Home..For a Decade or Two

Hard to believe it, but we have been in our new home for 6 weeks already!

After traveling 1900 miles and living in an RV with 4 cats for 7 weeks we were quite thrilled to have a place to finally call home.

 Not much can fit in an 18 foot cargo trailer (though more than we originally thought was able to be squeezed in) so after the trailer was unloaded it was time to head to St. John's to fill it up again.

We bought beds, sofas, tables, and all the day to day necessities.  And what home is complete without an adorable welcome mat?

We weren't the only ones happy to be out of the camper, the cats enjoyed exploring all the new nooks and crannies.

Not many places to climb in the new place, but eventually they figured out how to navigate to the top of the refrigerator and beyond.

I've never hired someone else to do the painting before, but hiring Joe to paint the 4000 square feet of walls was the best money I've ever spent.  It took him 18 days and we were able to carry on getting other things done worry free.

Wayne got the garage organized while I got the unpacking done and opened all the Wayfair boxes.  His brother Harold helped out with a few projects, and even nephew Craig pitched in when it came time to put up a few light fixtures.

I probably was Wayfair's best Newfoundland customer for the month of June, and highly recommend them especially if you're looking for a light fixture that isn't found at Home Depot.

Every day it was start the work at 8:00 a.m. and fall into the bed at 11:00 p.m.  Now you know why I've been completely absent from blogging.

During the madness we had a few relatives drop by, including my Nan Griffin.  Being 91 years old doesn't keep her from getting out and about.

Not to be outdone, Wayne's mother stopped by for a brief visit herself.  Being almost 98 years old wasn't going to stop her from at least having a quick look and meeting all of our cats.

 Things slowly came together and before you knew it we were ready for overnight visitors even!

One of three guest bedrooms

Even our bedroom started to become an oasis at the end of the day.

 Last summer we took the boat Wayne's father had built back to Wisconsin with us, and this year it made the return trip by ferry.

Chairs, rug, lamp and light fixture by Wayfair - thanks to Gail for helping me with all my orders!

Just two days before our big Housewarming Party the living room rug finally showed up and things were finally feeling ready to open our doors.

All that was left for big projects was the basement which Wayne and his brother drywalled and then Wayne and I painted.  We hired out the installation of the laminate floors to the fellas at The Paint Shop in Placentia.  Thanks, guys!

And every day I would look out our bedroom window at our RV and not be sad at all that we were not on the road seeing the world!

Next up - Flower beds and Housewarming guests!

East Coast Trail - Hot Enough to Bake Anchors at Middle Cove Beach

Look at me, showing up after a 6 week hiatus!  We were a bit busy moving into our new home, which I'll tell you about tomorrow.

Middle Cove Beach, Logy Cove

But now that the majority of the work is done and the rest can wait a little while, it is TIME TO HIT THE TRAILS!

Silver Mine Head Path Trailhead, East Coast Trail

I'll soon be gathering a list and making organized plans, but I finally had time the other on Tuesday  after running errands in St. John's to spend my afternoon hiking.  Of course the true summer weather is finally here this week and it was a scorching 26C/80F.

Not really what you want for hiking, setting out uphill in the mid-day heat and sun with 20 pounds of camera equipment on your back, but beggars can't be choosers.

I took my time and prayed that once I got up the hill I would catch a breeze.  In the meantime at least there was shade!  And I couldn't help noticing lots of Bunchberry and Blue Bead Lily plants too. I'm sure I'll find other trails lined with them, hopefully when their red and blue berries make their appearance.

Blue Bead Lily plants, lower left

They call Bunchberry "Crackerberries" here.  They are edible, but I wouldn't say they are tasty.  I found a link to a list of edible berries of Newfoundland so I'll have to brush up on some new treats to identify out there in the wild.

Relief!  A breeze!  And a view!

Even though I was dying to see what was next I spent about 10 minutes just cooling down and enjoying the solitude.

For some reason everyone else kept to the woods and didn't take the fork out to the cliffside.
Ah, well, more views for me!

I kept an eye out for gannets, cormorants or puffins, but only seagulls were hanging about.

After a quick detour through the woods I was back in the open and splashing cool water from Houlihan's River on my neck, face and arms.

I quickly shucked off my backpack and started out toward the waves.

I don't know if it was low tide, but it sure wasn't high tide with a few tide pools visible. 

I saw some small fish and one tiny starfish but the good pools were probably under the waves still.

Every time I moved a few feet over to a new spot and then looked up the view was different.

I was so busy watching the waves and looking for starfish that I was a little startled when I looked up and saw that I hadn't even noticed these guys taking a bath.

They were so well camouflaged that I still can't identify them, so a helpful comment below if you know the answer!

I had missed them because I was busy doing the tight-rope walk across a strip of weathered rock.

Back at the river I looked ahead at the tempting trail going off in the distance...

...but decided it was better to wait for a cooler day and come at it from the other end.

Won't it be wonderful to end up at the same spot again and see what is blooming alongside the river and what birds are visiting the tide pools on a different day?

The walk back was a bit less strenuous than coming in had been, and I was able to enjoy the views of the cove.

I'm sure that earlier in the summer there's a chance of an iceberg passing by, but the massive parade of icebergs has passed Newfoundland by for the season for the most part now.  If you want to see those on your visit make sure to arrive in June!

And remember, it's not just the big views that make a hike fun...keep looking down and around, you never know what you might find.

Quick video below - details about our new home tomorrow!

Birthday View

I can't remember if I've ever been in Newfoundland on my birthday before.  I kind of didn't know what to do! Wayne was off to New Brunswick to pick up our trailer full of furniture for our move next week, and the sun was out so I had to figure something out on my own.

A walk on Castle Hill sounded grand!  Nothing like a view of Placentia on a sunny day from there!

I talked my Aunt Agatha into joining me for a quick walk around, nothing like being able to say "for my birthday" to get people to do what you want them to.

So excited that I left my sunglasses in the car!

After our short walk on Castle Hill it was back to the campground where another walk in Argentia was how I wanted to spend my time before supper.

It's been warm (for Newfoundland) so the plants are coming back and things are greening nicely.

Strawberry blossoms everywhere,
lawns are full of them!

Want to know which way the wind is blowing?  Check the "Moldow" hanging from the trees.  No need to have a flag when nature provides.

Stay out in the open or follow the fork into the trees?  You know which path I chose.

 I was careful on the vegetation covered rocks as I made my way down the hill in the fading light, but I saw a familiar beacon that I couldn't resist.

 A view of the Isaacs and the discovery of a new path?  What a gift for the birthday girl!

Not wanting to go further without more supportive hiking boots I had to turn and go back the way I came after enjoying the view for awhile.

 One last look...

...and then it was time to get a cup of tea and a piece of cake with my mother-in-law.  Lovely end to a lovely day!