Author: oceandelight

Posted on

The Rooms with a View

I spend a lot of time on this blog celebrating Whiteway and Heart’s Delight and our new little paradise we’re building out there, because it’s new and we’re so excited about it. But I still come into St. John’s most weeks (where I am currently), and sometimes when you’re used to a place it’s easy to forget about its good points. St. John’s, of course, has many. Here I am outside of one: The Rooms, which is not only a world class museum and a must-see for any visitors to the city, but also perfectly located to give some of the best photo-ops of the city. If it’s not too windy, you can even go out on their balconies, where I got these shots.

Something else I always recommend is checking out The Rooms Cafe (you don’t need to pay to go through the museum if you’re just eating). Not only is the food divine, big windows offer a panoramic view of the city. Whenever my daughters are in town, we always hit it up. Here’s my youngest and oldest, Kathryn and Adrienne, having fun there one Christmas.

Posted on

Little Boats of Newfoundland

So I am back in old St. John’s, and thinking about new (to me) Whiteway. I took these shots right before I left for my Gros Morne trip, and they made me think about the great Harry Hibbs singing ‘Little Boats of Newfoundland. Gotta love Youtube! Hibbs was a real Newfoundland treasure and it’s great to hear traditional music still so popular today.

Here’s some little boats another shot I took a few years ago, just outside Corner Brook. I’m sure you can get shots like this pretty much everywhere on the island!

Posted on

Sheila Brushed

If you’re in Newfoundland, you probably spent last weekend bemoaning Sheila’s Brush. If you’re not from Newfoundland, you’re probably wondering, ‘what’s Shelia’s Brush’?

Colloquially, Sheila’s Brush is a final winter storm, late in the season, sometimes even in what we’d like to consider Spring – which is what we got this past weekend. I just did a little research and learned that historically, Sheila was considered the wife of St. Patrick, and a storm was expected around St. Paddy’s Day. Lots of Newfoundlanders wouldn’t consider it safely ‘summer’ – an important distinction when going out to sea – until after a final such storm.

Regardless, this picture was was taken by local talent and friend, Albert Legge (see other of Albert’s shots here and here) this past Sunday, a day after our Sheila’s Brush. Look closely and you can see our house (the bigger yellow building) and our 3 little cottages closeby. Hard to be mad at Sheila when she leaves such vistas in her wake!

Posted on

Let the Eagle Soar

Unlike yesterday’s April Fool’s post, I promise that these were all taken in Whiteway recently. But not by me – by our new friend, Albert Legge. Albert is an avid photographer, and his pictures blow me away, so much so that this isn’t the first time I’ve begged to use them in my blog; he really showcases the natural beauty of the Wonderful World of Whiteway!

This beautiful guy (or girl? I can’t tell!) is one of the many creatures that show up on our shores – and as the weather gets warmer I can’t wait for more visitors. Maybe we should have named one of our cottages The Eagle?

Posted on

April Whale’s Day

Whiteway is certainly an amazing place. Yesterday I was raving about the pack of 20 dolphins I sighted from my kitchen window. But today brought something much sadder to us – in the middle of the night, a humongous humpback whale had beached itself no more than 150 feet from our house.

Very upset, we tried contacting local authorities, but it was early Sunday morning and we could only get hold of the local volunteer fire department and some local fishermen who rose to the occasion. Dozens of us were out throwing buckets of water on the poor animal, trying to keep it hydrated.

Thankfully, when the tide came in, and with the help of some tugboats, we were able to get the creature back out into the water. We were so grateful to have avoided such a catastrophe, and we’ll never forget the day this magnificent fish (ok, mammal) showed up on our shores.

Posted on

Church Sunday: St. George’s Heritage Church

Continuing my Sunday Series highlighting churches throughout the island, here’s St. George’s Anglican church, a provincial heritage structure open for viewing that hosts concerts showcasing great Newfoundland talent, like Ron Hynes and The Morgan Brothers. This June, the church will host the final performance of the John Cossar and Jim Dorie Ballads and Barnacles Tour.

St. George’s is in sweet Brigus, a little community on the Baccalieu Trail and about an hour drive from our cottages. I have brought many a picnic there. Visitors to Newfoundland (and Newfoundlanders alike) who are here in August should definitely check out their Blueberry Festival – I know my Berry (Laurelyn) and I will try to.

Posted on

Trinity Dolphins

Forget the Miami Dolphins, here are the Trinity Dolphins. I loved being in Gros Morne, but was so happy to get back home to the Wonderful World of Whiteway. Yesterday morning proved the saying ‘there’s no place like home’: when I got up and had my coffee, looking at Shag Rock (my new muse), I saw a pod of about 20 dolphins herding fish. It was amazing, and it is only March – this is going to be a great whale-watching season!

I wish I had a better camera – maybe I’ll have to invest in one before summer. If you want an idea of what such a pod is like up-close, I highly recommend you check out this video of dolphins in Trinity Bay – it’s awesome.

Posted on

Best Fish & Chips on the Island

Yesterday, elated from my Gros Morne Institute for Sustainable Tourism seminar and driving back home to the east coast, I made an awesome discovery: the best fish and chips I have ever had. That’s saying a lot coming from a Newfoundlander with decades worth of fish and chips under my belt – because I’d say we rival England for the superiority of this classic.

I wouldn’t be a (now semi-) townie if I didn’t have a soft spot in my heart for Ches’s, and Dicks’s on Bell Island (see below) is a fine contender, but I tell you I have discovered a gem. I’ve driven by the Badger Diner countless times and passed on by – a mistake I won’t be making again! The owner, Lil, told me they’ve been there 29 years. Truly divine, truly the best kept secret in Newfoundland, and there’s nothing like finding a new favourite.

Posted on

Edgie

I am now an official ‘Edgie’ – meaning I have completed the Gros Morne Institute for Sustainable Tourism‘s Edge of the Wedge Course. This was truly the best and most enlightening course I’ve ever taken – it was all about how to enhance the experience of our guests and our community in the process. We’re new to the tourism industry; I came to this with an empty tool box and am leaving with a full one.

We wrapped up last night with a performance by Anchors Aweigh (quite literally one of the best Newfoundland bands I’ve ever heard), and a kitchen party that lasted til 4Am – how ‘Newfoundland’ is that? (Although in full disclosure, I only last til 2:30, since I have a long drive ahead of me today, back to the east coast – can’t wait to put what I’ve learned into practice).

And by the way, here’s my new band, The Tuckamore or Less, on our first performance! Big thanks to GMIST for such an awesome couple of days!

Posted on

Hooking Rugs (Molly) Made Easy

And the learning continues in Gros Morne thanks to the Gros Morne Institute for Sustainable Tourism and, today, Molly Made Fibre Art Studio. Molly Made is a great, local business success story, and if you’re in Woody Point or the Gros Morne area, you can for free go to the studio and learn how to hook rugs, and take a kit home (and you can also order the kits online if you’re interested).

Local experience can enhance a tourists’ stay, so yesterday, as you can see, we ‘experienced’ hooking rugs, a Newfoundland tradition. Great in concept, and everyone in the class with a greater attention span than me really learned something! It was really fun, and followed by soup and sandwiches (moose and chicken and pea) provided by the Anglican Church vestry.

If you’re in Woody Point or the Gros Morne area, I highly recommend Molly Made – so you can learn to hook rugs, too!