Staycation Joys!

My last week of August and into September, I took time off and enjoyed a great "staycation". I did lots of walking, a little hiking and a lot of little side trips to pretty locales. My house is clean and organized; and I returned to work fresh and rejuvenated.

One of my favorite hikes (and also the most challenging this year) was the Alexander Murray Trail. I'd been wanting to do this hike for over a year; and my daughter and I decided to do it together and make a day of it. She wore her FitBit which recorded a total of 9 km (return). The site also says that we climbed 350 m and walked a total of 2,200 steps. Yes, that's right: 2,200 steps! 

Needless to say, we took our time, made lots of stops. My favorite of these stops was halfway up: there was a slight detour (32 steps) down to part of the Corner Brook Stream. We were hot and sweaty and beginning to feel the climb. So, we stopped for a snack and a wee dip in the icy cold water of the gorge. 

Then rested and refreshed, we finished the climb to the top where we ate lunch. 

We made it! 

The views were spectacular!

The climb back down was just as difficult (and just as pretty). 

My poor knees! But what a climb! 4 hours after we'd begun, we reached the bottom. And we were more than ready ready for a wee reward before going out to dinner together.



So, we drove into Springdale, picked up some light and non-alcoholic beer and headed to Glassy Beach, a little known treasure of a place. We did the short hike through the woods with a beverage each and sat on the tiny, beach-glass covered beach and listened to the waves and the occasional sound of a crow or gull. It was magic! And everywhere you dug you hand, you came up with beach glass.

T'was a grand day! I will probably never do this hike again, but I'm ever so glad I got to experience it this once. 

Gros Morne National Park

I'm so fortunate to live just a 1.5 hr drive from Gros Morne National Park. I've done many day visits, but this was the first time I'd actually camped there. My Nova Scotia sister and her family were visiting which more than doubled my enjoyment.

Kim and family were there for a whole week, and I got to stay with them for 4 of the 7 days. In spite of most days being a mixture of sun and clouds coupled with periodic showers, it didn't dampen our enthusiasm and joy at being together in such an amazing setting. Gros Morne is spectacularly beautiful and rugged with 'umpteen' trails and walks. At our age, we mainly stayed on the easy trails with the most challenging being a 9.5 mostly flat walk to Baker Brook Falls. 

It was the perfect time to hike Baker Brook Falls as most of the wild flowers were at their peak: Beginning at the top left and going in a clockwise direction, we had Devil's Paintbrush, fields full of wild Iris, many Pitcher Plants (NL's provincial flower), Cow Parsnip (I think) and the most amazing wild Orchids. The boardwalk wound its way through meadow, forest and 'tuckamore' until we began to first hear and then see the falls. It was a warm, muggy day, and dipping our toes in the icy water at the end was a treat. 

Clarence improvised
when there was no
room on the bench
to rest.

We visited Norris Point and took a short hike overlooking the bay. While enjoying the scenery in Norris Point, a large black luxury SUV stopped, rolled down the window and casually chatted with us about the weather and how nice it is to be able to visit occasionally. "Was that a friend of yours?" Kim asked me. "Oh! That was Mr Dwight Ball, the premier of Newfoundland." I replied. "Jeeze!" said Kim. "You have connections!" Hahahaha.

We drove around Bonne Bay to the other side and lunched in pretty Woody Point; then continued on that side past the stunning Tablelands where you can walk upon the earth's mantle. We stopped at the end of the line at Trout River and took a short hike up 136 stairs to take pictures.

Kim's favorite spot was Rocky Harbour, just 10 min from our campgrounds. It's not just cute and picturesque, but it has a grocery and liquor store and lots of great cafes and quirky souvenir shops. We ate breakfast there at Java Jack's: everything is home made and absolutely delicious! Then we followed that with a walk on the beach collecting beach glass for Jessie's collection. That afternoon, we drove down the coast road a little looking for more sandy beaches (very difficult to find in NL). We found a couple of boulder and driftwood strewn beaches (very easy to find in NL), and gave our legs and butt a good workout "walking" them and collecting other treasures. 

My driftwood dragon has built-in
scales and is sitting on an
enormous white egg (rock) w/
beautiful Sea Heather, colorful
spotted rocks as well as (my
favorites) heart-shaped rocks.

We played many, many games of cards -- Auction 45's and Cribbage being our favorites -- and laughed and reiminised about our younger days. 

And as our last night together round the fire was a special one, we drank Newfie beer and tossed on some 'magic crystals' so the fire was extra special too. 

It was a wonderful vacation.

Home again, Home again, Jiggidy jig!

My vacation was lovely. What a blessing to have thoughtful children and their mates.

It was a gastronomic fiesta for me. I ate as much ethnic food as I could: mornings were as simple and as wonderful as a good coffee and a croissant from the French bakery across the street from my Airbnb.  And it was such a treat to find fresh strawberries (NL strawberries won't be ripe until mid July) and cheap 'n' juicy mangos. 

Lunches were simple affairs (such as this Vietnamese Ban Mi and fresh beet/ginger/carrot/orange juice; and dinners were amazing and varied and I was never disappointed. 

Japanese Sushi 

Vietnamese

Tibetan 

Cuban

Turkish

Our Turkish feast was the most amazing of all! My daughter's partner is Turkish; Sat night his dad and step-mom took us all out to the best Turkish restaurant in Toronto area, Anatolia. This is now my favorite food:  lots of rich tomato sauces, yogurt and garlic, tender meats, and drizzles of melted butter & garlic over everything. Oh my goodness! If you've never eaten it, I urge you to try. 


The second half of my trip was Halifax/Dartmouth in NS, home of another daughter. While there, we had an extremely successful shopping trip at Value Village ..... made even better with my 30% off coupon. It was like that particular VV was waiting for my return and had stored up almost all the things on my list! What a good little thrift shop? 


Then later that day, we headed to a food truck festival. We rode the bus from Dartmouth to Halifax which is such a novelty for me.  We were some of the first to arrive so got our food fairly quickly. Then we plunked ourselves on the grass and munched to our mutual delight. 

Four of us shared the most wonderful mini-donuts (far L) in such flavors as Strawberry Shortcake, Lemon Cream Pie, Maple Bacon and Coconut.

We also ate butter chicken poutine (top R), samosas, gourmet grilled cheese, tacos galore AND mini glasses of local craft beer (another reason I loved taking the bus)! 

The rain during the rest of my trip gave my daughter and I plenty of time to catch up with each other and with Netflix. Thankfully, with all the walking I did, I didn't gain any extra weight. And as glad as I was to return home to my own bed, I shall miss the awesome variety of foods that I got to eat. 

Cheers! And happy vacation and/or good eating to you!

A MEDICINAL THRIFTING HONEYMOON

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends. 

And please note that this post was created 5 days ago but I had some Blogger issues. 

A couple of weeks ago, I volunteered to drive my sister to her specialist appointment in our capital city of St John's (or as we Newfies say "Sin Jawns"). It's a 9 hour drive across the island! 

But as I was suffering badly from thrift store withdrawl, I suggested we stay a few days and do some Christmas shopping as well. We left a week after her recent marriage: "Have a nice honeymoon, you two!" said her husband as we drove away in their new lux vehicle with built-in seat warmers and GPS -- a necessity in Sin Jawns!

We booked an awesome Airbnb: a tiny little historic row house right downtown for an unbelievable price. We each had our own room and a little patio out back. And while we were there visiting the large malls and our 2 cousins, I met up with an old friend.

"Hello darling", I cooed lovingly as we arrived in the city and drove past on our way to our new digs. "See you tomorrow."  On the same street, we passed Previously Loved, another thrift store recommended to us as well as a large Salvation Army thrift store and the mall where we planned on shopping. 

(With my heart all aflutter, I thanked God for obviously placing all these shops in one convenient location!)

My sister was a total greenhorn to thrifting, but after our first stop, she was hooked. (We'll repeat our visit in the spring when she has her next specialist appointment.) 

Before I left NS to move back home into an apartment, I got rid of an awful lot! I foolishly thought I could live with only a few pairs of shoes in black, brown and tan. Well! Time told a different story. So at the top of my "To Find" treasure list was SHOES. I probably spent a total of $125 thrifting, but I bought 6 pairs of flats, a down-filled winter coat (an absolute must for our long, cold Newfoundland winters), 2 pairs of pants/jeans, 2 t-shirts, 2 sweaters, 3 scarves as well as 5 additions to family Xmas gifts, 6 items for my grandson, 2 pieces of antique glassware, and a slew of lovely other items. (I'll share later.)

Linda and I had a fantastic time together, getting to know each other again and bonding over glasses of wine and lovely food: rustic loaves of artisan bread (unavailable in rural CB) from Volcano Icelandic Bakery; thick slices of delicious, rich buttercream topped cake from Rocket Bakery; a carnivore's delight at Montana's (fuel for shopping) and skinny vanilla lattes from Starbuck's. We acted like tourists, visiting Cape Spear and just walking historic Water Street and chatting with the artists and musicians.

I love my new quiet, laid back lifestyle in Corner Brook. But this trip to the big city was a wonderful mini vacation:  soul-rejuvenating and full of fun and laughter. 

Now, back to my budget and saving for next April's trip! 

The weary have returned!

Part of my time back home was wonderful (having Amy with me); and part was quite stressful.  (I lost someone in Newfoundland.) But the parts that were good were soooooo good.  Here are some pictures of our first week.

Day 2: Marble Mountain Ski Resort hike.  This short but gruelling uphill hike overlooks the scenic Humber River Valley in Western Newfoundland, with the city of Corner Brook (my hometown) in the far right corner of the lower left picture. The blonds in black are 2 of my gorgeous daughters.

On Day 4, we travelled "down the bay" from Corner Brook as far as you can go:  Bottle Cove and Little Port.  There are lots of hikes to take in this area (as in most of NL).  We choose the "full" hike in Little Port.

The1st half of our hike was a gentle 1.8 km to Cedar Cove and its rocky, driftwood strewn beach. 

We rested for a while ...... and then we got creative with the driftwood.

The 2nd half of our hike was deceiving.  See that sign that says 1.8 km to the Little Port lighthouse site?  Hmmm! 1.8 of extreme trail? Well, we thought: you have to go up and across and then down again.  We can do 1.8 km of that!

The sign actually meant 1.8 km UP the side of the mountain -- not all the way to the lighthouse site.  The knotted rope was a necessity and NOT a suggestion.  We plateaued at the top and met spectacular vistas. It was breathtaking! Then we went down the mountain another 1.5 km or so --- backwards with the aid of knotted ropes -- to the lighthouse site. Then we went down on a more gentle slope until we once again reached where we had started.

That sign lied!  That half of the hike was about 6 km total.  
OMG!  Legs! Lungs! Feet! Hands!

Large quantities of beer and chicken wings were needed afterwards!  Thanks Wing 'n It and Libby!

And that's just Week 1.  Ahhhhh, Newfoundland.  You're grand!

Still, it's really good to be back home in NS.

After all, taking a vacation is pretty tiring work!  

V-A-C-A-TION ... IN THE SUMMERTIME!

Oh the rollin' of the sea is beckonin' to me.

Sayin' come my son I'll show you things you've never seen before

Come set your spirit free on the winds of history

Hoist your sails & charge a course & go out & explore.

Oh the rollin' of the sea is beckonin' to me.

Come home to Newfoundland and Labrador.

It's that most wonderful time of the year again. This year, I have my lovely Amy to share it with.  There'll be lots of driving, an overnight stay with friends, a 6-8 hr ferry ride, and then more driving before we even reach our destination.  She'll sit moose-watch (very important when driving in Newfoundland); I'll drive.  

We'll see family; I'll meet old friends and she'll gain new.  We'll eat and eat and eat and eat -- cod fish, fish & brewis, jiggs dinner, toutins, chips 'n' dressing 'n' gravy.  We'll have to make a concerted effort to put green things on our plate.  We'll surround ourselves with family ...... and run away to hike when they become too much.  (And vice versa!)  Then we head East for a 5-day 3-member family road trip, eat more, drink a little too much, stay at quaint places with odd place names.    

Yup!  It's vacation time.

See you in a few weeks.

Snippets of my Whirlwind Summer

Hello my lovelies!  It's so nice to be back with you again.  I had an amazing summer!  What a fortunate woman I am.  With an empty house, I got to spend lots of time alone, eat when I felt like it, run around naked and make or break my own plans.  It was marvelous!

 

AND I spent just over 2 glorious weeks in Newfoundland -- travelling with my friend, Sharon, for the first week; then hanging out with family for the second.  Here are some of the highlights.

 

My wonderful parents.  I'm so lucky to still have them with me.  My Dad is loud and silly and learning to navigate Facebook!  (He needs something to complain about.)  My Mom's eyesight is quite bad, but she has great stamina and joy for life.  She got to bug me about my weight (as she encouraged me to have another brownie), and we played several games of Skip-Bo every night. 

 



Just a few members of my family:  my eldest, Cindy and her husband Jody on the left; my baby, Libby, on the far right; and my crazy sister, Linda, in the middle.
Cindy is pregnant with my 1st grandchild, due in January.  I'm so excited!  And I love scouring the Frenchies and Value Village aisles for baby clothes. 

 

 





The 1st stop for Sharon and me was Gros Morne National Park.  There's so much to see and do here; we did a lot of driving, walking, picture taking and saying "OMG!  Look at that!"  We managed to fit in one good hike to the lookoff outside Rocky Harbour.  Only 2.6 km return, but it's straight up -- and as you can see, a spectacular view from the top.  We even saw a young cow moose on our way down, not 100 feet from us!    

Next stop,Twillingate.  We began our hike at the Lighthouse in the far distance.  The trail system took us down through the middle-earth-type country you can see (flat, green sections), around rocks, over little brooks, down to the sea, past an old copper mine and up the stairs into Mordor.  What a trek!  A 9 km return hike ..... much deserving of the amazing dinner, 2 ice cold ones and NL Screech (rum) infused bananas flambé we finished our evening with.

The next day we took the ferry to Fogo Island.  We visited Auk Island winery (unlimited samples!), ate iceberg ice cream -- Yup, made with pure, million year old iceberg water -- and viewed a little of the new luxury Fogo Island Inn.  Their rooms start at $880 up..... so we stayed at more modest accomodations.



Our last stop was the Trinity area.  The left photo was taken on our Sheriwink Trail hike (5.6 km return) -- a wonderful trail system with mesh covered boardwalks for most of the walk and spectacular rock formations.  We went to a dinner theatre and walked historic Trinity, full of beautiful old fishing captains' houses.  We drove up to Bonnavista where we saw humpbacks.  Then to Elliston, the self-proclaimed root cellar capital of the world:  that's where we saw adorable little puffins and where we both coveted this deck chair.  It's also where we ate fries, dressing and gravy -- a coronary hardening NL specialty --  and the best bread pudding either of us have ever tasted.     

 

 

 

My students returned to me the first week of September; so it's back to our regular routine --- work, school, sleep, eat.  But it also means great little day trips for the 3 of us ..... like yesterday's Open Farm Day.  We visited 3 local farms, met cute, satiny-smooth chickens, said goodbye to the cows who will shortly meet their  demise, had a wagon ride through an apple orchard and ate a delicious Airstream Cafe dinner on a hill overlooking forest and farm land as the sun was beginning to set.  We were a happy, contented bunch. 

 

It's nice to be back to "normal".  Thanks for hanging on and waiting for me.