‘Bout time to take a break and sit upon the shore and watch the waves go by.  Looks like you’ve earned it…

 

… and spin a yarn or two.  Tell me why you chose these colours – tangerine and blue.

Join me for a partridgeberry scone and cup of tea, and tell me all the stories of your home beside the sea.

Tell me of the icebergs that drift nearby your shore, and I will stay yet longer to hear about it more.

Your happy paint has cheered my heart on this a rainy day, and just to come and sit a spell has chased my cares away …

.. and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down,             from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook,                and feel the gentle breeze …

…  Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,How great Thou art, How great Thou art.

Travelling up from Rocky Harbour on the Northern Peninsula, we have often enjoyed this scenic spot.  I remember the first time we were there seeing the strangely formed black trees … it was like something out of a fairy forest …  Now they are bleached white, but still appear otherworldly.

 

The lone hiker helps to show the size of these rocks, formed by the sea.  We’ve been here at all times of the day, and in the many moods of Newfoundland weather … at sunset, in the morning, in the rain…

The smoothed and rounded beach rocks a myriad of colours, just beautiful … and rather than take them home to decorate my garden, I just keep coming back for another look.

My memories of Bonavista go back more than 20 years.  We stayed with Marie and Arch White at their B&B and each year she expanded her jam and jelly offerings at breakfast.  The key was to take your toast apart so you could sample each without eating a whole loaf of bread at one sitting.  Marvellous hosts they were.  We would wind up at the Cape each evening, enjoying the puffins by the Lighthouse, the blue flag iris, and the little fishing boats and whales offshore.  Little Dairy King has always been our favourite place to eat … balancing the fantastic feed of  fish and chips while saving enough room for an ice-cream flurry.  Glynnis and Connie always greeting us with a welcoming smile and the latest whale sightings.Here, the view of the building for the Matthew replica identifies the harbour, and I still remember climbing aboard and going back in Cabot’s time, imagining what it was like when he discovered this wonderful place.  The skies always seem blue here, and despite the cool breeze at times, we have always loved visiting this part of the Island.  What’s not to love … colourful houses, sheep, cows and horses grazing freely in the Dungeon Provincial Park, visiting the Ryan Premises, or Neil’s Yard for a cuppa, or shopping for blueberry buckets at Swyers, or whatever else one might need.  To happy times, and ongoing memories….

Nowhere is this truer than in my beloved Newfoundland.  No matter how often I return, it does seem that life, and freedom, joy, and simple pleasures … begin here.    ESPECIALLY where the road ends.  Yesterday, we turned down a lane we hadn’t been before off of Route 237, and what do we find at this “dump”?  A stunning field of lupins, so unexpected, so THERE.  Then a friendly fellow driving a large truck rolled down his window … and I thought he was saying something about “illegal” … and I thought I wasn’t supposed to be there, however, when I said sorry, he repeated himself about the eagle that awaited us if we just drove on a few yards further.  And there it was … a gorgeous juvenile eagle sitting on a rock overlooking the dump … not more than 5 feet from us, and in no hurry to leave as my camera came out for the occasion.

Today, we wandered down another paved road just off from Trinity, and what do we find but the abandoned Trinity Loop Amusement Park … vandalized yes, but easy to conjure up the images of happier years .. you could almost hear the children’s laughter as they lined up for the bumper water rides, feel their anticipation as in years gone by they would be lining up for popcorn and icecream, sense the competitive spirit of young siblings as they knocked around the mini-golf course, and hear the squeals of fright and fun as they rode the ferris wheel, which has long since lost its seats and operator, but still stands tall here.

Next, we wandered down another road, where we happened upon a mother duckling safely escorting her ducklings across the road and under the guardrail to descend upon the pond below.

Nowhere have I found such serendipity and happenstance as I have found in Newfoundland.

Paradise indeed.  No built-in wrap around deck seating, or paint-baked rockers.  Simple kitchen chairs set out, designed to make the understatement of “come sit a spell”.  While the rock of Keels lays beyond, surrounded by millions of blueberries for the taking.

This little darling is seriously disrupting my productivity at the office.  I mean really … I’m TRYING to concentrate and be focussed, but look at her.  Why is it everything they do is “too cute”!  They can be simply lying there on the carpet, or have their head rest on your slipper, or lap the water with their pink tongues, or hungrily munch their kibble, or chew their soft toys, or skid after their ball, or suck on a blade of grass … it’s all just “too cute”!   Never even mind that fluffy fur … soft as a newborn’s teddy bear, or her little paunch all pink and grey, warm as a hot water bottle.  At some point, you just have to take your fingers off the keyboard and pick her up for a cuddle session.  All too frequently for me, it would seem.

And I quote … you know you’re a DOG LOVER when …

you think your dog is a good kisser

your dog has more clothes than you

you hang out with your dog instead of friends

you only go places your dog is welcome

you eat fast food and your dog eats gourmet food

you have more pictures of your dog than your family

you spend more on your dog’s grooming than your own

your dog has more toys than your children

your dog makes your schedule.  Too true!

Our new little bundle of joy, resting quietly …  don’t let that fool you 🙂  It’s amazing the transformation between a house filled with a large older labrador retriever (content to enjoy quieter days and adventures amidst calm moments at your feet) and the entrance into a room of a little labradoodle puppy, complete with sharp baby teeth and a bouncy, somewhat unbalanced trot as she discovers the plentiful toy box left to her by her predecessor.  The energy with which she shakes each little treasure, tossing it in the air with abandon, the side glance to her owners to see if she’s really allowed, and scampering back again to enjoy another newfound squeaky one, until the floor is strewn with the objects of her play.  Just as quickly, she plops and spreads like pea soup into an exhausted little “puddle”, desperately in need of a nap amidst her pile of softies.  It’s incredible, how within minutes despite their “accidents” and the amount of work involved to take care of these little ones, they wrap themselves around your heartstrings and find you smiling and soothed despite the exhaustion of taking care of their every need … and want.  I simply cannot imagine living without a dog.  Or this little puppy of mine…

A little peckish on another coastal day trip, not wanting to leave the Fogster in a hot car while we dine.  What to do?  Visit Bonavista Social Club, in Upper Amherst Cove, of course … where the view is splendid and the food … ditto.  Our beloved was allowed to hang out on the patio at our feet, where she was given water (by the attentive waitress) and of course … a few strips of that delicious homemade bread (by us!), while we sipped our lemonade and soup.  Dessert involved partridgeberries and pavlova, after pan-fried cod just the way I like it.  Herbs grown in their own garden, among other produce.  The whale blowing off in the distance (no you can’t see it in the picture … you have to GO there!) was an added treat.  I have a feeling I’ll be doing this again … soon.  Perhaps then it will be their homemade pizza, or a moose burger … the options are making my mouth water.  www.bonavistasocialclub.com 

Wild guess … but I’m guessing these belong to Mike 🙂 …  Smiling to think of the time it took to carve the name in the wood siding just to make that clear, rather than just tuck those gloves inside.  Neon orange, no less, just so you’re not likely to miss them on the way by.  Too cute!