Saturday, August 26, Bill's birthday, was a rainy day in St. John's and we went to The Rooms, Museum/Gallery. Above the main door was large sign remembering Beaumont Hamel, July 1, 1916. The 100th anniversary of this WW1 battle that took the lives of so many young Newfoundlanders has been a recurring theme of our trip. The Rooms turned out to be well worth the visit. I joined the tour of the Newfoundland art section where the guide introduced some works by Gerald Squires that impressed me so much that I went on to spend a lot of time in the section of the gallery devoted to a special show of his work. It was impressive.
On Sunday we drove to Trinity, settled into our new home there, cooked dinner and walked to The Rising Tide Theatre to watch a musical, 'The Nobleman's Wedding'. It wasn't my favourite but there was some good traditional music. We walked home using our flashlights, of which there were many in our house, but the most brilliant by far was the one Caroline had brought with her, bought on line by Albert, the guy who knows gear.
We woke on Monday to the haunting sound of a fog horn, but the weather was otherwise perfect for our hike along the Skerwink Trail. I had read about it when we first started planning the trip and was only mildly disappointed by the fact that we couldn't see the birds we could hear as we walked around the highest section of the trail. It's a beautiful hike and we did see some of the stone stacks at the beginning, including the Sentinel that Gerald Squires painted. After the hike we drove to Ellison, the root cellar capital of the world, to look at them and also the puffins, which are entertaining little birds. We got home in time for a rest before going to dinner at the Twine loft Restaurant, a part of the Artisan Inn where we were staying. We had chosen the late sitting, so around 8:00 pm we were dining on perfectly cooked cod followed by blueberry pudding with a buttery Screech sauce. Lit by wine and Caroline's flashlight, we walked the short distance home and fell into bed.
Tuesday we rose and enjoyed the beauty of Trinity, Trinity Bay. It's an ideal Newfoundland setting. We drove back to St John's for our last night. I was happily surprised to discover a sauna in our place. I took one and then we all went for our last supper on the Rock at the home of one of Barb's fellow pharmacists and his wife. What a couple. They were so generous and entertaining. We ate cod cheeks, cod tongues, perfectly fried cod with mashed potatoes, peas and corn, accompanied by white wine and great stories about politics, economics and general life in Newfoundland.
Wed., August 30, in the air again, leaving St. John's on a lovely afternoon. Caroline, Barb and I are flying to Ottawa. Soon after us, Cheryl and Stacey take off for Halifax to visit relatives. A body sure do get around these days.
The painting, The Sentinel, by Gerald Squires
The Sentinel as seen from the Skerwink Trail.
A church in Trinity, Trinity Bay.
A laundry line in Trinity. I think that even a housewife in Hull, Quebec in the 50s might not have been embarrassed to claim it.
Caroline and me at L'anse aux Meadows.
The four of us at L'anse aux Meadows
The five of us at dinner in Trinity, Trinity Bay.
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