Coddin' Around on Castle Hill

That Aunt Agg is a sucker for a suggestion for a walk and I didn't have a hard time getting her to walk around Castle Hill with me and Katrina on Sunday.  We had to park outside the gates and walk up the road to get to the trails but that suited us just fine. 

Castle Hill is on a hill, of course, so we used any excuse to stop so the flatlanders could catch their breath.  The tree with the built in seat was a great spot for some coddin' around.

All coddin' aside, it doesn't take long to get to the top and take in the views of Placentia Bay.

The French founded the town of "Plaisance" in 1662 and fishermen arrived in droves to harvest the cod.  Until 1713 the British and the French fought over this area for the fishing rights.  Want to know more about Placentia?  Here's a great link I found for their 350th anniversary celebration.

photo courtesy of Katrina

Placentia is the town Wayne calls home.  See that little road going up the hill on the right?  That's the road to the cemetery and Wayne's mom lives just below it.  Placentia isn't as secluded from the rest of the world as it was when I was younger, in our new global world this tiny town even has their own blog!  I have a lot of reading to do...

But that's for another day, and on Sunday we just hung around chatting and enjoying the gorgeous day.

Then it was off down another trail to the Redoubt to check out the ruins of Fort Royal.  Along the way we saw what was probably evidence of Hurricane Igor which passed over the island the last time we were home.  It doesn't take much to knock over the trees here though, there isn't a lot of soil for them to sink their roots into with the bedrock so close to the surface.

Next time we come in the summer maybe I'll get a guide and learn the name of all the plants like I did in the Smokies.  I should know more plant names than pitcher plants, right?

Fort Royal has a lot left behind considering it's over 350 years old.

If you're ever driving through Newfoundland make sure you stop to take in the view, check out the museum, and maybe even catch a re-enactment.  Or just sit on one of the cannons like I always do.

Pam, Katrina and Agatha 2014

Hey, that outfit I wore almost 30 years ago is back in style!

Aunt Agg's daughter Cheri liked climbing on cannons too

Katrina is just as crazy as the rest of us Newfies and she wanted a picture of herself being foolish up on Castle Hill to complete the set.  Giddyup!

Before we left Castle Hill I spied a caterpillar in the grass that I wanted to get up close and personal with.

photo courtesy of Katrina

When I was up at First Beach the little stinkers were everywhere in the grass.  I wonder what they'll turn into?  Hopefully nothing pesky.

That's it for our tour of Castle Hill.  While looking for internet links to add to this post I also found the Calendar of Festivals & Events for Newfoundland.  I wonder which ones I can work into our trip up next summer? 

While we were home this time it was the May 24th weekend, you know, aka Victoria Day, the Queen's birthday.  Everyone was celebrating the long weekend by going out with their campers, fishing, or just having kitchen parties and coddin' around.  Speaking of coddin' around, another fun group in Newfoundland is Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers. Here's how they celebrate the Queen's birthday.

Okay, I can't help myself.  I'm posting this from work this morning and I'm listening to Great Big Sea on Jango internet radio so here's another GBS clip...Mari Mac is one of my favorites.  Enjoy!