Downhome June 2023

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

Shipping/Receiving Clerk Jacinta Squires

Retail Operations

Retail Floor Manager, St. John’s Jackie Rice

Retail Floor Manager, Twillingate Donna Keefe

Retail Sales Associates Crystal Rose, Jonathon

Organ, Erin McCarthy, Kim Tucker, Heather Stuckless, Katrina Hynes, Destinee Rogers, Amy Young, Emily Snelgrove, Brandy Rideout, Alexandria Skinner, Emily Power, Colleen Giovannini

Subscriptions

Customer Service Associate Lisa Tiller

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 1-Year term total inc. taxes, postage and handling: for residents in NL, NS, NB, PE $49.44; ON $48.58; QC, SK, MB, AB, BC, NU, NT, YT $45.14. US $54.99; International $59.99

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 Pen names and anonymous letters will not be published.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

JUNE

58 Diggin’ It

Vibrant community gardens contribute to food security and community building.

Nicola Ryan

Nearly a century after she famously wore it, this aviator’s helmet is back in the limelight.

Dennis Flynn

68 Only in Newfoundland

There are some truly unique places to book a stay in this province.

Denise Flint

Growing Your Own Jiggs

Kim Thistle

homefront

8 I Dare Say A note from the Editor

10 Letters From Our Readers Albert’s lighthouse, a flea market mystery and love for The Singing Newfoundlander

16 Downhome Tours Our readers explore The Caribbean

18 Why is That? Why is June a historically popular month for weddings? Linda Browne

20 Life’s Funny Veteran Employee Pat Day

21 Say What? A contest that puts words in someone else’s mouth

22 Lil Charmers Top of the Pops

24 Pets of the Month Party Animals

26 Reviewed Denise Flint reviews The Raw Light of Morning by Shelly Kawaja

28 What Odds Paul Warford pays tribute to a friend

30 Fresh Tracks Wendy Rose reviews On the Plus Side byCorner Brook rockersThe Proper Things

34 Adventures Outdoors The Mighty Char Gord Follett

10 a market mystery

24 party time!

34 best fish ever?

52 looking for solutions

40 no place like home

40 Scenes that Scream

Newfoundland and Labrador

Our Facebook friends show us their best downhome photos features

46 Mr. Tely’s Milestone Runner Joe Ryan prepares to run his record-setting 50th Tely 10 this month. Dennis Flynn

52 Is Seaweed the Solution? A local scientist is testing a new way to help build a more sustainable province and planet. Linda Browne

explore

74 What’s in a Name Admirable Admirals Dale Jarvis

76 Downhome 35 Years

Flashback: Pit Stops Revisiting a Downhome article about a topic that never gets old.

112 survivor’s tale

108 Flashbacks Classic photos of people and places. 110 This Month in Downhome History

112 Esther’s 48 Days Adrift

She was the sole woman on board a schooner blown off course in a November gale. Marie-Beth Wright 118 Downhome 35 Years: A

If it were based on my tastes at the time, it would contain a hair crimper, U2’s Rattle and Hum on cassette, my Walkman, a poster of John Stamos and a pair of KangaRoos sneaker boots. Imagine!

For any expatriate Newfoundlanders and Labradorians living in southern Ontario at the time, they might have put the first edition of The Downhomer in their time capsule. For homesick expats, this newsletter was a much needed taste of home. It had familiar sounding names and places, words and phrases rarely heard or spoken on the mainland, news from back home and invitations to meet up with other expats in their area. Remember, this was long before Facebook, cellphones or even cheap long-distance calling. Folks were sometimes starved for connection and The Downhomer filled hungry hearts. Fast forward 35 years to today. Everyone’s constantly connected through social media, and it’s no trouble to see a friendly face, no matter the distance, with FaceTime. But still Downhome means “home” to tens of thousands of people. We still connect in print, though we’ve changed our look over the years to stay fashionable. And now we also connect online and on social media. Where we used to have bags upon bags of mail, we now have servers filled with emails.

Yet where so much changes, so much stays the same. We’re still a magazine run by a small, dedicated group with the mission to promote the best of Newfoundland and Labrador and keep the “home” fires burning. And at the centre of it all is the readership. Without your support and contributions, we simply wouldn’t be.

Thanks for reading,

Janice Stuckless, Editor-in-chief janice@downhomelife.com

If you were to unearth a time capsule from June 1988, what would be in it?

Dennis Flynn photo

Submission Guidelines and Prize Rules

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.

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

Contest

43 James Lane St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3 mail@downhomelife.com www.downhomelife.com

Deadline for replies is the 25th of each month.

Flea Market Mystery

I have in my possession this painting I purchased at a flea market some years ago. The painter is Stephen Hancock. I have two questions that perhaps your readers can help me with: 1. Where is/was the Dew Drop Inn located? 2. Does anyone know how I may contact Mr. Hancock? The reverse is a painting of the old Nicholsville Bridge, Deer Lake, so perhaps the Dew Drop Inn was a Deer Lake restaurant?

Burton Janes Bay Roberts, NL

Can anyone help Burton learn more about this place, the painting or the painter?

If so, please contact Downhome at editorial@downhomelife.com; call 1-888-5886353; or write to Downhome, 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3.

Albert’s Lighthouse

I was born on Sandy Point on the west coast, on Bay St. George. Sandy Point was resettled, I think, in 1979. I do some woodwork as a hobby, and I built the school I attended as a boy, the replica of it; and I recently built our lighthouse, which still stands today. It would be a pleasure to see it in the Downhome.

Albert Sheppard Via DownhomeLife.com

It’s our pleasure to share your photo. Nice work, Albert.

1940s Recitation

We just received our May issue today. Your response to one of the “Letters

From our Readers” brought back the memory of the poem you mentioned to my mother. She and other children recited this on Mother’s Day in the Petites church in the early 1940s to all the mothers in the congregation.

M - is for the many things she gave me

O - means only that she’s growing old

T - is for the tears she shed to save me

H- is for her heart of purest gold

E - is for her eyes with love light shining

R - is right and right she’ll always be Put them all together they spell MOTHER

The word that means the whole world to me!

My mother is 92 now, living in Michigan, too far away from the Rock. She hangs Monday’s wash on the clothesline, and her heart is still in Petites.

Joanne Kerr Farmington, MI

What amazing recall your mother has, Joanne! It’s incredible how deeply childhood events imbed themselves in our minds. How many of us can remember things from 30 or more years ago, but can’t recall what we had for lunch yesterday?

Tomato Soup is Tops

A note here to let Todd [Goodyear] know how well we liked his tomato soup. So nice with all the veggies –great soup! We loved it! Love reading the Downhome.

Joan Shearer Halifax, NS

Todd will be happy to know how much you enjoyed his tomato soup recipe in the March 2023 issue. As he’ll often say, nothing satisfies like a good pot of soup!

What Is It?

I found this in an odd lot box from an estate auction. I was wondering if anyone knows what it would have been used for.

Cathy Coss Warren, MB

Does anyone know what this might be? Send your best guess to editorial@downhomelife.com; call 1-888-588-6353; or write to Downhome, 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3.

Future NL Ambassador

I’m so proud of my 12-year-old grandson, Liam Ricketts, for his first-place win at The Bellwood District Lions Club Effective Speaking Competition in Bellwood, ON. Liam did his speech on a place that he loves and holds close to his heart – Newfoundland. Liam, along with his brother Evan and sister Elise, cannot wait for summer vacation so they can spend a month with their Poppy and Nanny in Trepassey. Even though Liam was born in Cambridge, ON, he is an ambassador for NL and will share his love of his grandparents’ home province with anyone who will listen. Way to go, Liam. Only four more months, buddy, and we will all be back there.

Agnes Ricketts Hillsburgh, ON

Way to go, Liam!

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.

Photo courtesy of Lion E. George Woodley

The Greatest Group of Girls

A combined U13 team of girls from Labrador City and Churchill Falls (Lab Falls) went to provincials in Corner Brook, NL, having only ever played together a few times. They made it to the championship game and skated away with the silver medal. These girls were all heart and played hard. They did Labrador proud. Go Lakers Go!

Charlene Twyne Labrador City, NL

Team work makes the dream work. Congratulations to these Labrador athletes on scoring a big win!

The Singing Newfoundlander

If it wasn’t for Michael T. Wall, “The Singing Newfoundlander,” my family and I would not have known about Downhome. He introduced us to this magazine several years ago. We would be grateful if you would be so kind as to publish this photo of us in a future edition of Downhome.

Nancy Ford Pickering, ON

Here’s Nancy’s picture of her with Michael T. Wall. Michael was born in Corner Brook, NL, and has been travelling the world for decades singing the praises of his home province during performances of his own brand of Newfoundland country.

Downhome tours...

The Caribbean

Anguilla

Jan Warren of Coaldale, AB, relaxes at Shoal Bay, Anguilla, during a cruise through the Lesser Antilles and British Virgin Islands.

Anguilla is the most northerly of the Leeward Islands, the group of islands situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the Western Atlantic Ocean. Here the prevailing winds – the trade winds – reliably blow east to west just north and south of the equator, helping ships travelling west from Europe. The Leeward Islands are downwind, or leeward, of the Windward Islands, the easternmost islands including Barbados and Martinique that first meet the trade winds and sailing vessels coming from the east.

Dominican Republic

Russell and Karen Morgan (centre) of Trenton, ON, joined Russell’s sister and brother-inlaw, Renee and David Coates of Conception Bay South, NL, in Punta Cana.

The Dominican Republic is one of the islands in the Greater Antilles, a grouping of the larger islands in the Caribbean Sea extending eastward from the Yucatan Peninsula. The nation shares the island of Hispaniola (“little Spain”) with Haiti. The recorded history of the Dominican Republic began when Columbus landed in 1492 and promptly claimed the island for the Crown of Castile – Spain’s global empire.

Curaçao

Lorna Pike of Spaniard’s Bay, NL, and her travel partners Gloria Brown, Dianne Trenchard and Lori-Lynn Pike spotted a little bit of home in at a gift shop in Willemstad, Curaçao.

The Caribbean Islands go by many names. Columbus and the Europeans called them the West Indies because they believed they had arrived near India by travelling westward. The Spaniards used the term Antillas. “Caribbean” is derived from Caribs – the name used to refer to the Indigenous people of the Lesser Antilles at the time of European contact in the 15th century.

Expert answers to common life questions.

By Linda Browne

Why is June a historically popular month for weddings?

“Oh, they say when you marry in June you’re a bride all your life, and the bridegroom who marries in June gets a sweetheart for a wife. Winter weddings can be gay like a Christmas holiday, but the June bride hears the song of a spring that lasts all summer long.”

So goes the song in the 1954 film Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Indeed, June weddings have been alluded to in many songs and stories over the years. But why is this month such a popular one for tying the knot? As folklorist and writer Tad Tuleja points out in his book Curious Customs, like so many things, we can thank the ancient Romans – more specifically, Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage, childbirth and fertility.

“It is because she presided over the sixth month of the Julian calendar that it was considered lucky for weddings. May, on the other hand, was considered unlucky – a bizarre superstition, since Maia was a fruition goddess, but one that sheds light on the tendency to wait until June,” Tuleja writes.

He adds that “common sense and the desire for comfort” might also have something to do with it.

“Mrs. John Sherwood, a commentator on Gilded Age propriety, allowed as how there is ‘something exquisitely poetical in the idea of a June wedding. It is the very month for the softer emotions and for the wedding journey.’ The journey was and is the determining consideration,” Tuleja notes.

“Since the wedding was typically followed by a honeymoon, couples naturally preferred to set the date at the beginning of warm weather, which was also the beginning of the summer vacation season. One does not look forward to Niagara Falls in December.”

Fellow folklorist George Monger, in his book Discovering the Folklore and Traditions of Marriage, shares a couple of sayings that may further illuminate why people choose to wed when they do: “Married in June, life will be one honeymoon” and “Marry in May, and you’ll rue the day.”

“Again the ancient Romans are blamed for this belief because this was the month that offerings were made to the dead and when mourning clothes were worn. The Roman writer Plutarch noted that Romans did not marry during the month of May,” he writes.

However, Monger adds, looking at wedding statistics over several hundred years “suggests that couples did not avoid May as a wedding month, and indeed there was often a slight peak of weddings in May and September, which corresponded with seasonal payments when more people would have the money to be able to get married.”

In her book A History of the Wife, historian Marilyn Yalom also mentions the bad luck associated with May weddings in ancient times, writing that “weddings were generally planned for the second half of June. It was considered unlucky to marry in May or before June 15, when the temple of Vesta, goddess of the hearth, had its annual cleaning.”

However, June wasn’t always the most popular choice for lovebirds to take a flying leap into wedded bliss. In her book I Do! I Do! From the Veil to the Vows – How Classic Wedding Traditions Came to Be, Susan Waggoner says that January was the favoured month for marriage in ancient Greece “largely because it was

the month of Hera, Zeus’s wife, the queen of goddesses and the special protector of women” (of whom Juno is the Roman counterpart). At the time of the book’s publishing in 2002, Waggoner mentions that August and September overtook June as the most popular time for getting married, adding that “January, once the month of the goddess Hera, is now the peak of planning season for wedding consultants and caterers.”

The favoured time for having a wedding might be shifting further still. According to a piece published on the wedding planning website TheKnot.com (using data from their 2022 Real Weddings Study, which consists of responses from 11,646 US couples married last year), 43 per cent of weddings took place between September and November, with October being the most popular month, accounting for 20 per cent of weddings. Summer was the second most popular season in which to wed, with 28 per cent of couples tying the knot between June and August. February takes the (wedding) cake for least popular month, accounting for just three per cent of the weddings.

FYI, if you’re trying to pick a date, The Knot has pinned down September 23 as the most popular wedding date for 2023, with October being the most popular wedding month overall.

Do you have a burning life question for Linda to investigate? Turn to page 9 for ways to contact us.

Veteran Employee

I have been working at the hospital on the west coast of Newfoundland for almost 45 years. Over time there are more and more younger people coming along as more of the older folk retire. Last week I sat in the break room next to a much younger co-worker. He asked me if I fought in the Second World War, and I asked him why he would think that. He shrugged and said, “Well, you look old enough.”

Pat Day Corner Brook, NL

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.

Say WHAT?

Downhome recently posted this photo (submitted by Catrien Vis) on our website and social media platforms and asked folks to imagine what this bear might be saying. Christine Gilbert’s response made us chuckle the most, so we’re awarding her 20 Downhome Dollars!

Here are the runners-up:

“I wanna post a picture of my supper on Facebook!” – Lisa Brenton-Inkpen

“There won’t be any proof about what bears do in the woods...”

– Dave Gatehouse

“If humans can photograph their meals, so I will too.” – Margaret Tarrant Isaacs

Play with us online!

www.downhomelife.com/saywhat

“Say ‘Scared’!”

– Christine Gilbert

The Jig is Up

Best Spuds

Three-year-old Max helps his great-grandfather Eric dig up the potato garden.

Tina Blackwood

Glovertown, NL

Family Tree

Cutie Addison helps her grandpa Jim plant a tree in Corner Brook.

Patsy Day Corner Brook, NL

Let’s Pawty!

Pretty Lexi turns four with a cute crown and a tasty treat.

Jenna Pretty Chapel Arm, NL

The Cat’s Meow

Fabulous feline Bluey’s all dressed up to get down.

Jerrie George Mount Pearl, NL

reviewed by Denise Flint

The Raw Light of Morning

Shelly Kawaja

Breakwater Books

$22.95

Shelly Kawaja’s debut novel, The Raw Light of Morning, begins with a portrait of a small family – a mother and her two children – struggling along after the death of the father. Bad choices are made, and one particular tragedy occurs early on that has ramifications across the years. The rest of the novel examines the results of what happened and the subsequent fallout. The story is told through the eyes of the oldest child, Laurel, who is 14 when the story begins and in university when it ends.

Laurel has almost completely cut herself off from those around her and only seems capable of maintaining the most superficial relationships. It’s not doing her any good, and her life slowly spirals out of control. Her mother seems to be on the same trajectory, which doesn’t help their relationship. But when things get dark, Laurel’s two younger siblings are a constant reminder that all is not wrong with the world. There is still joy and laughter in it, even if finding that joy and laughter sometimes seems almost impossible.

Not all the characters are equally vivid, with some of the secondary ones occasionally acting as convenient plot devices without being properly fleshed out. The main characters, however, come across as real, flawed people. The best thing about the book is how much they love each other. Through thick and thin, bad choices and worse decisions, the reader always knows how much they care about each other. And that’s a special gift to the reader.

Q&A with the Author

Denise Flint: How many drafts did you write, and how did the book change over the course of its creation?

Shelly Kawaja: I don’t even know how to answer that. I read somewhere your first book is a book you’re going to write and rewrite and then write again. It’s been reworked quite a few times over the years. It took about five years off and on. The first draft I wrote pretty quickly, and then I reread it and thought it was nothing like what a book should be, and I shelved it. I did the mentorship program at WANL and went to Humber and then UBC, and that’s when I really got back to it. I work in creative bursts with a lot of time in between.

DF: Who are your biggest influences?

SK: It’s funny, you hear about a writer’s influences and you think it’s someone they encountered early in life; but I didn’t have that kind of experience until later in life, and I knew what I was looking for. [The Raw Light of Morning] was influenced by The Village of Stone by Xiaolu Guo, Michael Crummey’s Sweetland and Donna Tartt’s The Secret History. They make no sense together, but they are all haunting stories. I read all of them some time ago, but it was only later when I was writing that my mind would wander off and they’d head in that direction.

DF: If you could only name one book you think everyone should read, what would it be?

SK: One book is impossible. I really don’t know. I think I would probably have to say Michael Crummey’s Sweetland. It captures a kind of spirit that exists only in Newfoundland and is captured in the character Sweetland. It’s such a touching story.

DF: How did you get into writing?

SK: I’ve always written, ever since I was a kid. I was an avid reader, and somewhere along the way I thought I could write my own [book]. I grew up in rural Newfoundland, and we didn’t have iPhones and Netflix. But I never thought it was something I’d pursue professionally; it was something I didn’t believe was possible. I got to a point in my life where I wasn’t scrambling for a job and when I’d carved out enough space to tackle it in a more serious way.

DF: Do you have any formal training? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

SK: You can’t just sit down and be a writer because you decide to do it. There’s so much to know, and we’re lucky to live in a time when there’s so much training available. If you don’t take advantage of it you’re only going to get so far. It’s not just the training, but the people you meet along the way, and they inspire you, and you learn so much from other writers and how they make it work.

fairway to heaven

By Paul Warford

On the 18th hole of a Las Vegas golf course, Tyler MacDonald took his last breath. He left my life suddenly, the same way he appeared in it a few short years ago.

After my wife and I separated and I found myself with a bindle on my back for the first time in a decade, I sought shelter – and solace –among friends. Luckily, some of them had a room to rent.

When I moved below my good friend and comedy ally, Colin, his roommate Tyler came included, like a bonus baby bottle of rum attached to the neck of the 60-ouncer you just bought for wedding season. Tyler was the unexpected pick-me-up I didn’t even know I needed.

Point of fact, I did need such a person, as I was suddenly sitting alone, by myself, for the first time in almost a decade. “Don’t wallow in it,” advised Brian Aylward, another comedy trueblue pal who’d already gone through a divorce. “Get out and do something; don’t allow the loneliness to set in,” he’d told me. Good advice. When you go from having a family back to being a singularity, the space around you can feel quieter than you remembered it. Both Brian and Colin were away on the Best Kind Comedy Tour, so Colin instructed me to get a key and “get set up” via Tyler, who was home upstairs.

It wasn’t hard to tell. Tyler plodded around the house like a toddler you’ve just told isn’t allowed ice cream; each step was a defiant, contrary stomp. That’s just how he walked.

But Tyler didn’t just walk loudly, he did everything in a similar vein. He smiled big, he laughed big, he spoke with volume and he commanded attention. Now that he’s gone, we’ve been amazed with just how many people he

You can probably count on one hand the number of people you know who are so carefree, and they’re likely all children.

affected with only one encounter –my parents included.

You may remember my writing about my 20th anniversary comedy show, which I modeled like a mock funeral. Well, Tyler and I drove a truck out to collect the coffin my father made for the event. Afterwards, Tyler kept recounting how my father had taken him around the property, showing him the basement workshop and the greenhouse. When Dad asked if he’d like to try some tomatoes from the garden, Tyler replied, “For sure!” He hugged Mom as we left – he’d only known her an hour. Ever after, my parents would ask about “that young fella that got the coffin with ya.” Tyler managed to stay in their mind.

So, in those early days after my relocation, I heeded Brian; I didn’t wallow in it. Instead, I’d go upstairs and chat with Tyler. I’d only met him once or twice before, but I quickly found myself in conversation with him for hours. The fellow who outwardly appeared to be a bit of a “bro” party guy proved to be insightful, considerate and philosophical.

After I told Mom the shocking news of Tyler’s sudden death, she remarked on how sweet he seemed and that she believed he really appreciated the hug she gave him. Little wonder, since Tyler’s father abandoned him in childhood and his mother abandoned him in adulthood. Myself, Colin and the other comics, along with his friends, were Tyler’s family. We were “all he had,” but Tyler had plenty. He seemingly always had a source of income while

never having a job; he had a woman he loved; he had a multitude of friends ready to invite him to the next big thing; most importantly, he had an utter lack of fear. I couldn’t see it while he was alive. Colin pointed it out to me, tearful and devastated, a week after he died.

Tyler had a brutal honesty to him, and he was the sort of friend who would call you out if you were being stubborn, rude or ignorant. Then he’d leave you to sit and think about it. The immediate response was to be upset with him, but as time passed and you sat and stewed, you’d realize that he was right.

Although he had no clear-cut means of making it, he never worried about money. He didn’t worry about much of anything. Tyler was interested in getting up and enjoying the day; those other things would just work themselves out. You can probably count on one hand the number of people you know who are so carefree, and they’re likely all children.

And that’s how Tyler approached his life, with the enthusiasm of a child or a golden retriever. We’ve got the BBQ on the back deck, we’ve got some tunes – what more could you ask for? That was his attitude. When I think of him now I think of him grinning, his face turned to the sun.

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

fresh tracks

new music talk with Wendy Rose

On the Plus Side

The Proper Things

Corner Brook indie/alt rockers The Proper Things are back with On the Plus Side, a brand new rock album released in 2022. Comprising Mark Hoyles (rhythm guitar, vocals), Rick Waterman (bass), Craig Caines (drums) and Mark Smallwood (keyboard and synth), the band collectively has at least 75 years of experience creating music.

Fuelled by creativity – and probably a lingering high from being nominated for two MusicNL Awards in 2020 for their selftitled debut – The Proper Things paused their DIY approach to writing, recording and production to go pro for their newest album. In 2021, they headed into The Gingerbeard House recording studio to record this album with Phil Churchill of The Once. The result is a fun, high-energy rock record that will certainly inspire showgoers to hit the dance floor.

The new record opens with the title track, “On the Plus Side.” Fun electric guitar leads us into a groovy intro. There’s a hint of nostalgia with ’80s-esque synth and some classic rock vibes, yet the song is fresh and modern, and feels radio-ready. “With my luck,

you’ll get buried in snow,” they sing, prompting a giggle as I recall Corner Brook’s long, cold winters. “With my luck, you’ll feel heavy as snow,” the song continues.

Next up is “Pulled Apart,” the record’s shortest song at just 2m20s. The dreamy, indie sound is punctuated by heavy guitar riffs and solos, with vocals reminiscent of some early 2000s alternative rock –think Weezer, Modest Mouse or Built to Spill.

“Right Now” kicks off with electric guitar, which chugs us through the song, while twinkly synths bring a light and fun element to this punk rock song. My favourite part: the guitar solo.

As someone who loves a slow, sad song, the first two minutes of “Sail Sail” remind me of some of R.E.M.’s slower jams. Taking a heavier turn at the two-minute mark, that element of

’90s alt-rock hits hard before fading out with soft vocals.

Electric guitar and synths work together to give “Soft Light” an incredible groove that continues through the first verse. The harmonizing group chorus of ahs, ohs and oohs make for a surprisingly fun and groovy fadeout. I found myself playing it on repeat, before adding it into a personal playlist alongside The Talking Heads and David Bowie. For me, this was the standout track of the album.

Definitely not a slow jam, the

uptempo rock song “I Don’t Know You” made me think of R.E.M. once again, specifically “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine).” The Proper Things would surely nail a cover of that, and, hey, it worked for Great Big Sea in 1997!

The next track, “Walking Backwards,” is another alt-rock song with punchy punk rock guitar and group vocal chants, wrapping up with acoustic guitar, synths and soft, plinky keys.

The album finishes with “Before the Lights,” a heavily instrumental track

Mark HoylesCraig Caines

Rick WatermanMark Smallwood

Scott Legge photos

with softer vocals. Clocking in at 6m43s, this track is over twice as long as every other song on On the Plus Side and shows off The Proper Things’ musical talent, as each band member gets an opportunity to

showcase their skill.

At the time of writing, the band is setting the stage for a show in Corner Brook. Based on this album, folks at The Corner Pocket are in for a night of dancin’ and rockin’!

Q&A with the Artists

Wendy Rose: Your February 2022 release “On the Plus Side” was recorded at The Gingerbeard House… with Phil Churchill of The Once. Can you tell us about your in-studio experience and working with Phil?

Rick Waterman: Working with Phil was incredible for many reasons. The first and probably most important one is his overall professionalism. His experience with so many aspects of the recording process and his sense of music works so well with his overall work ethic… His ear and experience helped us make a better record than we started out with. He wasn’t afraid to push us to get the most out of our time. But all the while, he maintains his calm, friendly and workmanship-like manner…

WR: 2022 was a busy year for you guys – dropping the album, performing all across the island, being nominated for MusicNL Alternative Artist of the Year, and releasing your album on vinyl. Give us a little recap of this whirlwind year.

Craig Caines: Yeah, it’s been great. We’ve had the chance to play a lot of shows across the island and meet so many terrific people. We’ve gotten so much positive response to our album, and it feels like our live

shows have started to turn heads and get people excited. People just really seem to dig what we’re doing and that feels amazing. It keeps us motivated.

Mark Smallwood: I think one of the best parts of the year for us was having MusicNL week take place in our hometown. Corner Brook has so much to offer for live music, and it was incredible to have so many accomplished and amazing musicians playing showcases and packing local venues all over town. The sense of community was great; you could feel it all over town. Also, having our album pressed on vinyl was a cool feeling. Our friend, John Carberry, did the artwork for the cover, and it just hits differently when you’ve got something you can hold in your hands.

WR: Let’s go back in time for a second... Your older releases include a 2019 self-titled album, and a SoundCloud lurk led to a slew of material –an untitled (or self-titled?) rock album, an ambient instrumental electro-rock album, and an instrumental psychedelic rock/jazz fusion album created for RPM 2018. Tell me more about this large and diverse catalogue of work.

Mark Hoyles: It’s interesting to go back and listen to all the stuff we’ve had our hands into over the last few years… Much of the music that you’ll find online that’s linked to our band or other projects we’ve done shows how much we’ve been putting into this art form over the years. I think it makes for a cool combination when we dissect the paths and influences that led us to where we are as musicians and artists.

RW: It all kind of adds up to what we are. Now that I’m listening to some older recordings and comparing it with our current music, I get it. It’s actually really cool doing this musical math. I can see where pieces of our older, pre-Proper Things projects mix to make up what we sound like now.

WR: Looking forward... What’s in store for The Proper Things in 2023?

MS: Our goal moving forward is to just keep writing new material and playing shows. We’re hoping to start working on a new record, most likely in the fall. Some of the new songs we’re working on now are the best we’ve ever done, so we’re pretty excited to put them out for people to hear.

MH: We just want to keep putting out records and keep pushing ourselves to get better. We’re lucky to have the opportunity to make music that people seem to like. We’re all really glad that we ended up together. Playing together in this band is just pure fun. That’s the easiest way to describe it. We love and appreciate each other, and want to keep doing this for as long as we can. I can’t see us giving it up anytime soon.

The Mighty Char

By Gord Follett

Pound-for-pound, it is second only to the stalwart Atlantic salmon as a fierce-fighting game fish – a very close second. Its appearance and colours – particularly males in full spawning regalia – are spectacular. As table fare, many consider it the most delicious fish they’ve ever tasted.

I’ve been a big fan of Salvelinus alpinus, more commonly known as Arctic char, since my first time fishing them in Labrador in 2000. That particular four-hour adventure was an optional fiveminute fly-out to Char Lake from Jim and Vince Burton’s Flowers River Lodge (at the time) in northern Labrador.

A beautiful male char that Gord caught in 2007, at the mouth of a brook running into Char Lake.

Salmon are indeed king in the secluded Flowers River, and 20 to 30-plus pounders are the reason guests from around the world fly into this natural paradise. But whether the salmon fishing was “a bit slow” on a particular day or the short flight to Char Lake was offered as “something for a change,” I never hesitated to jump at the chance during any of my five week-long trips to Flowers over the next decade or so.

Jim Burton was our pilot as well as host, and I vividly recall him telling us he would be flying low and circling where a brook ran into the lake, to see if we could spot char in the ginclear water. And did we ever! A school of several hundred stretched from the mouth of the

brook to the edge of the sand bar about 100 feet into the lake. There they were spread out a bit more, offering four or five anglers plenty of room to cast.

A member of the trout and salmon family, sea-run char usually begin their journey into the river in late July and continue upstream during August and early September. Our timing on this late-August excursion was spot-on.

Once the de Havilland Beaver floatplane landed and was secured near the shoreline, we quickly put our rods together and waded into the water.

“Work your way out slowly,” we were cautioned, “because they’re easily spooked.”

Fishing with the Burton boys at Char Lake (clockwise from top left): Jim, his father Vince, late “Uncle Cal,” as he was affectionately known, and Uncle Joe.

From streamer flies similar to Mickey Finns, to copper-coloured beadheads, to small orange or green trout and salmon bugs, the char that day took virtually everything we tossed at them. My first hookup came on the second cast and a threepound female gave me a battle I was not expecting. I quickly discovered that while you don’t get the “jumps” from char as you would a salmon, their strength and fighting spirit certainly rivals that of Salmo salar.

“What have I got on here?” I recall asking our guide as I struggled to reel it closer. “It’s not a salmon, is it?”

“No buddy,” he replied with a chuckle, “that’s a char, and it’s not even a big one from what I can tell.”

“Good thing,” I said.

I was also about to learn that when you finally manage to reel them within tailing or netting range and figure the battle is over, that’s when they churn the water like a propeller and let you know they ain’t done yet. I lost

count that day of the number of times I felt certain the top section of my ADG fly rod was gonna snap as I ran my hand down the line to release a fish, only to have them bolt again and again. But the nine-foot Titanium was up to the challenge and allowed me to continue fishing until it was time to climb back aboard the Beaver.

Fish were more “picky” during my second visit to Char Lake two years later. With the exception of an occasional strike over the first 30 minutes, they refused the same small bugs and streamer flies I had previously presented, so I decided to try casting copper beadheads behind one particular group of 35-40 char and stripping my line in at a slow-tomedium pace.

Boom! I hooked four or five over the next 20 minutes – including a beautiful male of about six pounds –until the rest of the school had enough of the chaos and the action/hits came to a complete halt.

Maybe catch this fella again in couple of years

Soon after, our pilot noticed fog slowly moving up the lake, so he whisked us back to the lodge at Flowers River, where I asked to have just one fillet of a fish that I’d kept pan-fried for my supper. For a moment, I thought I’d died and gone to Heaven. This was not only the most tasty fish I had even eaten, but the best meal, period!

Recipes for cooking Arctic char are

virtually endless, and while I’ve tried a few “fancy” methods containing more spices and garnishes than you can shake a stick at, my favourite is simply as most of us cook any trout: roll it in flour, salt and pepper, then cook it in a pan of hot butter or scruncheons. Add a slice of fresh homemade bread, and I can pretty much guarantee you will agree with my assessment.

The char in this pan was caught just two minutes earlier about 30 feet from where it was cooked. Now that’s fresh!

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.

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, 2023

RECENTLY WE ASKED our Facebook friends to show us the most “Newfoundland and Labrador” photo on their cellphone. We got more than 600 replies! There was freshly made bread, clothes on the line, fresh caught fish, boil-ups, big sticks of bologna, cans of Vienna sausages, pineapple Crush, icebergs, whales, puffins, stages, boats, beachfires, saltbox houses, fishcakes, splitting tables, row houses, Signal Hill, northern lights, rubber boots, moose, bears, seagulls, rugged cliffs, breaking waves – everything your heart desires about this province was blowing up our Facebook page. It was glorious! While we couldn’t print them all, here’s a selection that’ll make your heart skip a beat and put a smile on your face.

Steve Woolfrey

Beulah Drake

Amanda Pike

Lillian Patey

Allison Nippard

Penney Wheaton

Ashley Head

Vera Ryan

Diane Hart-Mouland

Rod Smith

Tonya Kewell

Brad Poole

Danielle Brady

Corey Bulgin

Bernice Goudie

Stephanie Duggan

Linda Wilkoff

Lori Browne

Spencer Fudge

Kathy Crewe

Wanda Chappell

Roger Lewis

Brad Andrews

Keith Barrett

THIS SPRING, I STEPPED INSIDE

the inner sanctum of one of the province’s bestknown runners. Surrounded by trophies, plaques, certificates, ribbons, racing photos, posters and a host of medals in his St. John’s home, Joe Ryan smiles as he says he’s run some 600-700 races and 73 full marathons in his lifetime.

In 1969, the Calvert, NL, native came first in the Tely 10 Mile Road Race in St. John’s, clocking a very respectable time of 58 minutes 25 seconds. One might think that after becoming the champion of the most famous road race in the province, Joe might have rested on his laurels, called it a day and retired from competitive running. But Joe was literally just getting started. Now, as the June 25th race day for the 95th running of the Tely 10 approaches, 73-year-old Joe is inching up to an incredible personal milestone – becoming the first person ever to complete the storied race 50 times.

When it comes to the Tely 10, Joe has literally written the book on it – The Tely 10: A History of Newfoundland’s Premier Road Race 1922-2000 (Breakwater Books, June 2002). In running circles, Joe even has the nickname “Mr. Tely.” A teacher by profession, he’s a runner by reputation. Running is something he has always done.

“As a boy, we always ran in Calvert. We’d run on the roads, we’d play tag, we’d run from the fishing stage to the house and back,” Joe says. When he enrolled in Memorial University in St. John’s, he joined the crosscountry team and was their MVP two years in a row.

“I got out of running for a little while when I went teaching out in Mount Carmel,” Joe says, but by 1976 he had run the Tely 10 three times. Once he moved back to St. John’s to teach, the Tely 10 became an annual event.

Joe finishing the Tely 10 in 1972

Joe’s association with the Tely runs much deeper than merely participant runner. He served several times as Road Race Chairman, the first time in 1977, and chaired the organizing committee for a number of years. There’s not much Joe hasn’t done for the Tely 10.

“If you were to ask me what I have done for the Tely and what volunteer roles I have participated in, I would say everything and all of them,” he admits with a laugh. “I used to go out on Canada Day and put the mile markings for the race on the road. We used to put out our own tables for [refreshments] for the runners; my wife and I would fill up and deliver five gallon jugs of water. I used to set up the corrals at the start for the

runners and hand paint the anticipated finish time signs.” Joe has also served as master of ceremonies for the post-race reception and developed the Commemorative Pins Program for repeat runners. “I have pretty much been involved in every aspect of it at one point or another and loved it all.”

Jogging Memories

When asked about special moments at the Tely 10 over all those years, Joe sports a huge grin as he hoists a trophy almost half his height. “There have been so many wonderful memories, but I guess, personally, I have to say the year I won it in 1969 stands out for me. I was still in cross-country at the university and our coach,

the late Keith Taylor, wanted us to enter to see how we would do in a 10-mile run. Believe it or not, in 1969 the Tely 10 road race was held entirely on the track at King George V facility [beside Quidi Vidi Lake]. There were about 15 of us in the race, and we had to do 40 laps.”

That year, the Tely 10 saw its first female runner, “a 16-year-old named Jackie Kean,” Joe says. “She entered just to see how she could do, and she did great. We all waited and cheered and clapped for her at the finish.”

A few decades later, Joe showed up to his 45th Tely 10 a little overdressed for a runner, but perhaps appropriate for a milestone marathoner: Joe ran the entire 2017 road race wearing a tuxedo.

Some of Joe’s trophies and medals from his years of running in races around the world

Tely 10 State of Mind

In addition to running and organizing the Tely 10, Joe is also a longtime running coach and mentor. An untold number of runners have benefitted from his counsel, and he has sage advice for anyone training for their first road race.

“Train gently for it, but be consistent. Get the long, slow runs in, and you need to do something more than just once or twice a week, which is not enough. Aim to do something related to your training four or five times a week at a gentle pace,” he says.

“On the morning of the race, eat whatever you normally would before running, but don’t try anything new in terms of food or gear on race day. When it starts, go your own pace and don’t get dragged out with the crowd. Enjoy what you are doing. Accept the challenge and keep your mind full of

positive, positive things. Affirm yourself. No negative thoughts. Tell yourself ‘I am strong, I love this, I can do this.’ Just stay calm and enjoy the whole ambiance of the thing. That’s the way to do it.”

Joe adds, “For your first Tely, don’t set a hard specific time limit to finish. Instead, pick a range of finish time over maybe 10 minutes that you will be happy with, and you will enjoy it more and not be disappointed. Really, the best advice is to try and love it all and be grateful you are able to do it. There are lots of people who can’t, so remember those folks and run for them as well as yourself. It is a wonderful event to be part of, and it is a joy to see all the continued interest grow year after year in the Tely 10.”

After all his races and medals and accolades, does Joe have any goals yet to achieve? “Yes, of course,” he

Joe’s trophy room doesn’t just showcase his numerous victories. A longtime supporter and mentor for running, he has been presented with several awards for his contributions.

Joe has literally written the book on the Tely 10. His advice for newcomers to the race: “Affirm yourself. No negative thoughts. Tell yourself ‘I am strong, I love this, I can do this.’ Just stay calm and enjoy the whole ambiance of the thing. That’s the way to do it.”

says without hesitation. “If all goes well this year, and I can avoid injury and my health is good, I will do my 50th Tely, I will do my 75th marathon and I will [make] my 175th blood donation. I give blood about every eight weeks and have been doing so for about 30 years, I guess. It is something I like to do to give back, but I always tell the staff for a laugh [that] I only keep coming

back for the cookies.”

The 95th running of the Tely 10 Mile Road Race is scheduled for June 25. Hundreds of runners and thousands of spectators are expected on the route from Octagon Pond in Paradise to Bannerman Park in St. John’s. Somewhere in the pack will be Joe, likely with a big smile on his face, a Tely 10 record in his sights, and no plans of slowing down.

Through a pilot project in St. Mary’s Bay, NL, one local scientist is testing a way to help build a more sustainable province and planet.

By Linda Browne

Climate change is, without a doubt, one of the most pressing and challenging problems of our time. And it’s one that affects us all. For decades now, scientists have been raising the alarm about our warming world and the detrimental effects of that, including an increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as hurricanes, heatwaves, droughts and floods. We needn’t look farther than our own backyards for evidence of this.

Left: Michael Teasdale examines some seaweed being grown in the laboratory.

While the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has said that limiting warming to 1.5°C can help us avoid the worst impacts, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions continue to climb. This has led to “widespread adverse impacts and related losses and damages to nature and people,” writes the IPCC in their latest report, adding that the world’s most vulnerable, who are contributing the least to climate change, are getting hit the hardest.

And while we’ve come up with ways to adapt – such as wetland restoration, and embracing urban green spaces and infrastructure – the IPCC says, “In the near term, global warming is more likely than not to reach 1.5°C, even under the very low GHG emission scenario, and likely or very likely to exceed 1.5°C under higher emissions scenarios.”

The IPCC’s warning is clear: “There is a rapidly closing window of oppor-

tunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all... The choices and actions implemented in this decade will have impacts now and for thousands of years.”

While it’s enough to make even the most hopeful want to stick their heads in the sand, the good news is there’s plenty of folks pooling their creativity, skills and smarts to help lift us out of a dire situation. One scientist in Newfoundland and Labrador believes part of the solution might literally be washing up on our shores.

A Changing Tide

As an environmental consultant who specializes in the marine sciences (with a background in carbon accounting and GHG assessments), Michael Teasdale is concerned about what our changing climate means for life on earth. As a dad, he’s thinking about what kind of future his child will inherit.

Environmental consultant Michael Teasdale created the seaweed harvesting company HoldFastNL, and launched a pilot project in St. Mary’s Bay.

In the summer of 2019, while doing offshore water sampling after two oil spills, he experienced the start of a sea change. A couple of months later, after joining a massive climate march to Confederation Building in St. John’s with his young daughter, that wave grew. He began searching for how to use his skills in a way that helped the planet and aligned with his values. It’s a moment he describes as a “tipping point.”

“I was just like, man, there’s got to be a better way. I’ve got to do something that’s some sort of contribution to being [a] more sustainable world [and] reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Michael says.

Thinking about his experiences working in wet labs and on the open water doing coastal monitoring and environmental permitting, he eventually stumbled upon seaweed. As he learned more about its potential, he grew more intrigued.

Seaweed has long been lauded for its many eco-friendly benefits, including its ability to capture carbon. (According to the U.K.based Marine Conservation Society, seaweed stores about 175 million tonnes of carbon annually – equal to about 10 per cent of global car emissions – and absorbs C02 more effectively than trees.) It’s also carbon neutral in that it doesn’t need fertilizers, fresh water or land to grow. And it absorbs nutrients, including nitrogen and phosphorus, from the water, making it great for the garden – as many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who’ve been using seaweed this way for generations can attest. A

2021 study published in the journal PLOS ONE also found that adding red seaweed to steers’ diets reduced methane emissions, a major GHG, by over 80 per cent. (For more on the benefits of seaweed and seaweed farming, check out our profile on Bren Smith and his non-profit GreenWave in the March 2023 issue of Downhome: “Fishing, Farming and the Future.”)

Its role in combatting carbon is what got him hooked on seaweed, Michael says. He created a company called HoldFastNL (“holdfast” is the part of the seaweed plant that anchors itself to the sea floor; hold fast is also a NL term of encouragement and endurance), and in the fall of 2022, he launched a seaweedfarming pilot project in St. Mary’s Bay (in partnership with the Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation

A HoldFastNL colleague holds a seaweed sample above its tank. The seaweed matures here before it is returned to the ocean.

and MUN’s Marine Institute). With this project he hopes to learn how seaweed farming can help reduce the overall impacts of climate change.

“That’s my main goal,” he says. “I want to make a difference in carbon emissions. But it has to be commercially viable as well.”

Hooked on Hope

There have been previous efforts in the province to commercially harvest wild seaweed in the years following the cod moratorium. Newfoundland Aqua Products Inc. in Ramea, off the southwest coast, harvested and processed seaweed for food and nutritional supplements. And great strides have been made in other Atlantic provinces, Michael says. Acadian Seaplants in Nova Scotia for example –which also has production facilities in New Brunswick, Ireland and Scotland –was described by Canadian Business in 2018 as the biggest independent marine plant processing company in North America.

Michael and his team’s pilot project is on a much smaller scale, focussed on six experimental sites in St. Mary’s Bay. The process starts with harvesting seaweed in its natural environment, typically in the fall. Once the seaweed is brought back to the lab, the reproductive tissue (the “sorus”) is cut out and refrigerated, “shocking” it into releasing spores, which then grow on spooled string in a tank. After several weeks, the spools are returned to the ocean site, where the young kelp continues to grow on a rope or longline, similar to how mussels are farmed. Before any of this took place, Michael says, he spoke with local fishers to get their blessing and expertise, and ensure the six sites didn’t interfere with existing fishing in the area – perhaps the most important step of all.

Their goal, Michael says, is not to get a big harvest, but to figure out where the seaweed grows best. And while the pilot’s still in the early stages, so far it’s been smooth sailing.

Michael holds a seaweed sample in St. Mary’s Bay.

“The first few pieces went really well… and now it’s just a matter of making sure we see what the growth rates are,” he says. This summer, the plan is to do some harvesting to learn more about the characteristics of the seaweed growing on the line. And by next summer, the hope is to have a commercially viable farm.

“Other areas and other coastal regions in North America are putting time and money and effort into this area as well. So we don’t want to kind of miss the boat on this,” he says.

The province, he adds, is uniquely positioned in that it has all the right pieces, including the know-how, infrastructure and environment.

As he talks about seaweed and all its potential uses, including as an alternative to wastewater treatment, the enthusiasm in his voice is almost palpable. And while seaweed farming doesn’t come without challenges, including time and cost considerations, Michael believes it’s something worth pursuing. He’s also spoken with others who’ve expressed support for the pilot program.

Overall, Michael says, he feels positive about the potential for seaweed farming in the province. And while we need to move quickly, he adds, it’s important that the industry be developed responsibly.

“The commercial species are here existing in the wild. We have these cold, pristine waters in the North Atlantic. We have all these great research institutions and underutilized fish plants. And we have people in these coastal communities that have all the skill sets to do this. So it’s definitely an economic opportunity if we can manage to kind of put all the pieces together and make it work,” he says.

For seaweed farming to flourish, it will need the support of government and industry. Then, Michael says, “it’s just a matter of making it happen.”

WEC photo Julia Bloomquist photo

Julia Bloomquist photo

Julia Bloomquist photo

Gardening brings a special kind of satisfaction.

Any little patch can sprout and spring to life, and anyone can coax tasty veggies from the earth with just a little know how and hard work. Tiny seeds will blossom into a delicious, fresh, homegrown harvest, but the real rewards of gardening are even greater: the time spent outdoors on warm summer days; learning and sharing with neighbours and friends; watching children discover that carrots, potatoes and even apples all start right there in the ground. Community gardens contribute to local food production, promote sustainability, encourage healthy eating and foster community spirit.

Julia Bloomquist photo

Have you noticed beautiful community gardens springing up in your neck of the woods? That’s because more and more people in Newfoundland and Labrador are getting into gardening and growing fresh food – a skill that was essential for generations before supermarket chains –and are working together to create vibrant, healthy communities.

On the Avalon, five new community gardens have been established in Conception Bay South. Julia Bloomquist is chair of the Conception Bay South Community Garden Steering Committee, and she’s impressed by their success so far.

“It’s been such a rewarding experience,” she says. “We’ve received

Julia Bloomquist (right) and some other green thumbs in the CBS gardens. Julia Bloomquist photos

incredible support from the business community and the Town of Conception Bay South, and we’ve collaborated with some other inspiring community groups including the Rotary Club of Avalon Northeast, the Manuels River Interpretation Centre, Scouts Canada and Food First NL. They [Food First NL] have a community garden toolkit – which is free and online – and that was really instrumental in helping us get started.”

Community gardening is also huge on the west coast. Katie Temple, executive director of the Western Environment Centre (WEC) in Corner Brook, says, “We’ve been able to expand to five community gardens

and we still have wait lists – there’s still tons more interest. We’re always continuing to think and brainstorm about how we can expand.”

This is good news. The people of Newfoundland and Labrador have long struggled with food security, and we’ve seen how quickly grocery store shelves can be emptied or prices can soar. Statistics Canada’s latest inflation report showed that food prices are seeing a year-overyear increase of 11.4 per cent, so having a local, affordable source of fresh, healthy food is essential. Small plots can produce a remarkable amount of fresh produce: a 3x6 metre garden plot can yield an estimated 32 kilograms of veggies each year. No one should have to pay for a lonely, wilted meal trucked in from Dieppe.

A sense of belonging

Spread out across several neighbourhoods in beautiful Conception Bay, the CBS community gardens include the Kelligrews Gateway garden, a neighbourhood garden in Ocean Glen, a flower garden in Chamberlains, and the garden and greenhouse at Manuels River near the Interpretation Centre. While these are great places to grow food and plants, they also serve as attractive, interactive public spaces.

“One of the social determinants of health is a sense of belonging,” Julia says. “So in addition to the food security aspect, what we’re trying to establish is a sense of community.” The Manuels River space features a greenhouse, raised accessible and ground level beds for planting, an outdoor classroom and a free seed library.

There are also lots of opportunities for getting together and making

memories. The garden steering committee regularly organizes garden maintenance days, outdoor cookups, food skills workshops, events for kids and opportunities to share skills such as traditional fence-building.

“Multi-generational skill sharing is a big part of our mandate,” Julia says. “We’re trying to preserve some of the skills from the region that we worry would be lost if there weren’t spaces like these to create that exchange.”

If you’re lucky enough to see the flourishing community garden spaces in CBS, you’ll notice each is unique. “One of the groups that helped us set up was Food First NL,” says Julia. “They really drove home that community gardens can look like so many different things, and you don’t need necessarily a ton of money or infrastructure to set one up.” A community garden could take the form of a stand of berry bushes, beds of fragrant flowers to attract bees and pollinators, or any outdoor spot that inspires slowing down and savouring time in nature.

When it comes to creating a garden space, support from municipalities can be pivotal. “A lot of community gardens are set up on town land, which is really helpful because it means that it’s like resident-owned space,” Julia explains. “One thing we’re trying to promote is, sort of, an invitation for people to reimagine green spaces and publicly owned land. Instead of plain green space or a playground, another thing to consider is a community garden because it really brings people together in the same kind of way.” She adds, it’s the perfect combination of beautification and practical use of land.

Powerful smallscale projects

In Corner Brook, the Western Environment Centre (WEC) shares the goals of local food production and community enrichment. They run five community gardens in the city: Blow Me Down Garden, off Lundrigan Drive; the Heights Garden in the Brandon Municipal Playground; the Reid Street Garden off East Valley Road; the Caribou Road Garden; and the Barry Place Garden in Curling.

“There’s a lot of different ways that you can promote food security and sustainability and we’re a big fan of working at the community level,” says Katie. “We really want to demonstrate how powerful smallscale projects are. They’re small, but they’re really replicable, they’re scalable and they can make a huge difference at a local level.”

Through their popular initiatives, which include the gardens and composting programs, the WEC aims to promote skill-sharing and community development while contributing to resident wellness.

Katie also points out that the average person is often pretty removed from the process of food production, so gardening is a way to bring folks closer to where their food actually comes from. “A big aspect of what we do is create hands-on experiences, and a lot of that is about getting people to actively learn. We run a whole series of workshops, our program is called the Food Skills Workshop Series, and we usually run about 20 or so per year on lots of different aspects of food skills. We do that seasonally. So, in the winter it’s more focused around things like baking or

cooking or fermenting –things you’d do at home in winter, how you can eat local in the winter. And then as we get into this time of year, we focus a lot more on gardening and composting.”

Community gardens encourage us to get back to basics: to appreciate the warmth of the soil in our hands, to grow food for our families and communities, and to create meaningful connections with others. As more and more community gardens blossom around the province, there’s bound to be one sprouting up near you, and now’s the perfect time to get growing!

Showing residents how small projects can make a big difference is a goal of the the Western Environment Centre.

WEC photos

Nearly a century after she famously wore it, this aviator’s helmet is back in the limelight.

By Dennis Flynn

an online auction

be terribly exciting news. But it wasn’t sold for a song, and it wasn’t just any old cap. It was an identifying piece of aviation history, and its record-setting sale sent ripples of nostalgia all the way to two small towns in Newfoundland and Labrador.

In an article dated March 1, 2022, the Smithsonian Magazine reported, “A brown leather cap, worn by famed aviator Amelia Earhart during her record-breaking flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1928, has sold for $825,000, according to the Heritage Auctions website. The leather helmet was expected to sell at around $80,000, according to CNN, but on Saturday [February 26, 2022], an unnamed buyer purchased the cap at nearly 10 times the amount. Heritage Auctions president Chris Ivy tells CNN in a statement that one of the highlights of the item is that it is easily identifiable in images of Earhart. ‘The cap has an amazing, stirring story to tell. And not only does it have outstanding provenance, but irrefutable photo matching as well.’”

Earhart, sporting that very cap, drew fascinated crowds in Trepassey, NL, in June 1928, when she arrived with pilot Wilmer Stultz and mechanic Lewis Gordon aboard the Friendship. After several days in town waiting for good weather, they took off on June 17; about 21 hours later they landed in Burry Port, Wales, and Earhart became the first female passenger to fly across the Atlantic. She returned to Newfoundland almost four years later. This time she was in

The sale of a very old cap in

might not seem to

Harbour Grace, NL, preparing for her record-setting attempt to be the first woman to pilot her own aircraft on a solo flight across the Atlantic. She took off from the Harbour Grace airstrip on May 20, 1932, and landed triumphantly near Londonderry, Northern Ireland, almost 15 hours later.

Amelia Earhart’s touchdowns and takeoffs left an indelible mark on these two communities. In Harbour Grace, a commemorative plaque on the grass airstrip reads: “On May 20, 1932, Amelia Earhart Putnam became the world’s first woman pilot

to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. The flight, in a Lockheed Vega, originated at the aerodrome here in Harbour Grace, Newfoundland.” There are several older monuments at the airstrip mentioning Earhart, including at least one placed by The Ninety Nines, an international non-profit organization of licensed women pilots from 44 countries with thousands of members around the globe. Founded in 1929 in Long Island, New York, Amelia Earhart was elected their first president. The organization’s name refers to the first 99 female pilots who were

Photographs of Amelia Earhart, such as the one above taken in Trepassey in 1928, help confirm that this cap was the one worn by Earhart during her first transatlantic flight.

site near the Harbour Grace tourism chalet, there is a bronze statue of Amelia Earhart designed by Lorne Rostotski and beautifully sculpted by Luben Boykov.

In Trepassey, a corner of the restaurant in Edge of Avalon Inn is named Earhart’s Pub. Its proprietor, John Devereaux, has a direct link to the famous aviator’s time in his hometown.

“Amelia actually stayed for around 12 days at a house which is still standing in Trepassey. It belonged to my relatives, and a fun story is that my grandmother [Laura Devereaux] was a young girl at the time, and she was fascinated with a hat that Amelia wore. There is a wonderful documentary done locally about Amelia’s time here in Trepassey called ‘Amelia Earhart: A Woman in Pants.’ It was written and directed by Lorne Warr,

Amelia Earhart (centre) on the stoop of a Trepassey residence with Sister Theophane (left) and Peg (O’Neill) Quinlan

and my grandmother appears in it talking about the cap. I guess my grandmother had much better taste in headgear fashion than we realized.”

Hats off to this collector

The Smithsonian Magazine story of the 2022 auction goes on to say that “Anthony Twiggs, a 67-year-old retired photographer in Minnesota, put the leather helmet up for auction after experts confirmed its authenticity,” comparing it to the one worn by Earhart in photos taken in Trepassey. Twiggs had inherited the helmet 20 years ago, after his mother, Ellie Brookhart, died. She had claimed it was a gift from a friend years before. Following the first Women’s National Air Derby in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1929, Earhart was talking with reporters when a boy spotted the cap on the ground. He presented it to Brookhart, hoping to win her affection with it. Sadly for him that did not happen; Brookhart was far more interested in the aviator’s cap, with “A. Earhart” written inside, than she ever was in the boy.

The recent sale of that hat is now part of Earhart legend. The final selling price of US$825,000 (approximately C$1.1 million) makes the hat far and away the most expensive Amelia Earhart artifact sold to date.

Courtesy Earhart Cultural Heritage Organization Inc.

All this and so much more is possible for anyone planning a vacation in Newfoundland and Labrador this year. Round Da Bay Inn in Plate Cove West offers uniquely decorated rooms with a theme sure to fit any vacationer’s fantasy – from a fishing lodge feel to a beach hut vibe. Owners Chris and Karen Ricketts say their design goal was, first and foremost, to have fun. Being able to incorporate their passion for collecting things into their business was a bonus. “We just had these items we’d found that would be perfect in a

grandmother’s attic, so we started that themed room first and then it just grew from there,” Karen explains.

“We didn’t plan on standing out. We just wanted to use what we had in storage,” Chris laughingly admits.

Julie Lodge, owner of Lodge’s Landing – a vintage-styled vacation rental located in Port Union – says doing things differently in tourism, while maintaining the high standards expected by those who visit here, helps the industry as a whole.

“Not everyone wants to stay in a saltbox that’s been renovated with

Chris and Karen Ricketts (right) decided to have some fun when decorating the Round Da Bay Inn, creating a different theme in each of the rooms.

modern twists,” she says, adding, “The industry benefits from all types of options.”

When Julie first bought her Port Union property, it boasted shag carpet – from the stairs to the kitchen sink – and a chrome table was the centrepiece of the midcentury kitchen décor. “My plan was to gut it,” she says, “but the more I looked around, the more I understood what I had. My goal then became to just make what it was even more beautiful.”

Kristy Sweet of Catalina was inspired by what didn’t exist – except in her heart. “My dad passed away in 2020, and he had this little piece of

land overlooking Green Island that he bought probably like 30 years ago, I guess, and he never put anything on it. After he passed I said, ‘I got to do something with it in his memory,’” she says.

Kristy explains that her dad, Roy Sweet, had always loved lighthouses. “My great-grandmother lived out on Green Island until it was resettled, and her father was a lighthouse keeper there – and later so was her husband – so lighthouses held a special place for our family,” Kristy explains.

Roy’s Lighthouse Retreat has become quite a popular destination, she adds. “Kids seem to really love it; it’s like a fantasy place to stay. But

Roy’s Lighthouse Retreat in Catalina offers great scenery and a fun place to stay for both young and old.

then couples love it, too, for a romantic getaway. The best part is sharing this piece of my dad with everyone. He would have loved this place,” she says.

Brenda and Bob Lee of Mobile understand being inspired by the memory of a loved one. “My mom became ill around Christmas of 2020, and I was planning on building a spot for her with us so she didn’t have to worry about stairs or be by herself all the time,” Brenda begins. Just after they purchased the materials to start the build, her mom, Margaret Penney, died.

“I didn’t want to stop working on Mom’s place, so we built this spot in her memory and then decided to rent it out as an Airbnb.”

The couple says the entire experience of opening up Mom’s Place B&B to strangers has been so healing. “We’ve made so many nice friends, and they come back again and again. Then someone said they wanted to get married here, and I asked when and they said, ‘Thursday?’ This was Sunday. Well, we did it and it was so much fun. Mom would have loved it,” Brenda says with a laugh.

Then she got to thinking. Weddings? Why not? The couple started to work on a plan to launch Mom’s Little White Wedding Chapel. “We know this couple who have been married for 34 years and they love it here, and when we said we wanted to open up a little wedding chapel –almost as a joke at first – they said

Bob and Brenda Lee (above) orginally planned Mom’s Place as a home for Brenda’s mother, Margaret (right). Sadly Margaret passed away before it was completed, and Bob and Brenda decided to instead build a vacation home in her memory.

they’d book it and renew their vows,” Brenda says.

“The overall response is just awesome, but I’m not shocked. This is just the perfect spot for love! I’ve had guests tell me they were on the verge

of breaking up, and they came up here for the weekend and then they’re all in love again,” she says proudly.

In preparation for the chapel’s official opening, Brenda got her officiant’s licence so she can conduct the ceremonies. She and Bob hope to have weddings on the property by this summer. While traditional services can be accommodated, of course, the more out there and unique the better. “We are open to anything. I’m the least judgmental person you’re ever going to meet. I can guarantee one thing: if you want to have a time here, you’ll have a time,” she says.

In everything they do, Margaret is never far from their minds. “Mom was so much fun and everyone loved her. This place is just totally dedicated to her,” Brenda says.

The work is made all the easier because Brenda and Bob – who’ve been together for 16 years – are funloving love birds themselves.

“Teamwork makes the dream work, baby, and Bob and I make a great team,” Brenda says. “If everyone can be as happy as we are – at least until they hit the end of the road once they leave here – then that makes us happy, and that’s all we can ask for.”

Elvis in stained glass greets visitors to the Vegas-styled Mom’s Little White Wedding Chapel.

what’s in a name?

By Dale Jarvis

“Almost every harbour in the country has an Admiral’s Cove or an Admiral’s Beach, including even St. John’s itself,” Archbishop Howley wrote in 1901, and he wasn’t wrong. All across Newfoundland and Labrador there are numerous coves, points, islands, ponds and at least one rock named after one admiral or another.

It is most likely these admirals were not admirals in the sense of naval officers, but rather were the skippers of the first fishing vessel to arrive in the harbour each year. For that season, he was the lord and master of the cove, as far as the fishery went, and was often the only source of any quasilegal authority. Of these fishing admirals, historian D.W. Prowse wrote, “The sacred temple of law and equity was a fish store, the judicial seat an

inverted butter ferkin. Justice was freely dispensed to the suitor who paid the most for it. In the absence of a higher bribe, his worship’s decision was often favourably affected by the judicious presentation of a few New England apples.”

Local folklore, while entertaining, doesn’t always get it right.

The community of Admiral’s Beach, St. Mary’s Bay, was first settled around 1805. Local lore maintains that it was established by a French admiral, but it was likely another of our fishing admirals. Another example is the town of Clarke’s Beach, said to be named after an Admiral Clarke who lived on the beach. But other sources say that families were brought there under the authority of a fishing admiral by the name of Clarke. Clarke’s fishermen used its long beach for spreading their nets and drying fish, and his name stuck.

The Fort (Admiral’s) Point lighthouse is a popular stop in the town of Trinity

Bernice Goudie photo

Admiral’s Cove Dylan White photo

Admiral’s Point,Trinity Julie Fudge photo

Downhomer asks, what’s so great about gravel pit camping?

By Jeff Green

It’s the 24th of May and we likes to get away Up in the woods or going out the bay

There’s all kinds of places but the place we likes to get Is up on the highway in the gravel pits

It’s early July and you’re cruising down the long Burgeo Highway aboard the family RV. Inside, the heat is enough to knock you out; the air conditioner died near Stephenville. Your stomach is growling and you’ve got a splitting headache. Your wife is complaining she can’t find anything on the radio, while the kids keep kicking the back of your seat, whining that they’re bored. You’re about ready to eject them – or yourself – from the vehicle.

Then, as you top a small incline, a colourful sparkle on the horizon catches your eye and you wonder aloud, “What is that thing?” As you get closer, the sparkle becomes a bright orange patio lantern, part of a multi-coloured set strung between wooden posts. Slowing to a crawl, you come upon dozens of cabins and campers crowding the side of the highway, some with lanterns,

wooden cartoon characters and lawns. Lawns?

Several people are sun bathing in wooden chairs or standing around small propane barbecues. Pulling off the road, you stop near a reddish flat-top camper. A man in his 50s is putting together a tackle box.

You approach the man and ask, “Uh, is this Burgeo?”

“Burgeo, me son, is another 45

From “The Pits” by Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers

minutes from here,” he responds with a chuckle. “You’re in the gravel pits now.”

And so begins your introduction to an age-old Newfoundland tradition –gravel pit camping, as much a part of our culture as Screech-ins and mummering. For decades, Newfoundlanders have descended in droves to former gravel pits along the Trans-Canada Highway and other roadways to soak up the summer.

better so my wife Marg and I can pack up our gear and head up the highway. Nothing like it, I can guarantee you that.”

At least 150 trailers and cabins currently make up Peter’s Stride, created after the Burgeo Highway went through in 1979. Today, it’s one of the biggest and most popular gravel pits in the province. Campers like Guy enjoy the freedom here, compared to pay-per-use provincial

The pits are actually abandoned construction sites, blasted out by work crews making way for highways. Most are no more than rocks and dust, but some happen to be near lakes and streams. Every year, usually starting on the May 24th weekend, thousands of locals fill their RVs, campers, old school buses, trucks and cars with barbecues, coolers, beer and fishing poles, then head out over the highway for the gravel pits near places such as Birchy Narrows, Springdale and near Arnold’s Cove. Some die-hards have actually claimed squatter’s rights to parcels of land they’ve camped on for decades. And some pits, like Peter’s Stride (named after an Indigenous trapper) along the Burgeo Highway, have grown into little towns, full of colourful characters including Burgeo’s Guy Hann.

“I tell you the gospel truth, I dearly love this place,” says Guy, a 50-year-old construction worker. “I can’t wait for the weather to get

parks. There are no curfews, noise regulations, taxes or police. Instead they have a few “common sense laws” laid down by the Peter’s Stride Trailer Association, Site B: garbage and septic tanks have to be cleaned and dumped regularly, and properties should be kept tidy. Guy says the most important rule, however, is that everybody leaves the pit with a smile on their face.

“We do a lot of laughing here. At night, if you have a party, you can sing until your heart’s content. Kids also have bonfires with singalongs. Plus, we can go fishing and hiking in the woods behind us,” he explains. “We’ve had everybody from doctors to fishermen visit us here. We have the freedom of the gravel pit but the attractions of private campgrounds, and ours is free. We’ve got it made!”

Guy’s biggest motivation to head to the pit, he says, is to get away from the hassles of civilization. There are no televisions, video games or Internet. It’s a simpler life, at least for

There are several popular gravel pits in the southern United States, particularly in the State of Nevada.

most folks. “Granted, now you will see some people with their high-class generators and fancy satellite dishes, but that’s not roughing it,” Guy says with a hearty laugh.

The chance to get away from it all is what attracts Greg Parsons to Peter’s Stride several times a year from his home in Corner Brook. Greg, 35, grew up in Burgeo and spent time at the gravel pit with his own family.

times a year with her own kids during the summertime from 1975 until 1998. When Anne, 52, relocated from Burgeo a few years ago, she left the camper behind so Matthew would have a place to spend his summers.

“The trailer was only a place to sleep, really. We were out in the daytime swimming and canoeing or trouting, so we had the best of both worlds,” says Anne. “What I also

At least 150 trailers and cabins currently make up Peter’s Stride, which was formed after the Burgeo Highway went through in 1979. Today, it’s one of the biggest and most popular gravel pits in the province.

Now he continues the tradition with his wife Peggy and their six-year-old son, Matthew. Greg jokes that at first his son didn’t know what he’d do without his “SpongeBob Square Pants” videos. Away from the distractions of home, Greg says he and Peggy use the time for family bonding.

“The summer is short and life is short, so we might as well enjoy it while we can,” Greg surmises.

“Seriously, though, I dearly love the freedom. I take my son Matthew fishing and hunting. We get to spend time with one another and [do] stuff we couldn’t do in the city.”

Joining them this summer will be Greg’s sister-in-law Penny MacDonald and her fiancé Bob Coley, along with their eight-month-old daughter, Emily. To complete the family affair, the camper Greg now uses once belonged to his aunt, Anne Parsons, who lives in Eastern Passage, Nova Scotia. She has fond memories of stopping at Peter’s Stride several

liked about gravel pit camping was the fact that there was no phones or electricity. It was so quiet waking up to sound of loons.”

Lewis Cheeseman has similar memories of spending his summers in the gravel pits in the 1970s along the Burin Peninsula. He and his family regularly stopped at pits outside Terranceville, Bay de l’Eau and Marystown. Now 48 and living in Bridgetown, Nova Scotia, Lewis fondly recalls these stops to go berrypicking, salmon fishing or swimming. “I can remember there was a scale station between Goobies and Swift Current, and we’d haul in and spend a few days there,” he says. “I know for my dad, who did all the driving, a pit was a welcome sight. I hardly see anyone doing that sort of camping here in Nova Scotia.”

Surprisingly, though, gravel pit camping’s popularity does stretch far beyond Newfoundland. Dr. Norm Catto, a geography professor at

Memorial University, says he knows of several popular pits in the southern United States, particularly in the State of Nevada. He says the Americans share a common interest with pit campers in this province: they enjoy the sense of community among friends and family.

“Although this hasn’t been studied in a formal academic sense, we do know that there are a number of motivators for campers, including the social aspect and the feeling that they’re part of a community,” Dr. Catto says. “Others like to go because it’s free and there is that tradition

that they shouldn’t have to pay to camp. But the practice is not confined to just Newfoundland. People love it.”

Now that we’re into the month of May, Guy Hann is looking forward to hauling out the camping gear, fishing poles and patio lanterns and heading back up to Peter’s Stride. He won’t be the only one making the year’s first trek to the pit this coming long weekend. And he says if you’re driving the Burgeo Highway this May 24th, feel free to stop by and say hello.

“I’ll mix with anybody,” he says. “I can’t wait to get up there.”

Editor’s Note: This article was first published in May 2004. Now 19 years later, gravel pit camping is still enjoyed as a unique part of the Newfoundland and Labrador summer experience.

Anne Parsons’ son, Jason, shows off a land-locked salmon he caught while gravel pit camping in the late 1980s.

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 2024 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.

HOME and Cabin

stuff we love by Nicola Ryan

Let’s Roll

CAPELIN WEATHER

In Newfoundland, it’s thought that the annual return of the capelin signals the return of summer and good weather. In this lively picture book from Running the Goat Press, Lori Doody tells the story of Kate, a little girl eager for summer fun to begin, though her plans are squelched by that familiar rain, drizzle and fog.

RunningtheGoat.com

FRESH FISH

Spiller’s Rock Studio features the art of printmaker Troy Mitchell. Drawing inspiration from the land and sea of Newfoundland and Labrador, Troy creates original linocut prints that are sketched, designed, carved, inked and printed by hand. We love this print of a pair of capelin swimming together.

SpillersRockStudio.com

EVERYDAY ART

Textile artist Renee Scott designs all of Brindy Linens’ beautiful images, including the swimming capelin on these tea towels. Each linocut is hand carved and pressed onto organic cotton fabric using non-toxic silk-screening paint. The fabric is then permanently set using a heat press. Check out the gift shop in Brigus, NL. BrindyLinens.com

ROLL WITH IT

Fashion boutique Johnny Ruth partners with local screen printers to create wearable pieces featuring Newfoundland culture, original artwork and iconic sayings. Throw on a hoodie, toque or other comfy JR Casual to head to the beach when the capelin roll in. This awesome hoodie was designed by artist Lori Doody.

JohnnyRuth.com

HIGH ROLLER

The Golden Tulip is a family-owned jewelry design shop on Water Street in St. John’s. Luxury-seekers should look for their Rolling Capelin Collection of rings, earrings, bangles and pendants in 14K gold or sterling silver depicting the luminous little fishes. TheGoldenTulip.ca

Ask Marie Anything

Interior designer Marie Bishop takes your questions

Mulling a Kitchen Makeover

Q: I want to paint my kitchen cabinets and wonder what would be the best colour? My kitchen flooring is birch hardwood.

Thank you for that question and the photos. Your black countertop and white subway tile backsplash are classic and easy to work with. The fact that you have a wood floor leaves the door open for lots of options.

The latest trend in kitchen cabinets is towards soft shades of grey or blue, black accents, or a combination of painted cabinets and wood. However, the most prominent and long lasting style is white. Design choices take in the kitchen shape and size: large walk-through kitchens offer more options for colour and accents than smaller, U-shaped kitchens.

Lighting, both natural and artificial, also plays a big factor in terms of your colour choice. The window above your kitchen sink brings in lots of natural light, so you could do a very soft grey or blue on the cabinets. However, given the size, the play of black and white of the counter and backsplash, and the warm tone of the wood floor, I would highly recommend white. This will visually expand your kitchen, add more light because of the reflective value of white and insure a look that will last. Benjamin Moore #OC-117 Simply White is nice and warm without being too creamy.

To further freshen up your kitchen, I’d remove the two glass doors on the corner cabinet at the entrance to your kitchen. Use that cabinet to display treasured dishes and stylish accessories such as pottery or glass, plants and cookbooks. This will take the look of your kitchen to another level. You could also replace the hardware; maybe keep the drawer knobs, but update the cabinet knobs with handles. Decide this before you paint, as you’ll likely have to fill the existing holes to accommodate new hardware. The other small item I suggest replacing is the clock – either with a larger, vertically oriented one, or a vertical piece of art.

DIY Tips

As a DIY project, redoing cabinets is not difficult, but it is a process and you may need to set aside a week or two for completion. Mr. B and I tackled our kitchen cabinets, and we were very pleased with the result.

The first step is to make sure your cabinets are clean. Even though they may get a regular wipe down, there are places in every kitchen, especially around knobs and handles, where there could be a grimy buildup. If those areas aren’t completely free of grease, the paint will not stick. So give all the cupboards and frames a good wash before you get started. A squirt of Dawn dish liquid and a spoonful of white vinegar in a bucket of warm water will do the trick.

Removing the glass doors and replacing the clock with more vertical décor is an easy way to freshen up this kitchen.

Have all your materials together before you start. You’ll need a gallon of Stix – a thin, acrylic urethane primer/ sealer that adheres to just about any surface and creates the perfect base for your paint. It’s easy to apply, cleans up with soap and water, and dries in a few hours. And you’ll need two to three sheets of 180-220 sandpaper for the light sanding at the beginning and in between coats of paint.

Buy a gallon of paint in your cabinet colour; it’s best to use Benjamin Moore Advance paint in a pearl finish. This paint is not the cheapest, but it’s definitely worth it –and it costs a lot less than a new set of cabinets. This paint is recommended for woodwork, doors, trim and cabinets. It

gives a beautiful, durable and very washable finish. It cleans up easily with soap and water. Ask for an extra, empty paint can. Pour a portion of your paint into that, just a couple of inches deep. It’s much easier to manage, and less messy, than working out of a full gallon can.

Invest in a good 2"-2.5" paint brush, one that should be easy to move on the surface and evenly spread the paint. Expect to pay $25-$35 for a brush that will not cause you grief. A cheap brush, or a microfibre cloth, is fine for removing the dust made from sanding before painting and between coats. Keep handy some clean cloths, for quickly wiping spills or drips, and disposable gloves.

Next step, use a screwdriver to remove all the doors, hardware and hinges. Keep them together in a container if you plan to put the same pieces back after painting. Fill the hardware holes if you are installing different hardware. If you have a large basement or garage space to lay out all the doors and drawers, this is ideal. Otherwise, you may want to tackle this in two phases: top doors first and bottom ones after.

Give the door and drawer surfaces (front and back) a light sanding with 180-220 grit sandpaper to remove any shiny surfaces caused by wear. Brush, wipe or vacuum the sanding dust off the surface and give the top surfaces a coat of Stix. This will dry to the touch in four to six hours, and then you can turn them over and do the underside. Once that dries, let it be for 24 hours. Next day, give the surfaces a light sanding before applying the first coat of paint. Since the backs of the cabinets are facing up, do that side first (good practice, allowing for minor mistakes to learn from before tackling the fronts that everyone will see). Leave them overnight before you do a light sanding and apply the second coat. Again, let them sit overnight before turning them over to do the fronts. Repeat the process: paint, let dry 24 hours, sand lightly, apply second coat, let dry 24 hours. Meanwhile, paint the cabinet frames in the same sequence: a good wash, a light sanding, a coat of Stix, a light sanding then paint twice.

The final step is the most rewarding part of the process. Put all the doors and drawers back in place, add the new hardware (or remount the old), stand back and admire.

This project is possibly one of the most ambitious and intense, but also the most rewarding, of the DIY home improvement adventures. It’s truly a way to love your space!

Ask Marie Anything!

Got a design question for Marie? Email editorial@downhomelife.com, and watch for your question and her answer to appear here!

Since the backs of the cabinets are facing up, do that side first (good practice, allowing for minor mistakes to learn from before tackling the fronts that everyone will see).

The Avalon Mall, a cutting edge shopping centre in Newfoundland and Labrador, has undergone quite the transformation in the last 2 years. There’s much to celebrate. The shopping complex, opened in 1967, underwent its largest makeover ever in a four-year, $112-million expansion and upgrade. It includes a new four-storey parking garage and expanded parking, redesigned roadways and building entrances, and a modernized food court that combines convenience and comfort with environmental consciousness. The Mall’s footprint has increased to 593,000 square feet of gross leasable space and features some exciting new retailers.

The fun doesn't stop there, this year we continue to bring new retailers to the Avalon Mall, or "The Mall", as locals call it.

Visit Avalon Mall and experience why Avalon Mall is a center city hotspot.

www.ShopAvalonMall.com

the everyday gourmet

By Andrea Maunder

There is something very gracious and welcoming about being served a cool glass of iced tea on a warm day, isn’t there? The onset of summer in Newfoundland and Labrador – the promise of bright, sunny days; the sound of birdsong; the smell of the ground and vegetation waking up – calls for a glass of something refreshing.

I find commercially prepared iced teas too sweet and a bit artificial tasting, so homemade is my choice. Too often, though, when I’ve fancied an iced tea, I haven’t planned ahead. So, by the time I’ve brewed, lightly sweetened and cooled the tea, I’ve found something else to slake my thirst. Now I make my own iced-tea “concentrates,” so that when the mood strikes, or friends drop in, I’m prepared in a flash.

If you’ve ever tried to quickly cool down freshly brewed tea by adding a load of ice, you’ve probably noticed that the tea gets cloudy and watered down. If you try to brew it extra strong in a hurry (to compensate for the ice), the flavour can tend toward bitterness. (In my family, we call that “barky” tea.) And most of us lack the fridge space to keep a big jug of prepared iced tea on hand. Concentrates solve this issue.

The beautiful thing about making your own is that you can customize to your palate’s content. My basic recipe will work with black, green and herbal teas. You can add or omit the citrus of your choice, create your own blends and sweeten as you like – adding sugar, stevia, monkfruit or chemical sweetener. The sugar replacements that measure cup for cup (like monkfruit-erythritol blend) are easy to use, but if you go for the others, you’ll just have to calculate the equivalent to my sugar measurements based on the package you have. My recipe is very lightly sweetened, so feel free to increase the sweetness of your concentrate if you like a sweeter tea. (You are sweetening for the equivalent of 16 cups of tea, so if you like your iced tea 2-teaspoons-sweet, you’ll need to add 32 teaspoons, or 10 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons –or the equivalent in sugar replacement. Rule of thumb: there are 3 teaspoons in a tablespoon; and 2 tablespoons in an ounce; therefore 4 tbsp, or 12 tsp in a 1/4 cup.) My preference is loose tea, but

Andrea Maunder is the owner and creative force behind Saucy & Sweet – Homemade Specialty Foods & Catering.

you can use tea bags – strings and tags removed. Cloth or mesh type bags are the best; I tend to avoid paper and plastic for flavour issues.

I made three kinds preparing for this column. First, I had several loose black teas, some winy and some more malty in flavour – so I blended those. I added lemon zest to the brew right at the beginning, so it would steep into the tea. (Wash citrus well and use a vegetable peeler to remove strips of only the coloured part of the peel, leaving the bitter white pith behind.)

For my green tea, I had loose Korean tea leaves and another kind that had been infused with natural pear flavours – so I blended those and added orange zest. For the fruit tea, I had passionfruit herbal mesh tea bags and some strawberry-infused white tea. I didn’t add citrus because it smelled gorgeous on its own. I added varying proportions of lemon juice to all three teas, according to how I wanted the end result. Black tea needed most acidity, green a little less and just a bit in the fruit tea.

There are a few important things to keep in mind. The more whole the tea leaf, the nicer the iced tea will be. (Some commercial tea bags contain tea “dust,” which can produce a

tannic and acidic tea –not so nice iced.) Resist the urge to squeeze the tea bags or squish down the loose tea when you strain your brew – it can impart bitterness and make the brew cloudy. I prefer to use a heat-safe glass vessel; stir the boiling water into the leaves/zest/sugar mixture to dissolve the sugar and let the tea steep 15-20 minutes, stirring a few times. Strain it off and allow it to cool completely on the counter before you add lemon or lime juice, then refrigerate – this will keep your tea nice and clear. You can adjust the mix to your taste, remembering that it will be 3x concentrated in flavour, sweetness and acidity.

To serve, use a ratio of one part concentrate to three parts water (or sparkling water) over ice. You can always adjust with more tea or more water to your taste. Your concentrate will last a couple of weeks in the fridge. It doesn’t really go “bad,” but could go mouldy eventually.

My recipe makes about 4 cups of concentrate – the equivalent of about 16 eight-ounce glasses, depending on how strong you like your iced tea. You could freeze the concentrate in ice cube trays and transfer to freezer bags for bigger batches and longer storage.

Iced Tea Concentrate

12 tbsp loose tea of your choice (or good quality tea bags)

8 tbsp white sugar

2-3 lemons (zest and juice, added at different stages)

4 1/4 cups boiling water (you’ll lose about a quarter cup in the steeping)

Boil the kettle. Place the tea, sugar and zest in a large glass measuring cup or bowl. Add 4 1/4 cups boiled water and stir to dissolve sugar. Let steep, stirring a few times, for 15-20 minutes. (If using black tea bags, you may not need to steep as long.) Strain through a fine strainer and allow to cool completely on the counter. (Don’t refrigerate yet.) Add 8 tbsp lemon juice (more or less, to taste). Transfer to a jar and refrigerate. To serve, mix 4 tbsp (2 oz) of concentrate with 6 oz of water over ice. Garnish with lemon if you like. Adjust strength up or down by adding concentrate or water – to your taste.

For green tea, I added the zest of one orange and 4 tbsp lemon juice. For fruit tea, I added 2 tbsp lemon juice.

Gordon Winsor Paradise, NL

Shellfish Celebration

Any good celebration includes food, and in Newfoundland and Labrador shellfish is a popular party app. So we thought to mark our 35th anniversary this month, we’d round up some of our all-time favourite shellfish recipes.

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

3 tbsp margarine, melted

24 fresh mushrooms

2 tbsp margarine

2 tbsp minced green onions

1 tsp lemon juice

1 cup diced, cooked crabmeat

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1 egg, beaten

1/2 tsp dried dill weed

3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided

1/4 cup dry white wine

Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9"x13" baking dish with melted margarine. Remove stems from mushrooms. Set aside caps. Finely chop stems. Melt 2 tbsp margarine in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the chopped stems and green onions; cook until soft. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir in lemon juice, crabmeat, breadcrumbs, egg, dill weed and 1/4 cup cheese. Thoroughly blend the mixture. Place mushroom caps in the prepared baking dish, and stir until caps are coated with butter. Arrange caps cavity-side up and stuff generously with the green onion and crabmeat mixture. Top with remaining cheese. Pour wine into the pan around the mushrooms. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Serve warm.

Mussels in Beer Broth

2 lbs mussels

2 tsp olive oil

1 onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1 bottle lager beer

3 tbsp butter

2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper

Rinse mussels well in cold water. If you see any open ones that do not close with a tap or two, throw them out. Using the olive oil, sauté onion, garlic and pepper flakes in a large pot until onion is translucent. Add beer and mussels; reduce the heat to medium and cover. Simmer until the mussels all start to open, remove from heat and stir in butter and parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. *For health reasons, be sure to discard any unopened mussels. Serves 4.

Oysters with Salsa

2 tbsp red onion, minced

1/4 cup yellow peppers, minced

1/4 cup Roma tomatoes, seeded minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1/4 tsp lime zest

Salt and pepper, to taste

12 oysters

Tabasco sauce

Mix together onion, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, vinegar and zest. Let sit in the fridge for at least an hour to allow the flavours to meld. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Scrub and rinse oysters well, and shuck. Rinse the meat and inside of the shell under cold running water to remove any debris, and sit them on crushed ice in their lower shell. Spoon about 1/2 tsp of the salsa onto the meat of each oyster. Top with 3 or 4 shakes of Tabasco sauce. Serve immediately. Serves 2-4.

Lobster Ceviche

2 (1 1/2 lb) lobsters, blanched and chilled, meat removed from shell and kept chilled

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped in 1/8" dice

1/2 bunch chives, finely sliced

2 tbsp sweet onion, finely chopped

2-3tbsp finely chopped cucumber, drained

1 small clove garlic, finely minced

4 tbsp freshly chopped cilantro

1 hot chili pepper, such as jalapeño or habanero, finely minced (less or more to taste)

2 lemons

2 limes (additional for garnish)

1 tsp salt, or to taste

Chop the lobster into 1/3" pieces (larger pieces than the crunchy vegetables are chopped). Place lobster meat, chopped vegetables, herbs and chili pepper in a bowl. Grate the zest of one lemon and one lime into the bowl. Add juice of both lemons and both limes to the bowl, seasoning with salt. Toss all together, cover and refrigerate for 60-90 minutes. Toss and check the lobster meat after 60 minutes. It should be opaque, but still tender. (Marinate longer if necessary.) Taste for seasoning. Add more chili pepper or herbs if you like. If you find it too tangy, add a tiny pinch of sugar for balance. (Ceviche is meant to be citrusy, though.) Serve in bowls with nacho chips for dipping. Serves 4.

Lobster Quiche

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup each red & green pepper, diced

3 artichoke hearts, diced

1 1/2 cups cooked lobster meat, chopped

2 tsp fresh parsley, minced (or 1 tsp dry)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp celery salt

2 prepared pie crusts (8” or 9”)

4 eggs

1 cup whipping cream

3/4 cup whole milk

1 1/3 cups Gouda, grated

Preheat oven to 325°F. Melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; sweat until onion is tender. Add peppers, artichoke hearts and lobster. Toss until the lobster is just warm and coated in butter. Mix in parsley, pepper and celery salt, and spread the mixture over the bottom of the unbaked piecrusts. Blend the eggs, cream and milk together, and pour into pie crust. Top with grated cheese. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the centre is nearly set and a knife inserted one inch from the centre comes out clean. Serves 6.

Coconut Shrimp Carbonara

For the shrimp

12 strips smoked ham (cut like bacon strips)

12 shrimp

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp celery salt

1/2 tsp chili flakes

1 tbsp butter

For the carbonara

2 tbsp bacon fat (opt)

4 tbsp butter

1 1/2 cups shallots, minced

2 tbsp fresh garlic, minced

1/2 cup coconut cream (the solid in the coconut milk can)

2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced

1/2 cup white wine

4 cups cooked penne pasta

4 eggs

3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Prepare carbonara sauce while pasta is cooking, to ensure the penne will be hot enough to cook the raw eggs in the sauce. Whisk eggs and cheese together and set aside. Wrap each shrimp with a ham strip secured with a toothpick. Toss the wrapped shrimp in the spices to evenly coat. Heat butter over medium heat and, once the pan is hot, add the shrimp. Cook until they are opaque and starting to curl, and the ham is beginning to crisp (about 3-5 minutes on each side). Remove from heat and set aside. Heat the butter and bacon fat (if using) over medium heat; sauté the shallots and garlic until shallots are translucent. Add coconut cream and allow it to melt. Add parsley and turn heat to high. Once pan is sizzling, deglaze with the wine. Add in the hot, drained pasta and remove from heat. Add the egg mixture and mix quickly to evenly distribute it and create your sauce. Season to taste, top with shrimp and serve immediately. Serves 2.

BY KIM THISTLE

What self-respecting Newfoundlander does not love a bit of salt junk and vegetables? Firstly, the discussion should be about the difference between “cooked dinner” and “Jiggs dinner.” Newfoundlanders are almost as passionate about this as they are about the difference between turnip and rutabaga. My understanding is that “cooked dinner” has some sort of roasted meat, be it beef, pork or fowl. Jiggs dinner, however, consists of vegetables and salt meat. Gawd, I hope I got that right or there will be mutiny.

I cannot do much in the way of helping you grow or salt the meat, but I can certainly give guidance on growing the vegetables. First of all, you will need to decide if you can manage a garden and the cabin. If you spend more time at your “summer home” during the growing season, it would probably be best to plant said garden at the cabin or cottage where you can keep an eye on it. Gardens are not a wise choice for folks who like to be travelling all the time, so think it through before you start.

I have listed the vegetables most often included in a traditional Jiggs dinner, with the exception of the split peas. I have never tried to grow these and have no idea if they would be successful in our climate.

Greens

Look for “rapeseed” at your local nursery. The connoisseurs tell me that rapeseed is superior to Turnip Top Green seed. I gotta be honest, I can’t tell the difference. Greens have a fast turnaround time and grow well in cool weather. Broadcast them as early as you can work the soil. Don’t plant them one by one, or you will go batty. Greens are harvested after about 50-55 days, so you can sow seed every two weeks (or so) to have continuous greens all summer. Word of warning… they tend to bolt (go to flower) in the heat of summer, so try to avoid that midsummer heat and concentrate on growing them in spring and early summer, or late summer and fall.

Parsnip

These delicious roots take a long time to grow, so be sure to get your seed in the ground early. Late April or early May is best, as long as the soil is not sopping wet or covered in a layer of ice. Soil temperature should be a minimum of 2°C, but ideally should be about 10°C. Avoid using old seed. Parsnip seed does not keep well from year to year, and your germination may be poor if using leftover seed from the previous season.

Spuds

Buy certified seed potatoes and plant them around the 24th of May weekend. Try to get them in the ground before you head off to the cabin (or plant them at the cabin). Potatoes will turn green if exposed to sun, so be sure to hill them up with new soil throughout the summer to protect those tubers from sunburn.

Carrots

These seeds can be planted as early as the soil can be worked. I often get mine in the ground in early May, but it depends on the sort of spring we are having. Once you plant them, you can’t go to the cabin unless you have an automatic on/off drip hose. Carrot seeds do not like to dry out while germinating. Once you see those greens reaching a couple of inches high, you can get on the road again.

Cabbage

Newfoundland gardeners are fussy about their cabbage type. A few of the preferred varieties are Copenhagen Market, Early Jersey Wakefield and Stonehead. I had a customer tell me to stop growing that old Savoy. “’Tis nothing but dirt!” Well, I happen to love it. You are best purchasing small cabbage plants rather than direct seeding, but if you want to stagger your crops, you can direct seed for a later harvest.

Beet

I love freshly roasted beet, but apparently I am weird. “They” tell me you have to have pickled beet to go with your Jiggs dinner, so not only do you have to grow the beet, but now you have to pickle it, too. If you are growing beet to bottle, look for Cylindra beet seed. They grow to approximately 5” long and are easy to slice. Because of their length, they have a habit of pushing up through the ground as they grow, so be sure to hill them to keep the roots tender. This variety tends to be a bit sweeter than the average red beet.

Turnip/Rutabaga

(It really is Rutabaga), I like Laurentian the best; it’s an oldie but goody. You can direct seed once the soil is about 15°C, but I have had good success with starting this seed indoors and then planting outside once the seedlings have a couple of sets of true leaves on them. (The first two round leaves are not true leaves.) Turnip, parsnip and carrot all sweeten after the frost has had a chance to convert the starches to sugar, so leave them in the ground until they get a good, hard frost.

Dessert

Well, now you have to go out berrypicking. No Jiggs dinner is complete without blueberry duff or partridgeberry pudding. The best part of this ingredient is that Mother Nature gives you a break and does the growing for you.

Now go make your mudder-in-law proud!

Kim is a horticultural consultant, a retired garden centre owner and a dedicated garden enthusiast!

Got a question for Kim?

Norma Mesher Knight photo

Trawl for Haul

Edmund Moss of Open Hall gets a trawl ready in this photo taken in the early 1960s.

Bride Mouland Gander, NL

Horsing Around

“This photo of my dad, Percy Noseworthy, was taken in 1941, in New Brunswick before he was shipped to Hong Kong,” writes the submitter.

Herb Noseworthy

Christina Lake, BC

Four Generations

“A rare photo of my family taken at St. John’s in 1962, shows four generations of Cornicks,” writes the submitter. “Rear: father Cyril and grandfather Harry; middle: son John; front: grandson Bradley. Both Harry and Cyril were longtime employees of Bowring Brothers Ltd. in St. John’s.”

John Cornick

Halifax, NS

Old Salts

Alphonsus Hickey and Gordon Traverse are on the water in this undated photo taken in Placentia Bay.

Bridget Leonard Jerseyside, NL

The Downhomer

June 1989

Greenhouse Deal About to Close

The troubled Sprung Greenhouse may be sold shortly, according to agriculture minister Rick Woodford. Negotiations have been going on for nearly four months with a consortium of American, Dutch and Canadian firms.

Provincial officials have vowed to either sell the greenhouse soon or mothball the $29-million project. The price for which the consortium proposes the greenhouse be sold is in the vicinity of $3-$4 million.

When receivers toured the Mount Pearl greenhouse in March, the Dutch horticulturalists brought in to manage the failing project quickly discovered that the hydroponic complex was on the brink of suffering a massive crop failure. The Dutch group found that the complex contained high levels of carbon dioxide.

Less than a week before receivers took control of Newfoundland Enviroponics, the owners were claiming sabotage. At that time, Dawn Sprung led news people through the project, claiming that she feared unknown individuals were about to poison her cucumber crop again. RCMP investigators found no evidence indicating that criminals poisoned the Sprung’s cucumbers, according to Mr. Woodford. The outgoing minister feels that it is likely that carbon dioxide, not poison, killed the crops.

Mr. Woodford also believes that Sprung’s practice of having too many workers and too many managers on the payroll caused the financial problems in the project.

Blown off course in a November gale, the story of her eventual rescue on the other side of the Atlantic is legendary.

By Marie-Beth Wright

Esther Carter was born in Greenspond, NL, in 1875. She was just 15 years old when she left home to go “in service” in St. John’s. It was a common thing in those days for outport girls to work as live-in maids and nannies in the city. Her adventurous nature would serve her well as life unfolded.

By 1907, Esther had moved back to the northeast coast and that year married widower Peter Humphries from nearby Newtown. Peter was the bosun on the large E & S Barbour schooner, Neptune II. Their youngest child was 12 when Esther requested passage on the Neptune II in the fall of 1929, to visit two of her daughters and her old friends in St. John’s.

Her visiting done, on November 29, 1929, Esther joined Captain Job Barbour, the crew and other passengers for the journey home. She was the only woman on board.

“I’m so glad I did not lose my passage,” she announced, coming aboard at the last minute. Their departure had been delayed by poor weather; November gales are notorious, and Esther’s resolve to travel so late in the season would be sorely tested.

The overnight run turned ominous when high winds and snow squalls blew them off course. It was a rough start to what would be a torturous attempt to get back to land. A series of storms would batter the threemasted schooner and keep her off course for weeks.

Esther was soon felled by seasickness and confined to her berth. The ship’s supply of fresh water was marred with salty brine; indeed, during numerous storms that followed, sea water often rushed into the forecastle, drenching her berth and causing great alarm. Food was rationed, the ship’s sails were torn to shreds and crewmen, including Esther’s husband, were injured as angry seas swept over the deck. The schooner, lacking an engine, was at the mercy of the stormy seas.

Unable to eat, Esther later explained what kept her alive: “port wine and brandy,” which she was carrying back to Newtown. On

December 12, the liner SS Cedric came across the heavily damaged vessel. The captain offered to take Esther off, since she was quite weak. Having to leave her husband and demoralize the others, she refused.

She later recounted, “I was brave for the sake of the crew.” For her perseverance, they dubbed her “a good seawoman.”

Christmas came and went with the seafarers’ wistful thoughts of worried family far away. By December 30, their hopeless plight forced a realization: survival was to turn towards the British Isles. By this time, Esther

Esther and Peter Humphries when they were a young married couple, before their adventure on the Neptune II.

was near death. Captain Barbour and Peter even discussed what to do with the body, should she die. So strong was their love that her husband declared that he would follow her overboard if she had to be buried at sea.

steamer

and

into Tobermory. Desperately needed medical attention was soon provided.

hearing of their 48 days adrift with a lady passenger, its officer replied, “A lady on board? And she is still alive?

But as Esther later recounted, “In spite of the weariness, the nervewracking monotony, the almost utter exhaustion of my physical existence, I still had the will to live!”

After drifting 5,000 miles over seven weeks, by happenstance, land was sighted in the north of Scotland. They were finally rescued by the

The Hesperus’ motor launch went out to the anchored ship and, once hearing of their 48 days adrift with a lady passenger, its officer replied, “A lady on board? And she is still alive? It’s amazing!”

Once docked in Tobermory, the Neptune II was overrun with newspaper reporters and photographers. Within hours, all creature comforts were provided and a reception for the misadventurers took place at the Mishnish Hotel, hosted by the town

Hesperus

towed

The Neptune II. After her ordeal, she was fitted with a Kelvin engine for the return trip across the Atlantic.

It’s amazing!”

Duncan MacGilp and his wife. He was about six years old when the Neptune II was towed into Tobermory and Esther Humphries was received into his family home.

council. Esther, who could hardly walk, had to decline. Instead, she was led to the bank manager’s home where his wife sat with her. Esther later recalled, “Mrs. MacGilp was very, very kind. She did pity me.”

Esther and Peter spent their extended stay in Oban with the family of Mr. Whyte, the pier master.

The story of their miraculous survival travelled far. Telegrams poured in from dignitaries in Newfoundland

and in the British Isles. In Newtown, ringing bells, hoisted flags and general rejoicing continues to this day, every January 16th. After two weeks, Esther and Peter and some crew members travelled to Liverpool to begin the return journey. Once they landed in St. John’s, the Humphrieses returned to Newtown on February 14, 1930, via train and then dog team from Gambo.

As granddaughter Vera explains,

Vera HumphriesWalsh and her brother, Jack Humphries. They are two of Esther and Peter Humphries’ grandchildren.

“Gram was still so weak she had to have a special section added to the sled to lie down, where she was covered by a fur coat to keep warm.”

Roland Humphries, the couple’s oldest son, in a 1982 interview with Memorial University Archives, reiterated how the Scottish doctors attributed his mother’s survival to alcoholic stimulants. Waiting anxiously at home, not knowing for weeks what had happened to his parents, Roland somehow kept the faith. He says, “I don’t know why, but I never gave up hope.”

On board the Neptune II, camaraderie developed among those adrift. Esther promised to make a wedding cake for seaman Harold Keats if they survived. Happily, it

was a promise kept.

Many more ships were caught in the same hurricane force winds as the Neptune II, and several sank, making the survival of the Neptune II and all her hands all the more sensational. The story endured for years after.

Captain Job Barbour wrote a book about it, called Forty-Eight Days Adrift, and gave numerous radio interviews. In 1986, the ill-fated voyage was featured in Reader’s Digest, and the story was dramatized at the opening of the Barbour Living Heritage Village in 1997.

Esther and Peter Humphries lived another 30 years after their unique experience. They even continued to travel aboard the Neptune II many times over.

Peter and Esther Humphries enjoyed 30 more years together after surviving their harrowing journey on the Neptune II.

This issue you are reading is our 35th June magazine. We thought it’d be interesting to mark this milestone with a look back at every June cover we’ve ever published.

A Cover Story

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Send to Downhome, 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3 or call 1-888-588-6353

Tony McGrath photo

The Beaten Path

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.

Last Month’s Community: Newtown

Sheri Emerson Sanders photo

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.

Last Month’s Answer: Keels

Picturesque Place NameS of Newfoundland and Labrador

by Mel D’Souza

Use these 5 clues to identify where Ragged Rick is now:

• This outport was founded on the inshore fishery

• Its name is French for “short, strong”

• It was once connected by ferry to Placentia

• Less than 70 people live here year-round

• Located behind the “knee” of the Burin Peninsula

Last Month’s Answer: York Harbour

Tanya Northcott photo

In Other Words

Guess the well-known expression written here in other words.

Last Month’s Clue: Thou constructed thy cot In Other Words: You made your bed

This Month’s Clue: Not one period akin to the current one

In Other Words: ___ _____ _____ ____ ________

A Way With Words

BED BED

Last Month’s Answer: Double bed

This Month’s Clue

Rhyme Time

A rhyming word game by Ron Young

1. To spot a fir is to ___ a ____

2. To enjoy a nature walk is to ____ a ____

Answer:

3. To launch a canoe is to _____ a ____

Last Month’s Answers 1. blame game, 2. foul towel, 3. bare bear

Scrambled Sayings 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.

Last month’s answer: The main things that you have to remember on this journey is, just be nice to everyone and always smile.

Rhymes 5 Times

Each answer rhymes with the other four

1. startle____________

2. elevate____________

3. smart____________

4. scold____________

5. redo____________

Last Month’s Answers: 1. throne, 2. bone,

3. tone, 4. stone, 5. own

Don’t get your knickers in a knot!

Puzzle answers can be found online at DownhomeLife.com/puzzles

Tangled Towns

by Lolene Young Condon and Ron Young

Sound out the groups of words below to get a familiar expression.

For best results sound the clue words out loud!

Red He Forth Erode _____ ___ ___ ____

Thud Era Belt Ooze ___ ________ ____

Last Month’s 1st Clue: High Moan Leak

Hidden. Answer: I’m only kiddin’

Last Month’s 2nd Clue: Dawn Judy Lame

He Answer: Don’t you delay me

A

nalogical A nagrams

Unscramble each of the five groups of letters below to get 5 Newfoundland and Labrador place names.

1. BRARHOU PEDE

2. SCAKSJON RMA

3. LOPSRALD ONTIP

4. MAPHEDN

5. SWETTPOR

Last Month’s Answers:

1. Nameless Cove, 2. Anchor Point,

3. Black Duck Cove, 4. Salmon Rock, 5. Green Island Brook

Unscramble the capitalized words to get one word that matches the subtle clue.

1. NEAR VARY SIN ~ Clue: a date many men can’t remember

2. DIP FIR HENS ~ Clue: this ship keeps us afloat in hard times

3. ATTIC FIERCE ~ Clue: it makes you look good on paper

4. RAG AIR ME ~ Clue: where two is company and three is a problem

5. ELVES FORT ~ unlike revenge, they’re best served warm

Last Month’s Answers: 1. mandatory, 2. battery, 3. designers, 4. punishment, 5. turnover

Four-Way Crossword

ForeWords • BackWords • UpWords • DownWords

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.

1-10: unprotected

1-91: meatless

3-43: subsequently

6-36: wealthy

7-10: skilled

8-5: naked

8-48: commenced

9-39: insignia

11-13: epoch

15-12: small jet

15-18: reside

17-14: despicable

17-47: cast ballot

20-18: foot digit

20-40: Scot’s hat

21-23: stomach

21-41: acquire

26-23: outer garment

26-28: gear part

26-76: celibate

32-52: pool stick

35-5: rod

35-31: portion

35-33: tart

36-56: possesses

36-76: hurriedness

37-67: golf starts

40-10: spouse

40-31: spokesperson

40-36: gob

42-45: advocate

43-41: groove

44-84: newlywed

50-47: walkway

52-82: effortless

54-52: regret

55-52: genuine

58-88: barrel

60-55: most aged

61-31: merit

61-63: rodent

63-66: civil wrong

67-47: look at 70-67: paddles

71-91: writer Flemming

72-75: sight

80-73: roof

82-84: sweet potato

84-54: anchor boat

85-88: froth

87-67: donkey

89-59: colt

91-100: graveyard

93-33: nab

93-73: hat

93-96: harvest

96-56: bards

96-76: Edgar Allan

100-10: class buddy

100-50: fish group

100-97: haystack

Last Month’s Answer

The Bayman’s Crossword Puzzle

by Ron Young

ACROSS

1. “___ on a Stick” – first play by Codco

4. paddle

5. Old ___ – nightmare

6. What’s going on? (4 words, colloq)

15. “I can handle a jigger, and cuts a fine figure, whenever I gets in a boat’s standing ____”

17. ___ Perlican

18. driving while impaired (abbrev)

19. auricle

20. snakelike fish

21. butter container

23. La Manche (abbrev)

24. Canadian territory

26. all

28. past tense of set (colloq)

29. affirmative vote

30. Fishery Products International (abbrev)

32. America (abbrev)

34. last letter

35. nuns’ wear

37. “I’ve been a wild _____ for many’s the year, and I’ve spent all me money on whiskey and beer”

39. backwater (colloq)

41. yuck

42. Europe (abbrev)

44. husband of Mrs.

45. Disaster Prevention Research Institute (abbrev)

47. “Red sky __ night, sailor’s delight”

48. warning

51. “I’m a Newfoundlander born and bred, and I’ll be one ’til _ __” (2 words)

53. “_______ ___ _ ___ ages and boys in the bargain” (4 words)

DOWN

1. “Stay where you’re to ’til I _____ _____ _____ __” (4 words)

2. osteoarthritis (abbrev)

3. rambunctious play (2 words, colloq)

7. Harbour Mille (abbrev)

8. digit

9. marble (colloq)

10. road (abbrev)

11. “____ tawts are too far aft”

12. United Dairies (abbrev)

13. shoemaker’s tool

14. “My ____ __ ____ come like everyone” (3 words)

16. Organization of African Unity (abbrev)

20. door to cod trap

21. Labrador ___ – plant

22. “I’s da __”

25. seep

27. snake poison

30. Fortune Bay (abbrev)

31. “I’m a broken man on a Halifax ____”

33. Conception Bay ____

35. laughter sound

36. “___ __ you get cranky without a silk hanky” (2 words)

38. virtual reality (abbrev)

40. “Her old weathered face brightens up with a ____”

43. yep

46. “one split ___ and a ten pound tub”

48. “He don’t know if he’s punched __ bored”

49. “Oh __ nerves!”

50. New Melbourne (abbrev)

52. hairstyle

ANSWERS TO LAST MONTH’S

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.

CRACK THE CODE

Each symbol represents a letter of the alphabet, for instance = S Try to guess the smaller, more obvious words to come up with the letters for the longer ones. The code changes each month.

_

3

b

_ Y _

b _ H _

b

H _

7

H

z S , B

Y

Z h _ b b

B _ Z

Y

z S

; _ l t t

© 2023 Ron Young

©2023 Ron Young

© 2023 Ron Young

Food For Thought

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.”

Last Month’s Answer: Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.

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 CHECK OUT AN INUKSUK

Last

Month’s Answers:

The words can be across, up, down, backward or at an angle, but always in a line.

R I L Y P F D F Q I E E M N G G U O

X H D Z L R T S E U D D O R F N R N T A B E N F H

V G R C H E H T W T Q D O R I R T H H N Z U S Q P

R B A A O I Y S T F V N D M E U T K I L O N S D R

K C G P N R B K W P T F E A R H B P S N H C Y E D

X O W G O X M O B U R R D E H W V M T L U K S R P

G Z E T F G F O U R B E P C U C M S O J L H G J Z

R N S L N N L B Q J R Z E H W Z F M R T R I V I A

C S E L Z Z U P W S E Y B J K A E I Y E Z X Z K M

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 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.”

Plush Beanbag Puffin #74903 | $6.99

Plush L’il Hunk Moose #60291 | $6.99

Plush L’il Hunk Lobster #74904 | $6.99

Plush Peek-a-Boo Moose & Puffin #51802 | $16.99

Plush Puffin #56144 | $13.99

Plush NL Dog #43618 | $22.99

Canned Seal #77409 | $18.99

Canned Moose #77408 | $18.99

Canned Puffin #77410 | $18.99

120 Piece Rowhouse Puzzle #84013 | $11.99

Puffin Night Light #83992 | $16.99

Puffin Lampshade Night Light #83990 | $16.99

Moose Night Light #83991 | $16.99

120 Piece Cabot Tower Starry Night Puzzle #84014 | $11.99

Black Spiral Lighthouse Night Light #83987 | $16.99

Puffin Fashion Scarf #83998 | $23.99

Black Striped Lighthouse Night Light #83989 | $16.99

Red Topped Lighthouse Night Light #83988 | $16.99

NL Trucker Ball Cap - Burgundy #83760 | $21.99

NL Moose Ball Cap #77329 | $19.99

NL Tye Dye Ball Cap #84179 | $23.99

NL Trucker Ball Cap - Navy #83759 | $21.99

NL Semi-formal Hat Ball Cap - Mint Green #84178 | $21.99

NL Flag Wrap Ball Cap #35896 | $19.99

NL Tye Dye Bucket Cap #84180 | $25.99

Chunky Waffle Newfoundland Toque #83512 | $19.99

NL Semi-formal Hat Ball Cap - Pink #84177 | $21.99

This Takes the Cake

As soon as we saw this photo, taken by Julie on her birthday in her happy place, we knew it was the perfect picture to close out our 35th anniversary issue!

Julie Baggs Burgeo, NL

Do you have an amazing or funny photo to share?

Turn to page 9 to find out how to submit.