

On Thursday, we explored Border Leicester.  Here are Deb’s samples.

Here I am spinning some Bond roving before the new samples were handed out.

Here are some of the first sample’s locks.  Isn’t it beautiful?

I combed it and thought the combed fiber was gorgeous.  I felt it was a shame to comb the beautiful crimpy locks but also a shame to spin this lovely ball of softness.

But I never got to spin it.  I just worked on combing my samples that morning before Tom and I had to pack up and leave early (because I was scheduled to work Friday).  We headed to Friday Harbor and waited for the ferry.  We went to his bar with the mirror showing the prior ferry in dock.

It had an amazing aquarium made of glass fish and plants.

We loaded onto the ferry and luckily got a spot with a view.  Unfortunately one of the engines died while we were at the Lopez dock.  I took that opportunity to finish combing the last of the Border Leicester wool.

My diz was packed so I used a piece of a drop spindle instead.  It worked well.

We were late getting home so it was a rush to unpack, eat dinner (we picked up some Dad’s BBQ Trailer on the way home) and get ready for work.

Then it was back to reality.  I had a rough shift at work Friday and got home Saturday morning quite tired.  But there was still farm chores to be done.  We do not think it is a good idea for Tom to be out in the barn quite yet.  He accidentally hit his hand on some wood while walking the dog on the trip and opened up his hand wound. But while doing chores I noticed this.

So then I had to scramble to find a safe place for them.  I started cleaning the “weasel-proof” pen and found this tub in there.  Clearly it is not weasel proof anymore.  After pulling out the shavings, I noticed that the back edge of the concrete floor had sunk, leaving a gap.

So I scrambled to find some 2x4s to cover the gap and then (thanks to my brother) found some spray foam and filled in the gaps.  The kids and grandkids showed up for a visit, and they got to witness me wrangling the hen and chicks into their new abode.  I was able to get her to sit on some of her abandoned eggs.  I am not sure if they are still viable, but I did candle them and there is some hope.  I was finally able to get to sleep around 2:00.

Here are my samples and notes of the fibers I was able to spin (except I managed to forget to grab a sample of the first Herdwick, have to get it later with plying).

It was a wonderful retreat.  It was relaxing.  It was great to see my fibery friends again.  The food was amazing and the scenery too.  I can’t thank Deb enough for this opportunity.  I told her it was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me.