It’s impossible to befriend Clifford George and not begin to share and appreciate his dedication to saving the Newfoundland pony. The Newfoundland pony is a beautiful and hardy breed, recognized as a Heritage Animal by the Newfoundland and Labrador government for it’s unique role and value, but also considered a critically endangered species by Rare Breeds Canada. In fact, an animal once ubiquitous in rural Newfoundland, there are now less 400 remaining.
Clifford, like his father before him, is committed to preserving this sweet and steady animal. With the help that they provided our ancestors, in ploughing gardens, hauling in nets, and providing transportation from one remote location to another, it’s not a stretch to wonder whether we could have made it without them. And the usual tale – once new technology meant they were no longer needed, their numbers feel quickly. But they’re still great animals, as our Monty has surely demonstrated, great for riding and light work (in fact, its beautiful Newfoundland ponies are a big part of the reason we fell in love with The Doctor’s House). That’s why I’m so glad they have a crusader in Clifford and many of his friends.
Which brings me to the purpose of this blog post. Shirley just sent me this update that Cupids Legacy Centre is organizing various lectures or authors’ readings for their summer public program. On May 22, at 7:30, Dennis Flynn will be reading from his book ‘The Long Haul: Tracing the Path of the Endangered Newfoundland Pony.’ It sounds like a great opportunity to learn more about the breed, our history, and how the two are linked. I’ll be updating on Facebook when we get closer to the event, so stay tuned!
Well, if you’re a long time reader of the blog, you may have noticed a subtle shift in the past several days. Jerry had a good run of daily blogging – well over 365 days – and I know he’s loved every minute of it. I always sit at his feet early in the morning when he writes, cup of coffee in his hands, and I know it’s one of those moments we both enjoy best. But, to every thing, there is a season, and we’ve been thinking about forgoing the daily blog in favour or more detailed, information posts a few times. What do you think?
And, as you’ll also know if you’re a blog reader, with two big projects underway – the Shag It Cafe and Gift Shop, and The Doctor’s House – coupled with the usual busy start up of the summer season ….. well, Jerry’s been so busy he’s had to delegate lots of work lately. So I’m now the official Ocean Delight blogger, and I’ll dedicate my usual ‘Tuesdays with Murphy’ spot to talking about all the great events happening at the cottages, and in the Wonderful World of Whiteway.
And it’s impossible to blog about great events in Whiteway without talking about the Spring Hare, which just had a very successful turnout this past weekend. The Spring Hare is an annual story-telling, poetry reading and art display event that celebrates local talent and art. Jerry reports that this year was a full house, with fantastic art work and entertainment, great food and drink. What a potpourri of talent we have in this province – I wish they’d allowed four-leggeds!
Jerry and The Berry particularly enjoyed their great seats to see Glenn Simmons, formerly of the Wunderful Grand Band, and Amy House, a great Newfoundland comedian. Here’s Glenn performing … Jerry says you can really tell how much work was put into the entire production, and that he’s so grateful to live in such a talented, passionate community. We blog about Newfoundland art and artists frequently, so please check back to the blog regularly to see more.
And we love that our very own Lisa Day works so hard (along with many others) to bring us events like this! And please stay tuned, as we have some (hopefully) interesting, Newfoundland-centric articles coming soon!
May 1 was a special day – the culmination of months of hard work and years of dreaming, that I have been dying to share with you. Now it is official – Monty has a new home, and Laurelyn and I have a big new project – The Doctor’s House Inn and Spa. It is a wonderful and amazing place surrounded by open meadows , fields, forests and ocean, just minutes away from our cottages, still perfectly situated on the Baccalieu Trail. It was May 1st that we officially acquired this magnificent place for all to experience and enjoy.
The Doctor’s House Inn & Spa began more than half a century ago by a young Irish couple with big dreams and an extraordinary vision. Having newly immigrated to St. John’s, Dr. Charlie and Mary Boddie loved their rugged new homeland but were homesick for the lush gardens and greenery of Ireland.
Dr. Boddie was a dedicated dreamer, so bit by bit he sculpted a big country sanctuary, taking decades to create this masterpiece I fell in love with. Using their dreams and memories, and their unique story, the Boddie’s fashioned Newfoundland’s hidden jewel.
While Dr. Boddie found joy in creating his sanctuary, Mary found joy in her animals and her beloved horses. She was extremely fond of the Newfoundland Pony, rescuing many and starting a breeding program. You can still find 3 Newfoundland Ponies on the property today. One of them is now Monty, who is happily falling in love with Beauty and Shamrock, his new barn mates (whom you might remember from a trip we took last year!).
The Boddie’s no longer reside here at The Doctor’s House, but the splendor, love and romance they created is still very much alive. And so, in that spirit, we were happy to bring Monty to his new home. If it was a sad day for Clifford, Annie and Misty, with whom Monty has spent the past winter, it will be short lived. Rather than put his horses out in the pasture this year, Clifford will bring them to The Doctor’s House, to join Monty, Beauty and Shamrock under the care of Perry Oliver.
And we are so excited to share this truly remarkable space and landscape with friends, family, guests, travelers, and, mostly, the people of Newfoundland and Labrador. If ever a place showcased the beauty, potential, dreams and inspiration of this island, this is it. Mary had an exquisite hand for gardening. This is obvious when exploring the grounds, each flower, tree and bush neatly placed. It’s not just an oasis. It’s a sanctuary for poets, artists and wanderers, and the ultimate romantic escape. Wandering the vast grounds, exploring the nooks and crannies of the extravagantly and carefully built home, I’m not only proud to be a Newfoundlander. I’m happy to be alive, in this moment, and to be able to share it with others.
To that end, stay tuned! The Doctor’s House Inn and Spa is launching soon, but we wanted to give our faithful blog readers and supporters a heads up. We’ll be officially opening Saturday, June 1st – and this is such a special, premier place that we’re already getting pre-bookings! We’ll be launching some promotional specials this May 6, so be on the lookout (we’ll be using the blog and our Ocean Delight Facebook to promote the Doctor’s House for a little while, so check back here). The Inn is a luxurious Tudor mansion with 10 rooms – traditionally but elaborately decorated – and the Spa will offer a wide variety of world-class treatments featuring Aveda botanical products. Trust me – you haven’t seen anything like it!
You know it is spring around the bay when early in the morning you hear the loud purr of the outboard engine as it heads to the lobster pots. I saw Herman Harnum and his nephews as they were catching lobsters about 100 feet out from the Wonderful World of Whiteway. It was one of those 7 AM deep breaths of gratitude for making the decisions you make. It is easy to always second guess yourself and have 20/20 vision looking backwards. But you need moments like this to allow you a clearer vision looking forward.
It makes you happy to be alive and to be in the moment. Our harried life tries to knock us off our game, but looking out on a calm morning and seeing this makes me calm inside and confident in what I am doing.
So many hats for one dog. I’m not just in charge of guest relations, project management and package development (check out our Spring Specials!), I’m also an amateur Whiteway ambassador. It’s an easy job, with an area so rich in artists and art-lovers. So I’m happy to share the news about the upcoming Spring Hare. Free admission to world class lineup of speakers and writers, and you get to support the local arts community while you’re at it? Count me in!
And in case you needed your Murphy fix for the day, here’s me in Clifford’s barn!
I’d say every Newfoundlander anywhere near my age (born in the, uhhh, 60s!) remembers the old Comfort woodstove. We used to bring splits (kindling) and wood to school and our old Comfort would heat the classroom. Never has a name – Comfort – been more descriptive. I hadn’t seen one in years, but the name and association is lodged in my memory for sure.
So imagine my surprise when The Berry and I went to Grand Falls to pick up a wood stove for the new Shag It Cafe and Gift Shop we’re building. Laurelyn found the stove on Kijiji (where else?), and she’s usually pretty good at finding gems, but I didn’t know she was this good. When we showed up, we found this beauty, a real Comfort stove in immaculate condition. It is just what we needed to give the Shag It a down-homey feel. Now we’re even more excited to have it up and running – stay tuned for more updates!
Saturday posts are for celebrating Newfoundland’s two most abundant attributes – natural beauty, and artistic talent. If you have any pictures or art you’d like me to share, please send them along. Otherwise, enjoy these beautiful birds, captured beautifully by our friend, Bud Vincent.
Friends and readers of the blog no doubt know Lisa Day – there’s no doubt in our minds that without her friendship, help and guidance over the past year, Ocean Delight wouldn’t be what it is today. To know Lisa is to love her, and since she’s not just a social butterfly, but a social faerie, too, she has contacts all over the region, and is always the first person to know about local events and activities, often because she has a hand in organizing them. You may remember that she helped Joe with his acceptance speech when we won Accommodator the Year last winter.
So as we’re growing and gearing up for a busy summer, it was a no-brainer to make Lisa’s support official and bring her on board our little team. She is now helping us with Sales and Marketing, and already she is making life much easier and doing a great job. To that end, she just attended a workshop on ‘Theming the Baccalieu Trail as a Romantic Destination’ (couldn’t have been too difficult to come up with information for that one!). The event was led by Eastern Destination Management Organization (EDMO), which was instrumental to our learning the ropes in the hospitality business. Development Coordinator, Kathi Stacey led the event – that’s Kathi and Lisa, above.
Just like we have in the past, Lisa found the workshop illuminating. She said it was very informative and useful for highlighting all the wonderful things here to offer on the Baccalieu Trail, including local businesses and talents. She’s excited that there’s such an abundance in terms of partnering.
I couldn’t agree more, and I couldn’t be happier about this new partnership that we’re creating, too!
We’ve been spinning-like-a-top busy lately, so this email from Joe almost escaped my attention, until I saw the awesome picture and cute story attached. A few weeks ago, guest Peter brought his family to enjoy The Puffin. Here’s his son, ‘Cheek the Viking’, scanning the horizon in Heart’s Delight! He loved exploring with his dad and everyone had a great weekend – which is what we’re all about. Peter and his son are going to be returning to the Gannet this June. We’re looking forward to it – they’re a sweet family, and it’s always encouraging to meet well-behaved and respectful children! We know they’ll love all the exploring they can do when the weather’s a bit warmer.
