Luxury getaways to the ocean's edge
Of course ‘St. Matthew’s’ could refer to any number of countless churches – there’s at least two on the Baccalieu Trail – but today I’m highlighting the beautiful one in Green’s Harbour. Beautiful, and old. The Anglican community has records from the region dating to the early 1800s, and this church was built in 1880. Over 130 years old and still going strong!
Here’s Murphy, fully enjoying himself while we watches over the construction of new beachfront that we are developing in his honor. We think he’ll enjoy himself even more once it’s ready!
Yesterday was the two-week anniversary of welcoming Murphy into our homes and introducing him to this oceanfront lifestyle. He is an amazing dog – patient, kind, and very lovable and gentle. I’ve never met a dog quite like him. He is great at meal times (his own and ours), he doesn’t run away (except when he sees the ocean), and he loves our guests to death. He’s the perfect cottage dog!
Murphy is so sweet and loves the water so much we’ve decided to build him a beach of his own! Part of the beach in front of our house and Whiteway cabin-rentals was not navigable with rocks and boulders everywhere. And we also needed a lot of rocks to make Murphy’s Wharf (another work in progress). When the steam shovel removed the rock, puff, there was a beach – and it will be a nice one when it’s finished, and great wharf, too.
And we have four guests showing up today and the Farmer’s Market opens tomorrow in Heart’s Content and it’s Canada Day weekend. Thanks to the rain over the last few days they have lifted the fire and fireworks ban.
So it’s going to be a great weekend!
Thanks in part to the postings of Margaret Ayad, the region’s resident web guru, here are some local events to check out this weekend:
Outdoor party complete with fireworks and The Masterless Men in Carbonear
Family Day at the Community Gardens in Bay Roberts
Well-known band The Navigators playing at Bryants Club in Heart’s Delight Islington, June 30
Canada Day celebrations at The Lookout in Cavendish
Enjoy The Once: UnPlugged in Cupids, July 30
I’ve had to be in town the past few days for board meetings so this seems like a good time to introduce the newest member of our Ocean Delight family – our new Downtown Hideaway, a fully furnished one bedroom apartment in the heart of old St. John’s.
We’ve maintained a apartment in St. John’s since moving to Whiteway, but we’ve barely used it. And we know that many of our guests either arrive to the island through St. John’s (and maybe have to stay the night), or they plan on spending a few days in the city regardless. And with occupancy rates at an all-time high, good accommodations will be hard to find over the summer.
So, here comes the ‘duh’ moment; in a moment of clarity we realized, now that we’re in the hospitality business and know the ropes a little better, lets offer up the apartment, too! It’s fully furnished, in great shape and a great spot (I would know – I lived there for a few years!) and we think people will really enjoy the flexibility it offers (or, if they just want the city experience, they can rent it without coming to our cabin rentals, too). So, here’s to St. John’s!
It seems we’ll have to be a little more careful with Murphy – so far we’ve let him have too good a time (if you don’t believe us, read his blog post!). He loves the salt water (lucky for him our cottages are right on the beach!), and he runs in every chance he gets. We always wash him after, but his paws still got infected – he seemed to be in pain, so we brought him to the fabulous Baccalieu Trail Animal Hospital. What a spot – I wish we had people hospitals like it.
Turns out all the play put a strain on Murphy’s elbows, which are inflamed – nothing that a little nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicine shouldn’t cure. The more serious problem is a sore on his paw that caused the limping. We got some anti-bacterial cream to put on it a couple of times a day.
The good news – let him swim to his Heart’s Delight, as long as we rinse and dry him properly afterwards.
But poor paws not withstanding, we think he’s having a great time here at our cabins and we have more than fallen in love. He’s cute even if he is a little groggy!
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Murphy. I see my humans writing away on this computer every day so I thought I’d give them a break and try my paw at this blogging thing. Maybe if they like it, I’ll keep writing blogs from time to time.
I’m getting the hang of this place the humans call WWW. I love the water and there is lots of it around here. The humans keep talking about how great it is to be ‘ocean-front.’
And speaking of the humans, they’re coming along nicely. The Berry and Byrne are quite indulgent, throwing my stick into the water for hours on end. They think they are training me as I am training them – typical humans.
And there’s lots of sunshine to warm me after my forays into Trinity Bay – ah! Sweet panting!. But I pity The Berry and Byrne. They work like dogs while I play like humans.
I miss my former home with my former humans, who were so sweet and easy to train and love. I’m sorry they had to move but I am grateful they found this new home for me.
Well, I hope you enjoyed my first blog. Leave me some pets and scratches in the comments if you’d like me to come back next week!
What a difference a year makes! This weekend was the 1 year anniversary of whenThe Berry and I first came together to Ocean Delight, these stunningly beautiful ocean-front cabin rentals.
The Berry had already been and wanted to bring me back. She wanted to come for a weekend, but I love St. John’s and was able to negotiate coming for just one night. But the Wizard of Shag Rock (or Shagarella, his bride – a.k.a. Lisa Day) cast a spell on us, and we learned the previous owners were planning to sell. On a whim, we put together a business plan that would forever change out lives.
We abandoned other careers, moved in together and moved out here to the Wonderful World of Whiteway. We have worked like Murphy’s (Murphy’s our new dog by the way!) and it is only the beginning. We have made new and wonderful friends, and we love them and we love it here. Life is like a Disney ride and I don’t want to get off!
My body is full of bruises from all the physical work (and I never bruise), but I am healthier by 20 years. Strong, healthy and free – is there anything else to ask for?
So to celebrate we planned a romantic night in our boat under a crescent moon – anchored and floating away on A Wake at Last, rocked to sleep by the Atlantic Ocean. Gear stored, engines set, we set our coarse for Bay Bulls Island and headed out to sea. But the excitement was soon swamped when both engines dies about two miles past Shag Rock (obviously we had done something to upset the Wizard!).
It was Alf and Hilda who came to the rescue – Hilda telling us that the Awake at Last must have gone back to sleep. They towed us back to the safety of the shore – a little disappointed but happy to have such wonderful friends.
Naturally inclined to make lemonade out of lemons, we lit a fire on the beach, roasted marshmallows and wieners with friends Alf and Hilda, Lisa and Randy, and Joe Friday, told a few “boating and captain” jokes and shared stories over wine and starlight. And sweet Murphy got a night in heaven, playing in the water with lots of people to throw him sticks.
A good night and a good time, and a metaphor for our new life at these Newfoundland cottages – it doesn’t always go according to plan, but with good friends and the right attitude, you make things work. Throw a beautiful dog and Shag Rock into the mix, and you’ve got the recipe for paradise. 
Last week showcased the Salvation Army Trinity Bay South Corps. Today I bring you the Salvation Army Green’s Harbour Corps. Similar building but smaller, I have no doubt these soldiers make great contributions to their community.
I was in town this week because I am a board member for the St. John’s Airport Authority and we had a meeting. Our CEO Keith Collins gave a talk about “Looking forward. Moving upward,” all about our new Category 3 Instrument Landing System. This state of the art system will bring our landing success from around 94 to 99%., meaning that 100,000 people won’t be stranded next year (with daughters that live off-island, I can commiserate on that one!).
According to Keith, all of the flights that had to be cancelled so far this year due to weather would have gotten in if we had this upcoming system in place. And since we are the foggiest city in Canada, it is only appropriate that we will be the third airport in Canada to have it.
The airport of course has a significant economic impact the on the region (and our cabin rentals) – 80% of all visitors to Newfoundland fly in through it. So no wonder one of the sponsors for the luncheon was Destination St. John’s.
And by the way, did you know that St. John’s is ranked #7 in all the world for airports our size and #47 in the world, regardless of the size. Amazing, as we strive to be #1. I’ve always loved the St. John’s Airport – not just because being there means either I’m coming home or a loved one is, but because I think it really is a showcase of Newfoundland ingenuity and architecture. And with this new system coming, it will really be something to be proud of!
We Christened the “Awake at Last,” our beautiful Boston Whaler, on Father’s Day – an what a Father’s Day gift it was. We took her to Shag Rock, moored off Long Point Cove (in front of our Heart’s Delight ocean-front cabins), took some pictures, enjoyed naps and champagne, and had a great afternoon on the water. What a day, thanks to the help and kindness of Alf Harnum, our wonderful neighbour, mentor and guardian! 
Ahhh, a wake at last in “Awake at Last!” Now we can’t wait for the Canada Day long weekend (check the Current Specials to learn about our Weekend Special so you can join us) to take this baby out and really celebrate!