Aug Long Weekend

Jeremy and I have been busy the past couple of days. We spent the day downtown yesterday checking out the farmer`s market, the sports hall of fame and sitting on scarth street enjoying drinks (I had diet pepsi). We then walked to the rider game which ended in a win for us and we walked home from the stadium.







Today we drove to Avonlea to check out the town because they are finalists in the Ridervill contest. They did a great job so far, there were signs all the way there from Regina and every house in the town was decorated for the Riders. Thier main street was even painted like a football field and their street signs had been changed (mostly). The town was closed but they had a really nice antique store Jeremy and I are going to check back at next weekend.







From Avonlea we drove to Weyburn to see thier town for the Riderville contest and it was pretty pathetic to say the least; a couple flags here and there but nothing special.

We also had to make a stop at my favourite place in Weyburn: the Asylum. I loved this building, I loved the history, the layout, the long road in, the gardens etc, etc. It has since been torn down which is a very sad thing to Weyburn and Saskatchewan. At one point this asylum was totally self supportive and had beautiful gardens and walkways. The building was very large and had a sort of protective but eerie feeling about it, very institutional to say the least. Bad things did happen in there in its history and people lived and died there. Patients were able to play baseball, tend the gardens and go for walks on the grounds. As a result there are many `treasures` buried in the dirt and no one may ever find any of them. There is even a sign warning that treasure hunting is prohibited. This brick building once had a large copper dome in the front and was also the place the term `psychedelic` was coined when LSD testing was done by Dr. Osmond on alcoholics and schizophrenics. Lobotomies and electroshock treatments were also done here, although the latter does seem to work for some people. It also housed many very dangerous patients in small cells in the basement. This place was not all doom and gloom for everyone, as times changed and ethics came into play, many of the things we see as `bad` did come to a stop. This place was a home for many and a place where they felt safe and were able to get help. This was a residence for nurses and doctors, and now it is a pile of brick. Jeremy and I knew they had torn this place down last year but seeing it demolished was an even more depressing view than ever before. It`s gone, and the people`s lives that were a part of this place are gone too. I did manage to get a brick to bring home but this place will always be on my mind. There was a mural inside painted by one the patients on a wall... I hope they were able to salvage that at least. My uncle told me the doorknobs were crystal and had the sask coat of arms in the centre... of course those have all gone missing. I HIGHLY recommend a trip to Weyburn`s museum where you can get a glimpse of life within the asylums walls and please also read the book `Lady with a Lantern` by Kay Parley who was both a patient and a nurse at Weyburn Asylum. It was very upsetting to know that the ominous, yet beautiful brick prison is now absolutely gone.








BIG Sigh, anyways I also did some spinning: `Pink Sky at Night` and `Mariner`


And as a happy aside I should be getting 4 new spindles and some Spunky Club fibre next week!