Clifford George Original

Without further comment, here is a poem that Clifford sent me, based on an evening you may remember from the blog, where a group of friends gathered in front of Ocean Delight for an evening of fire and friends ….

DINNER IN THE BEACH

Late summer evening light as the sun sets and settles beyond the Shag Rock
Darkening shadows cast itself upon the beach
Moonlight flickers and dances on the sea’s surface
Glimmering and flickering on a long row of wine glasses
On a long table that reaches down the beach
Whispering sea droplets nibble at the low water mark
Seashells serving the best of food soon dance back out to sea
Friendship finely tuned around a campfire of dreams
It is my finest summer moment, cherished forever
With friends caught in this special creation under the stars

End

And thanks, as always, to Clifford, for sharing his poem and so much more.

Explore Your Roots

Here’s Ed and Phyllis, married 65 years and staying with us for a week – more of a treat for us than for them, I think. They had Joe Friday and me down for a glass of wine, and it was great to get to know this couple.

Ed’s father was born in Heart’s Content, so it has been on their bucket list come to Newfoundland to explore his heritage. We are going to introduce them to Clifford who knows a lot about the region- and, get this, they’re related! And they have an artist in their family the same age as Clifford. Coincidence? I think not!

Speaking of coincidences, they’re from Massachusetts (as is my daughter’s boyfriend of 11 years), and they live in Virginia, as does another daughter.

Anyway, they are incredibly sweet people who epitomize why I love Americans. We had a great chat about life in Virginia, where I lived for 8 years. I talked about the generosity of the Americans I met there, and they talked about the generosity of Gander and St. John’s during the 9/11 crises.  Truly a wonderful conversation to be had, and I hope they enjoy their time exploring their roots!

Tuesdays with Murphy: Murphy the Meteorologist

Well, despite the fact that Jerry took his lunch outdoors over the weekend, I know what’s really up here in the Wonderful World of Whiteway – summer has left us, and fall is setting in. Now, yes, I do have a luxurious, golden coat to keep me warm, but I like it really toasty. Thankfully, I have two humans to dote on me and keep me in blankets. My forecast for the next several months at Ocean Delight: cozy, which a chance of cuddles!

Working Boat

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I’ll let this beautiful and peacefully Newfoundland scene speak for itself. Well, almost – just this for a comment: one of the many things I’ve enjoyed about running this blog is exploring the art of taking a good photo – there’s so much more to learn than I realized! Thank you to anyone who has stuck with me through all the blurry shots (and I’m sure there will be more!). I really appreciate everyone who reads my blog – I feel blessed to have this new routine of writing and taking photos and sharing life in rural Newfoundland. It’s definitely an added bonus to life out here.

Reel Fun

It only ended in September, but already I’m nostalgic for the food fishery. It’s always fun to take families out on the A Wake at Last, but throwing in some fishing poles really creates a magical experience.

So we were really happy to take out Fonda, her son, Henry, and her mom, Lynn. Fonda is a talented graphic designer and friend – she has done work with The Berry, and she did our new branding. We were so happy that they enjoyed their stay in The Partridgeberry, loving their weekend and their view and, especially, the fishing. Lynn caught the biggest fish of the day, and Henry helped reel it in. And I’m sure all helped to eat it!

Tuesdays with Murphy: First Mate Murphy

I don’t know what Jerry and The Berry did before I came to Ocean Delight Cottages. Who took them for walks, who kept their feet warm at night, who kept Jerry company while he writes on his computer early in the morning? And, most importantly, who was the First Mate of the A Wake at Last?

Regardless, I’m happy to assume all these duties, even if I haven’t quite mastered my sea legs yet. I certainly enjoyed the food fishery, when Jerry was out fishing and needed someone to clean and lick all the fish that came aboard. Maybe by the time it rolls around next year, I’ll be promoted from First Mate to Captain!

Regal Eagles

If we had a fifth cottage in Heart’s Delight, we could have to call it The Eagle. I’ve never lived in a place where seeing them is such a regular occurrence – especially when we’re out on the boat and can see all the cliffs up close. They’re really something – hard to see one and not loose your breath for a minute. Especially when you know that with their vision, they’re probably sizing you up in close detail!(And a Happy Birthday to LL, too!)

Age Before Beauty

Here’s my beautiful, ugly sculpin, caught last weekend (thanks to LeighAnne for the great shots!). We used to catch these for fun when we were kids playing on the cliffs of Torbay. I used to consider them ugly but now think they are quite gorgeous. One of the benefits of aging!

Tuesdays with Murphy: Latest Heart Throb

What can I say? Yes I’m a gentleman, but I’m also a lady’s man. As you know I never smell and tell, but I can say that I have had the pleasure of having Maggie stay with us in the Wonderful World of Whiteway more than once. Her humans must like it out here – they keep coming back. And no complaints on this end – Maggie can bring them here as much as she likes. I like to stay close by, waiting for a wink or a nod, an enticing wag of the tail. Unfortunately, she’s kept a too short a leash for my pleasure – she can’t get away with much!

Sunday Church Blogging: Name that Church!

I’ve been neglecting my Sunday Church Blogging duties – mostly because I have so many other duties around here and have depleted my stash of photos. So this might be the last church for awhile, and hopefully you can do me the favour of naming it! All I know about this one is that it’s right outside Corner Brook, and it has the most stunning location of any church I’ve seen – especially on a sunny day. So come on – I hope someone out there from the west coast will be able to tell me what it is!