Tag: ocean

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Oh! The Sunsets

I’ve already blogged about how my ‘church’ is Nature, specifically watching the sun set, specifically watching the sun set over the ocean. I think it’s the same for The Berry. I got this beautiful shot of her looking out at the sunset in wonder, awe and reflection. I thought it perfectly captured the moment – full of natural beauty (she gets that from her mother), strength and determination (which I hope I share with her). She puts me in mind of Mary from Random Passage (and, if you haven’t seen this movie, you must if you want to know who we Newfoundlanders are as a people).

We are grateful for all that the summer has brought and the lessons learned (we’re now rated number one in hotels in the province on TripAdvisor), but it’s been a lot of hard work. Hard work, and fun, too. We’re a little older, a lot wiser, and looking forward to things slowing down a bit so we can begin planning for our future. And continue enjoying our view every evening.

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Tuesdays with Murphy: Murphy Babysits

This young lad enjoying a dip in the Atlantic Ocean is Phoenix, a very frisky four-legged who owns Jerry’s niece, Robin – he brought Robin here last week thinking she’d like to spend a night around the bay with her parents (I think he was right!). Only 3 months old, Phoenix was full of energy (almost too much)- thankfully, I am renowned for my patience and was able to babysit him all day.

And it’s a good thing I took him under my wing, too. At one point, brazenly trying to follow me on my walk around the cliffs of Whiteway, he wandered too close to the edge (as all young things are wont to do) and fell over. Thankfully I was there to show him the way back to safety – and he never left my side the rest of the visit.

So, I gave him a swimming lesson, and he took to the water like a natural – maybe not up to my retriever standards, but I’m sure much more so then that Mabel. Anyway, I was happy to show Phoenix the Whiteway ropes and I hope he’ll come back soon to play with me again – every puppy needs a mentor, and I think I’m just the one.

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Kayaking in Trinity Bay

We had two kayakers stay with us last week – Art and Don, both engineers, both from St. John’s. And they’re both my age or older, but you’d never think that looking at them – making me wonder if I should take up this sport! Anyway, they told us that this is a great place for kayaking – you can even go right through Shag Rock.

The Berry and I are thinking about getting canoes and kayaks to rent for next summer. Obviously I’ll let you know if we do!

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We Stand on Guard

Examine this picture closely – it’s not just a shot of Shag Rock. If you notice to the left of it, there’s what looks like smoke rising out of the water. And that’s just what our guest, Tim, saw on Thursday night while having a BBQ on the deck of The Blueberry, which overlooks Trinity Bay. Confirming it with binoculars, he realized a long liner was on fire.

Tim called me, I called Guardian Angel Alf, Alf called Clifford George (and told me to call the fire department). Alf and Clifford raced for Clifford’s boat to afford a rescue, if possible.

In minutes the smoke had turned to flame – from the shore we could see the inferno with our naked eyes. In no time, there were other boats coming from other closer communities, too. That’s what we do in Newfoundland – we can always rely on our neighbours in an emergency.

Alf and Clifford were second at the scene. They talked to the Skipper, who luckily (or by Divine Intervention) was towing a boat behind him (a standard safety precaution). He and the first mate (the only two people on board) barely had time to get in it before the flames completely overwhelmed their boat.

The fire started in the engine room, and the small crew only had time to get out one May Day before they were forced to abandon ship. The captain had to sit and watch his boat burn to the water’s edge.

Clifford came home and couldn’t get the scene out of his mind – so, as he is wont to do, he painted what he had seen to get some peace. He then brought the painting over to Alf as a memento of the near-tragic event.

Thank God no one was hurt. It makes us appreciate our view of the ocean even more – it allows us to take notice of what’s actually going on out there. And thankfully our guests can’t keep their eyes off it like we can’t. Since no one was injured, the story was just a little one on the news, but you can tell from Cliff’s picture below that it was a harrowing, unforgettable night for all involved. 

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Molly Monday

I hope that everyone is enjoying the long weekend. I am, but boy are we busy (are you getting sick of me saying that yet? Can’t help it – it’s true!). So today’s post is a quick one, of Molly, our (mostly) sweet Devon Rex. She enjoys our oceanfront view of Shag Rock, too! Don’t you wish you knew what she was thinking – what does an animal see when it sees the ocean??

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My Church

I’ve been having fun with our Sunday Church Blogging series, so today I’m featuring my church! That’s right – my church is Nature herself, and more specifically, watching the sun set over the ocean. I can’t begin to put into words the amount of inspiration, encouragement, strength and soul-lifting I’ve received just from watching the sun disappear under the waves each night. I was lucky enough to spend several years of my life in Virginia, near a beach where I could watch the natural majesty daily – and I never missed it. And I can say the same thing now, about how truly blessed I am to be able to watch the sun set over over the Atlantic Ocean, right from my back deck. It’s been a busy summer, and after every busy day, watching the ‘fire show’ resets my energy and my passion, and I can fall asleep rested and happy knowing tomorrow will bring more work, more life, more sunsets. I hope that our guests are enjoying their nightly ‘church’ sessions as much as I am, and I hope that you’ve checked out our coming September special so that you can enjoy it, too – maybe with me (as long as you don’t mind sitting in awe and silence!)Special thanks to resident photographer and all-around good guy, Albert Legge, for these photos (he’s given us lots of great ones to use on this blog over the months). These are ‘framers’ for sure. And please, let me know in the comments if any part of Nature has special resonance for you!

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Sharing the Wheel

Summer may be winding down, but that doesn’t mean our boat trips are – not if Alf can help it! Last week we got to take out a great group of people from Ontario (and, as a side note, we get some many guests for that province!), Veronica, Dick, Patricia and Mike. They spent two weeks at The Blueberry and loved it – and we loved having them! Always fun to see the appreciative smiles when people get to see Shag Rock up close and personal.

Alf of course was our intrepid captain – except when the women took the wheel!

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Old Man on the Sea

We were almost in trouble last week, as we’d promised Laura Beth and Greg, honeymooners from Orangeville, a ride out to Shag Rock as a wedding gift – only my boat is currently out of commission! Thankfully, Alf, my guardian angel, has a little more luck with his and took us out. Coming along for the ride was Don and Iris Vanderveen, celebrating their 41st anniversary. Don was dubbed ‘Old Man on the Sea’ by his wife (her words, not mine!). It was especially fun on this trip to see one couple with 41 years of marriage, and another just starting out – I hope it’s a memory that will last for them!

Later that day we had out Don and Iris’ daughter, Kathy, and Dennis Travis, who are here to help celebrate their 41st anniversary. We always love it when families use Ocean Delight as a venue for these get-togethers – it’s what we’re all about.

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Oh! What a Night!

Murphy and I had the place to ourselves the other night – The Berry and Joe Friday both had to go to St. John’s to work. What a sunset we had – and what an excuse to kick back in silence and recuperate from lots of hard work, mental and physical. The waves just wash it all away.

I was happy, though, to take a break from the relaxing to set up floodlights and a cd player (for Newfoundland music, of course!) and bring down wood to the beach for our guests at The Blueberry – Veronica and Jim, and Mike and Patricia, from Kingston, Ontario. They invited me to have a beer and enjoy the night with them, and few offers have been more tempting! Work for a board meeting called me away, but I was there in spirit! (and here’s my last blurry night shot, I promise!  – I wanted to share this moment with you, but I’m getting used to my camera still …. Allison George has told me to turn up my ISO settings at night, so I hope that helps!)

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Tuesdays with Murphy: Friendly Rivalry

Since coming to Ocean Delight I have become quite the athlete quite easily (natural water dog that I am), bounding into the ocean without fear whenever Jerry and The Berry need me fetch things (like I am above, swimming for my favourite toy).

And since coming to the Ocean Delight family, I’ve learned about a relative in Virginia – namely Mabel, the pit bull who owns Jerry’s daughter, Adrienne. This Mabel seems quite charming, but all I hear about is how great Mabel is, how sweet Mabel is, what a great personality Mabel has, how Mabel can out-swim all her retriever friends when she goes on hikes.

Well I’d like to meet Mabel and set the record straight. It’s one thing to swim in rivers, and another to jump into the heady North Atlantic! That’s why I have webbed feet! But while I’m sure, as a retriever, I could outperform any terrier (even if they are of a larger variety), I might just have to let Mabel think she’s won – after all, not only am I her uncle, I’m also a gentleman!

So look at these pictures and let me know what you think – who makes the more fetching water dog?My guess is, it’s a tie!