Newfoundland

As it is a truth universally acknowledged that "a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife", so a widow with a sufficient income need not be in want of a husband. But a traveling companion can be an asset. I have recently discovered that a few good women fill this bill. Women are not likely to look lovingly at you and delight in the things you say, but they are quick to pitch in with cooking and cleaning and slow to anger when your navigational skills are wanting, or maybe there have been enough women on my recent trips so that I have not been needed to navigate. The trip to Wells Grey with seven other women for five days went very well and we four are having a great time in Newfoundland.

It's 12:23,Sunday, August 20, our first day of real rain, and we are each pursuing our own interests after eating a substantial sausage and egg breakfast made by Caroline. Barb and Caroline planned the Writers at Woody Point section of our holiday very well, and our place at Meeting Hill Cottages on the shore at Rocky Point has been easy to feel at home in. We shopped in Deer Lake before driving here and have made most of our meals. We were disappointed to find that there was no cod for sale in the area, but mussels are plentiful. We bought eight pounds of them from the shop at the dock. We'd asked for ten pounds but balked at the heft of the bag. They were our dinner that evening and we finished them off the next night with fish cakes we bought as 'take out' from a restaurant Caroline had heard of and chip wagon fries that I could not resist. Our meals have not been completely green free. Caroline brought beans from Barb's and her garden and we bought two boxes of salad greens.

Writers at Woody Point has been well worth attending. We began with "Up Close and Personal - Annie Proulx in conversation with Lisa Moore." It was wonderful. They discussed Annie's passion for reading, extensive research, interest in history and geology, love of nature, ability to create fascinating, dominatrix characters and writing sex. Lisa Moore was a bit more voluble on the latter topic than Annie Proulx. People who have been here many times in the festival's 14 years said this discussion was one of the best they had listened to. For the reading of her own work, Lisa chose two sections dealing with orgasm; the second was hilarious. I have read nothing by Lisa Moore but intend to soon. She was able to engage Annie Proulx in an animated conversation, and I don't think that would be easy because although she's a gifted writer, Annie Proulx seems reserved in conversation. People who attended her readings said she just came on stage, sat down, read and left. We have also heard readings by Eva Crocker, a young writer from Newfoundland whose work I will definitely follow. We also listened to an interesting conversation between Linden MacIntyre and Lawrence Hill. Last night's "Up Close and Personal" conversation with Angela Antle and Mary Walsh was wonderful. Mary Walsh really opened up and filled the room with hilarious reminiscences and stories. The whole evening was moving because the opening act was Tim Baker from 'Hey Rosetta'. I had never heard him before, and he admitted to not performing alone much but he captured the audience with his music and his absolute involvement in each song as he sang it. After, we went for a drink at the Legion, where most of the people from the festival gathered to talk loudly and dance. At midnight we caught the last ferry back to Rocky Harbour, sitting on the bow in the black, windy night.

Sunday was a slow starter, our first day of real rain, but not a complete loss. We drove to Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse arriving just in time to see 'The Memorial Show', honoring local men who fought in WW1. We sat in a tent that the wind howled around so fiercely it almost blew it off its pegs and listened to young actors read, sing and play music. It was moving. Then I went for a bracing walk along the shore. I love the wind in Newfoundland. We had a rousing evening, billed as a kitchen party, at a pub in Rocky Harbour. The man running the show had a great voice and knew how to get people up and dancing. I even played the spoons; I think I might have some talent.

Tablelands, one of our first walks. It's a vast area of rock that is totally different from all the other rock in the area because it was forced up from deep in the earth's mantle ages ago.











Cheryl, Caroline and Barb on the ferry from Norris Cove to Woody Point which we took to and from all events at the writers' festival.











Tablelands in the distance from Norris point.









Western Brook Pond from the boat. We walked in about 1.5 km over flat peat bog; much of the path was wooden sidewalk over wet areas. Then you board a boat and sail up what was a fiord but is landlocked fresh water now because since the ice from the last ice age finally receded from its mouth, the land has slowly risen, blocking the entrance from the sea.