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[from Chop Shop via Supermarket]
[from beardhead]
[my faves... above three from Laura George via Supermarket]
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Thursday, July 29, 2010
The Bearded Wonder
I dedicate this post to my handsome, talented, interesting, loving, intelligent, bearded husband. Happy first anniversary this weekend! You make my life better. I love you and I'm looking forward to many more years spent with you.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Trinity Bight
Almost a month ago, now, my sister came to visit. We packed in a very full weekend. The following post is only a day's worth of our fun, but it's a long one, so settle in!
We had been planning for a long time to take a jaunt out around Trinity Bay, on the Eastern coast of Newfoundland, approximately three hours from St. John's. There are a bunch of little villages in the area, including Port Rexton, Trinity East, and New Bonaventure - the whole lot is known as Trinity Bight.
Why this particular corner of the province? Well, you see, there are two fascinating books we've both read by a lady called Bernice Morgan: Random Passage and Waiting for Time. These stories were eventually made into a TV mini-series also called Random Passage. I have never seen the series, but was captivated by the books and the story they told. My sister had seen the series and was equally captivated. When we learned that the actual film set of the mini-series was located a mere three-hour drive from St. John's, we knew we had to visit.
You really should check out Random Passage (at least the book) if you have an interest in Newfoundland culture. It is a fictional story of how an outport was settled in the mid 1800s and is just enchanting. Here are some shots of the set, a look into Newfoundland's rich past:
Once our plans were made, I had several friends suggest a hike in the same area. The Skerwink Trail is a part of the larger Discovery Trail. In contrast to the Spout, the Skerwink Trail is a relatively easy 5.3 kilometre hike. Like the Spout, it features stunning views and sea stacks. We had a gorgeous afternoon for our hike. Most of the hike consisted of soft forest floor paths. We found the trail very well groomed, with boardwalks and staircases in strategic (read: muddy) places.
We managed to fit all of this into just one day. I have a feeling there was a lot left to see in the area. A weekend trip there may just be in order!
Edit: for more photos, see my Trinity set on Flickr
We had been planning for a long time to take a jaunt out around Trinity Bay, on the Eastern coast of Newfoundland, approximately three hours from St. John's. There are a bunch of little villages in the area, including Port Rexton, Trinity East, and New Bonaventure - the whole lot is known as Trinity Bight.
Why this particular corner of the province? Well, you see, there are two fascinating books we've both read by a lady called Bernice Morgan: Random Passage and Waiting for Time. These stories were eventually made into a TV mini-series also called Random Passage. I have never seen the series, but was captivated by the books and the story they told. My sister had seen the series and was equally captivated. When we learned that the actual film set of the mini-series was located a mere three-hour drive from St. John's, we knew we had to visit.
You really should check out Random Passage (at least the book) if you have an interest in Newfoundland culture. It is a fictional story of how an outport was settled in the mid 1800s and is just enchanting. Here are some shots of the set, a look into Newfoundland's rich past:
Once our plans were made, I had several friends suggest a hike in the same area. The Skerwink Trail is a part of the larger Discovery Trail. In contrast to the Spout, the Skerwink Trail is a relatively easy 5.3 kilometre hike. Like the Spout, it features stunning views and sea stacks. We had a gorgeous afternoon for our hike. Most of the hike consisted of soft forest floor paths. We found the trail very well groomed, with boardwalks and staircases in strategic (read: muddy) places.
We managed to fit all of this into just one day. I have a feeling there was a lot left to see in the area. A weekend trip there may just be in order!
Edit: for more photos, see my Trinity set on Flickr
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Ferryland
So the blog has been slightly neglected this month; ironically, I have had more free time in July than any time so far this year. Perhaps the lack of posting is because of all that free time - I've been filling it up with fun little visits and outings! I'm quite behind, so let's get started:
Ferryland is a little village on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland. Friends of ours have been raving about Ferryland's lighthouse picnics for years now. A few weekends ago, we finally made plans to go check it out for ourselves.
The village of Ferryland is south of St. John's. It took us about an hour and fifteen minutes to drive out there.
Once arrived in Ferryland, you realize that the lighthouse is located on the tip of a little... well, in PEI we'd call it a spit but since it's made of solid rock, not sand, I guess it's more of a mini-peninsula. From the parking area, you walk out onto the peninsula, which is traffic-free. This takes another fifteen minutes if you are at a strolling pace. I mention all these times because we were quite late the day we decided to picnic. We had made reservations (very important!) but overshot by an hour (eep).
It is at this point I would like to discuss the service at the Ferryland lighthouse. As some of you may know, my pet peeve in this world is the dearth of customer service personnel who actually give a crap about their job. At the Ferryland lighthouse, I was instantly struck by the quality professional service. Despite an obviously busy afternoon, the counter staffperson was calm and collected. She kindly accepted our profuse apology for our lateness (apparently lots of stunned city folk like us misjudge their transit time), took our order, answered our questions, and did it all with a smile and a welcoming attitude.
But as impressed as I was with the service... my favorite part was the food! (You know me).
O. M. G. So there were several selections available, but I had heard in advance about the "ham and cheese" and had already made up my mind about what to order. "Ham and cheese" is a sandwich that can range from a satisfying lunch to a Sketchy McNasty vending machine disaster. The Ferryland picnic sandwich fell on the extremely awesome end of that spectrum.
Oven-roasted fruit-chutney glazed ham, sliced thin, but not too thin. The cheese? Brie. Green apple slices brighten the flavour. The bread: hearty, homemade, thick-sliced, buttered oatmeal with (methinks) a touch of molasses. And that was just the sandwich!! Orzo and bell pepper side salad with fresh mint, topped with fresh-grated Parmesan. Fresh-squeezed lemonade in a Mason jar. Wide dessert selection - but mine was a no-brainer: gingerbread with brown-sugar sauce. The meal runs you about $20 and is worth every buck.
Did I mention that the picnic is served to you after you've nestled in on the cliff overlooking the ocean on a lovely tartan picnic blanket (provided)? Oh yeah, a server comes out to you with a picnic basket/horn o' plenty filled with the above-mentioned feast.
Did I mention there's not a bad view from the Ferryland lighthouse?
And did I mention that we had front-row tickets to the frolicking-whale show? Whales spouted and breached all afternoon. Wish I had a better zoom so you guys could enjoy it like we did:
All-in-all, the Ferryland lighthouse picnic is an outing not to be missed while on the East coast of Newfoundland.
Ferryland is a little village on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland. Friends of ours have been raving about Ferryland's lighthouse picnics for years now. A few weekends ago, we finally made plans to go check it out for ourselves.
The village of Ferryland is south of St. John's. It took us about an hour and fifteen minutes to drive out there.
Once arrived in Ferryland, you realize that the lighthouse is located on the tip of a little... well, in PEI we'd call it a spit but since it's made of solid rock, not sand, I guess it's more of a mini-peninsula. From the parking area, you walk out onto the peninsula, which is traffic-free. This takes another fifteen minutes if you are at a strolling pace. I mention all these times because we were quite late the day we decided to picnic. We had made reservations (very important!) but overshot by an hour (eep).
It is at this point I would like to discuss the service at the Ferryland lighthouse. As some of you may know, my pet peeve in this world is the dearth of customer service personnel who actually give a crap about their job. At the Ferryland lighthouse, I was instantly struck by the quality professional service. Despite an obviously busy afternoon, the counter staffperson was calm and collected. She kindly accepted our profuse apology for our lateness (apparently lots of stunned city folk like us misjudge their transit time), took our order, answered our questions, and did it all with a smile and a welcoming attitude.
But as impressed as I was with the service... my favorite part was the food! (You know me).
O. M. G. So there were several selections available, but I had heard in advance about the "ham and cheese" and had already made up my mind about what to order. "Ham and cheese" is a sandwich that can range from a satisfying lunch to a Sketchy McNasty vending machine disaster. The Ferryland picnic sandwich fell on the extremely awesome end of that spectrum.
Oven-roasted fruit-chutney glazed ham, sliced thin, but not too thin. The cheese? Brie. Green apple slices brighten the flavour. The bread: hearty, homemade, thick-sliced, buttered oatmeal with (methinks) a touch of molasses. And that was just the sandwich!! Orzo and bell pepper side salad with fresh mint, topped with fresh-grated Parmesan. Fresh-squeezed lemonade in a Mason jar. Wide dessert selection - but mine was a no-brainer: gingerbread with brown-sugar sauce. The meal runs you about $20 and is worth every buck.
Did I mention that the picnic is served to you after you've nestled in on the cliff overlooking the ocean on a lovely tartan picnic blanket (provided)? Oh yeah, a server comes out to you with a picnic basket/horn o' plenty filled with the above-mentioned feast.
Did I mention there's not a bad view from the Ferryland lighthouse?
And did I mention that we had front-row tickets to the frolicking-whale show? Whales spouted and breached all afternoon. Wish I had a better zoom so you guys could enjoy it like we did:
All-in-all, the Ferryland lighthouse picnic is an outing not to be missed while on the East coast of Newfoundland.
