This beauty of a shot was captured by our guests Mike and Gloria. We loved having them, and, as they shared with us, they loved being here. Happy guests are what make this job so worthwhile. That, and our beautiful sunsets.
Budding Saturday: Traditional Boats
Saturday’s we like sharing pictures from Bud Vincent, a great Newfoundland photographer. He says he loves taking pictures of boats, and I can see why. I love the way he captures the stillness and beauty of this traditional Newfoundland scene (if you have more interest in traditional boat building, please check out the Wooden Boat Museum in Winterton, near our cottages – we did, and we loved it).
Shag It Joe
Anyone who had been to the cottages (or reads this blog regularly, for that matter), knows the many faces of Joe. He’s a service manager extraordinaire, doing any odd jobs you can think of, always going above and beyond, always anticipating our guests’ needs before they do. What can we say, we wouldn’t make it without Joe Friday!
And now that we’re running the Shag It Cafe and Gift Shop, that couldn’t be more true. It’s been crazy opening up this new venture (which is at our Whiteway cottages location), we have lots of great new staff, and we’re busy working on our kinks and getting it right. And we couldn’t have done that without Shag It Joe. Or is that Joe Shag It? Hm, not sure if either of those sounds right!
Either way, don’t forget – today’s the last day to enter our Facebook contest – the winner of the draw gets a $50 gift certificate towards the Shag It, or a Shag It tee shirt or apron. Should you enter? Shag It – why not?
Riddle Rod Fence
Here is an old Newfoundland fence like I had never seen before. Made with riddle rods (sometimes called wriggle rods), they were quite common around the bay a few generations ago. There are small sticks weaved in and out over three horizontal sticks (called longers or lungers). They require no nails and are extremely sturdy and designed to withstand high winds.
This is an amazing privacy fence we have under construction – we’re planning to build more!
Tuesdays with Murphy: On the Job
I’ve seen how busy everyone is with the Shag It Cafe and Gift Shop, so I’ve decided to pitch in. Here I am prepping for a day in the kitchen. It might be making your next Soup and Sandwich! And remember – less than a week left to enter our contest to win a $50 gift card or one of our tee shirts or aprons.
Newfoundland Vacation
We have our like-family guests, Mike and Gloria, to thank for these great shots of their Newfoundland vacation. After their time with us, they set us this email – it’s exactly the kind of feedback that makes us love our job, and keep creating new ways to help visitors enjoy the Baccalieu Trail. Below are their pictures of Brigus, another beautiful community on the Baccalieu Trail. Thanks again, Mike and Gloria, and we hope to see you back!
Hello,
Mike and I would like to thank you again for our enjoyable holiday at Whiteway. We met and enjoyed talking to a lot of wonderful people and have made some new friends.
Wished that the cafe had been open when we were there and could have enjoyed some of the home cooked treats.
Thank you Jerry for the boat tour of Shag Rock and the beautiful coast line of Trinity Bay. I got some great pictures of Shag Rock and also a long distance one of the eagles.
We will certainly recommend the cottages and the gorgeous Doctor’s House Inn and Spa.
I have enclosed some photos from our tours, not bad for a cheap camera.
Thanks again and all the best,
Mike and Gloria
Budding Saturday: Random Passage Movie Set
I recommend the movie Random Passage to anyone interested in Newfoundland culture and history – it really helps you understand what forces formed this colony. That’s why I love the pictures Bud Vincent sent me for the blog this week – of the movie set in New Bonaventure, Trinity Bay. Just beautiful.
Day Trips: Wooden Boat Museum
Since we’re trying to spend our downtime exploring the area a little bit (it’s always a treat getting more acquainted with the Baccalieu Trail), The Berry reccomended we check out the Wooden Boat Museum in nearby Winterton. She’d been before and loved it, and we’ve blogged before about their great workshops and exhibits, dedicated to the history and context of traditional Newfoundland boats and boat building. So I was excited to see it with my own eyes. I was not disappointed. We saw lots, learned lots, and really enjoyed ourselves. I can’t say I’ve been in tons of museums, but it was definitely one of my favourites. 
Visiting guests, if you’re interested in your own day trips, there’s lots to do! Please feel free to ask for recommendations, or check out our Things to Do page to learn more.
Shag It Guests
Please forgive me if my posts are a little Shag It-centric lately – it’s a brand new endeavor we’re excited about, and it’s taking up a lot of our time as we get it running. If this blog is about my daily life in Whiteway, well, this is my daily life in Whiteway! We’re enjoying ourselves, working like dogs, making some mistakes and learning from them. Thankfully, we’ve had lots of happy customers, which inspires us to keep going and growing.
And if you believe it or not, I’ve even donned an apron to pitch in. Above are my first customers. These 4 are from Ontario (have I told you how much I love Ontarians?). Being my first customers, I made some mistakes – and they helped me laugh at myself. They enjoyed themselves so much they all bought our beautiful tee-shirts – how sweet is that?
And below are two sisters, who are repeat customers! They tell us they love everything about the place. We tell them we’re thrilled they came back!
All in the Family
Just like this time two years ago I never thought I’d be in the tourism business, this time a year ago I never thought I’d be in the restaurant one. The Shag It Cafe and Gift Shop is open, with lots of success, but also lots of learning already under our belt. Barely a week in, we’re still working on the ins and outs, but thankfully, our view, our fabulous and tasty menu, and our fun gifts, seem to be doing the trick. We’re grateful to our friends, neighbours, guests and community for supporting us so far.
I’m also very grateful because our opening happened to coincide with a visit from my daughter, Kathryn, who lives in BC. She came with her boyfriend, Victor. Both rolled up their sleeves and pitched in – it’s true what they say, many hands make light work. When your family’s involved, it’s light work indeed. And a pleasure, too.
