Author: oceandelight

While we love so much about the Wonderful World of Whiteway, doubtless the thing I enjoy the most about my new life as Happy InnKeeper has been getting to meet and spend a bit of time chatting with our lovely guests. What can I say – I’m a people person! So while we’ve enjoyed our much needed vacation, I’ve definitely missed this aspect of the job.

Thankfully, Joe Friday has been the ultimate host, stepping into our shoes and then some. We’ve learned a lot seeing him in action and all he does to make our guests happy. And he keeps me happy by updating me about their comings and goings!

First, here’s Bob and Tonya, who loved staying at the Partridgeberry and warmed up with quite the beach fire! The also loved that Joe left them some snowball cookies on their pillows. As Joe tells us, ‘the little tiny touches people love!’

And here’s Steve, of Vanessa and Steve, who stayed at the Cloudberry with their standard poodle, Percy. Looks like Murphy found a new friend! We’re so happy that this lovely couple enjoyed their weekend getaway – but don’t take our word for it! (And don’t forget, still a few weeks left to take advantage of our Winter Special, and we have a few cottages left for St. Pat’s long weekend!).

One of the requirements of being a Renaissance dog is an innate sense of fashion. You know, it’s a ‘the clothes don’t make the dog’ type of thing. So I am loving my new red handkerchief, causally sported here, tied at the side to accentuate my strong chin and dark brown eyes. It’s new, and I got it specifically to be appropriately dressed for the homecoming of Jerry and The Berry (this Friday!). I always look my best for special occasions!

You might notice Molly, nonplussed, in the corner!

With a few weeks left in our Stay in and Stay Warm Package, Joe (busy as always) has been thinking up ways to spice up our guest’s baskets. Since they get hot chocolate on arrival, what goes better with that than mini-marshmallows? Looks like there’s plenty of extras!

Watching the sun set and being in nature is like my ‘church,’ so Sunday’s I like to share beautiful pictures of it. This was was either taken in the Wonderful World of Whiteway, or beautiful Belize. Any guesses which one?

Saturday’s we feature Newfoundland photographers on the blog and I couldn’t be more thrilled that our good friend, the exceptionally talented Allison George, has shared some of her work with us. I like the way she captures the beauty of the different seasons in these shots. Enjoy, and please share your beautiful Newfoundland pictures with us, too – it can be a great platform for aspiring artists!

Don’t forget, St. Pat’s and Easter are coming up, offering great opportunities to come out to a beautiful, secluded place around the bay and take some of your own great Newfoundland photography!

I think Joe is trying to crucify me and make me jealous by sending me all the pictures of the traditional Newfoundland food he’s been enjoying while we’ve been away! Here’s a Jigg’s Dinner he enjoyed with Alf and Hilda. They also had oven-baked turr, wild bird meat, that he described as good and gamey. And I know Shirley has also brought him seafood chowder. Says Joe Friday, “Sometimes I feel like the town has adopted me, it’s wonderful … but not a good spot for diets!” I couldn’t agree more! And can’t wait to get back to some Newfoundland home cooking next week!

We’re going to be getting home from Belize just in time for one of my favourite holidays – celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Newfoundland is the best! St. Pat’s falls on a Monday this year, and many people will have the day off from work. In fact, Newfoundland is one of only 4 places in the world that makes this feast day a public holiday (along with the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, of course, and Montserrat, a small island in the Caribbean which also has its fair share of Irish descendents).

I think, of course, that the cottages are the perfect place to celebrate this day of all things Irish (but I think any excuse is a good one for the Wonderful World of Whiteway!). Our cottages are big enough to accommodate groups, or you can get two side by side, all but eliminating the need for designated drivers. And given our landscape and our proximity to the sea, you’ll think you’re on the Emerald Isle! And certainly many people still honour the traditional religious underpinnings of the holiday – there are two churches in Whiteway and several more within quick driving distance.

We also have a downtown Character Home for rent that is minutes away from George Street (again, eliminating the need for a DD!). If you haven’t partied on George Street, you haven’t lived! And I can one-up that – if you haven’t waited in line on George Street at 7.30 in the morning to reserve your table all day for St. Pat’s, then you haven’t lived like I have! It’s something you need to do once in your life!

But really, what is all the fuss about Newfoundland, Ireland and St. Patrick’s Day? Turns out a good 81% of Newfoundlanders claim Irish ancestry. Our names, our songs, our accents, often our religion, all hark back to ‘the land of Saints and Scholars.’ For over 300 years our countries have been closely connected, culturally and geographically, and Tim Pat Coogan in “Wherever Green is Worn” calls Newfoundland “the most Irish place in the world outside of Ireland.” See – we’re not fooling around when we don our shamrocks and green hats here!

Also, the bulk of the Irish who came to Newfoundland did so earlier than in other parts of North America, and they were able to establish strong communities before Irish racism set in for the Irish diaspora in other parts of the world. ‘No Irish need apply’ signs, so grossly prevalent in big cities like Boston and New York, didn’t show up here. The lack of friction and violence experienced by the Irish here meant that they could be cultural leaders and play a prominent role in Newfoundland government and society. Truly here, the Irish were free to be Irish – and that legacy is still alive today.

If you’re interested in hearing an Irish person’s take on our beautiful province, or you’d like to hear more about about the Newfoundland-Ireland connection, take a listen to this interview with Jo Kerrigan, a travel writer from Cork who recently visited. In her piece, she calls Newfoundland ‘the Other Ireland.’ She says that as a young girl she always heard stories about Newfoundland and how similar it was to her home, and always wanted to visit (and I can tell you, I know a lot of Newfoundlanders with the same desire, just in reverse!). She says we’re just like the Irish, but even more so, as we’re “quick to talk, and to chat, and to enjoy getting on and sharing exciting stories.” She also thinks we’re a bit tougher for having to survive our harsher winters. The interview is only 7 minutes long, and it’s worth a listen – if only for the wonderfully lilting way Jo pronounces ‘L’anse aux Meadows!’

So here’s my pitch: this St. Patrick’s day, take a little time to appreciate this unique sisterhood of cultures and to celebrate the close connection between Newfoundland and Ireland. I promise (as you can see from this post), that once you start doing a little research on the Internet, you’ll get quickly engrossed. We’d love to have you out here at the cottages to raise a glass (of green beer!) with me, The Berry and Joe Friday, but either way, I hope you enjoy celebrating St. Patrick’s Day in Newfoundland!

Don’t think Clifford’s only talent is for natural,  Newfoundland scenes. I love this self-portrait and am grateful Lisa Day sent me this picture so I can share it with you. Stay tuned – tomorrow I’ll have a post about the Newfoundland-Ireland connection, just in time for St. Paddy’s (conveniently over a weekend this year!), and remember that we’re giving all our guests over Easter weekend a free treats basket and bottle of Joe Friday’s wine!

As ambassador of Ocean Delight, I work hard entertaining guests and showing their four-leggeds how to play in the ocean. I also frequently have to oversee my humans as they chop wood, move furniture, and do other odd jobs around the cottages. So after a hard day’s work, I like to kick back with my shows. Fortunately, Jerry and The Berry have a great entertainment system set up. Unfortunately, I’m not the one in charge of the remote! …..

And if this looks like a nice set-up to you, remember that the cottages all have fully equipped kitchens for cooking Easter dinner, and all of our Easter guests will get a free treats basket and a bottle of Joe Friday’s wine! And I wasn’t in the Wonderful World of Whiteway last year, but I’ve been told the Easter Bunny still makes trips out this way!

To keep us posted while on vacation, Joe has taken to emailing us some snapshots of comments in our Guest Book. It’s always great to hear that guests are enjoying themselves – nothing makes us happier. Thanks to Joe for holding the fort so well and for sending these along to brighten our day!