I have a room all to myself; it is nature.
— Henry David Thoreau
NOTE: IN ORDER TO BETTER SEE PHOTOS IN THEIR FULL 1600 PX. RESOLUTION, VIEW THEM IN THE ALBUM FORMAT BY CLICKING ON THE LEAD PHOTO OR ANY PHOTO IN THE POST. This is especially true for landscape shots. Thanks to Mark for the idea of adding this alert so the photos can be seen at their best!
The next stop after Spaniard's Bay when I took the long way back to St. John's was the town of Bay Roberts, a large port town an hour from St. John's with a similar sized harbor and reportedly home to the best toutons in Newfoundland & Labrador. You remember that a touton is fried bread dough, right?
Madrock Cafe is small but an authentic dining experience located off the main route on Water Street and it was definitely worth getting off the highway for a lunch stop.
I was tempted to order the fish cakes and beans, but went with the toutons and a bowl of turkey soup instead. A bottle of molasses was conveniently located on the table as well to top that touton off.
After lunch Cory returned to the car to play a video game but I crossed the road and explored the Shoreline Walk instead.
Like Placentia this harbor town was popular to fishermen in the 16th century due to its large flat beaches for drying cod, but that's not what I saw on my walk.
From the access point at Madrock Cafe I walked along the trail crossing the headland and soon had a great view of Spaniard's Bay.
Even though it was the end of October I could've picked a bucket full of blueberries but had to settle for about a dozen handfuls straight into my mouth instead.
With a bellyful of blueberries I followed the path out to the cliffs, watching the light change on the land as the clouds whisked across the sun.
The wind was up, but the sky was blue and the salt air felt divine.
A sign pointed the way to Scogglins Gulch, where the water met the cliffs.
I didn't get too close to the edge with the wind so unpredictable, but I could see myself sitting there for hours gazing out across Bay Roberts Harbour on a sunny summer day.
More than half an hour had slipped by so I hurried back to the car and Cory and I continued down Water Street to the gravel road that went all the way out to the tip. From the parking area we watched the Cormorants on Salmon Island and had a great view of The Three Sisters, and then I got a closer look at them by walking down a metal stairway to the pebble beach.
Here's my short movie.
I explored only a small section of the trail, it meanders past root cellars, rock walls and beaches too. I texted my cousin from the trail and told her we had to come back! The only question is whether to come for blueberry season or birds and blooms? Maybe in July when the capelin might be rolling on the beaches? Click here to see a video of that!
I'm not a big fan of the shortcut. All the good things happen when you take the long way back.
So instead of taking the direct route on the TCH back to St. John's on the day before our early morning flight we left before noon and headed out for an adventure, keeping an eye peeled for wandering moose on the road, of course.
So off to the east coast of Trinity Bay I went. After having a good laugh at the roadside ghouls in Blaketown that I featured in my Halloween post it was on to Dildo.
Oft visited for its name alone, the small village has a population of about 1200 residents. Cory was too tired to wake up and appreciate its charms, so I looked it over from the car on my own, and even got out to battle Pokemon and captured the gym for Team Valor while I was there. Dildo Days at the end of July sounds great with boats filling the harbor and fireworks after dark. Maybe next year?
After Dildo my next five minute stop was in the town of New Harbour. I spotted a cool mural depicting the Newfie Bullet which was a passenger train that crossed the island from St. John's to Port Aux Basques before the Trans Canada Highway was built. It ran on the longest narrow gauge railway system in North America with a total track length of 906 miles.
The next thing that caught my eye was the Lassy Wall in Spaniard's Bay. Built around 1830 it is located on the Conception Bay Highway and the purpose of the wall was to shore up the bank between the highway and Church Hill. It was built by the members of the community who were paid in molasses, hence the name "Lassy Wall". I like molasses, but I don't know what I think about it being used as currency. However, I wouldn't want my community crumbling beneath me either so there you go.
Sometimes icebergs make their way to Spaniard's Bay, but that's not what I found in the water.
A seal! Cory woke up long enough for a quick look but he wasn't as excited as I was. Here's a closer look, he was checking me out too.
I filmed a quick 12 second movie, take a close look behind the seal and tell me what you think was in the water behind it! Not being an expert on marine life I will not hazard a guess myself. My sister in law thought it was a whale but surely the water wasn't deep enough unless smaller whales frequent the area...
Our next stop was Bay Roberts but I found so much to photograph there that I'll keep you in suspense and share our adventure there tomorrow!
It's not a trip home without a visit to First Beach. Normally I tackle the walk up Old Settlement Hill and then back down the gravel road to First Beach but this time I hitched a ride with my Uncle Ronnie on his ATV instead.
It turned out to be a good thing since the weather was fair when we left but moments after arriving at the beach the clouds and drizzle came in.
Before we left Ronnie showed me some ammunition someone found down on the beach. From those big guns down in Argentia perhaps? Metal detectors in this area might be a fun way to pass the time.
Back from our jaunt to the beach we headed out back to see the sheep he is currently tending for someone else. My Grandad always had sheep when I came to visit, and it always makes me happy that I wasn't the only one who ended up being drawn to them.
For those new to my blog you can read about how my Grandad influenced my desire to be a hobby farmer by clicking here.
The sky was still threatening rain but we continued on to a patch of cranberries growing right out at the edge almost down to the cliffs.
We didn't get very many before it started raining, though we did get enough for my Nan to make some jam out of it. Bit of bad luck there as it was my only attempt at berry picking this year except the handfuls of blueberries that went right into my greedy gob.
Beautiful berries hiding in the grass
I think next time I go home to Newfoundland I'll get Ronnie to take me up the hill and over to Argentia instead of down to First Beach. Maybe we'll see some moose! In the meantime I just have to put on my calendar a reminder to pester him in the spring to get me some of those carrot and rutabaga seeds so I can grow them myself. Though somehow I doubt they will taste the same, ya know?
Remember how the residents of Argentia had to to leave and most of them moved to Freshwater? That included the bell from their church which is on display in front of Holy Rosary.
"McShane Bell Foundry, Baltimore, MD 1901"
The backside is in Latin, decipher it if you feel the urge, I was too lazy.
Also transferred from Argentia to Freshwater were the deceased. It required considerable work which was done in the summer of 1942, utilizing a combination of mechanical and hand tools.
Freshwater cemetery overlooking Placentia Bay
The Argentia section is easy to spot
A total of 625 bodies from 3 cemeteries at Argentia were disinterred and reinterred by the Americans, however only 175 were identified as some of the remains dated back to 1772. All bodies were interred in a large T-shaped excavation with care taken to try to keep family members per request together where possible.
Carrying on in the Newfie tradition of taking pictures of graves it seems, I took a picture of Margaret Griffin's grave plot which she shares with her husband who died before the Americans came. She must have requested he be buried not with the others but in their own private plot at the time which some folks did. Remember how he died young leaving her with all those children who had to go to the orphanage?
Thankfully things are different now, and our families all get prompt health care and most live long lives. I have memories of the only funeral I attended at this very cemetery for my great-grandfather John Whittle whose grave I also visited. His daughter Annie is alive and well at 89, still able to cook me a tasty Sunday dinner with carrots from her son's nearby garden while we listen to traditional music.
Also living in Freshwater besides my "Nan" is 6 her children, plus some of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They can get their own Sunday dinner, we ate most of it immediately, especially those carrots and rutabaga fresh from the ground.
Two of her children live in neighboring towns, 2 elsewhere on the island, 1 in Ontario and 2 of them in the United States for a grand total of 13 children! While home I spent at least a few minutes with 6 of those children of hers and their spouses, plus 3 of my adult cousins. And that doesn't even count Wayne's family. It makes your head spin!
Wayne's sister Mary holds down the fort
Speaking of Wayne's family, one of his sisters married someone from Freshwater and they run Healey's General Store right down on the main road. Stop in for a bottle of drinks or some much needed groceries or household items, but don't expect things to go at the fast pace you might be used to back home. Everyone takes their time here, so get your ice cream treat out of the cooler as you're rung up if you don't want to chance it melting!
Suzanne hard at work
Their daughter Suzanne married my cousin Jeff, so now my niece by marriage is also my cousin-in-law. This is not uncommon in such a small place, to have someone in your family marry into your in-law family. At least one other cousin of mine dated a nephew of his, the dating pool is small for young people on the island and many of them tend to leave now for St. John's or the Mainland eventually.
So, when I went to the cemetery I wandered out the fence and onto the backside of my Nan's yard, though I didn't realize at the time that the fencing was recently put in by that carrot growing uncle of mine to keep the sheep in that he tends for someone else.
My trusty Gorillapod packed in my suitcase easily and weighs next to nothing so that's how I got that shot of myself without an assistant!
Though a selfie with the iPhone will do the trick too! The weather was so mild I almost laid down on the hillside and took a nap but I knew my Nan would worry if I was gone too long. When my uncle and I went back there a few days later it was a different story altogether!
Not a lot changes in Placentia, at least not at first glance. Sacred Heart Church underwent some much needed improvements over the last few years, it was built in 1886 after all, with the stained glass added in the early 1900's.
Across the square the town added the Placentia Bay Cultural Arts Centre in 2009 which not only was the venue for my niece's recent wedding but holds some great artwork, books on the region that are available for purchase, an archaeology display and the Voices of Placentia Bay exhibit which catalogs video and audio biographical information including much about the local music.
My favorite painting that was on display
Last year my grandmother stopped by my mother-in-law's home in Placentia for a quick visit. These ladies went to school together 80 years ago! Not in Placentia though, they were from St. Leonard's and St. Kyran's, a story I still haven't gotten around to telling.
Annie Griffin age 88, Nell Leonard age 94
Even though our families weren't part of the Placentia story from the beginning it is a fascinating tale. Basque fishermen (from north central Spain and southwestern France) were here as early as the 16th century, where the large rock beach meant the codfish could be salted and dried right on the beach rocks. And then for almost a hundred years the French and the British fought over control of this bountiful harbor. Of course the cod moratorium changed everything for this area. Check out the link and read the story if you don't know about it.
The latest update in town has been the building of the new lift bridge. We watched the progress every time we visited, and this visit happened to coincide with the bridge's completion just a few weeks before our arrival.
Bridge progress August 2015
The old Ambrose Shea bridge that was built in 1961 is still there for the time being. My husband climbed to the top of that bridge about 10 times in his life, including taking Cory up there a few years back. I'm glad they have those memories because the new bridge looked harder to scale! And here is my picture from Jerseyside hill with the new Ambrose Shea bridge finished and fully operational.
Placentia is just a 10 minute drive from the Argentia ferry dock and is the gateway to the Cape Shore including Cape St. Mary Ecological Bird Sanctuary though I recommend leaving your camper back at the campground and taking your vehicle on those shore roads! Beautiful scenery around every turn, friendly folks, and even a place to stop for coffee and a donut at Tim Horton's in Placentia before you hit the road!
My mother tended towards homemade costumes and when my kids dressed for Halloween I did my best to carry on that tradition even though I was not a seamstress by any stretch of the imagination. My work featured fabric paint, face paint and spruced up Goodwill finds.
Cory's homemade Pikachu costume.
Love my stapled on painted cardboard tail?
Katrina's cobbled together Madeline costume, no sewing!
I'm stocked up on candy, but probably won't see any of the kiddies all dressed up because even though I only work 2 days a week I always seem to work when they come knocking. Wayne is off work tomorrow though and I know he enjoys it immensely. Maybe he'll bring the kittens outside on their leashes to entertain the trick or treaters.
Spotted while walking in McHenry, Illinois
Perhaps instead of making people costumes I should put my thinking cap on and come up with costumes for the cats we adopted this year? It's a thing, google it if you want a good laugh.
Richmond, Illinois
A tradition I have not carried on is decorating my home for the holidays very much. I have a dislike for creating extra work for myself though I enjoy the creativity and effort that others put into it. Newfoundlanders especially seem to get into decorating for All Hallows Eve I noticed while we were visiting last week.
Halloween greetings from Blaketown, Newfoundland
That being said I am considering undertaking a yard decorating project featuring Pokemon this year for Christmas. But let's get through this holiday first and see what happens. Happy Halloween!
