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DESSERTS FOR DAD
$4.99 June 2022
Vol 35 • No 01
Pet of the Year Contest
Relive CHY ’66
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$
16 99
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life is better Published monthly in St. John’s by Downhome Publishing Inc. 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3 Tel: 709-726-5113 • Fax: 709-726-2135 • Toll Free: 1-888-588-6353 E-mail: mail@downhomelife.com Website: www.downhomelife.com Editorial Editor-in-Chief Janice Stuckless Assistant Editor Nicola Ryan Editor Lila Young Art and Production Art Director Vince Marsh Illustrator Mel D’Souza Illustrator Snowden Walters Advertising Sales Account Manager Barbara Young Account Manager Ashley O’Keefe Marketing Director Tiffany Brett Finance and Administration Accountant Marlena Grant Accountant Sandra Gosse Operations Manager, Twillingate Nicole Mehaney
Warehouse Operations Warehouse / Inventory Manager Carol Howell Warehouse Operator Josephine Collins Retail Operations Retail Floor Manager, St. John’s Jackie Rice Retail Floor Manager, Twillingate Donna Keefe Retail Sales Associates Crystal Rose, Jonathon Organ, Elizabeth Gleason, Erin McCarthy, Marissa Little, Kim Tucker, Heather Stuckless, Katrina Hynes, Destinee Rogers, Amy Young, Emily Snelgrove, Brandy Rideout, Hayley Rogers, Zoey Gidge, Ashley Pelley, Haylee Parrell
Subscriptions Customer Service Associate Cathy Blundon
Founding Editor Ron Young Chief Executive Officer/Publisher Grant Young President & Associate Publisher Todd Goodyear General Manager/Assistant Publisher Tina Bromley
To subscribe, renew or change address use the contact information above. Subscriptions total inc. taxes, postage and handling: for residents in NL, NS, NB, PE $45.99; ON $45.19; QC, SK, MB, AB, BC, NU, NT, YT $41.99. US and International mailing price for a 1-year term is $49.99.
Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement #40062919 The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable for damages arising out of errors in advertisements beyond the amount paid for the space actually occupied by the portion of the advertisement in which the error occurred, whether such error is due to the negligence of the servants or otherwise, and there shall be no liability beyond the amount of such advertisement. The Letters to the Editor section is open to all letter writers providing the letters are in good taste, not libelous, and can be verified as true, correct and written by the person signing the letter. Pen names and anonymous letters will not be published. The publisher reserves the right to edit, revise, classify, or reject any advertisement or letter. © Downhome Publishing Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada.
Printed in Canada Official onboard magazine of
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welcome back
Contents
JUNE 2022
58 Stories from the Kyle A conversation with storyteller and model boat builder, Heber McGurk Dennis Flynn
64 Save the Date Burgeo’s Sand and Sea Festival is among a number of favourite events returning this summer after two years of pandemic postponements Nicola Ryan
68 What’s in a Name?
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Dale Jarvis uncovers interesting stories on local community names
94 Everyday Recipes Desserts for Dad
time in a bottle www.downhomelife.com
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Contents
JUNE 2022
homefront 8 I Dare Say A note from the Editor 12 Letters From Our Readers Good reads, great laughs and gorgeous handiwork
20 Downhome Tours Downhome readers explore Australia 22 Why is That? Why do flamingos stand on one leg? Linda Browne
24 Life’s Funny Two Cents Worth Alice Evans
20 down under
25 Say What? A contest that puts words in someone else’s mouth
26 Lil Charmers First Mates 28 Pets of the Month Just Dandy! 32 Reviewed Denise Flint reviews Kevin Major’s latest murder mystery, Three For Trinity.
34 What Odds Paul Warford steps in a tourist’s shoes
26 mini mates
36 Fresh Tracks Wendy Rose reviews Reclamation by Clare Follett. 40 Adventures Outdoors Q&A with the Grandkids Gord Follett
44 What’s the Score Happy Days of Summer Kevin Lane
46 Building on a Legacy Margaret Peckford 4
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72 protecting nature
52 still life from life
features 52 Drawn From Nature A St. John’s artist brings local scenes to life in a creative, colourful way. Linda Browne
explore 72 Nature and Nurture The Indian Bay Watershed and its protectors Marie-Beth Wright 78 Monuments to a Tragedy New memorials to a 1978 plane crash on the northeast Avalon Kim Ploughman
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Contents
JUNE 2022
90
meat-less and delicious
home and cabin 84 Stuff We Love Road Trippin’ Nicola Ryan
86 Come on Home Marie Bishop’s tips for creating a proper welcome
90 The Everyday Gourmet Black Bean Burgers Andrea Maunder
100 Down to Earth Recipes for Beautiful Hanging Baskets Mandy Keeping 6
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memories of ’66
reminiscing 106 Flashbacks Classic photos of people and places
108 This Month in Downhome History 110 Come Home Year 1966 Readers look back
114 The Gale and the Breaker About the cover Cabot Tower was the symbol of NL’s first Come Home Year in 1966, so it seemed fitting to ring in Come Home 2022 summer with the same tower that still overlooks the capital city.
A daring rescue in December 1945 off Sable Island, NS John P. Christopher
118 Years Ago in Rock Harbour Arabella (Brown) Lewis
Cover Index Desserts for Dad • 94 What’s in a Name? • 68 Perilous Rescue at Sea • 114 Welcome Home • 64, 84 & 86 Pet of the Year Contest • 30 Relive CHY ’66 • 110
124 Puzzles 136 Colouring Page 138 Classifieds 140 Mail Order 144 Photo Finish
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i dare say
What were you doing in June 1988? I was finishing Grade 11 at J.M. Olds Collegiate in Twillingate, NL, and looking forward to just one more year of high school. After that, I had no idea what I was going to do. My only ambition was to write. My future was wide open and I had no clear plan for navigating it. My meandering career path, as luck would have it, eventually intersected with another Twillingater with a passion for words. That same June, when I was starting my last high school summer break, Ron Young was launching a magazine, The Downhomer, in southern Ontario for homesick Newfoundlanders and Labradorians like himself. A poet and general wordsmith, Ron loved to spin yarns, write jokes, create word puzzles and attract other like-minded souls to help fill the pages of this unique publication. At just the right time, that included me. It’s been 34 years since that first magazine went out into the world; 22 years since I joined Ron and all the other talented, dedicated folks he’d rallied for the cause. Ron passed on his torch a few years ago, leaving me and others in charge of keeping it lit. But while the staff might be manning this ship, the readers fuel it. We’d go nowhere without you; your devoted membership drives us and your contributions sustain us. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for creating in Downhome what Ron dreamed for it years ago. Starting with this issue, we’re taking a nostalgic look back at what other people were doing in 1988. Every month, we’ll print a Downhomer story from exactly 34 years ago. Read the first one on p. 108. What were you doing in 1988? Send me some photos and stories – you could see your history in a future issue. Thanks for reading,
Janice Stuckless, Editor-in-chief janice@downhomelife.com
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Submission Guidelines and Prize Rules
You could WIN $100! Every reader whose PHOTO, STORY, JOKE or POEM appears next to this yellow “from our readers” stamp in a current issue receives $10 and a chance at being drawn for the monthly prize: $100 for one photo submission and $100 for one written submission. Prizes are awarded in Downhome Dollars certificates, which can be spent like cash in our retail stores and online at shopDownhome.com.*
Submit Today! Send your photo, story, joke or poem to
Downhome, 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3 or submit online at: www.downhomelife.com *Only 1 prize per submitter per month. To receive their prize, submitters must provide with their submission COMPLETE contact information: full name, mailing address, phone number and email address (if you have one). Mailed submissions will only be returned to those who include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Downhome Inc. reserves the right to publish submissions in future print and/or electronic media campaigns. Downhome Inc. is not responsible for unsolicited material.
Hidden somewhere in this issue is Corky Sly Conner.
Can you find him? Look carefully at all the photographs and in the text of the stories. If you spot Corky, send us your name, address and phone number, along with a note telling us where he’s located. Your name will be entered in a draw and the winner will receive a coupon worth 25 Downhome Dollars redeemable at our store, or through our website.
Send your replies to: 43 James Lane St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3
Congratulations to Hedley Parsons of Oro-Medonte, ON, who found Corky on page 51 of the March issue.
mail@downhomelife.com www.downhomelife.com Deadline for replies is the end of each month.
Congratulations to LeeAnn Levesque of Bradford, ON, who found Corky on page 110 of the April issue.
Corky Contest
*No Phone Calls Please. One entry per person
www.downhomelife.com
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N E W F O U N D L A N D
A N D
L A B R A D O R
It’s Come Home 2022 in Newfoundland and Labrador. A time for friends and family to come back for an unforgettable celebration. So consider this your official invitation. Stay in the know about Festivals and Events at ComeHome2022.ca
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N E
You know you’re ‘having a time’ once you’ve lost all sense of it.
W F O U N D L A N D
A N D
L A B R A D O R
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Still a Good Read
Sitting here today reading April and May issues of my favourite magazine. You can certainly notice not only the difference in size and name, but the dates. April is 2022 and May is 1996. Over a quarter of a century in the difference and I am still finding them. It’s still the great magazine it always was. What a treasure. Patsy Humby Morley’s Siding, Bonavista Bay, NL
Next year, in June 2023, we’ll mark our 35th year (wild!), and we can’t wait to celebrate. In fact, we’re kicking off the celebrations with this issue, and will keep it up all year. Turn to the Reminiscing section to see our new “This Month in Downhome History,” where we’ll reprint a classic article that first ran this month in 1988. In June, we reported on a special honour for NL fiddle master, Emile Benoit. See the article again on p. 108. 12
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Thanks for the Laugh I just read the article “G-Force Ride” in the March issue, and it’s a good thing we keep our magazine in the washroom because I laughed so hard I almost peed myself! I never enjoyed a story as much or laughed as hard in my life. I had to stop and start so many times because I was bent over and wiping my eyes. I didn’t realize how much I needed this. I had to write and thank Cyril Griffin for the awesome personal story of when he was young, and making me laugh again. I mean really laugh... I needed that. It was awesome! (Oh, we read the book in the bathroom, and try and find that stupid “Corky” and do the puzzles in the bathtub.) Paulette Dicaire Via DownhomeLife.com
We had the best laugh, too, when we first opened that envelope from Cyril Griffin and read his story aloud. The sketches he included, done by Edward Emerson, were the icing on the cake! We never know what readers will send us, and we sure love finding out!
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What Is This?
I wonder if your readers can this identify this object, which I recently picked up at a flea market. The photo shows the front and back of the item, two pieces that seem to go together. Somebody suggested it might be a hair pin, to keep a woman’s hair in place, but I don’t know if this is correct. I would be grateful for your readers’ insight. Burton Janes Bay Roberts, NL
Well, readers? What do you say? If you know what this is, send us an email: editorial@downhomelife.com; write to us at Downhome, 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3; or call 1-888-588-6353.
Making Babies I had to smile when reading “Making Babies” by Kim Thistle (“Down to Earth”), in the February issue. I lost my wife of 69 years on December 10, 2020. She was an avid gardener all her life and couldn’t wait to break ground each spring. We have a cottage about an hour outside of town with all new ground that she loved to play in. One year she set a sack of seed potatoes and got one sack of grown potatoes in the fall. Another year we had potatoes enough to give away. One fall, Ena was up in her potato 14
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garden digging spuds. Our young granddaughter was playing in the woods near me when my wife called out, “Lloyd, do we have any brin sacks in the shed?” Before I could answer her, Jane (who was five or six at the time) yelled out, “Ea! Don’t you know SACKS makes babies!” Lloyd Walker Via Downhomelife.com
Out of the mouths of babes. Thanks for the laugh, Lloyd.
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Peter Rabbit Rug I call this “Peter Rabbit foraging for his breakfast.” It’s a hooked rug that I completed specially for my grandson, Nico Bermudez Murray, who is three months old. The rug hangs above his crib in his bedroom. Susan Murray Portugal Cove, NL
Beautiful work, Susan. Anyone else want to share their gorgeous handiwork? You can submit your photos and letters online at DownhomeLife.com anytime; email editorial@downhomelife.com; or write to us at Downhome, 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3.
Thank You for the Story
Chewing Pitch
I want to thank you for publishing Dennis Flynn’s interview with my 100-year-old mom, Isabel Power (“A Century to Reflect,” March 2022). It was beautifully written. Thanks to people like Dennis and publications like the Downhome, the stories of the past will live on.
I found the letter on the street cars in the March edition of your magazine interesting, especially the part about people chewing the pitch that was used between the cobble stones on the streets of old St. John’s. I assume some of them lived a few days after doing that. I attended St. James Anglican School in Port aux Basques, NL, back in the ’50s. Not too far from our school was the United Church Academy, which burnt down in 1952. I remember seeing it burn from our porch
Cecilia McDonald Colliers, NL
We’re grateful to you and your mother, and to Dennis, for giving us a wonderful story to share.
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window that night, and I remember the empty spot left in the landscape as I walked past the ruins the next day. There was always some rivalry between the students of both schools, with many snowball fights. As far I know, no one got seriously injured – but there were many students from our school that got strapped after participating in the fights. It wasn’t long until construction on the new school started. (It is now the Home Hardware store.) Among the building materials on the site were many cylinders of hard black pitch, which came wrapped in cardboard. This was used as part of the roof construction. Many students from our
school would go to the site and pick up small chunks of the pitch, chew it and spit the black juice on the ground, like you would chewing tobacco. It wasn’t long before the cry went out that “the Anglicans were eating the roof off the new United Church school.” Joseph W. Roberts Conception Bay South, NL
Thanks for that story, Joseph. I wonder if any readers share your memories of those schools, of Port aux Basques, or of chewing pitch. We’d file that last one under “things kids today would never understand / we’d never let them do!”
Giant Rhubarb
I enjoyed the picture of the huge cabbage in one of your magazines (“Photo Finish,” November 2021). The stalks of this rhubarb leaf should be sufficient for at least one pie. My son, Robert MacKenzie, transplanted the rhubarb from PEI to NL – first in Harbour Grace, then Gander. Ida MacKenzie Murray Harbour, PE
That is one well-travelled rhubarb that looks like it’s really taken to living in Gander. Anyone else have a “heirloom” plant that you maybe got from someone else or that you have uprooted and taken with you whenever you moved? Send us your photos and stories. Turn to page 9 to see all the easy ways to do so.
Dear readers, Would you like to comment on something you’ve read in Downhome? Do you have a question for the editors or for other readers? Submit your letter to the editor at DownhomeLife.com/letters or write to us at 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3. 16
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Sponsored Editorial
Devon Walsh with his Mom and grandmother meeting a Newfoundland Pony
My Little Pony Fans Get Behind Newfoundland’s Little Pony! It was a pleasant surprise when the Newfoundland Pony Society (NPS)
received an email from Devon Walsh, advising that a $4,500 donation was being made to the Society. It was especially fitting to learn the donation was on behalf of the Vanhoover Pony Expo, a My Little Pony (MLP) fan convention based in Vancouver.
Vanhoover is a family-friendly celebration of the MLP community, providing fans with a place to meet and celebrate their mutual interest in MLP television shows, toys, comics and art. Founded in 2018 with support from the BC Anthropomorphic Events Association (BCAEA), Vanhoover carries on the legacy of BronyCAN, which began hosting MLP conventions in 2013. Speaking with Devon and two of his fellow BCAEA members, Aaron Bayes and Rob Harrison, their passion for promoting MLP’s core themes of friendship and community shines through. As Aaron says, “Vanhoover promotes a positive, uplifting sense of community.” Rob notes that the Expo is completely not-for-profit and entirely volunteer-driven. The 2022 Expo was planned as an in-person event, but just 2 weeks before the convention, the team was forced to pivot to an online format due to the Omicron variant. The silver lining of hosting the event virtually was welcoming over 35,000 attendees, with participants from as far away as Germany, South America and Australia. Each year the BCAEA Board of Directors chooses a charity to support, with funds raised through donations and an auction. Items auctioned were donated by Vanhoover’s generous community of artists and supporters, and the auction was live streamed to the events stage in the Expo’s PonyTown game. As Aaron notes “People overbid on the smallest items, because they know the funds are going to a really worthwhile cause.”
Vanhoover participants rallied to support the auction, making it the Expo’s second highest fundraiser ever! Donations came from across North America and Europe and lots of people engaged in the online chat, many learning about the endangered Newfoundland Pony for the first time. Growing up in Whiteway, Trinity Bay, Devon recalls riding his bicycle by Clifford George’s house and seeing Newfoundland Ponies on the property. He says that learning of the breed’s decline inspired him to propose the NPS as Vanhoover’s chosen charity for 2022. “I understand how much help the Pony needs, so I proposed the Pony Society for this year’s Expo.” Attendees enthusiastically supported the fundraiser, and Devon personally presented the donation to NPS Board members on a March visit home - his first in 4 years. The parallels between the BCAEA’s dedicated Board and volunteers and the Pony Society’s team is striking. Volunteers are at the heart of community events like Vanhoover and charities like the NPS. As Rob notes, “It’s great when a fun event can have a lasting impact on the community.” Devon added, “I’m so glad that the NPS was able to benefit this year. Being able to present a cheque to the Society and to see Newfoundland Ponies on my visit home was the highlight of my trip.” From one group of Pony fans to another, the NPS is grateful to the BCAEA for their generous donation and to be featured during Vanhoover’s 2022 event. NPS wishes the BCAEA many more years of successful Vanhoover Pony Expos!
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Submit your favourite photos of scenery, activities and icons that best illustrate the down-home lifestyle. We’re looking for a variety of colourful subjects – outports, wildlife, laundry lines, historic sites, seascapes, hilltop views, and so much more – and photos from all four seasons. This is your chance to get in on our most popular reader contest and try to woo the judges into choosing your photo for the 2023 Downhome Calendar. These calendars are seen by tens of thousands of subscribers and displayed all year long.
What are you waiting for? Submit today, using one of these ways:
by mail: Downhome Calendar Contest 43 James Lane St. John’s, NL A1E 3H3 online: www.downhomelife.com/calendar Must be original photos or high quality copies. Digital photos must be at least 300 dpi, files sizes of about 1MB. We can’t accept photocopies or photos that are blurry, too dark or washed out. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you want your photos returned.
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homefront Downhome tours...
Australia
Melbourne Irene O’Brien of Kentville, NS, visited the Melbourne War Memorial, also known as the Shrine of Remembrance, in November 2012.
In Melbourne, capital of the southeastern state of Victoria, the Shrine of Remembrance honours the service and sacrifice of Australians in war and peacekeeping. The 1851 discovery of gold in Victoria sparked a gold rush that inspired a wave of construction of iconic landmarks in Melbourne, including the war memorial, the National Gallery and the Flinders Street Railway Station. 20
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Sydney
Cavell Gaye of Grand Falls-Windsor, NL, and Brenda Rowsell are all smiles in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge in February 2019.
Sydney, the capital of New South Wales on Australia’s east coast, is well known for the spectacular Darling Harbour. The Harbour Bridge, which spans the waterway near the distinctive Opera House, was completed in 1932 and is the largest steel arch bridge in the world.
Tingledale Godfrey & Priscilla Mitchelmore of St. Anthony, NL, enjoy the Valley of the Giants Tree Top Walk in Tingledale in 2018.
Tingledale is a beautiful rural area within a day’s drive of Western Australia’s capital, Perth. The majestic red tingle trees of the Valley of the Giants have origins that can be traced back 65 million years. The Tree Top Walk, suspended 40 metres above the forest floor, allows visitors to experience the incredible surroundings while minimizing their impact on the environment.
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Expert answers to common life questions. By Linda Browne
Why do flamingos stand on one leg? With their long necks, spindly legs, large downward curving bills and spectacular pink plumage, flamingos are a sight to behold (unless you find a bunch of plastic ones decorating your lawn on your birthday, reminding you of your mortality). They’re a fascinating bird as well. For instance, did you know that a group of flamingos is known as a “flamboyance” and that their bright pink colour comes from their food? According to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute’s website, many plants produce red, orange and yellow pigments called carotenoids (the same thing that makes carrots orange). “They are also found in the microscopic algae that brine shrimp eat. As a flamingo dines on algae and brine shrimp, its body metabolizes the pigments – turning its feathers pink,” the institute states. There are six flamingo species in the world, and while it may appear that their knees all bend backward when they walk, their legs bend just like a human’s, explains the institute, adding, “What looks like a flamingo’s knee is really its ankle joint. A 22
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flamingo’s knees are located higher up the legs, hidden by the body and feathers. Think of a flamingo as standing on tiptoe. When the leg bends, it’s the ankle you see hinging.” Speaking of legs, have you ever wondered why flamingos often seem to only use one of them? An interesting theory came to light in a 2009 study, published by the scientific journal Zoo Biology, suggesting that flamingos, when standing in water, stand on one leg to retain body heat (and that less do so as the temperature rises). “Results strongly suggest that unipedal resting aids flamingos in thermoregulation,” the study states. However, there are some who doubt this theory. One of them is Dr. Paul Rose, co-chair of the Flamingo Specialist Group – a global network of flamingo experts focused on the study, monitoring, management and conservation of this beautiful bird. 1-888-588-6353
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“The heat regulation is one that has been thrown around for a while, but it has never been evidenced reliably,” Dr. Rose tells Downhome. The most valid reason to explain why a flamingo stands on one leg (which is common across many bird species) is to save energy, he says, “because when balanced on one leg, a flamingo is very stable and doesn’t need to ‘work’ to maintain posture and balance. The muscles lock the leg in place and, therefore, the flamingo is not having to use muscular energy to remain upright.” While flamingos can stand on one leg for long periods of time, Rose says they can also switch legs for comfort. “Some studies suggest one leg might be preferred to the other, a bit like right or left handedness, but not concretely evidenced from wild birds [research was performed on a small flock of zoo birds],” he adds. Flamingos have the ability to perform this amazing balancing act while doing all sorts of actives, including preening, loafing (“a term used for the inactive behaviour of
waterbirds,” Rose explains) and even sleeping. “Birds do not lie down to sleep in the wild. They will do in the zoo, where it is safer. Being on one leg helps a quick escape,” he says. In an interesting, albeit morbid, study published in 2017, a pair of researchers studied two fresh-frozen flamingo cadavers from the Birmingham Zoo in Alabama. They found the cadavers could support themselves on one leg, but not two. (Before you start screaming, there were clamps and struts involved – these were no zombie flamingos.) While humans would likely end up black and blue if we were to give single-legged sleeping a go, “even mammals can shift balance from one leg to others. Humans even weight bear more on one side than another when standing for a while, as it can be more comfortable,” Rose says. “And horses standing in a field will rest one hoof and weight bear through the other three.” So the next time you’re waiting in a long lineup at the grocery store, think of your feathered flamingo friends and don’t be afraid to get a bit shifty. It might save you some energy in the long run.
Do you have a burning life question for Linda to investigate?
Turn to page 9 for ways to contact us. www.downhomelife.com
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homefront life’s funny
Two Cents Worth My five-year-old son was a happy little boy who liked to talk. When he came home after school I would ask him how he liked it. He would say the teacher kept saying to him, “Pay attention!” After a few days of getting this same report, I was getting sort of mad with him. I said, “Paul, you have to pay attention.” He replied, “Mommy, I don’t have any money.” Alice Evans Sydney, NS
Do you have any funny or embarrassing true stories? Share them with us. If your story is selected, you’ll win a prize! See page 9 for details.
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t Jiggs “Mudder go ain! I’m g dinner on a junkie.” a salt beenf Patey – Lillia
Say WHAT? Downhome recently posted this photo (submitted by Jenna Lee Keats) on our website and social media platforms and asked folks to imagine what this baby might be saying. Lillian Patey’s response made us chuckle the most, so we’re awarding her 20 Downhome Dollars!
Here are the runners-up: “That’s my first and last taste of cod liver oil!” – Edna Walsh “I don’t want yer maggoty fish!” – Robin Cuff “Whasssuuup!” – Debbie Young
Play with us online! www.downhomelife.com/saywhat
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homefront lil charmers
Checking Nets Rylee Blanchard and her pop, Gordie Morris, check nets on the Grand River in 2016. Kristen Hamel St. George’s, NL
First Mates Little Jigger Rebecca Brennan jigs for cod with her great-grandfather Aubrey Wells. Shauna Brennan Fortune, NL
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Making Waves Jake Maddox has a great day on the water with poppy Ron Fitzgerald. Trina Maddox Toronto, ON
Fresh Fish Nash Eddison of Gunners Cove, NL, shows off his catch with poppy Boyce Roberts. Michele Wiest Quirpon, NL
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homefront pets of the month
Just Dandy! A Dog’s Life Abby stops to smell the flowers in Shoe Cove, NL. Judy King Paradise, NL
Make a Wish Blue wishes to finally catch that squirrel at the cabin. Trina Hillyard Paradise, NL
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Fields of Gold Phantom loves dashing through the dandelions. Susan Bennett Bell Island, NL
Birthday Bloom Mitzi celebrates her eighth birthday with a little flower flair. Beatrice Lane St. Chad’s, NL
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Tell us about the pet that “changed my life.”
We’re looking for heartwarming stories of all kinds: heroic pets that saved a life, emotional support animals, and furry (or not furry, or feathery) friends that make your life better for whatever reason. The pet whose influence impresses us the most will be featured in an upcoming issue of Downhome and declared Pet of the Year. Your beloved buddy will have their life story told and become a magazine star.
How to Enter
Write a story (500 words max.) and include a photo (must be about a current, living pet). Submit one of these ways:
Email: editorial@downhomelife.com (Subject: Pet of the Year) Mail: Downhome Pet of the Year 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3
Deadline is June 30, 2022
www.downhomelife.com
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homefront
reviewed by Denise Flint
Three For Trinity Kevin Major Breakwater Books • $22.95
Kevin Major is back with another entry in his popular Sebastian Synard series. As usual, the setting is a natural tourism destination that allows Major to wax eloquently about the beauties of Newfoundland and Labrador. This time the book is set in scenic Trinity, as Sebastian – tour guide, private eye and connoisseur of single malt Scotch – investigates the sudden death of an actor with Rising Tide Theatre. Along for the ride are Sebastian’s teenaged son, Nick, and their dog, Gaffer, always ready to get into trouble and yet somehow managing to also save the day. Also making an appearance are a couple of cops to spice things up – one, a potential love interest; the other, a potential stepfather to Nick. Neither of them are best pleased to have Sebastian (not to mention Nick and Gaffer) involved in their investigation. Too bad for them. Rather than invent a theatre troupe, Major utilizes a real one and its real artistic director, Donna Butt, is a major character. In a world where shows like “The Crown” achieve blockbuster status, this choice doesn’t seem as unusual as it once might have done. But it does kind of give you a hint that at least one of the potential suspects probably isn’t the murderer. Three For Trinity isn’t a deep read, but it’s a great book to relax with. And if you can’t or won’t travel to Trinity, it’s a good way to get a taste of that part of the province without risking COVID (or murder).
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Q&A with the Author Denise Flint: In Two for the Tablelands things were “normal.” This book is set not much later and we’re in COVID semi-lockdown. Why did you decide to incorporate COVID into the story? Kevin Major: When I was writing it we were in the midst of COVID, and it was not something that I felt like you could ignore. We’ve lived with it for over two years now and when it goes away it will still be in people’s memory. I think it added a bit of authenticity to the storyline.
DF: Why did you incorporate a real, living person as such an important character? KM: I have a long history with Donna [Butt] and with Rising Tide Theatre. They produced a number of plays that I wrote, most notably No Man’s Land, which they staged at least a dozen times. I wanted to set a story in Trinity, and my experience with Rising Tide seemed to be there to be made use of. I approached Donna and told her I’d like to do it in Trinity and are you open to having yourself as a character? She thought about it and said go ahead. I could have created a fictitious troupe with a fictitious director, but people would know it was Donna and Rising Tide.
DF: How long do you see the series running? KM: There’s a new one coming out this fall, Four for Fogo Island, and I’m just starting a first draft of number five. I’m committed with Breakwater [publishers] to do five, but we’ll see www.downhomelife.com
what happens after that. I purposely chose Sebastian being a tour guide so that potentially takes him anywhere in Newfoundland and Labrador, and that allows me to showcase the province and take people to places they haven’t been in the province, or revisit places. It gives me any interesting variation on the theme.
DF: How has the writing world changed since you first started? KM: It’s kind of more difficult to get a foot in, and the advances aren’t near what they used to be. It seems to be dominated by a relatively small number of writers. But the book has remained. There was a time when people thought the physical book would be replaced by e-readers, so there’s still a place for the physical book and a well-told story. I’ve seen a lot of ups and downs over 40 years, but I’ve been able to make a living out of it so I don’t have any complaints.
DF: Knowing what you know now, is there anything you would have done differently? KM: You write the book that you want to write at the time you write it. I started out writing young adult novels and adult fiction. If I were to try to write those books today, I probably wouldn’t be able to or wouldn’t be interested. You write what grabs your interest and do your best and move on from there. Some people are surprised I’m writing murder mysteries, but it’s something at this time of my life I’m enjoying rather than the heavily researched histories of the past. June 2022
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homefront what odds
home again home again By Paul Warford
You don’t come Breakfast is almost ready, I can it. Breakfast will be at 2 p.m. today, but to Bay Roberts smell that’s neither here nor there. Much like my litfor postcard erary hero, Hunter S. Thompson, I tend to keep hours of a vampire bat. While you’re sound photos; you the asleep, dreaming of the weekend and the joys of come here June, I’m fleshing out story ideas or cleaning for McDonald’s myOnbathroom. the menu this afternoon are two fish cakes, and hockey baked beans and a touton – a Newfoundland tournaments. breakfast so traditional it could be on the cover of this issue. I won’t finish it in one sitting. I Shows what intentionally order more than I need sometimes I know. solely for the leftovers (another Thompson trick). My delectable meal is being served at Mad Rock Café – by far the most charming place to grab a bite if you’re beatin’ around the roads of my hometown, Bay Roberts. As a matter of fact, they were voted #1 in Downhome’s Clash of the Toutons contest in 2015 – best toutons in the province according to readers. So, while Pop sizzles the fat, I’m content enough to plug away at this here piece and glance out the window at locals walking by with their dogs, leaning into the gusting wind. Monica is handling my table service, and I may have let it slip that I’m working on my monthly conversation with all of you. She was impressed. This is why I keep gracing these pages, dear readers, to impress the servers across the island. (That’s a joke.) Perhaps you, too, have a charming café you can pretend to call your own whilst visiting your parents over Easter as I’m currently doing; a place that feels like you’re visiting longtime family friends even if the employees do not know exactly who you are. That’s okay, they probably knows my father. The café rests at the cusp of the Mad Rock
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Trail, a low-challenge trot from here to… actually, I’m not sure where it goes. I didn’t know the café or trail was here until I’d reached my 20s. I moved away from home once I graduated high school, but I still found the unfamiliarity a bit flabbergasting when I was finally introduced by my former wife (from PEI!). How could I have missed such scrumptious slices of home? I mean, I’m not much of a hiker, but I love spending money on food I haven’t prepared. I could live my life in cafés. The trail was especially surprising. I never associated Bay Roberts with the word “scenic.” That’s for those other Newfoundland towns; the Bonavistas and Twillingates – even Brigus, not 15 minutes up the road. You don’t come to Bay Roberts for postcard photos; you come here for McDonald’s and hockey tournaments. Shows what I know. Turns out I was born and raised just a handful of kilometres from both a trail and a restaurant worthy of fivestar reviews on TripAdvisor. And so introduces my plan for today: be a tourist-at-home, first visiting the popular lunch spot before clambering over the hills so many others have managed to find before me. My poor passed friend, Sarah, has a bench dedicated to her memory somewhere along the cliffs. I’ll try to find it today, take a seat, think of things, enjoy the view, enjoy the belting wind in my face. I’m looking forward to it. When I was 17, I couldn’t wait to leave Bay Roberts (likewise for Sarah). Why? Wasn’t I proud of where I came from? I guess my answer back then would’ve been a guarded, “Well, yeah, but…” I felt a little bit on the outside of my own www.downhomelife.com
township in those days. Between my dramatic curls and flamboyant style of dress, my outspoken nature and my desire for more (more sights, more sounds, more people, just more), the town felt too small and it felt too different from myself. Home was full of people I loved – my family, their friends, my friends – but my place within it felt uncomfortable, inappropriate even. “I’m not like them. I gotta get outta here.” Eventually, I grew up a bit. These days, when I come home, I still feel as though I don’t really fit in, to be frank, but the sensation no longer seems stifling; instead, it feels refreshing. When I told Monica I was born and raised here, I’m not sure it’s the answer she was expecting. We had a little chat as she wiped down her tables, about our individual sojourns to the mainland and our reasons for coming back home. I won’t list Monica’s as they’re her business, but for myself I can say I came home because of… Mad Rock Café! Open seven days a week— just kidding. I came home because I missed my family, my friends and especially my friends’ new families. “There’s no place like home,” Monica reminded me as we concluded our conversation. I agreed. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to hike the trail and enjoy the beautiful sights of home (for once). I’ll see you next month, as long as I don’t blow away. Paul Warford began writing for Downhome to impress his mom and her friends. He writes and performs comedy in Eastern Canada. Follow him on Twitter @paulwarford June 2022
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fresh tracks
new music talk with Wendy Rose
Reclamation Clare Follett
WE ALL REMEMBER THAT FIRST HEARTBREAK – the one that had you holed up in your room, listening to the saddest songs you knew and finding comfort in the lyrics. For singer/songwriter Clare Follett, that first heartbreak inspired her latest work, Reclamation, released in October 2020. Clare exploded onto the local music scene in 2017 with the release of her debut album, Neck Deep, when she was just 15 years old. Now in her early 20s, the artist has achieved some serious milestones. She’s been nominated for several MusicNL Awards and received four Newfoundland and Labrador Arts & Letters awards for her songwriting. In 2018, Clare was named an ECMA Break Out Artist, an honour that highlights the “next generation of emerging artists” in Atlantic Canada. Most recently, she took home Alternative Artist of the Year at the 2021 MusicNL Awards for this latest album. Reclamation kicks off with “Sunless,” a 52-second intro track featuring light and dreamy electric guitar, with intelligible vocal 36
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sounds launching the listener seamlessly into “The Guy I Once Knew.” “Would it kill you to say you care about me?” Clare sings in the opening lines. With a definite edge to her voice, Clare addresses this “guy” directly, asking questions about their relationship. “I want this to work out, but it feels like it’s going south,” she sings as we launch into the chorus. I’m immediately drawing parallels to female modern pop musicians who unapologetically call out bad behaviours in their lyrics, explaining that they know their worth and won’t settle for less. I’m definitely into it. “This Love” begins with a catchy riff reminiscent of 2000s emo rock, slowing down as we enter the first verse. Clare’s vocal talents shine on the song’s chorus. Acoustic guitar and soft violin make “Everything I’ve Got” a song that 1-888-588-6353
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could chart on alternative top hits lists as well as the country-rock billboard, while “Now” throws back to 90s radio rock – think Natalie Imbruglia’s Torn, or Alanis Morrissette’s iconic Jagged Little Pill album. The “Now” chorus recalls memories of No Doubt’s famous “Spiderwebs” of Tragic Kingdom – which sold 16 million copies worldwide.
The first tender ballad of the album is found in “I Can’t Have You,” which features gorgeous vocal harmonies and lyrics that feel wise beyond the artist’s years. “Crashing Cars” feels like a B-side from a lost Paramore or Olivia Rodrigo album – once again, the lyrical focus is on learning from mistakes, recognizing patterns, and moving on and moving forward. Clare slows things down again on www.downhomelife.com
“Don’t Wanna Think,” another gorgeous song with intense vocal harmonies. “I’m a workaholic, to push everyone out, because I cannot fathom getting hurt again now. I know it’s not healthy, but my mind is made up. Rather than feel this, I’d rather not feel at all. So I will block up every hour of every single day just so that I don’t have the time to think about all the things you did,” Clare sings, recognizing her own avoidant behaviours, but also showing her ability to prioritize herself, her happiness, her work, and her own selfworth above all. The album’s title track, “Reclamation,” is the second to last song on the album, coming in at just 55 seconds. We hear the same intelligible vocals that we heard on the album’s intro, with swelling layered harmonies bringing us into the final song on the album. Clare’s sophomore release closes with “Fighting the Truth.” “I thought we were going to get better, but it turns out we are exactly where we were,” Clare sings in the opening lines of the closing track. “I’m tired of writing songs about you.” However, as a listener, I hope this young musician opts to continue with this theme – Clare Follett’s Reclamation could be your new go-to album when heartache strikes. It could be the album that keeps you holed up in your room, finding comfort in the lyrics. I don’t wish another heartbreak on Clare, of course, but hey – it sure worked out well for Adele. June 2022
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Q&A with the Artist Wendy Rose: “Reclamation” – that word carries a lot of different meanings to a lot of different people. What does it mean to you, and why did you want to use this word as your album title? Clare Follett: Overall, the album is
about losing yourself in a breakup and going through the process of finding who you are without that person in your life. When I was trying to name the album, no track really stood out to me as a title track, so I started scouring dictionaries and thesauruses trying to find a word that encapsulated the feeling of the album. When I finally came to “reclamation,” it made total sense. It’s an album about reclaiming who you are and taking back your power over yourself.
WR: How did your writing and recording processes grow/change during the creation of your sophomore release? CF: Both albums were self-produced,
but the approaches were a little bit different between the two. I am someone who needs a lot of creative control over their work, and that was taken to an extreme on Neck Deep. I did nearly everything on the album myself. No one heard anything on it until it was finished! On Reclamation, I let go of the reins a little bit and worked collaboratively with other musicians (Nick Earle, Dan George, Kirsten Rodden-Clarke and Andrew Rodgers) to reach the end product. I remember being really 38
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nervous when they would play things that didn’t sound exactly like my MIDI-driven demos, but I am very grateful that I trusted the process. They added things that I never would have thought of.
WR: You were just 15 years old when your first album dropped, and 18 when Reclamation was released. It’s just three short years, yet we can change and learn so much in that time – I remember, I was a teenager not that long ago – so I’ll just come out and say it: There’s almost nothin’ like that first real love and that first real heartbreak to get the creativity flowing, right? CF: It was crazy! One time, when I
was about 16, someone told me that they were excited to see what my first heartbreak would do to my voice. I thought that singing was all just about technique and I didn’t understand what they meant. But as soon as it happened to me, my voice, my writing and my production all changed completely. I was also more driven to write than ever before. I had always turned to songwriting when trying to cope with difficult 1-888-588-6353
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things in my life, so it only made sense that it happened the way that it did. The album essentially wrote itself.
WR: Between being a full-time student and working as a side musician for numerous local projects, how did you find the time to not only write and record but also produce this latest album? CF: Keeping up with school and
music has certainly been a challenge, and I usually live one day at a time… One thing I’ve learned over the course of the past few years is how to pick my priorities and make sure they happen, even if it means something else has to wait. Reclamation was a priority. Sometimes I had to miss out on some other opportunities and experiences so that the album could be finished, but I am happy that I went that route. There
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was some sort of force telling me that it was really important that this album made it out. If I hadn’t followed through, it just never would’ve sat right with me.
WR: You recently performed at The Ship Pub with The Dandelion Few, opening for ECMA Winner Kim Harris – I bet that was a fantastic show! What are your plans for your music career as concerts return now in the spring of 2022? CF: That was one of the most fun
nights I’ve had in a long time. I’ll be going to Fredericton for the ECMAs in May, and over the summer, I’ll be acting as the bassist for a few different local artists, doing some production work, and hopefully keeping up with some solo shows as well. It’s been a weird few years, but it is nice to return to a bit of “normalcy” (whatever that is).
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adventures outdoors
Luca, Dianna and Josie look over some of Poppy’s fishing photos.
Q&A with the Grandkids By Gord Follett
“Will moose attack you?” “Do coyotes bite?” “Why do you put fish back in the water even when you are allowed to take them home?” It was one of those sleepovers when my three granddaughters took a full two-minute break from their own fun activities and ran to the chesterfield, where Poppy was watching the Blue Jays game on television. I cannot envision Luca, Josie and Dianna being bored for any more than a few seconds once they get together at our place, so I was somewhat perplexed as to what prompted these six, seven and nine year-olds to suddenly burst into the living room with questions about fish and animals. I welcomed their attention nonetheless and began to answer long before I realized they must have 40
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been going through some old Newfoundland Sportsman magazines they could have found in the truck seat pouches while I drove them here. Or were they just taking a quick break to amuse their grandfather? The three of them are clever and considerate kids, after all. Ahh, what odds? I had their undivided attention for a brief period and that’s all that mattered in my books. Grammy, meanwhile, was fixing some pre bedtime snacks. Ah-haa! That’s it; they’re delaying bedtime! Cute, I tell ya! But again, I didn’t care. With one granddaughter on each of my knees and another leaning on my back with arms draped around my neck, I could have stayed there answering questions about the great outdoors until their parents picked them up the following afternoon. “Well girls,” I began, “I’m not a biologist, but…” “What’s a bi-lologist?” asked Luca, the youngest. “It’s sort of like a fish and animal doctor – not a veterinarian; they research animals.” “What’s research?” “Study.” “Oh, cool.” Knowing I had to be careful with my answers, I told them moose do not attack people very often and that I had never been chased by one, “but sometimes they will, especially if they think you might hurt them or chase them on a snowmobile, like some… people do.” I intentionally avoided the word “stupid” there, though I’m not so sure I should have. “Or if the momma moose has her baby with her, right, Poppy Gordie?” Dianna added. www.downhomelife.com
“Yes, exactly, honey, if you get too close. And you have to be very careful of the bulls.” “The ones with the big antlers on their head,” Josie offered, her arms stretching upwards and outwards. “That’s right, sweetie. Bull moose can be dangerous certain times of the year, especially in September and October, their mating season.” (Please don’t ask, girls, please don’t ask…)
“That’s right, sweetie. Bull moose can be dangerous certain times of the year, especially in September and October, their mating season.” (Please don’t ask, girls, please don’t ask…) “My friend in school said coyotes are really dangerous and they could eat you,” one of the girls commented, adding, “If I ever see one, I’m gonna run as fast as I can.” “Well, m’doll, that’s not always the right thing to do,” I quickly pointed out, “unless you are just a few steps away from your house or cabin… What you should do is keep facing the coyote and back away slowly, but don’t run. If it seems like he may start coming towards you, make loud noises and raise your arms as high as you can to let him think you are bigger than him. Yell. And if he still keeps coming, then throw rocks, sticks or whatever you can at him.” Soon I began to sense that their attention was waning, as Dianna and June 2022
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Luca were gradually sliding off the couch and leaning towards their room. That’s when Josie asked why I “let fish go.” From the corner of my eye I caught Luca and Dianna glancing at one another, as if to say, “Looks like we gotta stay another minute.” “I put fish back for you guys, for your brothers and your friends,” I replied. “Huh?” “So there will be more for all of you to catch next year, the year after and even when you are all grown up. I do bring some trout and salmon home because they are delicious and very healthy for you, but if everybody today keeps every fish they catch, soon there won’t be many left for the rest of you. I’ll explain conservation a bit more when you’re a little older… “And ya know what, my lil treasures? I have a couple extra spinning rods and reels downstairs, and I think this summer it’s time that Poppy finally took you troutin’, like I took your brothers when they were your age. Maybe we’ll even catch some fish this time,” I added, only half joking. Questions on life jackets didn’t appear to be on the horizon, so I took it upon myself to offer advice.
“Now, I know your own moms and dads wouldn’t let you get in a boat without a life jacket, but if you’re ever at a friend’s cabin sometime – whether it’s next year or five years down the road – and one of the adults or kids there tell you it’s OK to get in the boat without one because they’re only going for a short ride,
I briefly explained to my granddaughters why I release fish, then showed them a photo of me doing so. you tell them ‘no thank you.’ Never get in a boat without a life jacket. Anything could hap— Girls? Girls?” Grammy’s snacks were ready and they’d moved on. Oh well; it was fun while it lasted.
Gord Follett was editor of the Newfoundland Sportsman magazine for more than 30 years and co-hosted the Newfoundland Sportsman TV show for 15 years. Email gordfollett@gordfollettoutdoors.com.
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Fra ance, n
C LO S E R T H A N YO U T H I N K . . .
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homefront what’s the score
happy days of summer By Kevin Lane
My skates are packed away and, like most, I’m looking forward to our long awaited summer months to enjoy what this province has to offer. In the colder months, I spent many a day on my walks revisiting my bucket list and ensuring there are reasonable and achievable goals to look forward to over the summer and beyond. Anyone who knows me will not be surprised that most of my list includes sports and leisure goals. In my school days, just before the start of the holidays I’d be daydreaming about the upcoming summer. I was like a racehorse at the starting gates at Woodbine Racetrack, ready to go. This feeling has returned this year because after two years of restrictions, my energy and enthusiasm to get on with things is back, which has made me focus on that list I need to get on with! I realize that not everyone is retired like me and others may need to manage a work schedule to enjoy summer activities with their families and friends. You may want to plan for things that are important for you to do over the summer, to ensure you make the most of the short season. The summer activities that give me the most pleasure are walking, biking and softball. All communities in Newfoundland and Labrador have walking trails, and more and more people, especially adults and seniors, walk to maintain healthy lifestyles. It is a low-cost activity, easily added to your 44
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daily routine, and you can even plan holidays that focus around walking experiences. I have rediscovered the T’Railway, and feel it’s important to acknowledge the work being done to maintain and preserve this amazing part of Newfoundland’s history. The Newfoundland Railway was built over a hundred years ago and operated until the last freight train ran in June 1988. It has more than 900 kilometres of railway bed that now serves as a multi-use trail between St. John’s and Port aux Basques, going through dozens of communities along the way. Governments, municipalities, and the T’Railway agency should be applauded for their efforts in maintaining and upgrading the system, making it safe and suitable for all users – walkers, bikers and ATV users. My next favourite summer activity is enjoying softball. Since retiring from coaching and playing, I spend many hours watching games, both male and female leagues of all ages. I live in Clarenville, where softball is 1-888-588-6353
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very popular, especially slo-pitch. Most days and evenings, the three playing fields are stretched to the limit. Clarenville is a very important location for tournaments to be played, as they are mostly qualifiers for choosing teams to represent the province in different divisional play. The players are highly skilled, motivated and extremely competitive, so for the fans, it’s enjoyable to watch.
This feeling has returned this year because after two years of restrictions, my energy and enthusiasm to get on with things is back, which has made me focus on that list I need to get on with! Two fast pitch tournaments that are important to highlight are the Constable William Moss Memorial Fastpitch Tournament, and the male and female Provincial A Championships. The Moss Tournament (under 12 years to 16 years) is probably the most popular, as its players are so highly skilled that several have gone
on to represent Canada. The last tournament was held in 2019, and it had 40 teams and over 700 players. The Provincial A Championships also showcase fantastic players and teams, and the games are highly entertaining. All tournaments can be found here, along with schedules across the province: www.softballnl.ca. The two items on my bucket list for this summer are to hike Gros Morne Mountain and do a bike tour from Clarenville to Bonavista. When living on Newfoundland’s west coast, I completed most of the trails in the National Park, but Gros Morne Mountain’s conquest eludes me. It is a 17-kilometre hike to the summit and back. It is, in my opinion, the most challenging walk in the park. As for my bike tour, I plan to stop at Port Rexton, Trinity and Bonavista. The scenery on this particular part of the coast is breathtaking, and the people are friendly and welcoming. I hope you, too, make a list of experiences you can enjoy throughout our province during the next few months. Make a bucket list and make it happen! Pat Boone sang “The Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer” – I wish the days of summer could always be here. Let’s enjoy the days while we can.
Kevin Lane is from Buchans, and has lived and worked in several NL communities. A lifelong participant in local sports as a player and coach, with a passion for hockey, he represented his province in fastpitch softball at the 1969 Canada Games.
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homefront in your words
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growing up in Clarkes Head, Gander Bay, NL, Laurence Peckford watched his grandfather, Richard Gillingham, build boats and knew that someday he would do the same. By his early 20s, Laurence was married and had started a family. Over the next few years he became an accomplished heavy equipment operator, working all over the island of Newfoundland and in Labrador. That way of life was hard on the family, so in 1979, Laurence convinced himself, his wife and his family that it was better to seek employment elsewhere. At that time, Fort McMurray, AB, was the choice place to be. So with tears in his eyes, a few dollars in his pocket and faith for the future, he pulled away from his family for the 3,000-mile journey. Within one month he had a full-time job with Syncrude Canada and his family by his side in Alberta. Laurence never looked back. With the support of his family and the seven days off that went with the Syncrude schedule, Laurence started boatbuilding. His dream was finally coming true. The first two boats he built were of rib and planks. He cut all the timbers himself, and sawed and carved them to the shape that he needed. Those two boats were comparable to the boats that his grandfather built back in 1929. He felt good about those boats, but the climate and temperatures didn’t agree with the timbers and they just weren’t standing up. www.downhomelife.com
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Laurence works on a boat in his workshop. Not giving up, because this was his vocation and dream, he decided to use cedar strips and fiberglass. So with extensions and more heat for the garage to keep his product warm, he began again. The accessibility and the beauty of the rivers around Fort McMurray gave him the inspiration to continue his grandfather’s legacy. Laurence spent quality time with family on vacations and at the arena watching hockey games with his son, but every spare moment was spent boatbuilding. Laurence was now using skill saws, jigsaws, routers and band saws, and when more modern tools came on the market he got them, too. He scratched his head many a time wondering how his grandfather did it with only hand tools and the small shed to work in. He admired him more and more with every piece of wood he sawed. Although Laurence had upgraded from the hand tools his grandfather used, he still used some of his ideas and sometimes felt he could hear him say, “That’s a good job, son.” So Laurence never gave up. The Clearwater in Fort McMurray 48
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was the river that Laurence and his family and friends enjoyed the most. There were many jet boats scouting up and down that river, but Laurence preferred his own made riverboat with the 15-horsepower motor. His boat had a shallow draft and could navigate in water where the jet boats dared not go. It was a far less expensive alternative to the jet set, and the moderate speed allowed him and his family to better enjoy the beauty of the river. Laurence constructed eight riverboats plus a cedar canoe, which he later gave to his son and family. He spent many days and nights on the river with family and friends. The children and grandchildren enjoyed the freedom and loved to play on the sandbars. His wife, Margaret, also enjoyed her times on the river. However, Margaret wanted comfort, so Laurence, in his wisdom, put foam pillows and blankets in the bottom of the boat at the front, where she comfortably sat with her knitting and writing. Some of the poems that she has published were composed in the front of his boat, or on the banks of the river with the moon shining and a 1-888-588-6353
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campfire burning. Yes, boatbuilding was Laurence’s dream, but that was not the only thing he built. Laurence retired from Syncrude in the fall of 2000, and moved to 40 acres south of Athabasca, which gave him lots of room and more time. Laurence found
Getting ready to launch himself busy building cupboards, cabinets, wishing wells, picnic tables, glider swings, as well as a tree house and slides for the grandchildren. “What if grandfather could see me now, what would he think?” Laurence often wondered, as he wandered off to his shed. “No doubt he
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would wonder about the fancy tools that I use. But I’d like to think I’d see a big smile on his face and get a pat on the back.” In April 2008, along any highway between Athabasca, AB, and Appleton, NL, you might have seen Laurence driving a 24-foot box cube van with his 25-foot cedar strip boat in tow. His dreams have come full circle from when he was a little boy travelling in and out the Gander River with his dad and grandfather, as he now lives just minutes from that river and, as the saying goes, now he paddles his own canoe. Laurence has since built himself another beauty of a boat. Laurence is back home and his little-boy dream has become reality. Any day during the season you can see him navigating through the rapids and the rocks of the Gander River – a smile on his face and pride in his heart from what he learned from his grandfather.
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life is better Colour palette of downtown St. John’s, NL Bailey Parsons, Stephenville, NL
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features
A St. John’s artist is bringing local scenes to life in a creative and colourful way. BY LINDA BROWNE
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Newfoundland and Labrador is an artist’s dream. With gorgeous coastal landscapes and an impressive array of plants and wildlife, there’s more inspiration here than you can shake a paintbrush at. One local artist is bringing these beautiful scenes to life in a wild and wonderful way – foraging for flowers and berries to make her own botanical inks.
A Fresh Perspective Take a look through Lindsay Alcock’s Instagram page (@oldtroutstudio) and you’ll find sketches and paintings of curious crows, fishing sheds and stages, colourful jellybean row houses, and beach rocks and pebbles in hues of purple, blue, green and grey that upon first glance look so real, you’d swear they were photographs. www.downhomelife.com
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The level of skill on display might make you think she’s been practising for decades, but Lindsay, 55, began drawing and painting just five years ago. And while she’s always enjoyed the arts, she “never really did anything with drawing and painting because I honestly didn’t think that I could,” she says. But as her two sons grew older and she found herself with extra time on her hands, Lindsay began watching YouTube videos to learn the craft, eventually settling on watercolour as her main medium. 54
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She also tried printmaking, apprenticing under celebrated local visual artist Scott Goudie. Eventually, Lindsay started selling some of her work at local markets and doing commissions, “just really enjoying making art and being able to make art for the first time in my life,” she says. But it wasn’t until she moved from just outside the city to downtown St. John’s two years ago that her senses were awakened to a new way of creating. “I’m walking in the park and there’s 1-888-588-6353
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Lindsay is always experimenting with different plants and berries to create ink for her artwork.
all these big berries and I thought, ‘Oh God, they’re so amazing... I wonder what I can do with these?’ And at the same time, my best friend had given me this beautiful bouquet as a housewarming gift and it had these purple gladiolus, and I’m thinking, ‘I’ve never seen that colour in a watercolour. I wonder what would happen if I tried to get a colour out of it?’” She did some research and experimented with the flower, with pleasantly surprising results. “When it went on paper it was purple, but it dried green – and I’m like, that is the weirdest thing, and that is the coolest thing. Why is that happening and what would happen with other ingredients?” Lindsay says. So she turned her attention to the Saskatoon berries, “and they turned into this amazing magenta. It was
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just gorgeous. And after that I was hooked. Everywhere I went I was carrying plastic baggies so I could pick something up along the way,” Lindsay laughs. Branching Out Since then, Lindsay (who creates and sells her work under the name “Old Trout Studio”) has made botanical inks out of everything from the buttercups in her backyard and clover from the top of the stairs at Mary Brown’s Centre, to blueberries, partridgeberries, raspberries, chuckley pear, wild iris and more. “Wild iris is absolutely my favourite colour that I’ve ever pulled. It’s this beautiful periwinkle,” Lindsay says. She also hopes to branch out with other materials, such as bark and chaga mushrooms.
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“I actually took a trip to Fogo and Twillingate and Moreton’s Harbour last summer and collected 25 bags of various ingredients. Everywhere that I’m walking or hiking, I’ll find something. Berries and flowers are usually the best. They have the most pigment in them, so it’s easier to draw from those. I used acorns once, like acorns that had been on the ground all through the winter, so they were kind of gross by the time the spring came around, but they gave a gorgeous colour,” she says. Once Lindsay has collected her ingredients, she’ll simmer them in water and mash them down with a muller before eventually straining them and adding a mordant, which makes the ink more colourfast and changes its colour. “It’s like fireworks. It’s just amazing when you add that. It’s so exciting because you never know what colour you’re going to get,” she says. She then adds some honey, to make the ink more viscous and easier to work with on paper, and a bit of essential oil, which acts as a preservative. “Half my fridge is actually full of inks,” Lindsay laughs. Each ink container is carefully labelled so she knows the ingredients, and when and where she collected them. Painting with botanical inks is a dynamic and unpredictable process that requires practice and patience, as the colours react not only to the mordant, but also to the paper and each other when they blend together. “So it’s a lot of playing and experimenting, and then kind of trusting in my knowledge of how the inks normally would react on paper… it’s a fascinating process,” Lindsay says. While some of her paintings are 56
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Lindsay Alcock, librarian by day, artist all other hours
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deliberate and planned out, others are surprises. “Other times, I’ll just sort of pour some different inks on some paper and see what happens, move it around with various instruments or tip the paper and see what comes out of it. And those ones, of course, end up coming out more abstract – usually they end up being rocks and stones,” Lindsay says. “I really enjoy those because they’re so organic and how it comes together is so organic. It just represents everything about the process and the ingredients.” A librarian at the Health Sciences Library at Memorial University by day, Lindsay is reluctant to describe her arts practice as a mere side hustle, since “it’s what gives me the most pleasure in life,” she says. “Art has changed my life and how I choose to live it.” And as she describes a recent commission completed for a customer, it’s clear her work has touched others as well.
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“One of her friends, her mother had passed away, and her mother’s favourite flower was clematis. So she asked me if I could paint some clematis for her friend, out of clematis ink. And I actually happened to have some, so I was able to do that. So that meant a lot to her.” (shown below) Her creative work has also given Lindsay the opportunity to slow down and smell the roses, helping her get more in tune with herself and the world around her. “I love that it gives me a different connection with the earth. It gives me a different connection with nature and my surroundings and my environment. And I really appreciate that,” she says. To see more of Lindsay Alcock’s work, you can catch her occasionally at the St. John’s Farmers’ Market, or find her on Instagram and Facebook @oldtroutstudio.
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features
A conversation with storyteller and model boat builder, Heber McGurk
STORY AND PHOTOS BY DENNIS FLYNN
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MY STANDUP PADDLEBOARD slices through the
calm summer waters of Harbour Grace, NL, as I approach the port side of the SS Kyle, the last of the famous Alphabet Fleet of coastal vessels. She has rested in these shallows near the riverhead ever since she broke her moorings in a February 1967 storm and ran aground upon a bed of mussels. Looking way up, I spot a cormorant perched high above the deck, on the cusp of the crow’s nest. I think of a humorous Heber McGurk story related to that crow’s nest and remind myself to follow up on the tale someday. That day finally came this past March, when I caught up with Heber over the phone. Heber, a resident of Carbonear, NL, served for roughly four years aboard the Kyle, starting in 1962. His various roles included quartermaster and master watch, plus taking care of medical supplies and basic first aid. “I’d keep some medical supplies in my room for minor injuries and eye drops for snow blindness. Most younger men had some type of goggles with tinted lenses like sunglasses, but some older fellows, what they would do in those days would be to rub a bit of seal blood on their face around the cheekbones just below www.downhomelife.com
their eyes. And they claimed that would work just as good to keep the glare out of their eyes,” Heber says. “Sometimes when I see sports like American football on TV and famous athletes have the black marks on their face for the same purpose, I smile and think men were doing that here on the ice in Newfoundland long before those games were even invented.” Now 90, Heber has a long memory and an incredible talent for telling entertaining stories about his days on the Kyle and so much more. I’ve met him several times at storytelling events on the Avalon Peninsula. In 2008, he published a book titled Memories of a Former Era, which included photos from his own collection of life aboard ship in the 1960s; of the dangerous work on the ice hunting seals; and of such diverse locations as Carbonear, Battle June 2022
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Heber McGurk signs a canvas print of the SS Kyle, the same ship grounded in the background.
Harbour, and Frenchman’s Island (the latter two in Labrador). A creative type, Heber has tried his hand at folk-style paintings. But it is his handmade models of boats, including the Kyle, for which Heber is best known. “I have been making models for a long while, and I have no idea how many I actually completed over the years, but it is a lot,” Heber says. “I calculated it out one time years ago, and it worked out to something like 13 and a half cents an hour I would make if I was being paid for it. So, no my son, you will never get rich making models of the Kyle, but I love it. And when I tell a story I can point to where it happened on the model, and it makes it easier for younger folks who have never been to sea to understand.” He’s also made ships in a bottle, using whatever bottles were handy. One time he used an old-fashioned light bulb from a light pole! 60
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“I made that model of the Kyle in the lightbulb for my wife’s father back in 1962. The workmen changing over to modern lights used to keep a few of the old-style bulbs for me decades ago,” Heber says. “I also used to make schooners in bottles and even a few airplanes; the early water bombers were a favourite of mine to make in a bottle. Someone asked me how did I ever do it, and I said it was no problem at all since I am so tiny I used to get inside the bottle and my wife, Harriet, would pass the material in to me.” A classic Heber joke. Heber is very solemn, however, when he tells stories from his Kyle days when the crew was in real danger. “One of the stormiest days we had was on the 17th day of March, 1965, and we were sealing three or four miles away from the Kyle when the storm hit,” Heber recalls. “I was master watch, and I had 26 men in my watch. I took a bearing on the 1-888-588-6353
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Heber with some of the models he’s built of the Kyle, including one built inside an old lightbulb (left).
Kyle [with a handheld compass] and called all my men together, and told the other watches to get their fellows together, and we were going in. With the storm we couldn’t see the Kyle at times, but I knew she was stuck in the ice and not moving, so I kept to my bearing and after a couple of hours of walking over the sea ice, we got in.” He got all his men safely back aboard ship, but there were two men missing from another watch. “That was about 10 in the morning, and by two in the afternoon the storm finally let up. We were blowing the horn, the big ship’s whistle, every two or three minutes,” in hopes the www.downhomelife.com
missing men would hear it and find the ship. “Finally, we saw them way off in the distance.” They were two brothers from Conception Bay North. “Once they got warmed up and dry clothes on, they were no worse for the ordeal. But it was something that they stayed with each other and survived that storm out in the open. We were all very glad to see them, but I imagine they were way happier to see us.” Another particularly harrowing incident occurred when the Kyle was stuck in heavy sea ice off the northeast coast of Newfoundland. “The Kyle wasn’t moving, but the ice pack June 2022
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itself was moving,” recalls Heber, “and there was really nothing we could do, which was a strange feeling. The ice was pushing us all day in towards an iceberg, and about 11 or 12 o’clock at night we scrunched in on the huge iceberg on the port side. As the Kyle was going along she was tearing off pieces of the berg and big chunks of ice were dropping down on her decks and buckled the rail, but we managed to get out of it eventually and find some deep open water.” Soon reports came from down below of sea water flooding the ship.
dozen big bolts with a rubber gasket on each. “I’d put the bolts through the hole and Lewis Simms, the engineer, was inside and he would put nuts on the bolts,” Heber explains. “I’d watch the waves coming in, and when the Kyle would stick her head [bow] down into the water, I’d hang on as best I could up by the side. Then when she’s rise up out of the water, I’d swing down and try to stick in two or three bolts as best I could before the next wave. After doing it two or three times and only getting in six or seven bolts, I had to
“On closer inspection, 21 heavy iron rivets [holding the outer hull plates in place] had been sheared off, so when the Kyle rolled into the water on her port side it was just like 21 high-powered garden hoses were going off inside the ship.” The captain, Guy Earle, decided they likely wouldn’t make it back to port unless something was done now to plug the holes. “So Skipper Guy asked for volunteers to go down in a bosun’s chair to stop the leaks.” Nobody spoke up, so Heber volunteered. He was lowered down over the side of the ship on a seat fastened to a rope, carrying with him a half-
go up and change all my clothes since I was soaked through with the freezing water. I was on my third change of clothes when I finally finished it and got the last of the 21 bolts in place and stopped the water. “If you go up to Harbour Grace now and know where to look, you can still see those bolts I put in. They are painted over and probably good and rusted by this stage, but the last time I was up they were still visible. Anyway, they worked and got us home safe, which was the main thing.” Heber adds, “I never had time to be scared. If the rope had broken or the bosun’s chair had given out, well, I
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would have fallen into the water and the ice and have been history.” Now, back to that story of the crow’s nest. To get him started, I ask Heber, “Did you ever visit the crow’s nest on the Kyle?” “’Deed I did. I have even been beyond it if you can believe that,” Heber says. “Now, Skipper Guy Earle was not just a great captain and a mariner, but he had this wonderful way of seeing a solution to things most people didn’t even realize were a problem. We used to have a long metal cable that was maybe a half mile or more long, and there were eyes spliced on [places to join your rope into] every six feet or so. That way the sealers on the ice would haul the cable out by hand, work all day, then they could tie on with a toggle maybe 20 pelts on each spot. So the Kyle would use one of her big winches to haul the loaded-down cable in and save the men a lot of backbreaking and dangerous work crossing the ice over and over, lugging pelts... “He realized this one particular time the cable was out so far and the ice was rafted up, so the angle to pull it in was too shallow and it wasn’t going to work. He said what he needed was
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someone to go up to the very top of the main mast, above the crow’s nest, and pull a fishing line through the gin block [an iron or steel tackle block containing one or more pulleys]. Once that was done, we could pull up a bigger rope, then a bigger rope, and eventually we would have something strong enough to pull up the cable. Once the cable was through the gin block at the top of the mast, we’d have lots of height and angle to pull in the pelts safely.” Again, no one spoke up, so Heber volunteered. “A funny thing happened on my way up, though. When I got up as far as the crow’s nest, there was this older gentleman we called ‘Uncle Ted,’ from Twillingate, already up there keeping lookout. Uncle Ted got a bit of a start to see me coming, as he was a bigger man and that crow’s nest was basically open on all sides, so it would be easy to fall out if you were not careful. Uncle Ted cried out, ‘Heber, go on back, son! There’s not room for two of us!’ I kind of smiled as I passed him by and said that’s all right, sir, I’m not stopping here.” A fitting note to close on for now, as the engaging and entertaining Heber is showing no signs of stopping here.
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Julie Baggs photo
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Donna Warren photo
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of Sandbanks Provincial Park are the perfect backdrop for fun in the sun. This year, after two years of COVID-related cancellations, the festival is set for a triumphant return. The annual Sand and Sea Festival attracts hundreds of visitors to Burgeo on Newfoundland’s southwest coast every summer. When the festival kicks off on the last weekend of July, the town swells in size with family members coming home and adventurers flocking to the small community. Doris Pink is the chairperson of the organizing committee, made up of members of the Burgeo Lions and Lioness Clubs. They have been heading up the planning and execution of the community celebration for almost a decade. “It’s been going for a long time,” she says, noting that the festival originated way back in 1991, when the collapse of the cod fishery was forcing many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to adjust and adapt to a new economic reality. Some residents had to move away for work, and it took its toll on the population. Hope returns with them when they come home on vacation. “Like most communities, our young people are all gone, but they do come back to visit,” Doris says. “The festival, it gives people a focal point – it’s always the last weekend in July – so it gives people a focal point to plan their holidays around.” This year, festival organizers and Burgeo residents are really looking forward to reuniting with family members who can finally visit after two years of disappointments and separations. “[The festival] was cancelled because of COVID for the last two years, and it was rough,” laments Doris. “[Last year] we actually had the music booked and then the second wave or the third wave, whatever wave came by, and everything got shut down again, so we had to cancel.”
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More Summer 2022 Festivals
She continues, “My daughter and her husband and three kids, they’re coming home for the festival, as will most families who’ve got people away. And thank God, you know, most people are planning to come home because they haven’t been home for a while.” Burgeo is an idyllic place to spend a summer weekend: wide-open spaces, grassy meadows and endless stretches of sandy beaches under clear blue skies are the perfect backdrop for a community celebration. “It’s beautiful,” Doris enthuses, “can’t tell you too much about it.” The festival kicks off with a dance party, and many kid-friendly activities and events take place in Sandbanks Provincial Park. Doris sounds excited when she describes some of the events. “We’ll have entertainment at the park, so there’ll be music
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on the stage and games for the kids, and 50/50 draws and those kind of things,” she says. Plus there’s lots of time for mingling with familiar faces, soaking up the sun, playing horseshoes on the beach, swimming, strolling and people-watching. “Absolutely all those things that make up a good time,” she laughs. And don’t forget the down-home cooking. There will be meals at the community centre, including a roast beef dinner in support of the Lioness Club, a fish fry dinner in support of the Burgeo Volunteer Fire Department, and a Saturday morning breakfast hosted by the 50 Plus Club. With all the visitors, tourists and sightseers making the trip around this event, the festival has enormous benefits for the community. “We’re a small community, and getting smaller, like a lot of communities in
Exploits Valley Salmon Festival • July 14-18 Indoor and outdoor concerts featuring Billy and the Bruisers, a softball tournament, songwriters circle, trivia night, numerous family activities and the annual salmon dinner. EVSalmonFestival.com
Shea Heights Community Folk Festival • July 15-17 Plank ‘er down to an extravaganza of folk music, bouncy castles and games of chance. Relax in the beer tent or the senior’s tent, or participate in pony rides and the “Mudder I’m Stuck” cancer walk to benefit Daffodil Place. Facebook.com/SheaHeightsCommunityBoard
Millertown Come Home Year • July 17-24 Check out entertainment headliners Bic and the Ballpoints and the Navigators. Other events include a special “Christmas in July,” a community shed crawl and kids’ movie night. TownofMillertown.com 1-888-588-6353
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Samuel MacDonald photos
Newfoundland,” explains Doris. “The festival during the summer is something the community needs. The businesses do well; there’s one club in town, that does well; the fire department, they do well. It benefits everybody.” For anyone who has dreamed of visiting Burgeo and the surrounding area, the weekend of the Sand and Sea Festival (July 28-30) is a wonderful time to make the trip. The southwest coast is ruggedly beautiful, and tourists can enjoy the walking and hiking trails; go fishing, camping or kayaking; or take the ferry to explore Ramea, Grey River and Francois. “Talking about accommodations, there’s a number of Air B&Bs around town, and there’s the hotel, and a bed and breakfast,” says Doris. “And, of course, Sandbanks Park has got, I
think, 27 or 28 campsites, so there are places to stay.” But spaces fill up quickly, so don’t leave planning until the last minute. “We get a lot of people that are coming this way to visit, so it’ll be impossible to find a campsite, I’m sure. Which is absolutely good,” she adds with a laugh. This July, Come Home 2022 will be in full swing, and the Sand and Sea festival – the well-loved celebration for family and friends full of music, food and fun – will return to Sandbanks Park. Organizers and homesick Burgeo natives are looking forward to welcoming everyone. “It’s new and improved!” laughs Doris. “Back and better than ever!” For the most up-to-date information on the Burgeo Sand and Sea Festival, look them up on Facebook.
Botwood Come Home Year • July 21- August 1 Celebrations will include musical headliners Hotel California, a soapbox derby, nighttime boat parade, food, fun, games of chance, an open-air dance and a spectacular fireworks display. Botwoodnl.ca/calendar-of-events.html
Kings Cove Lighthouse Festival • July 23 The lineup includes Celtic Connection, The Masterless Men, Bob MacDonald, and headliners Shanneyganock. Facebook.com/thelighthousefestival125/
Isle aux Morts Come Home Year • August 1-7 Celebrate the heritage and history of the town of Isle aux Morts and enjoy entertainment, games and theatre shows. Follow “Isle aux Morts Come Home Year 2022” on Facebook.
St. Mary’s Gulch Beach Festival • August 6 An antique car show, games of chance, entertainment, and other activities for children are set for this family-oriented celebration. Follow “Gulch Days” on Facebook. www.downhomelife.com
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In researching for his latest book, Place Names of Newfoundland and Labrador, Dale Jarvis uncovered some interesting back stories on local community names.
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In 2011,
it was estimated that there were 30,000 official place names listed for Newfoundland and Labrador, with as many as 50,000 other names in the oral tradition that had never been recorded. As a storyteller and folklorist, I’m always drawn to the ones that are interesting or quirky, and we have a lot of those in this province! When we delve into the history of these place names, some of them clearly relate to local geography. Cape Broyle, on the Southern Shore of the Avalon Peninsula, is one of these. Early spellings of Cape Broyle may give some clues as to how it got its name. The spot appears as both Cape Broile and Cape Brolle in early documents, which are versions of two archaic words. Colonist John Guy, sailing past the spot on November 18, 1612, noted it as “Cape Broile” in his diary. In older forms of English, “broil” can mean to quarrel, or to mix up. We still use the word “embroil”
today, meaning to involve someone deeply in a quarrel, and use the distantly related Italian loan word “imbroglio” to mean an extremely confused, complicated or embarrassing situation. “Brolle” means to shout or roar. While today we think of the modern spelling “brawl” to mean a fight, originally it implied a quarrel or to shout loudly. “Brawling” was also a word associated with the sound of water rushing along; William Wordsworth uses it this way in his poem, “An Evening Walk – Addressed to a Young Lady,” composed circa 1787-90:
Margaret Martin photo
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When low-hung clouds each star of summer hide, And fireless are the valleys far and wide, Where the brook brawls along the public road Dark with bat-haunted ashes stretching broad. In Cape Broyle, it is believed this may come from the appearance of brawling and broiling refers to a waves breaking on the area’s many ledge of sunken rock jutting out from coves, islets and ledges, making the the cape, which causes white water to water at times as white as flour. form at the bay’s entrance. In the fine tradition of Things Not Just up the road is the town of Being What They Are Called, the Aquaforte, which also has a waterLord in Lord’s Cove on the Burin themed name. Derived from the Peninsula may have nothing to do Portuguese agua forte (“strong water”), Aquaforte must win Bay Bulls derives its name not some kind of award for having from cows, but from local seabirds the highest number of early known as bull-birds Elaine Vickers photo variant spellings: Rio de aguea; Agafort; Aga-Forte; Agoforta; Agoforte; Ago forte; Agua Fuerte; Agua Fuerta; Aigueforte; Aquafort; and on a 1544 sketch map by French navigator Jean Alfonse, la baye de l’Islet. Alfonse didn’t get the memo, apparently. The “strong water” name has nothing to do with some sort of potent alcoholic beverage. It is, with The Man Upstairs. In Newinstead, derived from the appearance foundland and Labrador, harlequin of the local Aquaforte River, which ducks have a more royal-sounding “tumbles down in a series of furious name. Dr. Grenfell notes this when and roaring cascades through a wild writing of Labrador birds: “The harand rocky gorge.” lequin, far the most gorgeous of the Spellings and histories are not lot, we call ‘lords and ladies.’” Lords always so easy to unravel, and Pond near Bay Bulls is named after you might be forgiven then for the harlequin duck, and it is possible thinking that Flower’s Cove on the that Lord’s Cove has a similar origin. Great Northern Peninsula has Bay Bulls, by the way, is also something to do with springtime named after a bird, and has nothing blossoms. It doesn’t. to do with beef or cows or outport This community was mapped by toreadors. The bulls might be a comfamous cartographer and explorer mon winter resident, a small seabird Captain James Cook in 1764, though known as the bull-bird, Little Auk, or Cook’s spelling was Flour Cove. This Common Dovekie (Plautus alle alle). 70
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Just to be contrary, Bird Cove, Great Northern Peninsula, might have nothing to do with birds at all. Historian Olaf Janzen suggests that the name of Bird Island may have had some connection to T.S. Bird, a merchant of Sturminster Newton and Poole, Dorset, who was commercially active in the region in the late 18th century.
Sally’s Cove is said to be named after a woman who found refuge in the cove for her family after a shipwreck. Jan Boone photo
There are a lot of communities in the province named after men: merchants, sailors, admirals, governors and the like. There are relatively few official town names inspired by women, though we can boast of some. My favourite is Sally’s Cove, Great Northern Peninsula. At some point in the 1800s, Sally Short thought to herself, “Enough is enough.” Wanting www.downhomelife.com
nothing more to do with her husband, she packed up her children and left, boarding a ship sailing to Woody Point. Along the way, the ship was wrecked in a nameless, unoccupied cove. Sally survived the disaster with her children. Finding no shelter, she gathered up her children and nestled them safely under a puncheon tub for the night. When they were eventually rescued, she left the cove for good, leaving only her name behind. Others claim the eponymous Sally was Old Aunt Sally Mudge, but I like Puncheon Sally’s moxie, so my money is on her. Not to be outdone by our heroine Sally, the legendary princess Azenor gave birth to her child while floating in a barrel somewhere in the Atlantic. A pregnant princess, Azenor had been thrown, in her barrel, off the cliffs of Brittany, probably for the early crime of being a Christian. There, bobbing up and down in the waves, she gave birth to a son, Maudez. They drifted in the barrel for five months before washing up on the coast of Ireland. Young Maudez grew up to be one of the most revered saints of Brittany. Stealing a miracle from the better-known St. Patrick, Maudez drove all the snakes off Ile Modez, an island just off the coast of France. Breton sailors, perhaps inspired by his nautical birth, gave his name to a favourite fishing spot on the Labrador Straits, which today we call West St. Modeste. Do you know a local legend explaining your favourite Newfoundland and Labrador place name? Send it my way! Email me at dale@dalejarvis.ca. June 2022
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The Indian Bay Watershed and its protectors BY MARIE-BETH WRIGHT
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THE INDIAN BAY WATERSHED
in central Newfoundland is home to a world-renowned trouting river. It provides a habitat for a wide range of wildlife, and the natural environment is valuable to the tourism industry. Since 1995, it has been protected by the Indian Bay Ecological Corporation (IBEC), a non-profit, community-based environmental stewardship organization.
Photos courtesy IBEC
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Since 2019, the protected region’s 700 square kilometres, taking in more than two dozen ponds (many accessed by old logging roads) has expanded to include most of Bonavista North Inland Waters for trout management. IBEC’s presence goes as far as Trinity Waters to the southwest, close to the Blacks Brook Trail, and near the newly named Dr. Janice Fitzgerald Hold Fast Lookout over Centreville-Wareham-Trinity.
At the northeast end of IBEC’s boundary is Cape Freels, one of the best and richest shorebird areas in Newfoundland. Beaches, sand dunes, coastal marshes and large eelgrass meadows are characteristics of this largely undeveloped area. It’s a staging and wintering area for hundreds of waterfowl of various species, and a breeding habitat for a variety of shorebirds and other species. Cape Freels is also home to Kaylene
Some shorebirds found in the Indian Bay Watershed include Hudsonian Godwit, Northern Pintails and Greater Yellowlegs.
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A bird blind built near Newtown helps ecologists keep an eye on populations, without disturbing the birds. Stagg, IBEC coordinator for a threeyear Community Nominated Priority Place for Species at Risk. This project concentrates on improving damaged coastal habitats and reducing threats to bird species, such as the piping plover, rusty blackbird and shorteared owl. The project, now in its second year, is a natural fit for Kaylene, a graduate of Marine Institute’s Marine Technology Program. “To help a population, you first must figure out what is causing its decline,” she explains. To do this, she walks the land and beaches with binoculars and cameras, recording her observations. Her work is made easier at the
Newtown side of this rich habitat, known as Queen’s Meade, just 10 minutes from Cape Freels, where a bird blind has been built. “The bird blind allows me to keep a safe distance from the birds, while keeping me a little sheltered from the weather,” she explains. Being a community-based organization, IBEC is big on community outreach, making educational visits to area schools, providing a shorebird guide at the bird blind for nature-loving locals and visitors, and organizing beach clean-ups. They regularly work with local residents, organizations, municipalities and
C CUPIDS. UPIDS. ATTRACTING ATTRACTING E EXPLORERS XPLORERS SINCE SINCE 11610. 610. e explorecupids.ca xplorecupids.ca
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Watershed Crusaders Above: Volunteers gather for a clean-up event in Cape Freels. Right: IBEC manager Darren Sheppard (left) hosts a podcast talking about issues connected to the Indian Bay Watershed. The podcast is available on the organization’s website, IndianBayEcosystems.com ecotourism operators on common goals. They are especially proud of a partnership they’ve worked out with Birds Canada and its Newfoundland Atlas Coordinator, Catherine Dale. It has resulted in several public bird walks in Cape Freels and a wealth of information on birds and breeding. “Birds Canada is now one of our strongest partners with the Species at Risk Project, always supporting us,” says Kaylene. There is a large number of projects completed and ongoing under the direction of the IBEC, many of which have to do with water quality, soil 76
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erosion on the banks of rivers and ponds, and, in the case of Spurrell’s Pond, removing barriers to the smooth flow of salmon upstream. IBEC manager Darren Sheppard is especially excited about the new Indian Bay River Erosion Project. “We’ll be starting our erosion control project for the Indian Bay River this spring, which allows us to reduce soil erosion from falling into the river through creating rock barriers at six points along the shoreline, strengthening it to withstand water flow. This reduces soil from falling off the overhangs and ending up in the river, 1-888-588-6353
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which would increase the height of the river itself,” he explains. Darren continues, “We also will be planting 2,000 seedlings, mostly white spruce, within the area to further strengthen the soil.” You can hear Darren’s passion for the region, literally, by tuning into his monthly podcast, 709 Watershed Project (available from the IBEC website: IndianBayEcosystem.com). His topics cover the environment, tourism, small business and those connected to the Indian Bay Watershed and immediate area. Triffie Parsons, Indian Bay town manager, serves as the chair of IBEC. She acknowledges the impact of climate change and the role marsh land plays in conserving habitat.
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Preventing overfishing, cleaning shorelines, mitigating the effects of flash flooding, and maintaining the Heritage Trail are must-do actions for her group. She says, “The Heritage Trail, part of Bowater’s original logging roads, is popular with walkers in the town.” The trail runs alongside the Indian Bay River and into the country. By cutting brush, and installing rock walls and gravel, hiking will be easier. All of IBEC’s initiatives have measurable, positive effects on the environment. In keeping this place pristine, intact and responsibly accessible, the organization is also positively impacting tourism, the local economy, and the enjoyment of the outdoors for generations to come.
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explore
Two northeast Avalon towns collaborate on memorials to a 1978 plane crash that killed a Torbay mayor and nine others. By Kim Ploughman
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A community’s heritage
can be a blazing part of its attraction. Hence, many municipalities throughout the province are compelled to unfold their history to brand a local distinctiveness. When you set your heart on exploring the seaside towns and vistas of Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s (PCSP) and Torbay, you may not think of a plane crash site, although both towns are minutes away from the St. John’s International Airport. Located between those two communities, on Bauline Line Extension, lies an aircraft wreckage field more than 44 years old. The towns not only share a collective grief and sad legacy of this tragic event, but are collaborating to turn it into a tribute and a source of remembrance for the victims’ families and residents, as well as an historical attraction for tourists. While the memorial project is new, its story begins in 1978. In the early morning hours of June 23, 1978, a Beechcraft plane lifted off from St. John’s airport. Chartered for L’Anse aux Meadows, the plane radioed it was climbing to 1,900 metres. Moments later, an emergency locator transmitter activated, indicating that a crash had occurred. By 11:45 a.m. the aircraft wreckage was located on Picco’s Ridge by a search and rescue helicopter, despite near zero visibility in dense fog.
A Beechcraft 80, similar to the one that crashed in 1978 www.downhomelife.com
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On board the ill-fated flight were members of the National Historical Sites and Monuments Board and their families, who were heading north for an unveiling ceremony. One of the passengers on the plane was William (Bill) Manning, superintendent of Signal Hill and the first mayor of Torbay. Everyone on board, all eight passengers and two crewmembers, sustained fatal injuries on impact. Nearly four decades later, in 2016, a Cougar helicopter pilot walked into the town office in Portugal CoveSt. Philip’s and presented maps of the wreckage site on Picco’s Ridge. Town heritage and environment coordinator, Julie Pomeroy Sparrow, was intrigued by the aviation event, which had flown under the radar for most people in the town and region – including herself. The town soon hired Dr. Lisa Daley, a leading aviation archeologist in North America, to document the site. She, along with Julie and local guide Gary Picco, hiked to Picco’s Ridge. “We were up on it and didn’t
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Shannon K. Green photo
Wreckage from the crash is spread over a wide area on Picco’s Ridge
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see it,” Julie recalls, explaining the location was difficult to get to and dense trees hid the scattered remains, including the fuselage. Once they’d located the site, taken pictures and documented all that they could about it, their findings were presented to PCSP town council. The council then approached the Town of Torbay with the idea of acknowledging this sombre event in local history. “We felt it was important for them to be involved, given the personal linkage with Mr. Manning,” says Julie. The two communities struck a joint committee, with members including Julie; Deanne Lawrence, economic development and tourism officer with the Town of Torbay; and other staff and heritage enthusiasts.
A Plan Comes Together
In October 2020, the towns issued a joint request for proposals on how to best plan and design a memorial for the location, as well as cost estimates for construction of the memorials. Consultant agency Mills and Wright was eventually hired to guide the project. After considerations of many factors, and public consultations, Mills and Wright “came up with a beautiful plan and concept,” Julie enthuses, explaining that, in fact, three memorials were proposed to commemorate the terrible crash between their towns. Since the plane crash site is relatively difficult to access, and crosses private farmland, it was decided a permanent art installation in each community would be fitting to commemorate the crash and the loss of www.downhomelife.com
Remembering the Victims Gerald Eichel Pilot (Gander) Michael Fitzpatrick Co-pilot (Gander) Bill Manning Mayor of Torbay & Signal Hill Park Superintendent (Torbay, NL) Marc Laterreur Canada Historic Sites Board Chairman (Sainte-Foy, QC)
Napier Simpson Jr. Canada Historic Sites Board Member (Thornhill, ON)
Robert Painchaud Canada Historic Sites Board Member (St. Boniface, MB)
Jules Leger Canada Historic Sites Board Member (Moncton, NB) Jacqueline Leger Wife of Jules Leger Brenda Babbit Canada Historic Sites Board Assistant Secretary (Ottawa, ON)
Alex Babbit Husband of Brenda Babbit
lives. The actual crash site itself on Picco’s Ridge will also have a small monument. There will be interpretation at each site. Following approvals of this concept by both councils, work has been steadily progressing, even as the pandemic has slowed things down. The Town of Portugal CoveSt. Philip’s will see a Pavilion of Reflection metal structure built on a popular trail in Voisey’s Brook Park – a fitting location given the crash site of Picco’s Ridge can be seen in the distance. “This monument will be a reflective approach,” explains Julie. June 2022
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Artist conceptions of the proposed memorials include a Pavilion, a Ring of Remembrance and trail markers.
Out in Torbay, a Ring of Remembrance is envisioned for the gardens of its soon to be opened Heritage House Museum. The monument will also serve as an outdoor classroom for activities at the museum. The shared project with separate monuments reflect the fact that “it’s a shared story, but a different story… different perspectives,” says Torbay committee member Deanne Lawrence. The project may now move forward in phases for the partnered communities. Deanne indicates that Torbay 82
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is committed to making strides this year, but with the town also celebrating its 50th year of municipal incorporation and Come Home Year, it could be next year before it all comes together. “There’s a lot happening this year; but we are very excited to move forward with this important commemorative project,” she says. Julie also anticipates that the timeline to unveil this special monument in PCSP may be pushed to 2023. Both towns will hire a project manager to oversee the fabrication and installment process. 1-888-588-6353
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A proposed trail site with Picco’s Ridge in the distance Town of Torbay photo
Making it Real
There are many historic attractions in the province, and aviation history and crashes are increasingly becoming a part of tourists’ bucket lists. Having played an important role in early aviation due to its geographical location, Newfoundland and Labrador has a strong aviation narrative. This is evident in the historic flights of Alcock and Brown, as well as Amelia Earhart. Now, another such site will be honoured by two seaside towns. And though decades have passed, the souls lost will be remembered and the crash site officially marked. Julie says the collaboration between PCSP and Torbay “has been just wonderful.” Still, they are ever mindful that these monuments are
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not just an “attraction” – they mark spots touched deeply by human experience. “We didn’t want to lose sight of the fact that people died in this crash, and we want to be respectful while honouring those lives,” she says. Deanne also stresses the sensitivity of this site, and says that for the town of Torbay and family members affected, “it will bring peace and an opportunity for them to reflect on their grief and loss.” The monuments will have the names of the victims embedded, notes Deanne, which “will make it real.” She adds, “Ultimately, we want to honour this historic site, educate and allow for spaces to reflect, and achieve understanding and a sense of peace.”
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HOME and Cabin
stuff we love by Nicola Ryan
Road Trippin’
TOP TENT Roll into a sheltered spot and set up camp atop your vehicle with an Explorer Kukenam three-person tent by Swedish brand Thule. These tents mount easily on your vehicle’s roof rack. Forget the muddy ground and lose the tent poles; simply pull off the cover, adjust the ladder, unfold and enjoy! Thule.com CHARGE UP With Otterbox’s fast charge car charger for personal devices, you’ll never have to worry about running out of battery life while navigating the open road. It features an 18-watt flash charge, a USB-C port and a compact design. Otterbox.com
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DIVE IN No summer road trip would be complete without a refreshing dip. Whether it’s at the beach, the falls, or the swimming hole, be ready with a Youphoria microfiber travel towel. Soft and absorbent, it dries fast and comes with a carry bag. Amazon.ca
ROAD GAMES Keep the kids happy and pass the time together using this road trip games app. Use it to play classic games like I Spy, 21 Questions and the ABC game. The app includes play instructions, easy scorekeeping tools and a timer. The games are designed for all ages (including moody teenagers). Find “Top Road Trip Games” on
the App Store and Google Play.
TRASH IT Keep your vehicle clean on long rides with a Hotor multipurpose car trash can. This one has a lid, a collapsible shape, an adjustable strap and storage pockets, and attaches to the seat back. Use it for trash or for extra storage. Plus, the leak-proof lining is easy to wash, so it can double as an emergency motion sickness bag. Walmart.com
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HOME and Cabin
COME ON HOME How to design a proper welcome BY MARIE BISHOP
Yay! It’s Come Home Year!
Clearly we are still dealing with you know what… But we have managed to navigate our way through and around it. Yes, we are still cautious. Yes, there are still serious cases and even deaths due to it, but we have decided that life goes on. So we mitigate the risk, take precautions, keep an eye to our friends and neighbours, and celebrate life to the fullest. 86
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A big part of that celebration is the “arms wide open” feeling we all have for our family and friends who have been itching to get back to this blessed Rock! A place they call home, even though many of them haven’t lived here for years, if at all. I have a first cousin (who’s more like a sister) coming this month with her new partner. He’s never set foot on Newfie soil, but he’s been counting the sleeps and for months has been researching all the things he wants to see and do while they’re here. It’s exciting! What’s more exciting is that they will be staying in what used to be my grandmother’s apartment, built on the back of my parents’ house, the old family home. It’s small, adequate and absolutely sweet! Home – the place to gather, share a meal, tell stories, make memories. It’s the place that nurtures your soul, supports your being and wraps you in a big, warm hug. The place you are super excited to visit after you’ve been away from it for long. Or the place where you never lived but feel like it’s home because one of your parents grew up there. So, a big Welcome Home to all our family, friends and newbies this summer! If you’re expecting company this year, you may be feeling a little pressure as you look at your space through the eyes of your visitors. Even though it’s a bit late in the game to start renovating, there’s still time to give your space a cosmetic facelift. The obvious place to start, of course, is the guest room. I always find a fresh coat of paint gives new life to a room. When you paint, things get moved around, and you find items www.downhomelife.com
Nothing says Welcome Home like a beautiful entrance. Pots of colourful plants like these bright pink geraniums and sapphire blue lobelia bring a smile to everyone who crosses your doorstep.
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you forgot you had and get rid of things you no longer need. And if that space has become the storage room (a.k.a. “junk room”), it likely needs a facelift anyway. My recommendation for a paint colour would be Benjamin Moore #OC-10 White Sand, a beautiful, warm neutral that will work perfectly with any bedding or accessories. Add new bedding, of course. It doesn’t have to be an extravagant purchase to look and feel good. I recently
ful touch. A nightstand with reading lamp, small chair or bench and, if you have the space, a small desk or sofa table (instead of a dresser perhaps) would be ideal to complete their requirements. Add a basket or tray of toiletries – small items they may have forgotten like toothbrushes, Q-tips, hand sanitizer etc. – a vase of fresh cut flowers and a sweet treat of Newfoundland Chocolate on their pillow, and they will never want to leave! Next you’ll be looking at the bath-
purchased this lovely cotton blend duvet cover set at Walmart for less than $60 (above photo). The sheep’s wool duvet inside came from Bed, Bath & Beyond – less than $100 with your 20 per cent off coupon that they offer on a regular basis. Most likely you can reuse some of the accessories you have, and by simply adding a new throw pillow or print you can give the room a fresh face. You don’t need a lot of furniture in a guest room; in fact, if you could provide a suitcase stand or two, like the ones you see in hotel rooms (and can order online from Amazon.ca), that would be more efficient for travellers than a dresser. House guests rarely unpack, so having a place where they can access their suitcase is a thought-
room situation. It’s a great time for a deep clean, getting rid of all the unused and forgotten bits and pieces in that cupboard under the sink and the outdated items in those “junk” drawers. Have one drawer completely empty for your guests to store their things. Add a few mildly scented candles, a supply of nice soaps and fresh towels, a tray of leafy green houseplants or a vase of fresh flowers, and you are ready. Lilacs are in bloom about now and they can add such a beautiful colour and scent to any area of your house. That’s the often overlooked accent to your décor: scent. I don’t bake a lot these days, but when I do, I try to time the arrival of my guests to a tray of cinnamon pinwheels coming out of
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House guests rarely unpack, so having a place where they can access their suitcase is a thoughtful touch. A nightstand with reading lamp, small chair or bench and, if you have the space, a small desk or sofa table (instead of a dresser perhaps) would be ideal to complete their requirements.
the oven as they walk through the door. The sense of smell is closely located to the memory cells in the brain; as a result, the wonderful aroma of baked goods and all the good times wrapped up in that are forever ingrained in our memories. Finally, step outside for a minute and have a look at your house from the street, with fresh eyes. Does the door need a coat of paint, maybe a fresh paint colour? Nothing says Welcome Home like a beautiful entrance. Pots of colourful plants, like these bright pink geraniums and sapphire blue lobelia (pictured on the www.downhomelife.com
step on page 87), will bring a smile to everyone who crosses your doorstep. They aren’t expensive and are readily available at most local nurseries right now. It’s always exciting to have family and friends home from away, to catch up on their lives, share the food and stories of our place, and make memories that will last forever. And it’s exciting to prepare for their visit, to fuss and plan for all the wonderful times you will enjoy together. So, have a look around your home, show it a little TLC – make it so that everyone who visits will love your space! June 2022
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the everyday gourmet
Black Bean Burgers 90
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the everyday gourmet By Andrea Maunder
Andrea Maunder is the owner and creative force behind Saucy & Sweet – Homemade Specialty Foods & Catering.
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Please don’t judge… I have never been a burger girl. While I appreciate that the majority of the population goes cracked for a good burger, I’ve never quite gotten the excitement around a new burger joint opening. Not that I don’t enjoy a well-made, tastefully balanced and delicious burger, mind you. It’s just never been a craving. Until now. I think my burger reticence comes from being served (with a few delicious exceptions) mediocre, overcooked and uninteresting groundbeef burgers – I am not a big fan of ground beef. Needing quick convenience for a beach bonfire or backyard BBQ, I have picked up pre-packaged veggie burgers of all varieties and have always been disappointed. They range from mushy to mealy to artificially smoky to poorly seasoned to trying too hard to imitate beef (with artificial stuff – yuck). However, I recently came up with a wicked black bean burger that’s incredibly flavourful, rich and satisfying. Dare I say it’s juicy? It is vegetarian, but can be made vegan with a quick substitution. I know burger lovers are seriously doubting me right now. These burgers are not a substitute for anything. They are just plain delicious in their own right. Try ’em and see. You can dress them with all the gorgeous toppings you’d heap on any burger. I added mayo, thinly sliced red onions, cheese, tomato, arugula and pickles to mine – on my homemade burger bun. Thankfully, only the dogs were around to see me shamelessly dig in. It was indulgent, juicy and left me full, satisfied, energized and pretty pleased with myself for creating something so good – with none of that heavy meal regret and unhappy belly.
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There are a couple of important tips that set these apart from other bean burgers. To avoid a mushy burger, it’s important to dry the beans in the oven first. I was also interested in creating a juicier mouthfeel, so I added shredded cheese and shredded beet (from frozen spiralized beets I found in my local supermarket). This recipe makes six generous-sized patties. I froze some, first spreading them out on a parchment-lined pan to harden, then packing in a container with parchment between each patty. I suggest cooking these within 3-4 months for best texture and quality. Allow to thaw before cooking.
Black Bean Burgers
Makes 6 generous-sized burgers
2 (540 ml) cans black beans 2-3 tbsp veg or olive oil 1 small onion, finely diced (maybe Vidalia or other sweet onion) 1 small-med. bell pepper (about 2/3 cup when finely diced) 1 small jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs removed, finely diced (more or less to taste, or omit) 1/2 tsp dry oregano 1/2 tsp ground cumin 1/2 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp sweet paprika 1/2 tsp ground chipotle powder (or smoked paprika) 92
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Pinch ground allspice 3-4 cloves garlic, finely minced 3/4 cup shredded beet (fresh or from frozen spirals) 1 tsp kosher salt (or 1/2 tsp table salt) – or to taste Fresh black pepper to taste 1/2 cup shredded mild, melty cheese, eg. mozzarella (substitute 1 tbsp vegan mayo + 1/4 cup cooked mashed potato for vegan) 1-2 tsp lemon or lime juice, to taste 1 tbsp of your favourite BBQ sauce 1 tbsp mayo (or vegan mayo)
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Preheat oven to 300°F. Drain and rinse the beans well. Spread them out on a parchment-lined baking pan and pat dry. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until they are dry (some may split open). Driving off the excess moisture makes for firm burgers that hold together well. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick pan over med-high heat; add onion, bell and jalapeño peppers. Sauté a few minutes to begin to soften the vegetables – not looking for colour. If using fresh, raw beet, add it now; if using frozen, add it after the next step. Add spices and garlic; sauté a few minutes more until fragrant. (Add frozen beet now.) Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and allow to cool. When beans are done, remove parchment sheet from hot pan and let beans cool a little. Transfer them to a food processor and pulse until beans are finely chopped, but not puréed. Add cheese and pulse a few more times to blend. (For the vegan version, omit cheese and add potato with the next step.) Add sautéed vegetables, lemon juice, BBQ sauce and mayo, and pulse again to combine. Do not purée. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Form 6 nice patties and lay them out on parchment. Either fry in oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat, 3-4 minutes per side; or broil for 10 minutes, flipping halfway through; or grill 10 minutes or so, again, flipping halfway. If grilling, make sure grill is good and hot, and paint burgers on both sides with oil so they don’t stick. Have a spatula handy, as they behave a little differently on the grill than a meat patty. Dress ’em how you love a burger and enjoy! www.downhomelife.com
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HOME and Cabin
everyday recipes
Happy Father’s Day
to all the fathers, grandfathers, stepfathers and father figures. This month we’ve baked up simple classics, inspired by an old cookbook sent to us by reader Susan Herdman. It was published in 1948 by the United Church Girls’ Club of Corner Brook, NL. Between the ads for Oscar W. Johnson Ice Cream Parlour and Luncheonette, Crown Laundry & Dry Cleaning, Julius Swirsky General Dry Goods and other esteemed establishments of 1940s Corner Brook were all the popular dishes served up in NL homes in those days. Several of them were aimed at husbands and fathers, and it’s those we tested out for this issue. We had to update them a bit with more precise measurements than “scant” and “moderate oven.” Anyone should be able to make these with ease!
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Father’s Favourite Cake Submitted by Mrs. Neil Patrick
1 5 3 1
1/2 cups sugar tbsp shortening (or butter/margarine) egg whites tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour 2 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/4 tsp salt 1 cup milk
Cream together sugar and shortening (or butter/margarine). Add vanilla. Beat in egg whites one at a time. Sift together dry ingredients; add dry ingredients to the bowl of wet alternately with milk. Mix well. Divide batter evenly between 2 greased 8-inch round cake pans. Bake in moderate oven (350°F for shiny pans; 375°F for dark or non-stick pans) for 25-30 minutes. Cakes are done when tester comes out clean. Turn cakes out onto wire rack to cool completely. Spread layers with favourite icing flavour.
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Husband’s Cake Submitted by Mrs. H. Osmond
3/4 cup shortening (butter/margarine) 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 can tomato soup 3/4 cup water 1 tsp baking soda 3 cups flour 3/4 tsp salt
3 tsp baking powder 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp cloves 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1 1/2 cups raisins 1 1/2 cups chopped nuts
Cream sugar and shortening (or butter/margarine). In a separate bowl, combine tomato soup with water and baking soda; add this to the creamed sugar-butter. Sift together dry ingredients and spices, add to the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in raisins and nuts last. Pour batter into a greased flute or bundt pan. Bake in moderate oven (350°F) for 50-60 min., until a tester comes out clean.
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Chocolate Golf Balls Submitted by Mrs. H. Jamieson
1/2 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk 1/2 tsp vanilla 2 squares chocolate (or 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips), melted
Enough crushed graham wafers to thicken (about 18 wafers or 1 cup crumbs) Pinch of salt Candied cherries Shredded coconut
Stir together sweetened condensed milk, vanilla and melted chocolate. Add salt and graham crumbs, stirring until mixture gets thick enough to stick together to form a ball. Take about a tbsp of mixture and wrap it around a cherry. Roll it into a neat ball and toss in coconut to coat. Repeat until all the mixture is used. Place balls in a closed container in the fridge or freezer to set. Makes about 12 balls.
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Hermits Submitted by Miss K. Macfarlane
1/2 cup shortening (or butter/margarine) 1 1/2 cups brown sugar 2 eggs, well beaten 2 1/2 cups sifted flour 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice 3 tbsp milk 1 cup currants 1/2 cup nuts 1 cup dates, chopped 1 cup seedless raisins
Cream shortening (or butter/margarine) and sugar. Add eggs and beat well. Sift together flour, baking soda and spices, add to batter and mix well. Stir in milk. Fold in fruit and nuts. Drop by tbsp onto a greased sheet and bake in moderately hot oven (375°F) for 10 to 12 minutes. Makes 48 cookies.
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Bachelor Buttons Submitted by Mrs. Walter Burton
1 1 2 1
1/4 cups brown sugar scant cup (1 cup) butter eggs tsp vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour (little more if needed) 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tbsp hot water
Cream together the sugar and butter. Mix in the eggs and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda, salt and hot water. Combine well. Add more flour (up to 1/2 cup) if needed to make the batter like soft cookie dough. Drop batter onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet by half-teaspoonfuls, about 2 inches apart, and bake in hot oven (375°F) for about 10 min., till golden. Let cookies cool completely on a wire rack. Match up cookies by size and put them together in twos with your favourite jam in the middle (we used raspberry, but a tart partridgeberry might also be nice between these sweet wafers). Makes about 30 cookies.
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HOME and Cabin
down to earth
Recipes for Beautiful
Hanging Baskets BY MANDY KEEPING 100
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Last month we explained the basics of making your own hanging flower basket: container, soil, fertilizer, flowers and water. But how do you make it look glorious like those ones you envy on other porches around town? Designing a beautiful basket can be overwhelming with all the options a greenhouse can provide, but having a little know-how going in can definitely help. First, let’s get into the practical stuff. Sunlight Light and its direction are probably the most important things to consider first when choosing plants for your basket. Different plants have different sunlight requirements – full sun, partial shade or full shade – which are written right on the tag attached to the plant at the store or nursery. The general rule of thumb for “full sun” is more than six hours of sunlight exposure a day; three to six hours is “partial shade”; and less than three hours is “full shade.” If they will be hanging on a north-facing deck, for example, you will likely need to choose plants that do well in partial shade. Likewise, if you plan on hanging a basket on a south-facing side of the property, you’d best stick to plants that do well in full sun.
Location, location, location Now that you know what kind of lighting your basket will get, you need to consider how you will see your flowers. If you’re hanging them under an eave or high up in a patio setting, plants with a trailing habit (a.k.a. “hanging stuff”) will be best since they will be overhead. On the other hand, if you are placing flowers to frame a door on the front of your house, or are setting your basket in a stand on your patio, you’ll want to get something with some height and fullness. Getting the right recipe (that’s what we like to call our basket designs!) that combines all these element is where the real magic happens. www.downhomelife.com
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Recipes for Pretty Baskets
With light and location figured out, now it’s time to get creative and make things pretty. So you are not overwhelmed by the endless ways you can put flowers together, here are some of our go-to recipes that we successfully use year after year, plus some flexible combos.
Osteospermum + Petunia + Verbena (Full Sun) In this combo, the daisy-like Osteo plays off of the large colour pops of full and hanging Petunias and the globular Verbena blooms. The options are many (especially with Petunias these days), but you could go with a classic white + pink + purple. If you really want a show stopper, try yellow + purple & white speckle + red – wow!
Geranium + Lobelia + Petunia (Full Sun) This recipe is always stunning, as the huge blooms of the Geranium can provide a statement, while being balanced by an airy and full Lobelia, and finished up by lovely trailing Calibrachoa. We love a good red + blue + yellow colour scheme, but also pink + purple + orange makes for a great contrast! (Bonus, these would also be happy in partial shade.)
Hanging Begonia + Fuchsia + Petunia (Partial Shade) Here we utilize the oh-so-cool hanging Begonia variety. These huge blooms, paired with Fuchsia that reaches out and hangs through the fullness of a Petunia, just makes this basket burst at the seams in the best possible way. Try a yellow + red & purple + blue combo for some contrast, or go with a varying deep pink + white & pink + soft pink for a softer feel.
Bacopa + Double Impatiens + Plectranthus (Partial Shade) This recipe is great for a more subtle style. The Bacopa provides long swaths of white blooms paired with the small rose-like flowers of Double Impatiens and contrasting deep Plectranthus foliage. Try white + pink + purple! 102
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Begonias + White Bacopa (Partial Shade) Arguably the most sought-after combo each year, Begonias and Bacopa are a classic part shade combo. We love all colour themes with these, but the most popular are red & yellow Begonias + Bacopa, and pink & yellow Begonias + Bacopa. If you’re feeling adventurous, try mixing in the mocca leaf Begonia varieties!
Hot Tips! If through the season you find your flower baskets aren’t as full as you’d dreamt, you can always add in accent plants. Our favourites are seed Lobelia (much less vigorous than the larger variety) and Alyssum. These little babies are like the sprinkles on a cake – not totally necessary, but add such pizzazz! Tuck three or four of these around the edges of your basket for a little colour/texture pops on your borders. Sweet! Similarly, any of the above recipes could be given some nice oomph with the addition of foliage accents. We love Lysmachia (Creeping Jenny), Vinca, Plectranthus and Glechoma to add in elements of varying green that drape out between all the colours. Gorgeous!
And lastly, for low-maintenance gardeners, this one’s for you! Most people want a gorgeous thriving basket, but not all have the time (or desire!) to preen and deadhead some of the higher maintenance flowers (Petunias, we love ya, but we’re lookin’ at you!). Try Hiemalis Begonias paired with any of the wonderful foliage options mentioned above. They require very minimal deadheading, like sun or shade, and have clusters of mounding blooms that last well into the fall. So now you are armed with all the confidence you need to walk into a greenhouse full of wonderful flowers and know exactly what you’d like! Or just bring this article in, hand it to a staffer with your favourite circled and say, “That one please!”
Mandy Keeping works at the Greenhouse and Garden Store in Little Rapids. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual) from Memorial University Grenfell Campus. She is a photographer, mother, danceenthusiast, positive-viber, and an out-of-doors lover who currently resides with her family in Pasadena. www.downhomelife.com
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Available at Auk Island Winery and aukislandwinery.com. Select wines available at Newfoundland Liquor Corporation.
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reminiscing flashbacks
Family Time “This is my mother, Ruth Ryan, my grandmother and my siblings on the porch of Dad’s house in Birchy Cove [NL] during Come Home Year in the summer of 1966,” writes the submitter. “I’m kind of in the picture because Mom was pregnant with me at the time!” Brenda Jeffs Hampton, ON
Kitchen Party “[This is] my brother John (left) and my cousin Paul on my Mom and Pop Meaney’s kitchen floor on Georgetown Road in Curling, NL, when the families travelled from Montreal for Come Home Year in 1966,” the submitter writes. Kathy Brimicombe Hamilton, ON
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Sights of St. John’s “I am sending a picture of Benjamin and Margaret Bowering at Signal Hill, St. John’s, NL, in 1966,” writes the submitter. “That Come Home Year was very special for my father, Benjamin Bowering (19021982). We visited St. John’s – Signal Hill, Bowring Park and specific streets… that Dad remembered from his youth.” Prue Bowering Stelling via email
Lead the Way “I was 11 when my nephew visited us in Windsor in 1966. Dad had made the welcome sign,” writes the submitter. “This little guy grew up to be a leader with the Salvation Army – Major Brian Wheeler is still holding hands and still leading the way.” Randy Keats Vancouver, BC
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reminiscing
As we head into our 35th year
at Downhome, we’re taking a trip down memory lane. Every month for the next 12 months we’ll unearth a little snippet of Downhome history to give you a glimpse into what was on our radar way back when. Here’s one of the stories we ran in June 1988, our premiere issue.
Emile Benoit to receive degree
Emile Benoit, one of Port au Port’s most famous citizens, will receive an honorary degree at the spring convocation at Memorial University on May 27. Jim Hodder, MHA for the district, said Emile will receive his honorary Doctor of Laws degree and will then be known as Dr. Emile Benoit, LLD. He said Emile has become a well-known ambassador for the Port au Port Peninsula and for Newfoundland. “He is an acknowledged master of the fiddle, both as a player and composer. He has played in festivals across Canada, the United States and France, and has just recently returned from a festival in New Orleans,” said Hodder, who added that his personal preference is the first album in which Emile composed and recorded the Jim Hodder reel. The MHA said Emile is well deserving of this honorary degree.
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reminiscing
Can you believe it’s been 56 years since our last provincewide Come Home Year? About time, eh? Of course, as soon as we heard the announcement for Come Home 2022 late last year, we immediately started thinking back on the great summer of ’66. We asked readers to share their memories of that time, and here are some of the flashbacks (also on pp. 106-107) we’ve received so far. Keep ’em coming – and we’ll keep publishing ’em.
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Top Road Trip of my Young Life By Mary Kimball
I made my first trip
to Newfoundland during the summer of 1966 – Come Home Year. I was a teenager from New Brunswick camping in a canvas tent with my parents and younger brother as we made our way across the island from Port aux Basques to St. John’s and back. I had not been in favour of making this particular trip, but as it turned out, it was one of the most memorable of my young life.
As we arrived in Port aux Basques in dense fog, all we could see from the ferry were rocky hills surrounding the small harbour, which contained only the dock and a barren rocky island. There were no trees to be seen on the hills, just rock everywhere. I thought. “Where have they taken me? It seems like the end of the earth. There is no sign of life anywhere!” My dismay was compounded when we got settled into our campsite that night and met the folks camping at the next site. They were just finishing up their trip to The Rock, and they passed on two pieces of advice. 1.) Make sure that your tent zipper is well closed and that it has been liberally sprayed with mosquito repellent. 2.) Never go anywhere without a full tank of gas. The next morning as we were leaving Port aux Basques, we passed a service station with a sign reading “Last Gas Before Corner Brook.” Just down the road, after my parents had had a discussion about how much gas we had in the tank and how far we were planning to travel that day, we saw another sign: “Corner Brook 165 Miles.” Dad turned the car around at what looked like a very well-worn spot and went back to the gas station to fill up. Even as a teenager, I figured that the two signs came from the same source and were an 1-888-588-6353
excellent marketing scheme. We learned later that there were numerous patrols on the Trans-Canada Highway that summer, criss-crossing the island with emergency supplies of gas and other essentials to help stranded motorists. Our family was accustomed to long road trips, so we had developed some games to help pass the time. (This was long before video games were invented – I believe that we didn’t even have a radio in the car!) One of these games was “I Spy,” where one person would pick out something distinctive that could be seen from the car and would provide clues, while the others tried to guess what it was. Often it was a colourful billboard or an unusual building, but there was nothing like that to be found in Newfoundland on this trip. We gained a new appreciation for the phrase “miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles.” My father tried to make it interesting by pointing out a large tree, cliff or rock formation on a hill that stood out on the upcoming horizon, and we were to guess how far away it was and how long it would take us to get there. However, it seemed that every time we got to the top of one hill, there were many more ahead that looked just like it. Even the trees all looked alike, with branches that grew on only one side June 2022
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of the trunk. We learned that these trees were called “tuckamores,” and that their strange stunted shapes resulted from the constant assault of onshore winds and salt spray. Somewhere along the west coast we visited with a family who had recently moved there from our hometown in New Brunswick. I’m not sure what community it was, but it was likely to have been somewhere near Corner Brook. I remember that it was mountainous, which explained how this family could live in a remote location with a water supply that was fed entirely by gravity. It certainly made a difference in the kitchen routine for us “women folk” who were left to clean up after meals while the “men folk” went fishing. Waiting for water to fill the sink was a new experience for me, for sure, learning to turn on the tap to get the water running before we finished clearing the table. My mother had visited Newfoundland for the first time a couple of years earlier, travelling with her widowed father who was returning to his Simms family roots in Grand Bank. Her experiences on that trip had included stopping along the road to push boulders out of the way. At that time, the highway signs had read: “We’ll finish this drive in ’65.” On our trip, the same signs had been altered to read, “We finished this drive in ’65, thanks to Mr. Pearson.” We stopped at the rock monument in central Newfoundland that became known as Pearson’s Peak. It had been erected to mark the spot halfway between Port aux Basques and St. John’s, where the Trans-Canada 112
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Waiting for the “bear show” Highway was completed and a ceremony was held to commemorate the meeting of Prime Minister Lester Pearson travelling from the west and Newfoundland Premier Joey Smallwood travelling from the east. We continued our drive across the island to Mile 0 in St. John’s, which marked the beginning of the TransCanada Highway. At the time, I remember wondering what the mileage marker read at the other end of the TCH. Several years later, when I visited Victoria, BC, I chuckled when I saw the sign also marking Mile 0. Evidently, both cities wanted to acknowledge the beginning, not the end, of the TCH. Our visit to Signal Hill left me marvelling at not only the technology at the time of the first transatlantic wireless communication, but also at the panoramic views of the harbour and the ocean from the top of Cabot Tower. Standing on the edge of the continent at Cape Spear, looking out over the water, made me think about how far away Europe was and appreciate what it meant to establish wireless communications over that great 1-888-588-6353
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distance. It also made me think about how big and beautiful the island of Newfoundland was. Our trip home included return stops at some of the same places we had visited on our trip east, including my favourite – Terra Nova National Park. Kids at campgrounds tend to meet other kids and gravitate to those in the same age group. At several campgrounds where we had stopped along the way we kept meeting the same family; they must have had the same itinerary. That family was from Nova Scotia and included a teenage boy and his two younger brothers, so we had a lot in common and often ended up doing the same activities in the park. One might think of swimming, hiking, nature
walks and that sort of thing (which we did), but the activity that stands out most in my memory was the daily dusk-time drive to the park dump to watch the bears scavenge through the garbage looking for food. This photo (see opposite page) shows Fred and me with his two brothers at the dump, waiting for the bears to arrive. I can’t imagine doing that sort of thing this summer when my husband (who is from Bell Island, NL) and I go to Newfoundland again for Come Home Year 2022. In 1966, I may have thought that a trip to The Rock was a once in a lifetime thing, but I have been back numerous times in the intervening decades, always with a new story to bring home.
The Best Wedding Gift Wilf & Marilyn Lynch • Victoria, BC
We will always remember and often recall Come Home Year 1966. We were married that summer on June 25, and we drove from Vancouver, BC, to St. John’s, NL, on our honeymoon. Come Home Year 1966 was the best wedding gift of our marriage. I had not been home for a few years and it was Marilyn’s first time visiting Newfoundland and Labrador. Visiting family, friends, and the beautiful island and its historic sites have a lasting memory. Enclosed are two of the many photos we took of Come Home Year 1966. If we recall correctly, the Welcome/Farewell ship was beside the newly completed TCH just west of Corner Brook. 1-888-588-6353
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reminiscing
A daring rescue in December 1945 off Sable Island, NS, carried out by a crew from Newfoundland
By John P. Christopher
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The following poem
tells the story of the heroic rescue of the crew of the trawler Gale, carried out by the crew of her sister trawler, Breaker, after she foundered and sank on Sable Island reefs in December 1945. Both vessels were entirely crewed by Newfoundland men. Captain John (Jack) Halley of the Breaker was my uncle. He was a deep sea trawler captain from Topsail in Conception Bay South. He spent 35 years fishing, first out of Gloucester and later Boston, Massachusetts. Interestingly, a copy of this epic poem (author unknown) hung for years on the wall of Sal Bartolo’s Ringside Café in Boston, Massachusetts. This American state has deep historical connections to Newfoundland sailors. As far back as the 1870s, especially in the heyday of schooners, about 80 per cent of schooner captains in Gloucester, MA, were Newfoundlanders.
The Story of the Gale and the Breaker Author unknown
Come, all ye sons of Newfoundland and sailors near and far To hear the story of the Gale lost on the North East Bar Her skipper’s name was Douglas Swartz as she plowed across the foam “We’ll catch a trip of fish,” he said, “and by Christmas we’ll be home” “Don’t fear those wintry blasts,” he said, “that beat her sides of steel Pull wide those engines down below and feel her dancing keel” Her course was set for Sable Isle, a sailors’ grave all know Whose shifting sands abound with fish, where the treacherous currents flow Through freezing sleet and blinding snow, round Sable’s Cape she fled Across Le Harve and Emerald Bank to Quearo Grounds she sped At dawn, beneath an angry sky, her nets were cast away To haul aboard a goodly catch before the close of day And then, across the air it came that warning to beware A raging storm was bearing down, a sailor’s skill to dare Oh! Stand away from Sable’s shoals, to all this warning came Go seek the safety of the deep, we pray in heaven’s name But where the treacherous currents flow, the Gale had gone astray And crashing on the North East Bar, a shuddering wreck she lay With a crew of eighteen men on board she reeled in dire distress “In these raging seas we cannot last,” all heard her S.O.S. 1-888-588-6353
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When on the air John Halley came, a man both brave and grand He was skipper of the Breaker, with a crew from Newfoundland “We are coming to your rescue, so keep a light on high Tonight we’ll run the North East Bar, we will not pass you by” But few have dared those awful shoals and lived to tell the tale Well all men knew the double loss should the Breaker skipper fail. But God rode with that rescue craft through that awful night Dawn found them in grim Sable’s lee to stage a gallant fight And not alone the Breaker stood where brave men do or die For Simon Terrio was there and his Gloucester men stood by There lurched the Gale with frozen shroud, how could those men survive? Came muffled voices from the wreck that they were still alive Spoke Halley to that stricken crew, “A lifeline we will send When fastened well upon your mast, a breeches buoy we’ll bend.” But as he spoke the wind increased and the seas ran mountainous high The wind blew eighty mile an hour as another night drew nigh And standing hand in hand with death, as seas washed on her deck The Breaker battled through the night but could not reach the wreck Then out from Halifax there came a cruiser strong and brave She had rescued many from the sea and knew that sailors’ grave And thus the Coast Guard skipper spoke, well learned of wind and tide To try a rescue at this time would be naught but suicide Came rescue ships from far and near, a helpless watch they kept Said Swartz, “On Sable we must die,” on shore their loved ones wept
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For now the Gale, a broken hulk, lashed by the wind and spray Was settling in the ocean grave so anxious for its prey It was then the Breaker stood in close, John Halley held the wheel Not near enough to render aid for reefs clutch at her keel Heard from the Gale those solemn words, to Him on high we bow As half our crew, we cast adrift, may God have mercy now Then spoke up Capt. Howard Scott, a man who knows no fear “Just hold her steady, Skipper John, we’ll drop our dories clear” With Scott stood raw-boned Tom Malloy, a man of six-foot-two They were two of John Halley’s crew, of braver men there’s few And there was Gregory Toomey on the Breaker’s starboard side With him was Paddy Costigan, both fearless as the tide How could a dory live that day? They volunteered to try Malloy, Scott, Toomey, Costigan said, “Those men must not die” With life belts fastened to their chests they cleared the Breaker’s side Swept out of sight in raging seas and Sable’s clutching sides Then heaven smiled on those brave men, they reached the foundering wreck Nine weary men they landed first, safe on the Breaker’s deck With salt spray frozen to their brow, said they “Again we go” Nor did they shirk till all were saved from Sable’s treacherous flow And loved ones on the shore rejoiced, it was a Christmas grand And ne’er will be forgotten those brave men from Newfoundland.
John (Jack) Halley
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reminiscing
By Arabella (Brown) Lewis • Kemptville, ON
The author, as a little girl, among the rocks on Mrs. Honey’s Hill in Rock Harbour, c. 1953.
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visiting Rock Harbour, Placentia Bay, NL, during the summer months when I was a very young girl. Aggie was a very pleasant lady with dark hair and ringlets. She visited all her friends and always made a stop at the graveyard. She wrote the following poem, which I identify with so well because I experienced a similar childhood that Aggie wrote about. I grew up on Honey’s Hill as we called it, not knowing the hill was called after a Mrs. Honey who once lived there. Our house was built on a flat space among the large rocks and it, too, was my playground. I climbed among the rocks every day. During the summer, towards the back of the hill, I searched and picked what we called blackberries, a very small round berry that grew on delicate bushes close to the ground. It was, on occasion, used in making a blackberry pudding – a white flour pudding wrapped in a piece of cloth and tied with a string, then cooked in the broth among the vegetables and salt beef. I also searched for another berry that grew very close to the ground, called the tea berry. It, too, was very small, but it was oval shaped and pure white in colour. It had a unique, pleasant, almost creamy taste. While visiting in 2015, the berries still grew there in small quantities, as I searched and found a few. I found Aggie’s poem at my mom’s home in Rock Harbour many years ago. I kept it after my mom passed, and recently came across it here at my condo in Kemptville, ON. I tried to contact Aggie to tell her about her poem that I had. I had visited Aggie in St. John’s, NL, sometime between 19671970, while I was training to be a nurse at the Grace General Hospital, but I don’t recall seeing her since. To my disappointment, I found out she had passed away in St. John’s in May 2014. In her memory, here is Aggie’s Poem:
Come all my friends and neighbours Hear what I have to say Concerning this little village Rock Harbour, Placentia Bay.
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This quaint and picturesque little place To most artists still unknown To me it is a treasure spot As to a king, a throne.
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We in our little home With our few possessions in life The little girl that took my place Is now a bishop’s wife.
Time has passed and years have changed Many memories I hold today For the only sister I ever had Sleeps there beneath the clay.
It was on a cold December morning One day before Christmas Eve When I said goodbye to all my friends And then I had to leave.
We had a little one-room school In the back of our church The only heat was a pot-bellied stove Filled up with junks of birch.
I can’t describe my feelings For it would give me much pain today We took up residence again In Creston, Mortier Bay.
I remember how I berry picked When the summers were quite hot Every time there was a shower of rain I’d run under Jacob’s Rock.
That rugged little fishing coast With its beauty so discreet The count of houses ends at thirty-three With not even one main street.
I baited my hook with a piece of pork I fished and played in the sea The harbour was filled with flakes and wharves There was only one fir tree.
I played around the rocks and wharves and was as happy as could be There were no playgrounds or swimming pools Yet I had fun and swam in the sea.
The controversy I can hear it now Over that old fir tree One lady claimed it belonged to her My aunt said, “No, that tree belongs to me.”
Cyde Hooper photo
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Whomever owned that old fir tree Was no concern of mine I climbed it every other day And came down filled with turpentine.
It was somewhat an oval shape About one hundred yards wide Many a time I got stranded there With the rising of the tide.
I usually visit once a year There’s a spot in my heart still warm Like the rabbit said about the Briar Patch Its home, the place where I was born.
I liked to walk around the shore Where once I gathered shells Folks wondered why I take covers off And looked down into their wells.
Such beaches since I have not seen With the prettiest rocks and the finest sand A more beautiful site you could not find Elsewhere in Newfoundland.
One last place, but no means least Surely you can see my footprints still On those enormous rocks where once I played house on Mrs. Honey’s Hill.
And there was Deadman’s Island Just a few yards across the way A perfect private little spot For only a child to play.
Although I’ve left so many years I still hold that proof today For on my birth certificate it says Birthplace: Rock Harbour, Placentia Bay.
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OVER $20s in saving ! by joining
Now more than ever a Downhome membership is a great value. Not only do you save over $20 off the cover price, you receive: 1 Year (12 issues) OF DOWNHOME
Free WALL CALENDAR Free EXPLORE TRAVEL GUIDE 2 Issues INSIDE LABRADOR †
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Save up to $90 when you sign up for 3 years! Delivered with December’s issue. ††Delivered with June’s issue. Canadian mailing only. ††† Delivered with a spring and fall issue. *Plus applicable taxes
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* Valid in Canada on a 1-year term. Total inc. taxes, postage and handling: for residents in NL, NS, NB, PE $45.99; ON $45.19; QC, SK, MB, AB, BC, NU, NT, YT $41.99. US/International $49.99. ** Valid in Canada on a 3-year term. Total inc. taxes, postage and handling: for residents in NL, NS, NB, PE $114.99; ON $112.99; QC, SK, MB, AB, BC, NU, NT, YT $104.99; US/International $140.99.
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2206_Puzzles_1701-puzzles 4/29/22 3:42 PM Page 124
puzzles
The Beaten Path Sheri Emerson Sanders photo
By Ron Young
Block out all the letters that are like other letters in every way, including shape and size. The letters that are left over, when unscrambled, will spell out the name of the above community.
M H C
O T p J
n S x
Y S
C L G
T
m
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x
Q
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A
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M m H
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p C A
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m
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B B
E
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C
Last Month’s Community: Point Leamington 124
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Sudoku
from websudoku.com
Last month’s answers
?
Need Help
Puzzle answers can be found online at DownhomeLife.com/puzzles
www.downhomelife.com
June 2022
125
Janice Keats photo
2206_Puzzles_1701-puzzles 4/29/22 3:43 PM Page 126
Downhomer Detective Needs You After more than two decades on the Urban City Police Force, Downhomer Detective has come home to rid Newfoundland and Labrador of a new threat – cunning thief Ragged Rick. A real braggart, the slimy criminal sends DD a blurry photo of his surroundings plus clues to his whereabouts just to prove he’s always a step ahead. DD needs your help to identify where in Newfoundland and Labrador Ragged Rick is hiding out this month.
Use these 5 clues to identify where Ragged Rick is now: • Known as “a pretty place” in song • One of the oldest continuous settlements in NL • Comprises several islands • Sealing was once an economic cornerstone • Located in Bonavista North
Last Month’s Answer: Brigus
Picturesque Place NameS of Newfoundland and Labrador
by Mel D’Souza Last Month’s Answer: Heart’s Delight 126
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In Other Words Guess the well-known expression written here in other words.
Last Month’s Clue: Imbeciles haste to enter the place that cherubs are apprehensive to plod In Other Words: Fools rush in where angels fear to tread
This Month’s Clue: Apprehend this employment and propel it In Other Words: ____ ____ ___ ___ _____ __
A Way With Words
HANDED
Last Month’s Answer: Left-handed
This Month’s Clue
COOKED A LITTLE Answer: __ _____ ___________
Scrambled Sayings
Rhyme Time A rhyming word game by Ron Young
1. To stroll and chat is to _____ and ____ 2. To attempt to soar is to ___ to ___ 3. To spy a fir is to ___ a ____ Last Month’s Answers 1. felt a pelt, 2. delivers shivers, 3. thigh high
by Ron Young
Place each of the letters in the rectangular box below into one of the white square boxes above them to discover a quotation. Incomplete words that begin on the right side of the diagram continue one line down on the left. The letters may or may not go in the box in the same order that they are in the column. Once a letter is used, cross it off and do not use it again.
’
’
’
’
H H C F E E A C H I E E E H A A A D F E E C H A P I O H H H H I P I N F R L D P A F N O E D I E S S O P T I P S I T O S L F P I S P R R S W T S W S S N P S S
Last month’s answer: Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. www.downhomelife.com
June 2022
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Rhymes 5 Times Each answer rhymes with the other four
1. depend
____________
2. disobey
____________
3. suggest
____________
4. refute
____________
5. wrong
____________
STUCK? Don’t get your knickers in a knot! Puzzle answers can be found online at DownhomeLife.com/puzzles
Last Month’s Answers: 1. prairie, 2. wary, 3. dairy, 4. hairy, 5. fairy
Tangled Towns by Lolene Young Condon and Ron Young
Unscramble each of the five groups of letters below to get 5 Newfoundland and Labrador place names.
Sound out the groups of words below to get a familiar expression.
1. CAPICYDILL
For best results sound the clue words out loud!
2. BRASSWOOL
Abe Autumn Lisp Hit _ __________ ___
3. ABASHMAR VCOE 4. AHANUAGUT
Den Sleep Hop Yule Hated ________ __________ Last Month’s 1st Clue: These If Hill Wore. Answer: The Civil War. Last Month’s 2nd Clue: Lay Bird Hey We Kin. Answer: Labour Day week-end
5. SLBMCAPLE REECK Last Month’s Answers: 1. Gaultois, 2. Hermitage, 3. Jersey Harbour, 4. Pass Island, 5. Harbour Breton
A nalogical A nagrams Unscramble the capitalized words to get one word that matches the subtle clue. 1. NOT ACE LAIR ~ Clue: clean cut, sometimes 2. SIC PIOUS US ~ Clue: you see it, but you don’t believe it 3. DICE EVEN ~ Clue: it will make a believer out of you 4. IDEAS ON TINT ~ Clue: otherwise known as Point B 5. SCENE CORE FLU ~ Clue: knows how to light up a room Last Month’s Answers: 1. illustrator, 2. equator, 3. legacy, 4. reunion, 5. allowance 128
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Four-Way Crossword F o re Wo rd s • B a c k Wo rd s • U p Wo rd s • D o w n Wo rd s By Ron Young
Unlike regular crosswords, in Four-Way Crossword each letter is not necessarily related to the letter in the adjacent row or column, but is part of one or more words in some direction. 1-6: parent 1-10: maternity 1-51: movement 1-91: still 3-23: beret 4-6: she 7-10: head cover 7-47: lodging 10-30: lair 12-16: synthetic fibre 16-20: racket 21-1: male cat 21-25: try to seduce 21-30: enticement 23-63: town leader 24-54: in addition 25-95: assembled 30-50: seine 32-2: champion 32-35: glowing ring 33-37: by oneself 36-39: closeby 42-72: boxing round 45-48: seabird 45-43: male 43-73: past times 45-50: esophagus 47-45: tote 50-47: say 51-55: hangman’s rope 54-51: shortly 54-57: ooze 54-84: sea mammal 59-57: plunge 59-99: gown 61-64: attract 61-91: fewer 63-43: cowboy Rogers 63-93: harvest www.downhomelife.com
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68-48: become sick 70-50: consume 75-77: pig product 75-80: hinder 77-37: tree 77-57: chart 78-48: bucket 81-85: mouldy 82-85: story 86-56: concern 86-90: collision 88-90: cinder 91-100: rebel 95-92: sexual assault 97-94: Scarlett O’Hara’s home
99-97: take a chair 100-10: vulnerable 100-50: menace Last Month’s Answer
L U F T H G U O H T
O C E H U R T N E R
C H E E S E A T R I
OMO A S E T I L I R D H E L E N A RO T DO E A P S H S T
T I V N D A I O S AO T PMA T A R E KA S I E ONG HG I
June 2022
E Q U E S T R I A N
129
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The Bayman’s
Crossword Puzzle 1
2
by Ron Young 3
4
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8 10
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June 2022
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49 53
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ACROSS 1. mouth (colloq) 3. Trans-World Airways (abbrev) 5. technical (abbrev) 6. oil driller 8. debt 9. chewing 14. festering (colloq) 18. limits (esp. food) 20. “I’m proud to be __ islander and here’s the reason why” 21. “Somewhere beyond those ______ hills is where I want to be” 22. road (abbrev) 23. __ Anthony Bight 25. _____ Nova National Park 26. “How’s ye gettin’ __?” 27. us 29. Bay __ Islands 31. “____ may your big jib draw” 33. “Me nerves are rubbed right ___” 34. Poppy’s wife 36. blue flag ____ – wildflower in NL 37. floating sheet of sea ice (2 words) 39. __FM – NL radio station 40. overtime (abbrev) 41. Denmark (abbrev) 42. bills 45. opposite of SW 46. strange characters (colloq, 2 words) 50. regarding (abbrev) 51. jr.’s father 52. “Did you ever see a whale __ a big exhale around the bay?” 53. married to mr. DOWN 1. get dressed (colloq, 3 words) 2. one who uses foul language 4. “Until __ see bottom inside the two sunkers” 7. charged molecule 10. “I would surely ___ for hours just to bury you in flowers” www.downhomelife.com
11. “___ for her own good that the cat purrs” 12. young louse 13. “Old as Buckley’s ____” 14. “If anyone took you away, or somehow you wandered ______” 15. drunk (colloq) 16. finale 17. children (colloq) 19. opposite of SSW 24. window shop (colloq) 26. Cape _____, on the northern tip of the Great Northern Peninsula 28. female sheep 29. “Lonesome as a gull __ _ rock” (2 words) 30. female dog (colloq) 32. either 33. jockey 35. soft and tender, as in hands (colloq) 38. and 43. painting 44. “She __ more lip on her than a coal bucket” 47. emergency room (abbrev) 48. “__ flies on you!” 49. small (abbrev) M O I F D S U H I I P R R A O N O M O U I T S P O A R S T
T R ANSWERS U TO LAST M MONTH’S P CROSSWORD H O D E W B E R R L L Y E A R B H A G E A L M A A S I A S U O N L I G H T C A L T O G G L E D R S WO E B E D G L Y O T M R U M P A S S E N G E R N G U E A S S P A R T I N G M E June 2022
Y A F F L E S U N
131
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DIAL-A-SMILE © 2022 Ron Young
Pick the right letters from the old style phone to match the numbers grouped below and uncover a quote which will bring a smile to your face.
___ 626
______ 226668
_____ 27323 ____ 4283
_ _ _ _ _; 25663 ______ 732688
____ 5483
__ 29
__ 43
____ 6878
_ ____ _ 2 8883 7
Last Month’s Answer: A filing cabinet is a place where you can lose things systematically.
©2022 Ron Young
CRACK THE CODE 3
Each symbol represents a letter of the alphabet, for instance =N Try to guess the smaller, more obvious words to come up with the letters for the longer ones. The code changes each month.
_ _ _ _
_
b
Yb Y p
_ _
DL
_ _ _ N _ _ N
N m D 3D N 3
_ _ _ _
nD t K
_ _ _ _ _ _
LC N y n \
_ _ _’_
XN\
L
_ _ _ _
lCb l _ _
X N
_ N
N3
Last Month’s Answer: Motivation will almost always beat mere talent. 132
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Food For Thought
© 2022 Ron Young
Each food symbol represents a letter of the alphabet. Find the meanings to the words then match the letters with the food symbols below to get a little “food for thought.”
direction =
leap =
retaining =
alive =
_ _ _ _ _
nYwty
_ _ _
_ _ _ _
c h n w da _ _
yY mt
_ _
_ _ _ _
yw
mt
c we}
_ _ _ _ _ _
}q w pnY
ow q’y _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
]}}wmqn
Kp c w
_
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
od y}a}tt
_ _ _ _
phantom =
_ _
unescorted =
_ _ _
sd h
_
_ _
tw
_ _ _ _
y Y mq]
_ _ _ _ _
_
ame mq n
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
s}}]}qo –
_ _ _ _
Kpty
_ _ _ _ _ _
w}wwa}
m’ c _ _
_ _ _ _
o}do
Last Month’s Answer: It is impossible to persuade a man who does not disagree, but smiles. www.downhomelife.com
June 2022
133
2206_Puzzles_1701-puzzles 4/29/22 3:43 PM Page 134
Different Strokes
Our artist’s pen made the two seemingly identical pictures below different in 12 places. See if you can find all 12.
ERN AND COAL BIN AT ARCHES PROVINCIAL PARK
Last Month’s Answers: 1. Tree, 2. Boulder, 3. Window, 4. Door latch, 5. Antlers, 6. Tool rack, 7. Shades, 8. Arm, 9. Basement door, 10. Drapes, 11. Lady, 12. Roof “Differences by the Dozen”- A compilation of Different Strokes from 2002 to 2014 (autographed by Mel) can be ordered by sending $9.95 (postage incl.; $13.98 for U.S. mailing) to Mel D’Souza, 21 Brentwood Dr., Brampton, ON, L6T 1P8.
134
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HIDE & SEEK FATHERS
The words can be across, up, down, backward or at an angle, but always in a line.
PATIENT ADVENTUROUS PROTECTIVE ADVISOR PROVIDER BRAVE RESCUER BUILDER CLEVER COACH G K N U F M F B COMFORTER K S U F M Y N Y DOTING L G N M A K Y O DRIVER W Y G I P R H H Last ENCOURAGING I Y Z B Month’s D D H L FIXER X Y S V Answers K M D X GUIDE M C H X L B E V JOKER D T A O S O L A KIND K P E C F Q R I KNOWLEDGEABLE
P Y X B K R G N F E P Q H P D U N H
R B F U A O D C V P H S T R O N G H
O T X I C L R O Q A C C L S P C C W
T C A L U G E C Y R K R A T G R N H
E M L D F N U E P M N S C O E H Z S
C E N E R I C D A Q O V M H C K K U
T V F R N G S I T G W X C Y G K Q K
www.downhomelife.com
I I Q Y D A E U I M L A C A N F E A
V T W Q T R R G E O E P N R U S J F
E R F R T U E E N T D A W K U W R I
D O K Y B O T S T G G P P X P E G X
Z P I A M C R P I H E A J V K B U E
Z P S P B N O R K H A Y X O K Z S R
X U P Y T E F O M X B Q J K D U N P
STRONG SUPPORTIVE TEACHER
C C S J C T F E P I F P X I E B T X
F B W E Z Y D A G K T J B T E Q C Y
E S V E C Q M V V X L Y S Q O Z F J
I P E P G N I V I G R O F C R W V H
X I E N C O U R A G I N G E F Y E I
W R Z L H Z O I M C E O R R S U I K
E P T Q E O N T I H X Z H T V J R H
R X F E I I U U Z K A C H O K H C O
Y C O L I D C D L P E Y U L C R N C
F O P A Q P N B A V A C J R M C F R
F U M L E A D E R E G L U P Y U A O
C U I A L Q X E B Y W T M J G L F I
R T E D P G E X T U E V I T A E R C
E D T R O N R Q N K X L J G A Z P L
M S B D W O V R R M N W S A D N Z D
S G Y E R I S Z T N P Z H O G L R Z
O X G N V T T P R G N I K R O W E R
I W Q V S E I F A E B D G Q Q Q P H
U H N A O R A E C W Q A I W K B V U
E F Q I R B B L V Z P C A N Z G I J
R R I E L O N E X B P S I B Q Z Q P
C H V L A F D E M P A T H E T I C P
N S J S K B M D E D T D N I K F Y E
E V O C E M I V D R E U C Y F K Z N
F Q L M F O N L U F H C T A W B N Q
S K Z O Z N A G J O W V P Z R M Y V
U C O N T C G B X E M U T B B O Z L
L O T Y U Y S U B U Q J X A Y S N X
N T D R I V E R G N I T O D O F A C
June 2022
C O U H T R A M S Y A V W Q N F X O
F K O B S T R O N G P C T M B T N G
P Q N O M Q E F I N K U S Q J F I P 135
2206_Puzzles_1701-puzzles 4/29/22 3:43 PM Page 136
Colourful Culture
The drawing on the opposite page
is the work of Newfoundland Mi’kmaq artist Marcus Gosse, a member of the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation Band. His grandmother, Alice Maude Gosse (nee Benoit) is a Mi’kmaq Elder from Red Brook (Welbooktoojech) on the Port au Port Peninsula. Marcus’ work has been exhibited in the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax; The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery in St. John’s, NL; and the Canada 150 Art Show at the Macaya Gallery in Miami, FL; and his work is in private collections around the world. He has generously offered a series of colouring pages that will run monthly in Downhome. Each image depicts a NL nature scene and teaches us a little about Mi’kmaq culture and language. Each colouring page includes the Mi’kmaq word for the subject, the phonetic pronunciation of the word, and the English translation. And you’ll notice a design that Marcus incorporates into most of his pieces – the eight-point Mi’kmaq Star. This symbol dates back hundreds of years and is very important in Mi’kmaq culture. Marcus’ Mi’kmaq Stars are often seen painted with four colours: red, black, white and yellow, which together represent unity and harmony between all peoples. Many Mi’kmaq artists use the star, and various Mi’kmaq double curve designs, to decorate their blankets, baskets, drums, clothing and paintings. To download and print this colouring page at home, visit DownhomeLife.com. To learn more about Marcus and find more of his colouring pages, look him up on Facebook at “Mi’kmaq Art by Marcus Gosse.” 136
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www.downhomelife.com
June 2022
137
2206Mktplace_0609 Marketplace.qxd 5/2/22 1:11 PM Page 138
Not intended to solicit properties currently under contract
%$#"! $% $# $ %! $
LAND & TRAILER FOR SALE Main Road • Jamestown • Bonavista Bay
Land 323' x 264' x 211' Asking $55,000 Contact Dave
709-685-4477
709-726-5113 1-888-588-6353 advertising@downhomelife.com
Real Estate Rates Prices start at $50 for a 1 column x 1 inch colour advertisement. This size fits approx. 20 words.
BUSINESS FOR SALE • CLARENVILLE, NL
Fine Things Inc. est. 1998 Jewellery, Giftware & Engraving • Off site Jewellery Repairs Happy to work with new owners • Facebook video “The Big Reveal”
709-466-7936 • finethings@nf.aibn.com 138
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A One of a Kind Remote Salmon Fishing Lodge
1-888-588-6353
9 Reef Lodge – just steps away from the river. Near airport and communities yet the feel of a remote wilderness lodge. 5 two-bedroom suites, full kitchen, dining area and recreational area for guests to relax. Retiring owners leave the camp to new horizons. Financing is available and lease to own is an option.
advertising@downhomelife.com
Contact: Joe at gm@marbleinn.com
Book Today 709-726-5113
Movers & Shippers
A&K Moving Covering all Eastern & Western Provinces and Returning Based from Toronto, Ontario Discount Prices Out of NL, NS & NB Newfoundland Owned & Operated 35 Years in the Moving Industry All Vehicles Transported
416-247-0639 aandkmoving@gmail.com
Movers & Shippers Rates start at $175 for a 1 col. x 2" ad. Call Today! 709-726-5113 Toll Free: 1-888-588-6353 Email: advertising@downhomelife.com
DISCOUNT STORAGE 8' x 20' unheated storage units
A Family Moving Families Professionally and economically Coast to Coast in Canada Fully Insured Newfoundland Owned & Operated
St. John's, NL
Contact: Gary or Sharon King
709-726-6800
Toll Free: 1-866-586-2341 www.downhomemovers.com
www.downhomelife.com
Ontario to Newfoundland and All Points in Between Return Loads from NL, NS, NB, QC, ON at a Discounted Price Fully Insured
905-424-1735
arent58@hotmail.com www.ar-moving.ca
Moving you from Ontario and Newfoundland... or any STOP along the way!
DOWNEAST CONNECTION 709-248-4089 905-965-4813
Hawke’s Bay, NL (collect calls accepted) downeastconnection@yahoo.ca
June 2022
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2206_Mailorder_Mail order.qxd 5/10/22 8:25 AM Page 140
GREAT GIFT IDEAS!
If I Cry I’ll Fill the Ocean
The Wake: The Deadly Legacy
The Tales of Dwipa
The Catherine Linehan Story - Ida Linehan Young
of a Newfoundland Tsunami - Linden MacIntyre
- Prajwala Dixit, Illustrations by Duncan Major
#81274 | $22.00
#81267 | $19.99
#81262 | $14.95
The Yankee Privateer -
The Reincarnation of Winston Churchill
Derek Yetman
#81261 | $12.95
Hunger A Play - Meghan Greeley
#81264 | $17.95
- Bill Rowe
#81260 | $22.95
Over by the Harbour Counting in Outport NL - Words by Dwayne LaFitte & Art by Therese Cilia
#81266 | $12.95
Land of the Rock Talamh an Carraig - Heather Nolan
#81263 | $19.95
The Quilted Stash - Ralph Jarvis and Corey Follett
#81232 | $34.95
ORDER ONLINE: www.shopdownhome.com
Prices subject to change without notice. Prices listed do not include taxes and shipping. While quantities last.
2206_Mailorder_Mail order.qxd 5/3/22 11:53 AM Page 141
MORE SELECTION ONLINE www.shopdownhome.com
Lukey’s Boat - Robert Clarke
#81231 | $19.95
Hidden Newfoundland - Scott Osmond
#80764 | $29.95
Wild Pond Hockey - Jeffrey C. Domm
#79640 | $12.95
The Mermaid Handbook Written by Taylor Widrig & Art by Briana Corr Scott
#81226 | $19.95
Son of a Critch A Childish Newfoundland Memoir - Mark Critch
#80378 | $22.95
Dictionary of Newfoundland and Labrador - Ron
Place Names of Newfoundland and Labrador - Dale Jarvis #81172 | $21.00
Ray Guy Portrait of a Rebel - Ron Crocker
#80652 | $24.95
Cooking Up a Scoff
Young & Illustrated by Mel D’Souza
Traditional Recipes of Newfoundland and Labrador
#34047 | $19.95
#79297 | $14.95
TO ORDER CALL: 1-888-588-6353
Prices subject to change without notice. Prices listed do not include taxes and shipping. While quantities last.
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GREAT GIFT IDEAS!
Atlantic Puffin Soap #63364 | $7.99
Kiss the Cod Soap #80831 | $7.99
Bakeapple Soap #63366 | $7.99
Local Handcrafted Soaps
Big Land Soap
Blueberry Soap
Goat’s Milk Soap
Partridgeberry Soap
Saltwater Joy Soap
Unscented Bath Salts
#80936 | $7.99
#63372 | $7.99
#63368 | $7.99
#80829 | $7.99
#80830 | $7.99
#80834 | $9.75
ORDER ONLINE: www.shopdownhome.com
Prices subject to change without notice. Prices listed do not include taxes and shipping. While quantities last.
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MORE SELECTION ONLINE www.shopdownhome.com
Rowhouse Earrings Blue #76337 | $10.99
Rowhouse Earrings Green #76338 | $10.99
Rowhouse Earrings Red #76336 | $10.99
Local Handcrafted Jewellery
Rowhouse Earrings Pink #76340 | $10.99
Rowhouse Switch Plate - Blue #76342 | $10.99
Rowhouse Earrings Purple
Puffin Earrings
#78695 | $16.99
#76339 | $10.99
Rowhouse Switch Plate - Green #76343 | $10.99
TO ORDER CALL: 1-888-588-6353
Rowhouse Switch Plate - Red #76341 | $10.99
Prices subject to change without notice. Prices listed do not include taxes and shipping. While quantities last.
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photo finish
FatherDaughter Time
Jordyn Jade and her daddy enjoy an evening at Hare Bay Park. Kayla Glover Hare Bay, NL
Do you have an amazing or funny photo to share? Turn to page 9 to find out how to submit. 144
June 2022
1-888-588-6353
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