Author: oceandelight

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Paddy’s Day Pleasures: 2 Ways

We celebrated St. Patrick’s Day in two distinct ways – not sure which one we enjoyed most. The first was in Whiteway:

On Thursday night, Laurelyn, her daughter, Rebecca, and I celebrated an early St. Patrick’s Day with a Scoff & Scuff at the local rec centre, $5 for all-you-can-eat Jigg’s Dinner (I had two plate-fulls) and $3 a drink (lets just say I had more than one).

We had a few dances, listened to some great live music by local talent, Five Atlantic, and mingled with our new neighbours. And we were home by 9 – with enough time to finish the night off with a movie. A very sane way to spend the evening, indeed – with no hangovers the next morning.

The second Paddy’s Day celebration was in St. John’s this morning:

Here we are enjoying brunch and dancing at Bridie Molloy’s in downtown St. John’s. I hope your celebrations were equally fun and varied! Which of these two appeals most to you? I’d have a hard time choosing!

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Come out for Clifford

From March 16 – April 7, Whiteway’s own Clifford George will be displaying his work in an exhibition entitled “Presence of Absence” at the Christina Parker Gallery in St. John’s. If you’re in the area, you should head over to the opening reception tonight, from 5:30-8:00, where there will be live music from Boyd Chubbs and Charlie Crocker, and a recitation from John Warren. Clifford will be in attendance. So much Newfoundland talent in one space!

We’ll be there tonight, then heading to O’Reillys for some Paddy’s Day green.

We’re lucky to have met Clifford and his wife, Shirley, since moving out here. They are truly good, welcoming people, and we’re lucky to call them friends. They even offered to help us with our Valentine’s Day Special by taking guests out on a sleigh ride (video here).

Clifford’s brother, Wayne George, is also a noted artist and sells wonderful items at his store, Shag Rock Arts & Crafts, a quick ride from the cottages. You can see some of his lovely items for sale here.

And just in case a fancy art exhibit sounds too intimidating, believe me: Clifford is a salt-of-the earth guy who doesn’t take himself too seriously! (not sure of the context one this one!)

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First Marshmallow Roast of 2012

Laurelyn’s daughter is in town (or wait, do I need to say, ‘around the bay’ now?) and we’re making the most of it – last night with a bonfire and roasted marshmallows. It was such a calm, beautiful day in Whiteway and the evening was just the same. A great reminder that we don’t need to wait til summer for summertime pleasures – the beach is always there and waiting for you to take advantage, no matter the season. I’m glad that last night we did! Check out some more of our shots:

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Cats and Quilts

As I’ve spoken of before, we’re redecorating the cabins, making them our ‘own.’ It’s been fun for me, and especially fun for the Berry (Laurelyn). And even more fun now that her daughter, Rebecca, has spent the past week visiting us from Ontario, and the two have been hard at work.

Rebecca brought home a pillowcase for the Cranberry Suite – it’s brand new, but helps give a vintage-y feeling. As soon as the bed was made, Molly jumped on and made it her own. She thinks she’s made a new friend.

One of the things tourists (and Newfoundlanders, for that matter) love about this province are our beautiful handmade quilts. The province is dotted with stores selling quilting supplies and sometimes finished items, like the Piece Makers in Conception Bay (just outside St. John’s). For some really stunning work, check out the work of artist Vicky Taylor-Hood, whose work is available at the Devon House in downtown St. John’s – a store not to be missed on any visit to the city. Happy Quilting!

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Pony Show

Nearby our cottages is The Horse and Pony Protection Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, (HAPPA-NL) a sanctuary where you are free to visit (or volunteer!) – which I did with the beautiful Berry and my beautiful daughter, Kathryn, this past Christmas.

HAPPA-NL is the only organization of its kind in Eastern Canada, and their policy is never to turn away an equine in need. Plus, it’s a great place for a photo-op!

HAPPA-NL is also the second passion of famous Newfoundland artist, Whiteway resident and new friend, Clifford George. Clifford will be having an exhibition called The Presence of Absence at the Christina Parker Gallery in St. John’s from March 16th-April 7th. I can’t recommend checking out this exhibit enough – Cliff is one of this province’s great treasures, and his work is truly stunning.

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Daylight Savings Show Off

I hope no one forgot about Daylight Savings this weekend. I’m an early riser so I welcome the change. And Sunday was especially bright and sunny in Whiteway, so I thought I’d show off Shag Rock basking in all its glory. I’m truly grateful to wake up to this view every morning, and go to bed with it every night.

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Wonderful Windy

WWW at the WWW – that’s Wonderfully Windy Weather at the Wonderful World of Whiteway. As you can see in this blurry picture, we had a downed tree last night resting on the power line feeding the house and cottages.

Thank God for good guests. Len and Ryan, from Grand Bank, are currently working at Argentia and making our Partridgeberry their home away from home. They were out barbequing last night, so I stopped by for a chat.

Thankfully, while we were talking, they noticed the tree. I wasn’t sure what to do, so Ryan asked if I had a chainsaw – we do, thanks to the Berry and Kijiji. Without hesitation, Ryan said, “get it for me and I’ll fix that for you right now.”

And sure enough, he cut the tree down and saved the day (or should I say night). We still have electricity.

How sweet it is. God love good guests, and God love Newfoundlanders who’ll pitch in to help at a moment’s notice!

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Joe Friday

Joe’s at it again – going out of his way to be worth his weight in gold. Here he is making a huge pot of chicken soup for our weekend guests – of which we’ll have plenty, as for the first time, we have every cottage booked. And this is low season!

Joe claims to make the best chicken soup – and he says it’s a good match for our cottages, which he calls chicken soup for the soul.

We Byrnes like to banter, but in this case I have to agree: the soup is fantastic, and this place is good for the soul. I’d be lying if I said our guests were going to be the only ones enjoying themselves (or the soup!) this weekend.

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Take a Seat

I needed a break half-way through another ‘out with the old, in with the new’ furniture haul. I should have flipped the couch and left it there, making it the best seat in the house for its ocean view.

Our end-of-March deadline for upgrading the cottages draws nigh, so I’m doing lots of little trips with a loaded truck. Thankfully, driving ‘around the bay’ is stunning, and almost worth the trip itself. Here’s Green’s Harbour, a community about two miles away from Whiteway (and Ocean’s Delight).