Tuesday’s with Murphy: It Won’t Be Long Now

Hiking with our dogs in newfoundlandAhhh, after a long winter hiatus, I’m stretching my paws and flexing my literary muscles, to get back to blogging, my third passion (nothing tops playing fetch in the ocean, or dog naps with my 3 cats, of course). New readers might not know that sometimes, on Tuesdays, my human, Jerry relinquishes the blogging reigns to me, Murphy, the four-legged ring-leader of this multi-pronged tourism operation. I haven’t blogged all winter, but now that we’re heading into our busy summer season, Jerry deserves a break now and then!

So today I’m waxing reflective, looking ahead to what is in my near future – the walk to Hopeall Falls. This hiking trail starts close to our cottages, and it’s a walk my golden retriever brother, Friday, routinely take our humans on.

They get to turn off their cells phones, stretch their legs, and enjoy some peace and quiet (and often a little mug-up, too), while we swim in the river, hopelessly chase rabbits and dash through the trees. Friday likes to roll in the mud, so I’m often forced to join – but only so he’s not embarrassed by being the only one covered in dirt, of course.

There are lots of walks around here, but Hopeall Falls is definitely my favourite. And I can’t wait for the lazy days of summer, to enjoy it regularly again (we’ve got some Spring Specials on the go, if you’re ready for a getaway now). And remember, pets are welcome at Ocean Delight for a small fee – trust us, it’s a four-legged’s dream!

A Nice Walk

Hiking at our Newfoundland cottages

The Berry is in 7th Heaven. Her daughter, Rebecca, son-in-law, Rich and granddaughter, Nell, all recently moved back to Newfoundland. It’s a big day in any family when the prodigal children return!

One of the ways we’ve celebrated was by welcoming the young family at the cottages for a few days.  While here, we went for a walk on one of the dozens of beautiful trails in the area.  This particular one is about 20km, although we didn’t come close to walking the whole thing.

It was a gorgeous walk as Rich, Rebecca, Nell, The Berry, Friday, Murphy and I took in the sun and fresh air. Having easy access to these beautiful hikes is one of my favourite things about the Wonderful World of Whiteway – so current and future guests, if you’re looking for advice or directions to the best ones, just ask!

Sunset Sunday: Priceless

Newfoundland suncatchersA picture is worth a thousand words, and a sun-catcher? Priceless. The Berry’s mother makes these beautiful pieces, and I’m grateful that a few have wound up in our home. They’re always pretty, of course, and at sunrise and sunset they make our whole room dance with magical light. It’s truly a sight to see. Happy Sunday!

The Doctor’s Last Minute Club!

The Doctor's HouseThe Doctor’s House opens today, and we’ve got a fun way to kick off our season. We tend to book up quickly, but last minute cancellations can and do happen. And since we’re only an hour outside St. John’s, we know lots of locals would love to come out here to the Bacalieu Trail more often.

So, introducing The Doctor’s Last Minute Club! Anytime we have last-minute openings or specials, you’ll be the first to know. It’s a great way to squeeze in a few weekend getaways this summer at a great price. Sign up here!

Reflections

Sunset in NewfoundlandI am a sunset connoisseur, and here in Trinity Bay we have the best sunsets I have ever seen. And I have a secret – sometimes is it not about sun gazing or the incredible afterglows and afterimages.  It is about the reflections and the flow-through.

Like I recently witnessed with this magical sunset and its magnetic afterglow.  Look at how it lights up the orchid and its flowers.  It takes them from beautiful to that higher level of pure radiance.

 Sunsets like this are good for the eyes – and good for the soul. And given that our season at The Doctor’s House officially kicks off tomorrow, we need all the relaxing moments we can get – we’re not going to get many over the next few months!

A View that Won’t Quit

view at our ocean front cottagesWe get it. With that lingering brown snow, it’s hard to get a case of Spring Fever this year. But trust us – this view of Shag Rock is beautiful and relaxing any time of year. With The Doctor’s House opening this Friday (this Friday!) and our current Spring Specials, we’re doing our level best to pull our fellow Newfoundlanders out of this long-winter-funk. After the season we’ve had, don’t we deserve it???

Guest House Update

Renovations at our Guest houseThings are quite busy here, since The Doctor’s House is opening this weekend (!). And we’re only a few weeks away from opening our newly renovated Guest House.

We’re picking up speed on our work, to make sure we’re ready for the May 1 open of the guest house.  We’re started painting, and then down goes the new flooring, followed by the doors and trim.  Then we’ll start on the wrap-around deck, install the hot tub, and start moving in furniture and equipment.  And, ‘viola’ -our 4 bedroom house will be open and ready to delight. To celebrate, we’ve got a Ladies’ Retreat Weekend Special on offer. Don’t miss the chance to be one of the first to experience something totally new and totally unique!

Ronovationgs at our Newfoundland guests house

 

Let’s Get Ready to Rumble

New tractor at our Newfoundland inn and spaOur latest baby at The Doctor’s House isn’t what you might think, given our penchant for rescuing animals and the several pregnant females in our barn. We’re so excited to welcome this new tractor to the family!

This tractor comes with bucket and backhoe, a road grader, plow, fertilizer spreader, and some other gadgets – maintaining 100 acres takes a lot of work and needs a big machine!

 It’s 30 Horse Power, meaning it can do the work of a herd of about 50 Newfoundland ponies (and ff you look closely at the picture above, you can see our Newfoundland ponies in the background).  This tractor will be cheaper to feed (not that our ponies are ‘work ponies’ anyway), and require a lot less maintenance and room to store.  It will need a mechanic instead of a doctor.

So you can see why these types of machines overtook animals.  But they’ll never replace them.  No matter how much we like it, this tractor will never come up to you and give you a hug, look you in the eye, maybe beg an apple or two. But Beauty, Shamrock and Month? Every time you visit!

Tractor at our Newfoundland inn and spa

Happy Easter, Happy Sunset

Sun setting over shag rockNope – there’s no bunnies or baskets or chocolates or eggs in today’s post (though hopefully your day is filled with them!). Just the sun setting over Shag Rock, and sincere wishes that today is a relaxing one for you, that you’re enjoying the long weekend, and stopping to smell the roses – or tulips, daisies, or other more more seasonal flowers! The Berry and I are enjoying a few extra treats this morning, thinking back to when our children were young and the Easter Bunny used to visit, and, like always, planning ways to make the coming season great. Hope your day is equally enjoyable, and Happy Easter!