Downhome August 2023

Vol 36 • No 03

$4.99

August 2023

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The Hen with the Wooden Leg

Do Bees Have Knees?

Doggie Dens and Kitty Condos

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YOU’LL HAVE MORE FUN(DS) WHEN YOU FLY WITH US.

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life is better Published monthly in St. John’s by Downhome Publishing Inc. 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3 Tel: 709-726-5113 • Fax: 709-726-2135 • Toll Free: 1-888-588-6353 E-mail: mail@downhomelife.com Website: www.downhomelife.com Editorial Editor-in-Chief Janice Stuckless Assistant Editor Nicola Ryan Editor Lila Young

Warehouse Operations Warehouse / Inventory Manager Carol Howell Warehouse Operator Josephine Collins Shipping/Receiving Clerk Jacinta Squires

Art and Production Art Director Vince Marsh Illustrator Mel D’Souza Illustrator Snowden Walters

Retail Operations Retail Floor Manager, St. John’s Jackie Rice Retail Floor Manager, Twillingate Donna Keefe Retail Sales Associates Crystal Rose, Jonathon

Advertising Sales Account Manager Barbara Young Account Manager Ashley O’Keefe Marketing Director Tiffany Brett Finance and Administration Accountant Marlena Grant Accountant Sandra Gosse

Organ, Erin McCarthy, Kim Tucker, Heather Stuckless, Katrina Hynes, Destinee Rogers, Amy Young, Emily Snelgrove, Brandy Rideout, Alexandria Skinner, Emily Power, Colleen Giovannini, Rachael Hartery, Julie Gidge, Austin Wheeler

Subscriptions Customer Service Associate Lisa Tiller Founding Editor Ron Young Chief Executive Officer/Publisher Grant Young

Operations Manager, Twillingate Nicole Mehaney

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 Official onboard magazine of

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72

see it. do it.

Contents

AUGUST 2023

56 Crab Crawl Wildlife technician Todd Hollett takes us on a tour of the crab species inhabiting Newfoundland and Labrador, from the dreaded to the highly prized.

66 A Walk on the Wild Side Dennis Flynn takes us inside Salmonier Nature Park, which turns 50 this year.

72 If You Go Here, Do This

66 wild things!

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The don’t miss, must try, most enjoyable things to do, see and stop for in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Nicola Ryan

110 Down to Earth Cottage Gardens for Cottage Gardeners Kim Thistle August 2023

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Contents

AUGUST 2023

homefront 8 I Dare Say A note from the Editor 10 Letters From Our Readers Miniature boat building, a Ski-Doo wedding and more on the Dew Drop Inn

18 Downhome Tours Mexico 20 Why is That? Where does the saying “down to the wire” come from? And what are the “bee’s knees”?

Linda Browne

22 Life’s Funny Girl’s Got Rhythm Martha (Devereaux) Snow

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top of the world

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

24 Lil Charmers Strawberry Fields 26 Pets of the Month Garden Party 28 Reviewed Denise Flint reviews The Good Women of Safe Harbour by Bobbi French 30 What Odds Paul Warford waxes

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do bees even have knees?

poetic about his dad

32 Fresh Tracks Wendy Rose reviews Weary’s sophomore album Hush 36 Adventures Outdoors Cautious Optimism Gord Follett

26 life on the outside

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48 rainbow connection

features 42 Woods Island Legacy Descendants of a long-resettled outport have come back together to keep their ancestry alive.

Kim Ploughman

48 Chasing Rainbows A series of photos and interesting facts to brighten your day

62 Tribute to a Titan Long live the legacy of Gus Etchegary (19242023) David Vardy

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be there in the square www.downhomelife.com

explore 86 Hip to Be Square The ongoing story of Churchill Park, NL’s first garden suburb. Kim Ploughman August 2023

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Contents

AUGUST 2023

104 chill out

home and cabin 92 Stuff We Love Mermaid’s Treasure Nicola Ryan

94 Ask Marie Anything Interior designer Marie Bishop answers your questions.

98 The Everyday Gourmet Cauliflower Steak “Korma” Andrea Maunder

92 creature comforts

104 Downhome Recipes Stay Cool

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116 hit the road

118

back in the day

reminiscing 116 Flashbacks Classic photos of people and places.

About the cover This photo of Burin was taken by reader Tanya Northcott during one of her trips to the beautiful Burin Peninsula. In our cover story, we’ll take you to this region and seven others in search of memorable places to see and things to do.

Cover Index Chill Out With These Frozen Treats! • 104 Walk on the Wild Side • 66 32 Places to See Sample & Stay • 72 The Hen with the Wooden Leg • 118 Do Bees Have Knees? • 20 Doggie Dens and Kitty Condos • 94 www.downhomelife.com

117 This Month in History Sir Humphrey Gilbert

118 The Hen with the Wooden Leg And other stories from childhood days in Springdale Victor A. French, P.Geo.

124 Puzzles 136 Colouring Page 138 Classifieds 140 Mail Order 144 Photo Finish August 2023

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i dare say

Please tell me there is sun in August.

As I write this near the end of June, we’ve been wet and cold, livin’ in a fog, for weeks on end in much of Newfoundland. If only the capelin would roll and put us out of our misery.

It wasn’t the best spring for gardeners, for sure. But I heard they got a bumper crop of tourists in Twillingate, where icebergs kept the winds cool but the tour boats running hot. And, thankfully, we haven’t had to worry about wildfires threatening our homes and polluting our air.

Looking for silver linings in those dark clouds is probably what led us to this month’s fascination with rainbows (p. 48). Rainbows are a welcome sight whenever and wherever they appear. They are symbols of hope, promises of better times ahead and signals that the storm has passed.

Wherever you find yourself reading this issue, I hope you are soaking up the sun, basking in its warmth, maybe playing it cool with one of our frozen treat recipes (p. 104) or planning one more road trip (If You Go Here, Do This, p. 72). Now excuse me while I go put on a sweater!

Thanks for reading,

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

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Submission Guidelines and Prize Rules

You could WIN $100!

Every reader whose PHOTO, STORY, JOKE or POEM appears next to this yellow “from our readers” stamp in a current issue receives $10 and a chance at being drawn for the monthly prize: $100 for one photo submission and $100 for one written submission. Prizes are awarded in Downhome Dollars certificates, which can be spent like cash in our retail stores and online at shopDownhome.com.*

Submit Today!

Send your photo, story, joke or poem to

Downhome, 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3 or submit online at: www.downhomelife.com *Only 1 prize per submitter per month. To receive their prize, submitters must provide with their submission COMPLETE contact information: full name, mailing address, phone number and email address (if you have one). Mailed submissions will only be returned to those who include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Downhome Inc. reserves the right to publish submissions in future print and/or electronic media campaigns. Downhome Inc. is not responsible for unsolicited material.

Hidden somewhere in this issue is Corky Sly Conner.

Can you find him?

Look carefully at all the photographs and in the text of the stories. If you spot Corky, send us your name, address and phone number, along with a note telling us where he’s located. Your name will be entered in a draw and the winner will receive a coupon worth 25 Downhome Dollars redeemable at our store, or through our website.

Send your replies to: Corky 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.

Congratulations to Violet Harris of Heatherton, NL who found Corky on page 124 of the June issue!

*No Phone Calls Please. One entry per person

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August 2023

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Newfoundland Proud

Childhood friends Charlene Hiscock (Feehan) and Krista Maloney (Winsor), formerly of Port Union, NL, made their dream come true when they reached Base Camp Everest on May 22, 2023. You made all Newfoundlanders proud by holding the Newfoundland flag at Base Camp Everest for this picture! Congratulations, ladies! It is quite the accomplishment!

Helen Feehan Port Union, NL

Quite the feat, indeed. Congratulations to these adventurers!

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Miniature Boat Building I read with great interest Dennis Flynn’s article on Mr. David Arscott’s lifelong hobby in miniature boat building in the May issue [“Arscott’s Armada”]. My 12-year-old grandson, Charles Campbell, is on a similar track. It all started with him building miniature furniture for his sisters’ Barbie house. And because of his interest in history, notably naval ships, he began building famous ships throughout history. His collection includes the Charles W. Morgan, the USS Constitution and the Santa Maria.

This is Charles with the Charles W. Morgan he built. The sails are remnants of his cloth diapers soaked in tea to age them.

Norma Davis Peterborough, ON

Fine work, Charles!

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Arscott’s Armada I enjoyed reading about the amazing model ships built by David Arscott. In your article, David noted: “There is something about ships. People love them and it can’t really be explained.” The fact that he was born in Saint John, NB, explains it for me. I was born there, too, and remember how people who live in Saint John have such a love for ships and the sea. It’s in their blood. So nice that David combined his wonderful building talent and love of ships to create these models.

Moosey Moosey We moved to Newfoundland six days ago and our son already has a new best friend that comes to visit every day. He calls him Moosey Moosey.

Irene Mackenzie Corner Brook, NL

John Eldridge Richmond, BC

Thank you for your letter, John. It’s always nice to know that readers are enjoying the stories we cover.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, ALL the locals go out of their way to welcome new neighbours!

First Doll at 98 Daisy May Starkes was born on July 19, 1924. She lost her mom at the young age of four years old. She couldn’t ever remember getting a doll for Christmas.

She turned 98 in 2022, and received her first doll that Christmas. She named her Julia, after her mother.

She is an avid quilter on an old foot-pedal Singer sewing machine. She also goes to Bingo three nights a week. She still lives in her own apartment in a seniors complex and goes out with her worker to do her own grocery shopping.

Being the oldest resident of New-WesValley, she is still very witty and has a great sense of humour.

Darlene Hubley-Kean Badger’s Quay, NL

It’s so nice that someone thought to give her such a meaningful present. Who remembers the first doll or toy they ever got? Any of you still have yours?

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Dew Drop Inn Lewisporte Decades ago, when visiting Lewisporte, there was a business with that name on the right hand side of Main Street going into the town. I never actually went into the building and the memory of the actual look of the building isn’t real clear. For sure anyone of age who has actually lived there would be able to confirm if the photo is from Lewisporte.

Bill Dugan Via email

We got a lot of response to that mystery painting… a LOT! We heard that there was a Dew Drop Inn in Botwood, in Stephenville Crossing and, from you, in Lewisporte. While there may have been businesses of the same name in other communities, most respondents agree that this particular painting is of the one in Topsail, Conception Bay South. The following letter explains more, and watch for a deeper dive into this family-run restaurant in an upcoming issue.

Flea Market Mystery I have just received my June issue and fond memories of growing up in Topsail, Conception Bay South, came back to me when I saw the painting of the Dew Drop Inn. This family-run business was located on Topsail Road, almost directly across from Spruce Hill Road, where I grew up. The house to the left in the painting was the

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residence of the family that ran the restaurant, the Tuckers. Most popular item on the menu was the half chicken and chips.

Howard Hibbs Via email

Thanks, Howard, for the information. That painting evoked delicious memories for a lot of readers.

August 2023

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Our Ski-Doo Wedding My husband and I got married April 15, 2023, on the beautiful west coast of Newfoundland. We are avid Ski-Dooers, and when Desmond popped the question last August there was no doubt in our minds to plan our wedding day any other way. We headed for Wheeler’s Canyon in Lewis Hills with 42 friends and family on 29 Ski-Doos. Our ceremony was nothing short of spectacular with a breathtaking view and lots of love. We enjoyed a BBQ boil-up on the trail for all our guests after the ceremony, and in true Newfie fashion there was lots of grub! We are so lucky to live in a place where the beauty surrounding us adds to the most special days of our lives.

Ashley Penney Baie Verte, NL

Congratulations, Ashley and Desmond! Here are the photos you shared of your special day (taken by Steve Sheppard Photography). Any other readers have a unique wedding day in Newfoundland and Labrador?

Tell us your story and send us some photos. We’d love to share them in a future issue. Upload your photos and story to Downhomelife.com/ submit, or email them to us at editorial@downhomelife.com.

Correction The “Only in Newfoundland” feature in the June issue (p. 68) was attributed to the wrong writer. That story was written by Pam Pardy. Downhome regrets the error.

Also, in the Reminiscing story “Esther’s 48 Days Adrift,” the captions for the photos on p. 116 were accidentally swapped. The top photo is actually of Vera Humphries-Walsh and her brother Jack Humphries, while the bottom photo is of Duncan MacGilp and his wife. Downhome regrets the error.

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Sponsored Editorial

A Veterinarian’s Love for a Special Newfoundland Pony

Dr. Boyd and Little Catalina

Growing up in Stephenville, Dr. Jessica Boyd dreamed of becoming a

veterinarian. After fulfilling that dream, she returned home and joined the West Coast Veterinary Services practice. Today, Dr. Boyd devotes much of her precious spare time to being a champion for the Newfoundland Pony in Western Newfoundland.

Dr. Boyd and her family live at Driftwood Acres Farm just outside Stephenville, where they care for a growing herd of animals. The farm is home to two Appaloosa horses, a Shetland pony, a donkey, dogs, cats, turkeys, and guinea fowl birds. But the stars of the farm are her Newfoundland Ponies. Seven Newfoundland Ponies call Driftwood Acres home, including two foals who were born last summer, North and Apple. Rounding out the Pony gang are Holly Dolly, Fury, Gambo Joe, Comfort and Diamond.

A past president of the Newfoundland Pony Society (NPS), educating the public about the Pony is a priority for Dr. Boyd. Promoting awareness is important for increasing public interest and ensuring responsible ownership for the Pony. When asked why she devotes so much time to advocating for the Pony, Dr. Boyd says, “I think they’re really special. They

are a very unique breed; their bloodlines are very old. They are non-reactive, easy to train and kind. They are very sensible and make a great family pet. A Newfoundland Pony can be your child’s best friend. They are extremely adaptable and trainable.”

Pony ownership is not without its challenges – or heartbreak. Last summer Dr. Boyd lost one of her beloved Ponies, a beautiful mare named Little Catalina #945.

Little Catalina became gravely ill when she was on a pasture that was accessible to the public; visitors came by and fed her too many apples. By the time Dr. Boyd got home from work and saw her, she knew something was very wrong.

Losing Little Catalina was especially devastating given that she hadn’t had any foals yet and was going to be bred. “She was a really nice pony. She one of the first ponies

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to come to the fence when people approached.

She was a very nice mover, a pretty and dainty pony.” Looking for the silver lining despite the huge loss, Dr. Boyd says “I take some comfort in knowing that Catalina’s story hopefully helps people to understand the importance of never feeding other people’s Ponies. It was a traumatic experience and I want something good to come from it.”

After this tragedy, some NPS supporters came together to raise funds for Dr. Boyd’s herd, and some of the funds were used to reinforce pasture fencing at Driftwood Acres. This allowed Dr. Boyd to move the entire herd to live full-time at the farm, where they can be closely monitored and protected.

Given the Pony’s endangered status, Dr. Boyd encourages prospective Pony owners to consider their responsibility to be stewards of the breed’s future. She is a firm believer in active conservation breeding. “If you’re going to buy a Newfoundland Pony and the animal is of breeding age, you should make sure that you make breeding a priority, and that your Pony has offspring. “Ideally, every Pony would have two foals to their credit,” she added.

One of the biggest challenges in increasing the number of animals is the small number of Ponies available of breeding age. In Newfoundland & Labrador especially, there are small herds with limited bloodlines and many males are gelded. The idea of cute foals galloping across a summer pasture is what most people think of when they hear about Pony breeding, but Dr. Boyd wants people to know that there’s a lot involved. Beyond the costs of keeping the animals, breeding can be an expensive venture with no guarantees. From trailering and transporting mares and stallions for breeding,

to finding pastures and related facilities that allow nature to take its course, there are considerable expenses to consider. Successful breeding requires a significant commitment of time and investment.

There is a growing interest in tapping into science to meet the challenges of traditional breeding methods amongst Pony owners, most notably the possibility of using artificial insemination (AI). Reducing the costs and potential risks involved when trailering mares and housing stallions, AI could be a real game changer to increase the number of Ponies, providing Pony owners with access to a wider range of diverse bloodlines and eliminating geographic challenges.

For example, if AI was more widely used, mares in Newfoundland could be bred with stallions located anywhere in the country, without having to transport the animals out of province.

“We need numbers, but not just carbon copies of the same bloodlines,” says Dr. Boyd.

Breeding responsibly is not only about esthetics and a desired look. Utility and nature played a huge role in shaping the breed characteristics we see today. As Dr. Boyd notes, “People need to want them for a reason, whether that be for riding, pleasure driving, or other jobs. They are expensive animals to keep and they’re not going to survive just here in people’s backyards.” She emphasizes that we need to support responsible breeding of Ponies outside of the province, no matter where in they may be located. From New York State to Alberta, and many points in between, enthusiastic Pony owners are key to the future survival of the breed.

Dr. Boyd adds, “they can’t just be a relic of the past. They’ve done a lot for us and our province, and we owe it to them to preserve the breed. Every Pony counts. Every single one.”

Little Catalina at far right in 2021

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homefront Downhome tours...

Mexico

Huatulco

“I decided to purchase a Downhome to read on the flight and the kind server gave me three copies of back issues to boot,” writes Connie Seward of Bonnyville, AB.

Located in the state of Oaxaca on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, Huatulco was once a small fishing village but has since been transformed into a Green Globe-certified sustainable tourism destination. Spend the day zip-lining at Hagia Sophia Sabiduria Sagrada, an eco-park set in the Sierra Madre Sur mountains, and explore the nature trails and botanical gardens.

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Cabo San Lucas

Rosalind Power of Holyrood, NL, poses at the Cabo Wabo restaurant with grandson Noah, son-in-law Kelly, husband Gordon and daughter Allison.

Did you know that the Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, is owned by American rocker Sammy Hagar?

The party’s in full swing seven days a week with live music and entertainment. Sip a cerveza on the rooftop patio, or splash out on a signature cocktail made with handcrafted Cabo Wabo tequila.

Playa del Carmen

In July 2018, Calvin and Gloria Perry of Oshawa, ON, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with family at the Ocean Riviera Paradise Resort in Playa del Carmen.

Playa del Carmen, a coastal resort town on the Yucatán Peninsula, is well known for white sandy beaches, turquoise waters and some of the best diving spots in the northern hemisphere. Visitors can take a scuba tour for glimpses of tropical fish, sea turtles, stingrays, sharks and barracuda.

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Expert answers to common life questions.

By Linda Browne

Where does the saying “down to the wire” come from? And is “down the pipe” related?

It’s Saturday night and you’re watching hockey, sitting on the edge of the couch and yelling at the TV as your team, at the very last second, manages to score the winning goal. “Whew, that came right down to the wire!” you think to yourself. But what is this “wire”? And does it have anything to do with sports? Turns out that yes, actually, it does.

The phrase “down to the wire” can be traced back to horse racing, says Kory Stamper, a lexicographer and former associate editor with MerriamWebster. She also runs the language blog, Harmless Drudgery, and appears in the Netflix series History of Swear Words, hosted by actor Nicolas Cage.

“In the late 1800s, the finishing line at a horse race was marked by something called ‘the wire,’ and reporting on the races spawned a whole series of phrases related to that final and decisive moment at the end of a horse race. Horses came in ‘under the wire’ (meaning they finished the race fully), or a race might come ‘down to the wire’ (meaning the winner couldn’t be called until the very last possible moment of the race, when all the horses began crossing the finish line), or a 20

August 2023

horse may perform well ‘wire to wire’ (from start to finish),” Stamper explains via email to Downhome.

“By the 20th century, these phrases had been adopted to refer to the final or decisive moment of any event; we still use ‘just under the wire’ to mean having just completed or finished something difficult or on time, and ‘down to the wire’ to mean at the very last moment or at the very end.”

The phrase “down the pipe,” Stamper says, “is a different critter altogether,” with the original phrase being “down the pike” (short for “turnpike”).

“Unlike ‘down to the wire,’ ‘come down the pike’ originally only had that extended meaning we give it today: to come to someone’s attention or notice, or to come onto the scene. Though ‘pike’ first showed up as a shortening 1-888-588-6353

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of ‘turnpike’ in the early 1800s, the phrase ‘come down the pike’ didn’t make an appearance in written English until the 20th century. ‘Down the pipe’ is a pretty recent transmogrification of ‘down the pike’ – it’s possible it first showed up because we rarely call highways turnpikes or pikes anymore (unless you live right by one),” she says.

The two phrases, Stamper notes, have caused a bit of contention over time. “I can find (somewhat scoldy) newspaper columns written about the confusion between ‘down the pipe’ and ‘down the pike’ back to the 1970s, which means that the phrase must have been in enough common use to warrant the attention of usage writers.”

Why do we say something is “the bee’s knees”?

Being outside on a beautiful summer’s day, sipping on a cold drink and basking in the warm sunshine is the definition of perfection. You might even say it’s the “bee’s knees.” As those busy bodies buzz around the garden, you might be wondering where this strange saying came from.

And do bees even have knees?

Regarding the former question, we must turn our minds to the Roaring ’20s, explains British lexicographer, broadcaster and writer Nigel Rees in Cassell’s Dictionary of Word and Phrase Origins.

“There has always been a fascination with bees’ knees. In the 18th century there was the expression, ‘as big as a bee’s knee’ and, in the 19th, ‘as weak as a bee’s knee,’” he writes.

“But the bee whose knees became celebrated in US slang by 1923 was probably only there because of the rhyme.”

These nonsense phrases (which often rhymed, but not always) were very much in vogue at the time, Rees explains, including such gems as “the kipper’s knickers,” “the

cat’s whiskers” (“perhaps because of the importance of these in tuning wireless crystal sets in the 1920s,” he adds), “the cat’s pyjamas,” “the eel’s ankle” and “the pig’s wings.”

As Stuart Berg Flexner wrote in his 1976 book, I Hear America Talking, Rees notes, these phrases could focus on “just about any combination of an animal, fish or fowl with a part of the body or article of clothing that was inappropriate for it.”

As for the second question, while bees do have joints in their legs (including one between the femur and tibia) that help them move, they don’t have knees in the way humans do.

Besides, “You’re the bee’s joints” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Do you have a burning life question for Linda to investigate?

Turn to page 9 for ways to contact us. www.downhomelife.com

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homefront life’s funny

Girl’s Got Rhythm I remember the day so clearly. My youngest son was at school, my husband was at work and my oldest son was on his way home for the weekend. I had the entire house to myself.

I cranked up the radio while cleaning the downstairs. I was sweeping when my favourite band, AC/DC, came on. I started dancing and singing with my broom. I was so into it, I felt like I was part of the band.

All of a sudden, I heard clapping. I turned around and my oldest son, Ken, was standing there. I hoped the floor would swallow me up.

I was in my late 30s then. Now I’m 75, and the memory still mortifies me.

Martha (Devereaux) Snow Welland, ON

Do you have any funny or embarrassing true stories?

Share them with us. If your story is selected, you’ll win a prize! See page 9 for details.

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moose. e m t o g “I t?”

Now whmaith S – Ryan

Say WHAT? Downhome recently posted this photo (submitted by Dana Mugford) on our website and social media platforms and asked folks to imagine what the boy might be saying. Ryan Smith’s response made us chuckle the most, so we’re awarding him 20 Downhome Dollars!

Here are the runners-up: “I wanted to ride a real moose!” – Danette G. Rowsell “Hold on, brother, we are going to grandma’s house in Newfoundland.” – Golda Ings “How do you steer this thing?” – DW

Play with us online! www.downhomelife.com/saywhat

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homefront lil charmers

Awash in Berries

Eva Marie soaks up the strawberry season at Mark’s Market.

Kayla Oram Wooddale, NL

Strawberry Fields Taste of Summer

Claire is fresh from the field and as sweet as can be.

Amy Fitzpatrick Labrador City, NL

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Berry Tasty Joey tries berry picking for the first time at Central U-Pick.

Jenay King Gander, NL

Strawberry Sisters

Sisters Olivia and Cecelia match in their sweet strawberry outfits.

Sharon Farrell Conception Bay South, NL

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homefront pets of the month

Let the Good Times Grow

Maggie’s in the greenhouse groove.

Norma Jones Bishop’s Cove, NL

Garden Party

Happiness Blooms

Zoey’s as pretty as Nanny’s garden in King’s Point, NL. Robin Newbury Katy, TX, USA 26

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Catcall

“Hey, birds, come and join us!”

Chelsey Stonehouse Fleming, SK

Feeling Bubbly Puppy Flint sees bubbles for the first time.

Serena Saunders Conception Bay South, NL

www.downhomelife.com

August 2023

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homefront

reviewed by Denise Flint

The Good Women of Safe Harbour Bobbi French Harper Collins $23.99

House cleaner Frances Delaney has a brain tumour and will die if it isn’t treated. But Frances believes that treatment won’t save her and so refuses any medical intervention. Instead, with the help of a young friend, Edie, who sees her as a second mother, she develops a bucket list to enjoy her final days. That’s the starting premise of Bobbi French’s first novel, The Good Women of Safe Harbour.

Frances’s first tentative steps towards living life before it’s too late are fairly modest. With Edie’s guidance she gets a manicure, she buys some new clothes, she goes to a fancy restaurant. But Edie keeps pushing to ensure Frances dies without regrets, and so contrives to reconnect her with a friend she became estranged from 40 years ago.

That’s when everything changes.

The Good Women of Safe Harbour takes a mundane woman of a certain age and class, and turns her into a hero as we accompany her on her journey towards making peace with her past, her present and her future. Perhaps the most poignant lesson the book teaches is that there are women like Frances all around us who have never truly indulged themselves, who have never really been noticed, who have lived quiet and unassuming lives with little apparent impact on the wider world. Yet their lives are still worth living, worth examining and worth celebrating.

French writes with both wit and compassion, and the interaction between Frances and her old friend, Annie, resonates with authenticity. You care about Frances right until the end, so here’s a friendly warning: keep a box of tissues handy.

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Q&A with the Author Denise Flint: You used to be a psychiatrist. Did you draw on that background to sculpt the characters and their behaviour?

Bobbi French: Definitely. In that work I think I met so many women whose difficult lives were due to factors beyond their control. When I sat down to write the book I was thinking of them, especially the ones who were wise and witty and very overlooked. Without those experiences this character would never have come to be. I think being a psychiatrist helps in writing fictional characters, in general, because you have a unique sense of people’s interior worlds. That almost feels like cheating because you have this insight into character. It’s a very different background to have.

DF: This book has been nominated for the Stephen Leacock award (among others). How much of a surprise was that?

BF: On a scale of one to 10, I’d say 30. I don’t think of this as a humorous book. It’s the intertwining of the hilarious and the tragic. While the book is about many different heavy things – loss and grief and loneliness and illness – I think there’s a lot of light and joy and warmth and good humour, and what I’m hoping is that that kind of recognition sees all that. There was so much discussion around publishing the book and whether people would engage with a book about a cleaning woman who’s dying, and the feedback is that people find it hilarious. That it softens death and dying pleases me to no end. www.downhomelife.com

DF: You’ve mentioned all the book clubs you’ve been invited to speak at. What’s that experience like?

BF: I wasn’t prepared for how important and wonderful those experiences have been. I count some of those evenings amongst the best of my life.

Those probing analyses show how deeply readers are engaging with the story. It’s so gratifying. There’s lots of laughing and love for the book and the characters. I could never have imagined how touched and moved people were by the story and the people.

DF: What was your path to becoming a novelist?

BF: My path was boredom and isolation. I have always loved novels, and I wrote a bad short story in high school and was convinced I could never write fiction. I wrote a travel blog and a memoir; and one day, I had some significant deterioration in my health and was unable to work, and I needed something to occupy myself. I had convinced myself I couldn’t do it, but I had never tried. It came out of having time and space to turn illness into something good...

DF: What’s next?

BF: I am currently working on my second novel, which again concerns a woman of a certain age living on the island of Newfoundland. I hope it engages the way The Good Women did. The second novel is always the hardest – no one was waiting for your first novel. There’s pressure, but there’s joy. What could be finer than a waiting audience for a story about the women of Newfoundland?

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homefront what odds

the big 8-0!

By Paul Warford

Mom began My nieces’ birthday gifts are late because I’m that sort of uncle, I suppose; absent-minded, kicking my shin but well-meaning. Sitting in a restaurant with my a few months ago, I mentioned this and under the table parents said something to the effect of sending gifts back because Dad with my brother, Brian, who’d soon be visiting Toronto. Mom began kicking my shin under wasn’t supposed from the table because Dad wasn’t supposed to know to know about about the visit. It was to be a birthday surprise.

My dad, Michael Victor Warford – retired the visit. teacher, lifelong carpenter, picture framer and accordion player – turned 80 in April. Born on the muddy banks of South River, during his youthful heyday you’d often find Mike hooking trout or crafting dories to take to sea. A lifelong outdoorsman, Dad’s most at home alongside a crackling fire with his buddies, drinking steaming tea and frying dinner in a blackened cast-iron pan. He’s never had any interest in the ponds nearest the highway, my dad. He prefers to trek miles away from any streetlights or corner stores to the bodies of water accessible only by quad (or search & rescue), presumably because this is where the best fish swim. Despite some close calls, he’s always managed to make it home.

We share no common ground when it comes to the great outdoors – personally, I’m glad we have outdoors, but the flies, the bastard cold, the poking branches and stinging nettles, it’s all a bit too much for me. I also never took up the carpentry mantle he’s worn for so long. But there are things, I’ve realized after decades, that we do have in common.

Though he can’t craft a sentence and I can’t craft a jewelry box, I’ve inherited his meticulousness.

When writing, I’m as particular about the measured joins of my sentences as he is with his fabrications – when I leave myself the time, that is. Dad’s susceptible to procrastination, and I picked that up from him, too.

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“But what of the party?” you’re no doubt wondering. I didn’t ruin it. My brother and his wife, Andrea, came home with my newest nephew, Max. Dad’s sister, Barb, flew in with her husband, Tom, and we all ate at Skipper Ben’s. The next night was a much larger gathering with friends. I read out the following poem I wrote for Dad as a birthday gift. I love you, Dad. Here’s to many more.

Michael Victor

He’s 80 solid-strong, my dad The wind can’t knock him down Tripping through the nettle bush is where he’s likely found

But that was Michael on the job He thrives best in the house He raised three men from hearty boys and kept up with the spouse

A fire crackl’d, burning A tin cup in his hand A smiling grace upon his face as he plays in this land

He didn’t cook, he didn’t clean Too busy at the wood He never changed a diaper, but the floors look pretty good…

He lives to shape this nature He pushes wood to saw His pace is that of glacier approaching summer’s thaw

Should’ve seen him in the motorhome Bent cursing at the wheel Like a captain steering ship and crew with a subtle, even keel

He takes his time and “mucks along” He’s never in a rush In days of yore his sporty Ford made all the young girls blush

From Fogo down to Maine and back My father showed us sights Of Mickey Mouse and Dolly’s house and campfire moonless nights

He always did his lessons, made his Mudder proud He went off to the city, then, following the crowd

Those were the days, or so they say We may never have them back But former Dad is Poppy now, ain’t nothin’ wrong with that

With clever eye and shirt and tie he got his first degree And passed this education on to “laddios” on weed

His eyes shine slick and eager When his treasures come to stay He’s still a wise protector now, just in a different way

He roamed the halls and taught them all From the cove down to the shore Then wound up at Ascension and put in fifteen more

He’s 80 solid-strong, my dad The wind can’t knock him down So cheer his name – make sure you shout! ’Cause Dad can’t hear a sound.

With Claude and Bill and all the b’ys He taught the kids their books And when the bell struck 30 years, they made away like crooks

www.downhomelife.com

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 August 2023

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fresh tracks

new music talk with Wendy Rose

Hush Weary

Hush – it’s time to listen to the new Weary album!

The directions I’ve just given you double as the title of Weary’s sophomore album, Hush, released last August.

Weary originally formed as a three-piece. Musical collaborators and real-life lovers Kate Lahey and Chris Meyers establishes the group with their pal, well-known local musician Joanna Barker of John, Eastern Owl and more. They released their debut album, Feeling Things, in 2017.

Kate is the mastermind behind Weary’s lyrics and is their lead vocalist. Chris Meyers plays guitar and bass, and contributes vocals on several songs.

This latest album sees Kate and Chris joined by Meg McLaughlin (guitar), Marc McLaughlin (drums, percussion, guitar, synths, piano and backing vocals), Liam White (bass), Sarah Harris (backing vocals) and Charlotte Genest (backing vocals).

Recorded and mixed by

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Michelle LaCour, and mastered by Sarah Shin, Hush begins with “Scraped Knee.” Dreamy guitar and slow percussion brings us in. The lyrics explore loss, grief and bittersweet memories. “When I’m gone, will you think of me like I think of you? I still think of you, I do,” Kate sings. This first track shows that this album is about to take listeners on an emotional journey.

The emotions continue to pour out in “Big Love.” Soft piano and guitar carry us through this uplifting song, with inspirational lyrics reminding us that “growth is a quiet thing” and that despite what your brain might tell you, what really matters is the love in your heart.

On “Retreat,” Weary delves into trauma, fear and the common human experience of yearning for love and truth throughout it all. Catchy and uptempo, you can’t help but nod along.

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Things slow down on “Twin Flame,” a lyrically short piece with fun plinky piano and electric guitar. Chris contributes vocals on this track; he and Kate trade off verses and harmonize on the choruses. The chorus features an interesting repeated pause, demonstrating this band’s musical cohesion and precision.

“Trust” inspires its listeners to reflect on how they navigate wants, needs, boundaries and perspectives.

“Am I claustrophobic or just afraid to trust?” Kate asks repeatedly as the song fades out, leaving the listener to ask the same question of themself. www.downhomelife.com

At the midpoint of the album is “Broken Window,” a pensive performance that creates intense imagery of a beautiful, fun and exciting relationship, and the complexities of how to hold onto those wonderful memories after experiencing the loss of that relationship. It’s a deeply relatable track that hits hard.

“Party” hits hard, too – in the sense that this track makes you want to get up and party along with the band!

Weary produced another catchy tune with “Body,” the album’s eighth track, which seems to hearken to the band’s homeland. “I hope that you’ll haunt me on this ghost of an island, I hope you’ll still want me when this little life’s behind us,” Kate sings.

The band moves towards a bit of a new wave sound on “Order,” led in by keys/synth. This is a stand-out track for me, with incredibly powerful layered Matt Horseman photo vocal harmonies on the chorus. On an album that takes its listeners on a journey of introspection, this song’s final lyrics drive home self-acceptance. “I get less and less sure, less and less sure, there’s a world order, that I’m a good person, that I’m a whole person, that I’m a August 2023

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real person,” Kate sings, echoing “I’m real” repeatedly with conviction as the song ends.

The tenth track on Hush is “Alexander,” a name that translates to “warrior.” Heavy electric guitar kicks off this song, contrasting beautifully with Kate’s soft, smooth voice.

Jazzy drumming immediately catches your attention on “Wax.” “Shining big, shining bright my light won’t take away from yours, there’s no measuring shadows, I just need to feel heard,” the lyrics explain. We are hearing you, Weary!

The album finishes with “Beam Me Up,” about alien abduction and with a chorus that makes reference to “The X-Files” as Weary sings the cult classic’s tagline: “The truth is out there.” The fun lyrical content still manages to land an emotional blow, evoking feelings of estrangement and wanting to belong to something, making “Beam Me Up” another personal favourite.

Tell everyone around you to quiet down when you put on Hush. We’re listening to Weary’s new album on repeat this week.

Q&A with the Artist Wendy Rose: Your sophomore album, Hush, comes five years after your debut, Feeling Things – how long has this latest record been in the works?

Kate Lahey: As a person living with

chronic illness, the pandemic has really impacted our recording process. Our wonderful drummer, Marc McLaughlin, now lives in Fredericton [NB], so many travel issues also delayed the process. We wound up demoing the songs in mine and Chris’ 200-year-old saltbox by the sea in Holyrood in 2020, and recording the album with Michelle LaCour in 2022. There’s been lots of turns and bumps in the road, but the process has also encouraged us to be thoughtful about why and how we make music in a way that honours the stories we want to tell.

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WR: Hush was launched at The Rockhouse in August 2022, but more recently, Weary had a vinyl release show at Eastern Edge. What was the atmosphere at these shows, and what was the crowd’s response to this new music?

KL: This show was really special

because we worked to rethink how we wanted to perform live. I have been sober for about three years, so playing music in bars doesn’t always align for me. We also wanted to offer an all-ages show that was seated and had a wide range of accessibility options, such as a low sensory area, daytime and early evening show times, mandatory masking and wheelchair access. We wound up doing two sold-out shows that were really special. Our best friend, Joanna Barker, was able to join us, which made the evening magical!

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WR: [Ahead of the album release show last summer, Weary performed at Sappyfest in New Brunswick, where Kate moderated a panel discussion titled “Co-Creating Care: Accessibility, Safety and Wellbeing in the Arts.”] Kate, I’ve read about how your community work, academic career and artistic endeavours blend. Can you tell us a little about how your interests and education work together to inform your artistic creations?

KL: All of these mediums have been

avenues to explore similar auto-ethnographic questions about my experiences as a Newfoundlander, my life and my story. In all areas, I think a lot about trauma and difficult experiences. I’m passionate about social change. My artistic endeavours allow me to express the emotional and spiritual aspects of my lived experience without having to name everything so directly. I like the privacy that affords me.

WR: I love the music video for “Scraped Knee,” starring an angsty young teen and the ghostly figure of another young girl, observing, following and silently supporting our protagonist from the shadows. Where did the idea for this music video come from, and what was the creative process like?

KL: This video was directed by the amaz-

ing Devin Shears and featured incredibly talented youth Daisy Harris and Luka Bragg. Dev developed the idea for the video in response to our conversations about the story that this song works through. It really attempts to get at feelings of loss, and how grief and memory show up in our lives. The creative process was beautiful. Dev is such a kind, caring and intelligent maker.

Working with such smart and creative youth was such a joy. www.downhomelife.com

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homefront

adventures outdoors

Cautious Optimism

By Gord Follett

Primarily good news, along with some interesting details, frustrating facts and a couple of cases of “we told you so.” This is my general takeaway from the Atlantic Salmon Federation’s (ASF) 2023 State of Wild Atlantic Salmon report, released in June. Data came from sources such as the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), and state, provincial and federal agencies. The ASF provided commentary and context.

The news release began with, “Big Atlantic salmon are back in numbers!” This, indeed, was the best news for anglers and conservationists in quite some time. Large salmon – fish that have spent at least two winters at sea – returning to North America increased in almost every assessment region in 2022, “with indications that 2023 could be strong, too.”

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est and second highest, respectively, since the data series started in 1971.

Three of the four assessed rivers in Labrador showed healthy increases of returning salmon, including the Sandhill River in Southern Labrador where 4,638 fish were counted, compared to the 2015-2021 average of 3,081. Strong returns of large salmon exceeded the conservation limit established for Labrador and could contribute to population growth in future years.

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were completed for 15 rivers on the island of Newfoundland in 2022. Fisheries and Oceans Canada determined that nine were in the critical zone, one in the cautious zone and five in the healthy zone, as established by its precautionary approach framework for fisheries management. The Exploits River had, by far, the most returning Atlantic salmon of any Newfoundland river in 2022, with 30,196 fish logged at the Bishop’s Falls counting facility. This represents a significant increase compared to the 2016-2021 average of 21,228.

According to the report, the harvest of North American Atlantic salmon remains at or near the lowest levels on record – which is good news, by the way – especially in Greenland, thanks to reforms agreed to by North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organization (NASCO) members and encouraged by the ASF-North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF) Greenland Salmon Conservation Agreement.

In Greenland, there is a private food fishery and a small professional fishery that allows licence holders to sell Atlantic salmon within Greenland. Export is prohibited. In Canada, salmon are harvested by Indigenous people, anglers and nonIndigenous residents of Labrador.

www.downhomelife.com

Lenny Boone releasing a Lower Humber “large” There are no commercial fisheries for Atlantic salmon in Canada.

In Saint Pierre et Miquelon there is a private food fishery and a small professional fishery that allows licence holders to sell salmon on the islands. I’m not sure why this is still happening on the tiny French islands, when our Burin Peninsula fishermen across the bay can’t fish for salmon, so I’ll file this under “frustrating facts” for now. In that same folder is the not so surprising, but equally disappointing, news that reporting of catches in Canadian fisheries remains poor “and illegal salmon fishing in Canada remains stubbornly prevalent.”

As for early indications that 2023 could also be a strong year for Atlantic salmon returns in parts of North America, the ASF notes that genetic sampling done in Greenland

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in the fall of 2022 found that 91 per cent of the fish harvested there were of North American origin, as opposed to European. Under the subhead, “Total adult salmon returns to North America,” the report notes that adult Atlantic salmon returns is an estimate of all fish returning from the sea to Canada and the United States. It includes salmon spawners and salmon taken in Canadian fisheries, but does not include removals by the Greenland fishery. Small salmon 2022: 549,100 compared to the previous five-year average for small salmon returns of 479,200. Large salmon 2022: 194,600 compared to the previous five-year average for large salmon returns of 152,300.

Encouraging numbers, for sure.

But let’s move on to the “told you so” category. The report also noted that rivers exposed to open-net pen salmon aquaculture along Newfoundland’s south coast continue to suffer. The Conne River, for example, has had fewer than 300 adult salmon return in the past three years – far less than the 2,000-6,000 salmon that returned prior to the establishment of open-net pens in the area.

And you can bet your bottom dollar that with the aquaculture industry plague continuously growing in other parts of the province – with government’s support, mind you – its disaster is gonna continue to spread far and wide. But hey, we’re getting a

Gord and a Humber River large salmon before release handful of jobs out of this, so politicians are okay with it. Well, honourable members, the majority of us aren’t.

Here’s another “told you so.” Overall, notwithstanding some regional and river specific problems, the federation says 2022 was a positive year for Atlantic salmon in North America, evidence that conservation efforts are working. One of the ASF’s primary conservation efforts, of course, is catch and release – a practice that has been proven to work time and time again across the globe, including a detailed study completed right here three or four years ago. Yet some still won’t accept the facts!

In expressing a view no doubt shared by anglers/conservationists across this province in particular, the ASF said it was “cautiously optimistic that we may be entering a period of stability or growth for Atlantic salmon in some regions.”

Gord Follett was editor of the Newfoundland Sportsman magazine for more than 30 years and co-hosted the Newfoundland Sportsman TV show for 15 years. Email gordfollett@gordfollettoutdoors.com.

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life is better A tranquil day in Trinity, NL Bernice Goudie, St. John’s, NL

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Elizabeth and Michael Hackett

set out in a schooner in late May 1900, to venture from English Harbour East to the Bay of Islands, it was simply a matter of moving for employment. A decline in the herring fishery in Fortune Bay had launched the Hacketts, whose ancestors hailed from Ireland, off to more bountiful waters. The fish were reportedly plentiful on the island’s west coast. Aboard the 21-tonne schooner, Belle, were Elizabeth and Michael, their five children, extended family members, two sharemen, two dories, fishing nets, a big bull, a cow with calves, eight sheep, three lambs, and the makings for a new house and its furnishings.

Their journey took several weeks, including an unscheduled layover in Port aux Basques following a rare celestial event – a solar eclipse. Veronica Hackett was just six years old at the time.

Many years later she recalled the event for her grandson, Paul F. McCarthy, who wrote down her story. Downhome received a copy of his notes, in which she’d said: “The sails seemed to flatten right down on the water. Mother and all us children were screaming, and poor Dad was doing his best to get her straightened up. They didn’t think she’d come back. Then as it brightened up, www.downhomelife.com

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The Hacketts arrived on Woods Island in 1900 and called it Innismara, Gaelic for “island in the sea.”

Connie Boland photo

it came up to blow a gale, and we had to go back to Port aux Basques for another three or four days.”

By late June, the Hacketts finally arrived at their destination – Woods Island. They called it Innismara, Irish Gaelic for “island in the sea.”

According to the book Heartbeat: Bay of Islands Newfoundland, written by Joseph Hackett and edited by Bernice J. Hillier (1992), at that time there were already 200 people living on the largest island in the Bay of 44

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Islands, which spanned 2,000 acres.

It was used as a fishing station by the Basque (from late 1500s) and the French (from the late 1600s), and seasonally by the Mi’kmaq. By the 1780s, European settlers began to occupy the island year-round.

It was not long before Michael was headed down the Labrador, to take part in the summer fishery. He left behind his two sharemen to build a four-room house for his family at the water’s edge and keep the home fires 1-888-588-6353

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and the Hackett heritage out from burning. In the following decades, the dustbins of history.”

Elizabeth Hackett would birth six He and Dr. Rainer Baehre, a promore children, which they raised in a fessor of social, cultural and historilarger house built in 1905, in the cal studies at Memorial University shelter of the Blow Me Down MounGrenfell Campus, put off their own tains. Nine of the 11 children survived to adulthood and carried on the Hackett bloodline.

“We identified over 700 Little did Elizabeth and Michael imagine that their relatives around the world, resettlement in the early 1900s from the UK, Ireland, Japan, would send ripples through time, affecting generations Canada and Asia, who were and a region of Newfoundland offspring of the original where their name is spoken to nine children…” this day.

Reunion & Resettlement House

In 2022, 122 years after the Hacketts stepped ashore on Woods Island, their extensive offspring reunited.

Downhome reached their grandson, Richard Furlong, at his home in New Market, ON, recently to get the story of the long overdue reunion.

The first spark was lit by a library presentation. “In 2015, the local Corner Brook [Public] Library presented a history of Woods Island, mentioning fish merchants – but one of largest, the Furlongs, were not included,” he says. “So, the family decided it was time to bring them

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presentation in 2019, focused on the history of the herring industry and the Furlongs’ role, which attracted numerous relatives. The clan then embarked on a trip to Woods Island, during which the boat’s skipper, cousin Peter Hackett, suggested a family reunion.

“We identified over 700 relatives around the world, from the UK, Ireland, Japan, Canada and Asia, who were offspring of the original nine children who survived,” says Richard. Close to 275 of them signed up for a family reunion that was held in August 2022.

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Nine colours of T-shirts were worn to represent the nine Hackett children whose descendants reunited in 2022. The event kick-off featured a performance from the Benoit’s Cove Native Drumming Group (below).

Woods Island, meanwhile, had fallen victim to the government resettlement program of the 1960s.

It was abandoned after the Hacketts’ descendants all packed up and relocated to nearby Benoit’s Cove or Curling, where Richard was born. It was decided that the reunion would be held in Benoit’s Cove, where attendees could tour the Woods Island Resettlement House and 46

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Heritage Centre. The white house had belonged to Richard’s uncle, Peter Hackett, and was floated over from Woods Island when the family relocated. Now it is a museum of photos and artifacts from the island life. The Hackett relatives used this location for their meet-and-greet event.

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One of the goals of the heritage project comittee is to enhance the Woods Island Resettlement House and Heritage Centre in Benoit’s Cove.

Woods Island and a performance by the Benoit’s Cove Native Drumming Group. Nine family branches attended, each branch wearing a different coloured T-shirt representing their lineage back to one of the original Hackett children. Other events included a kitchen party, a BBQ and a bonfire.

The reunion led to the creation of the Woods Island Heritage Project committee. Its goal is not only to plan the next reunion, but also to foster a commitment to heritage preservation. Richard explains, “It has a broad mandate to strengthen the region through tourism, with a long-term focus on the history of the immediate area, as well as the Bay of Islands.” www.downhomelife.com

Richard says the committee will be looking at the history of the merchants and fishermen, the French Shore, resettlement and Indigenous peoples, as well as the Gloucester fishers and merchants from the US who visited and collected fish from Woods Island fishers. “We view the area as a gem for visitors, as there is so much history to share,” says Richard.

Among the committee’s goals is to enhance Resettlement House and refurbish the island’s aged graveyards. Michael and Elizabeth both died in 1933, and were buried on their Innismara. Nearly a century later, their descendants are determined that the Hacketts will not be forgotten.

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features

There’s something special

about catching sight of a rainbow as it briefly appears in the sky after a shower of rain. In Newfoundland and Labrador, there’s no shortage of rain showers and changing weather, so keep your eyes to the skies in search of a shining arc. Here are rainbows that have brightened the day of readers lucky enough to catch them before they disappeared. Sprinkled among the photos are bright and colourful rainbow facts.

Right as Rain

A rainbow shines over the bay in Lewisporte.

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Rain or Shine

“We didn’t find a pot of gold, but Stiles Cove Path on the East Coast Trail was perfect anyway,” writes the submitter.

Connie Boland Corner Brook, NL

Did You Know?

Rainbows are formed when sunlight reflects off tiny water droplets present in the atmosphere. The light then bends and splits into a spectrum of colours.

Ray of Light

Beams of light illuminate this vivid rainbow at Rattling Brook, Green Bay. Paul Rowsell Rattling Brook, NL

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Did You Know?

According to Sir Isaac Newton, the seven distinct colours of the visible spectrum and the rainbow are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.

Flowerpot of Gold

“My wife and I have long considered Kingman’s Cove, Fermeuse, a treasure; but when this rainbow appeared to end in our flowerpot, we were sure of it,” writes the submitter.

Raymond Norwood • Henderson, NC, USA

End to End

A glorious rainbow arches over Bradley’s Cove, Conception Bay. Jane King • Kennebunk, ME, USA

Did You Know?

A rainbow is actually a complete circle, not an arc.

From the ground we only see a semi-circle.

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Go With the Flow

A rainbow forms in the mist of the mighty Churchill Falls.

Eldred Allen • Rigolet, NL

Did You Know?

Though normally appearing after rain, rainbows can be seen in other places where water droplets exist, such as mist, fog, spray and waterfalls.

As Near to Heaven A golden Signal Hill is at the rainbow’s end.

Cathy McCullough Sault Ste. Marie, ON

www.downhomelife.com

August 2023

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Follow the Rainbow

Bonavista Harbour is the treasure at the end of this beautiful rainbow.

Mark Gray Bonavista, NL

Did You Know?

In Greek mythology, the goddess Iris would pour water from a pitcher in the clouds to form a rainbow that served as a bridge between Mount Olympus, where the gods live, and Earth.

Oliver Under the Rainbow

A fairytale photo from Gambo.

Rebecca Skiffington Gambo, NL 52

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So Bright and Vivid A rainbow beams over a hundred-year-old twine shed on Spotted Island. via DownhomeLife.com

Did You Know?

That promising pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? It’s just an expression for something wonderful you can never have.

Searching for it is trying to achieve the impossible.

www.downhomelife.com

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Did You Know?

In the Christian tradition, God set a rainbow in the sky to serve as a sign of the covenant – the promise that He’d never destroy everything on Earth with floodwaters again.

Rainbow Bright

A sure sign the rainstorm is ending in Thorburn Lake.

Cheri Brushett Thorburn Lake, NL

Sunset Glow

A magical arc over the bay in Port au Port.

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The Heavens Opened

“I caught the church under a rainbow just after a heavy shower of rain with thunder and lightning,” writes the submitter.

Lorna Pike Spaniard’s Bay, NL

Did You Know?

In a double rainbow, the secondary rainbow is a bit higher and fainter in colour than the primary one. Look closely and you’ll also see that its colours are reversed.

Twice as Nice

This photo of a vibrant double rainbow was taken from the Lower Lookout at La Scie.

Michelle Ryan • La Scie, NL www.downhomelife.com

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features

Wildlife technician Todd Hollett takes us on a tour of the crab species inhabiting Newfoundland and Labrador, from the highly prized to the dreaded.

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Newfoundland and Labrador is well known for some of the most commercially viable fishing industries the world over.

For hundreds of years, northern cod was our bread and butter. Then in the late 1960s we developed the very lucrative crab fishery.

Our commercial crab fishers are encountering rough market conditions this season, and the current economic outlook is bleak. Yet stock assessments show that snow crab populations are strong, after nearly collapsing a few years ago, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada reports increases in the exploitable biomass. Results from the 2022 Newfoundland snow crab stock assessment indicate the estimated combined weight of commercially sized crab rose to 200,000 tonnes, with a 2022 landed value of $760 million. The 2023 total allowable catch is 54,727 tonnes, an increase of 8.4 per cent over last year.

The snow crab is the dominant species in the crab fishery and probably the most talked about due to its commercial value.

However, many other species inhabit our waters. Here, for your curiosity, are the crabs that crawl on the ocean floor around Newfoundland and Labrador.

www.downhomelife.com

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Atlantic Snow Crab

Northern Stone Crab

Chionoecetes opilio a.k.a. spider crab, queen crab

Lithodes maja a.k.a. spiny crab, king crab, brown king crab, spiny brown crab

Size 9.5-16.5 cm wide, with a leg span of 38-90 cm and a weight of 0.45-1.35 kg. Males are twice as big as females, which have no commercial value.

Diet Brittle stars, worms, sea urchins, shrimp, amphipods, bivalves, other shellfish and detritus.

Habitat and range Very cold water (-1 to 5 C) at depths of 70-380 m on sandmud bottoms, from western Greenland to the Gulf of Maine. They are common in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, around Cape Breton Island, in the bays of Newfoundland from Fortune Bay to White Bay and on the Hamilton Bank off Labrador.

ID features Flat, almost circular, body, slightly wider in the back. Of its five pairs of spider-like legs, the first pair has claws.

Freshly molted crabs are reddish, glossy pink or light brown on the upper side to whitish underneath. The shell turns dull greenish brown and dull yellow beneath, encrusted with marine organisms, as it hardens.

The highest valued commercial crab species in Eastern Canada, ranking sixth overall of commercially caught species, they are sold as crab legs, crab cakes, crab au gratin, and frozen or canned crab meat. The meat is generally firm and not as sweet as other crab varieties, but it is high in iron and zinc.

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Size 7-14 cm wide and weighing 1.4-2 kg Diet small mussels, snails, scallops, worms and crustaceans.

Habitat and range Depths of 65-800 m on sand, clay and other soft substrates from western Greenland to New Jersey and northeastern Europe; in Newfoundland and Labrador, the most dense populations are found on the south and west coasts.

ID features They are orange, red or brown and easily distinguished by numerous short spines on the carapace and legs. The right pincer is larger than the left, and the fifth pair of legs are small and hidden.

While the meat is longer, thicker and sweeter than snow crab, their commercial fishery has been limited to experimental or exploratory – though they are often a bycatch.

While research has proven dense concentrations that could support a commercial fishery, none has been established due to low egg production and processing difficulties.

However, due to the collapse of the Alaskan king crab and the snow crab fisheries, harvester Sig Hanson (from “Deadliest Catch” TV show fame) is currently working with Norway on developing a fishery and market for this species.

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Fisheries and Oceans Canada

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Porcupine Crab

Toad Crab

Neolithodes grimaldii a.k.a. red Atlantic king crab, spiny red crab, spiny spider crab

Hyas araneus and Hyas coarctatus a.k.a. Atlantic lyre crab, great spider crab

Size 18 cm long with a leg span of 1.2 m, and weighing about 3.5 kg Diet small mussels, snails, scallops, worms and crustaceans.

Habitat and range This deep water species inhabits depths of 800-2,000 m on soft substrates on both sides of the North Atlantic, from Greenland to North Carolina.

ID features They are bright red with 5 cm long spines on the carapace and legs.

They have three pairs of walking legs and one pair of claws – the right one is larger and used for crushing.

Test fisheries were conducted in 1993 and 1994, resulting in low catch rates. The majority of landings reported were the result of bycatch from Labrador’s deep-water gillnet fishery. No directed fishery or market has been established, but samples sent to Asia and the US were favourably received, as the meat looks and tastes similar to king crab and lobster. In 2000, another project designed to test pot types to capture these crabs was unsuccessful, suggesting they do not respond well to conventional pots.

www.downhomelife.com

Size 6.4 cm wide and 9.5 cm long, weighing around 0.7 kg Diet algae, amphipods, bivalves, brittle stars, slugs, chitons, sea urchins, polychaetes, smaller crabs, dead and dying fish and marine mammals.

Habitat and range Subtidal zone to depths of 1,650 m and tide pools from the Arctic to Rhode Island, including Saguenay Fjord and the lower estuary of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. They prefer gravelly, sandy and muddy bottoms.

ID features Slow moving and longer than they are wide. The triangular shell has little bumps on the back and sides and a triangular nose that is split in half. The legs are long, thin and hairy, and banded with red and orange. The claws are small and well developed. They are brownish-beige, olive-brown or reddish-brown, and often camouflaged by algae and other organisms that attach themselves to it; fades to white underneath.

There was no directed fishery for this common crab until a small exploratory fishery in 1994, followed by a new targeted fishery in 1995. Landings reached 3 million pounds, declining to 400,000 pounds in 2000. As its popularity waned, an average of 1,200 tonnes of toad crab were caught in the early 2000s and just 200-400 tonnes annually since 2015. Toad crab are a common bycatch of other fisheries.

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European Green Crab Carcinus maenas a.k.a. green crab, European shore crab

Size 10 cm wide, 7 cm long and weighing 85 g Diet clams, oysters, mussels, juvenile crabs and lobsters, and small and juvenile finfish.

Habitat and Range Salt marshes, rocky coasts, eelgrass beds, sandy beaches, sheltered areas, estuaries, tide pools and shallow water to depths of 6 m. They can survive out of the water for up to 10 days in 0-33°C temperatures for short periods.

ID features Fan shaped, usually dark green and mottled with yellow, greyish and black spots; sometimes bright green, brown or orange to red, with a reddish-orange underside. They have three teeth between the eyes and five larger teeth on each side. The two back legs are hairy and slightly flattened; the claws are stocky with a surprisingly strong grip.

An aggressive species native to Europe and North Africa, it first arrived in North America in 1817, carried in ships’ ballast water.

The first discovery in NL was in August 2007, in North Harbour, Placentia Bay. They have a tendency to displace native crabs once they become established. Their habit of burrowing and digging for prey destroys eelgrass beds, an important spawning habitat. DFO has mitigation measures in place to attempt population control, and residents are asked to report any incidence of green crab they encounter.

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Atlantic Rock Crab Cancer irroratus a.k.a. shore crab, rock crab, sand crab, purple crab

Size 14 cm wide, 9 cm long, weighing 250 g

Acadian and Atlantic Hairy Hermit Crabs Pagurus acadianus and Pagurus arcuatus a.k.a. hairy hermit crabs, hairy hermits

Diet scallops, mussels, snails, sea urchins, brittle stars, shrimp, polychaetes, small lobsters and carrion.

Size 2.5 cm wide and 3 cm long

Habitat and range Labrador to South Carolina in the intertidal and subtidal zones and tide pools. They are found in rocky, sandy, muddy and gravelly shorelines to depths of 780 m, but are most common in shallower waters.

Habitat and range The Arctic to Chesapeake Bay in intertidal and subtidal waters, tide pools and rocky shores to depths of 488 m.

ID features Large, with a toothed front shell edge – three teeth between the eyes and nine teeth on each side. They are yellowish-orange mottled with brownish-purple or reddish, fading to pale yellow underneath.

Claws are stocky.

Rock crab are plentiful around the coast of Newfoundland and are the basis of a small commercial fishery.

Traditionally, they were considered expensive to process due to low meat yield. However, they are now sold whole, as extracted meat, or minced, frozen, canned or vacuum packed.

The white meat is tender and sweet.

Although a limited market exists, it has been suggested as an alternative for snow crab. In 2007, this fishery transitioned to commercial and 30 licence holders harvested 25,000 pounds, which was increased to 35,000 pounds in 2022. The average landed value annually is $70,000. www.downhomelife.com

Diet small fish, worms, plankton, snails, detritus and algae.

ID features They are easily identified by their habit of carrying around a snail shell, which they remain inside of except to mate or move into a better fitting shell. The abdomen is soft and twisted. Only two pairs of walking legs are fully functional; the right claw is often larger than the left. Hairy hermits are brown and covered with bristles. Acadians are more colourful: white with reddish-brown, orange or bright red markings and a bluishgrey back.

Their bright colours tend to attract people’s attention and help identify them. They will often fight other crabs if a suitable shell is already occupied. These crabs have no commercial value.

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features

Long live the legacy of Gus Etchegary (1924-2023)

By David Vardy

Gus Etchegary passed away on May 7, 2023,

just three weeks short of his 99th birthday. In a life long lived, Gus gained a legacy for many things. He was most widely known for being an articulate and passionate spokesman for the fishery. While I was deputy minister of provincial fisheries, Gus chaired a provincially appointed independent fishery advisory committee. In recent years he led the Fisheries Community Alliance, of which I am a proud member.

Born Augustine A. Etchegary in St. Lawrence, NL, Gus was just 17 years old when he helped in the rescue of 186 survivors of the Truxton and Pollux shipwrecks on February 18, 1942. He befriended Lanier Phillips, one of the survivors, a Black seaman in the US Navy, who served on the destroyer USS Truxton. This friendship endured right up until Phillips died in 2012.

Growing up in St. Lawrence, the “soccer capital of Canada,” Gus became an acclaimed soccer and hockey player. The leadership skills he learned playing sports prepared him for his future roles as plant manager, company president and community advocate. He was COO of the largest fish harvesting, processing 62

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and marketing company in the province, Fishery Products Limited (FPL), which in 1984 became Fishery Products International (FPI).

Gus was a titan, a tectonic force.

With a powerful vision and voice, he called for the rebuilding of depleted fish stocks to help revitalize the fishing industry. He saw the future of FPL as a global, vertically integrated firm, supplied by a fleet of offshore trawlers and inshore fish harvesters.

In the early 1970s, Gus led the Save our Fisheries Association (SOFA), which drew national and international attention to foreign overfishing. SOFA advocated for the creation of an extended economic zone (EEZ), which was realized – but only to the 200-mile limit. Gus pushed prime 1-888-588-6353

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ministers Pierre Trudeau, Jean Chretien and Stephen Harper to extend jurisdiction to the edge of the continental shelf, including the nose and tail of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland, as well as the Flemish Cap. They promised action, but did not deliver.

Over the years, Gus hammered away at politicians of all stripes. For him the fishery was too important to become a political pawn. Speaking out through every medium available, including open line shows and letters to the editor, his was a constant, articulate voice for decades on the fishery.

While serving as a Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) commissioner, Gus worked for many years to reform NAFO. He believed that, as the coastal state, Canada should have a greater voice than its single vote among 13 contracting NAFO members, so that overfishing would not destroy our coastal communities.

To better protect the fisheries, Gus advocated for better fishery science and better management. He often spoke in praise of Dr. Wilfred Templeman, director of the Fisheries Research Board. Gus felt that research boards, independent of political pressure, could speak truth to power and outside of DFO’s structure. If groundfish stocks were rebuilt and managed properly, with better science and stronger enforcement of fishing rules, both inside and outside the 200-mile limit, it would yield benefits more significant and more sustainable than those from non-renewable resources such as oil and gas. www.downhomelife.com

For his amazing accomplishments and contribution to public life, Gus was awarded an honorary doctorate from Memorial University in 2008.

In 2013, he published an account of the fishery mismanagement, entitled Empty Nets. It laid out his vision for improved fishery management and a revitalized approach to stock rebuilding and sustainable fishing.

Gus and his wife, soul mate and first mate Kay, were intrepid sailors.

They once journeyed 42 days around the province on their sailboat, La Reine Basque. They visited many of the fishing communities where Gus had spent his early days.

With his passing, Gus has left an unfillable void. Who now can speak with his authority and wisdom? Or hold the passion that inspired those who love our province and believe in its future?

Gus Etchegary’s legacy can only be fully realized when decision makers act urgently to rebuild depleted stocks, so that fishing communities can regain their independence and self-reliance. Then, and only then, will Newfoundland and Labrador’s greatest fish titan rest in peace!

About the author: David Vardy had a career in public service, holding positions such as clerk of the Executive Council, president of Marine Institute, deputy minister of fisheries and aquaculture, and chair of the Public Utilities Board. He was a founding member of the Muskrat Falls Concerned Citizens’ Coalition, and more recently served on the Premier’s Economic Recovery Team (PERT) and the Expert Panel on Churchill Falls.

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life is better Sunset in Port Anson, NL Kim Fowlow, Port Anson, NL

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explore

Dennis Flynn takes us inside Salmonier Nature Park, which turns 50 this year.

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TO THE LEFT OF ME AN ENORMOUS POLAR BEAR, all ivory fur and insidious

fangs and claws, approaches with an intimidating glint in its eye.

Seeking refuge, I glance to my right and immediately spot a huge black bear on its hind legs with a razor-clawed forepaw held aloft, ready to give me a solid smack. That would surely knock me squarely into the path of the prowling wolverine, pound for pound one of the fiercest and most fearless creatures in the wild.

If it were all real, this would be end of my story. Fortunately, I’m among taxidermied friends, part of a substantial collection of Newfoundland and Labrador wildlife on display in the beautiful visitor centre at Salmonier Nature Park. Locals know it simply as “The Park,” a popular destination for class visits and summer walking tours. www.downhomelife.com

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The three-kilometre nature trail begins near the visitor centre

From the visitor centre, a threekilometre boardwalk marked by interpretive signage snakes past various enclosures containing a variety of native animal and plant species.

Within the park, 84 species of birds, 15 species of mammals and more than 170 species of vascular plants have been recorded.

It’s important to note that this is not a zoo. The park is laid out biogeographically, allowing for the placement of enclosures that fit the natural landscape, so the animals can live there as comfortably and safely as possible. And the park area goes so much farther than meets the eye.

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that are undeveloped. This area, which abuts the Avalon Wilderness Reserve, includes mature boreal forest, barrens, peatlands and the headwaters of the Salmonier River.

The trail is a comfortable, easy journey that takes about an hour to complete. Allow extra time to read the signs and take nature photos. The animals are not always in view – the lynx are notoriously shy, often in hiding – and some are just really good at camouflage. But patience may be rewarded with amazing close encounters in a safe way for you and the animals. (Also, bring drinking water, sunscreen and fly repellent!)

On my tour I’m joined by Chris Baldwin, manager of the Salmonier Nature Park. He tells me the park is celebrating its 50th year this sum1-888-588-6353

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Public education is still central to the park’s operations. In addition to school field trips, there are outreach programs and partnerships with special interest groups. For instance, the park hosts a wilderness skills program called Becoming an Outdoors Woman of Newfoundland and Labrador, and a Chainsaw Safety Workshop. Additionally, artists, photographers and other creative individuals seeking inspiration in nature are frequent visitors. So there are always interesting things and events happening at the park behind the scenes.

“Not only is the park an environmental education and wildlife interpretation facility, we also do Salmonier Nature Park manager Chris some wildlife rehabilitaBaldwin says they receive 45,000-47,000 tion here as well,” Chris visitors to the park each year. adds. Many of the animals seen in the park enclosures arrived after being A Wild Lands Committee formed and injured or orphaned. “If they can’t be came up with some of the ideas and released for some reason, we will try concepts around having the park as a to incorporate them into the park in place where we could provide public the appropriate enclosures as repreeducation about wildlife in Newsentative species that are native to foundland and Labrador.” mer, adding, “While the park opened in 1973, it took a few years to complete everything with the exhibits and so on before it officially opened its gates to the public in 1978. Of course, there was quite a bit of discussion prior to 1973 amongst interested groups and various levels of government about what the park should be.

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The park’s enclosures fit the natural landscape, so the animals can live in them as comfortably and safely as possible. Some animals can be shy or well camouflaged, but on this day we caught glimpses of an owl, a ptarmigan and an otter.

Newfoundland and Labrador. Among the most popular exhibits are the moose, the caribou, the fox, the lynx, the owls, the eagle and the otters.”

One of the first animal rescues brought to the park was a moose calf in 1978. A wildlife officer delivered the young moose from Gander Bay. “The moose calf had gotten lost from the mother, and the determination at that time was to bring it here to help ensure its survival, which can be a tricky thing,” Chris says. “Anyway, they named the animal Charlie, and they used a female goat to nurse the moose calf – which was a pretty innovative solution at the time that was successful.” He says the adopted moose earned the nickname “ugly goatling.”

It’s fairly easy to find Salmonier Nature Park on the Salmonier Line (Route 90) south of Holyrood, about 12 km from the exit from the TCH. 70

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This moose came over to say hello and get an ear scratch from park manager Chris Baldwin. Chris says the park does wildlife rehabilitation as well as interpretation. In fact, one of the first animal rescues was an orphaned moose calf in 1978.

The park is open daily from June to October, with the first hour reserved for seniors, people who are immunocompromised and persons with disabilities. The park is wheelchair and stroller friendly, and plans are underway to make the park completely wheelchair accessible in the near future. For the safety and com-

fort of all, and the animals on site, no pets are allowed in the nature park.

Admission is free.

Chris says about 45,000-47,000 people stroll through Salmonier Nature Park each year. “Most are residents of the province, but we certainly do get many visitors from all over the world,” he says.

The staff at Salmonier Nature Park will welcome thousands of visitors this summer. www.downhomelife.com

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explore

The don’t miss, must try, most enjoyable things to do, see and stop for in Newfoundland and Labrador.

BY NICOLA RYAN

There’s over 405,000 km²

of incredible far-flung places to explore in this province. You could spend a lifetime discovering it all. Luckily, we’ve done a bit of the legwork for you and collected some of the greatest hits. Read on as we lay out some must-see spots and hidden gems, conveniently mapped out by region.

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Labrador Don’t Miss

Take a trip back in time to Battle Harbour on Battle Island off Labrador’s southeast coast. Now a National Historic District, Battle Harbour has no roads, no cell towers and no streetlights. Hop on the morning ferry in Mary’s Harbour and leave the modern world behind. Battleharbour.com

Taste This

Brothers Brian and Dave Hurley launched Iron Rock Brewing Co., Labrador’s first craft brewery and taproom, in Labrador City in 2018.

Their handcrafted beer is made from raw, natural ingredients. Try the Iron Fest Blonde Ale – a crisp, golden brew made this year to celebrate Iron Fest, Labrador’s biggest outdoor concert.

Ironrockbrewing.com

Stay Awhile

A stay at the Grenfell Louie A. Hall Bed & Breakfast in Forteau offers a peek into the past. It was originally built as an International Grenfell Association Nursing Station in 1946. Today, each of the tidy guest rooms is named after the nurses who dedicated many years of service to the people of the region. Grenfellbandb.ca

Battle Harbour Dennis Flynn photo

Off the Beaten Path

Take a hike on the Pioneer Footpath, a coastal trail following traditional walking routes that connected the communities along the Labrador Straits. Running from L’Anse au Clair all the way to Pinware, the footpath can be completed as a series of day hikes between settlements, with overnights at cosy accommodations. Labradorcoastaldrive.com www.downhomelife.com

Aaron White photo

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Great Northern Peninsula

Western Brook Pond Brian Twyne photo

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Don’t Miss

Sail through the magnificent glacier-carved fjord at Western Brook Pond in Gros Morne National Park. Climb aboard a regularly scheduled boat tour offered by family-run BonTours to cruise past towering cliffs, cascading waterfalls and spectacular scenery. Bontours.ca

Taste This

Chef Jason Lynch and his team at the Black Spruce Restaurant at the Neddies Harbour Inn in Norris Point make fresh, delicious meals from scratch using local and sustainably harvested food products and produce.

Try the slow cooked root vegetable salad or the fresh cod served with saffron risotto and garden greens. Yum! Theinn.ca/pages/the-black-spruce

Stay Awhile

Instagrammers should book a night at The Fish Sheds on Bayview Road in Rocky Harbour. The five cosy, elegant, boutique cottages offer picture-perfect ocean views of Bonne Bay straight from their windows. Nearby, Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse is an ideal spot to watch the sunset.

Thefishsheds.com

Off the Beaten Path

A thousand years ago, Vikings built the first European settlement in North America.

Archeological evidence tells us it was at L’Anse aux Meadows. Located on the tip of the Northern Peninsula, 433 km north of Deer Lake along the Viking Trail Route 430, it’s now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The reconstructed village of Norstead brings this past to life. Whc.unesco.org/en/list/4/

www.downhomelife.com

Glen Pye photo

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West Coast Don’t Miss

The granite Rose Blanche Lighthouse has been standing sentinel on the rocky coast for more than 150 years.

To get there from the ferry terminal in Port aux Basques, take the first exit to the right onto Highway 470 towards Isle aux Morts. In July and August you can tour the furnished lightkeepers living quarters inside.

Roseblanchelighthouse.ca

Stay Awhile

Treat yourself to a stay at the Hew & Draw Hotel in downtown Corner Brook. The suites are pet-friendly and stocked with gorgeous local products like toiletries from East Coast Glow and coffee from Gros Morne Coffee Roasters. In the evening, check out Boomstick Brewing Co. onsite, or take a stroll on the Glynmill Inn Pond trail.

Hewanddraw.ca

Taste This

Secret Cove Brewing in Port au Port knows the secret to happiness. It’s the crispy smashed beef, house-smoked bacon jam and frizzled onions of their entry into the most recent Best Burger in Da Bay contest, the Secret to Happiness burger. Did we mention it’s topped with a deep fried Oreo cookie? Secretcovebrewing.com

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Off the Beaten Path

Learn more about the life and times of Minnie White, Newfoundland’s First Lady of the Accordion, at the “My Dear Minnie” Museum of Heritage & Culture located in her former family home in Tompkins, Codroy Valley. Open 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. daily in July and August. Search “My Dear Minnie” on Facebook.com

www.downhomelife.com

Rose Blanche Harold Feiertag photo

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Central Don’t Miss

Twillingate’s known as the Iceberg Capital of the World. Cruise through Notre Dame Bay with Twillingate Adventure Tours and admire the glacial giants as they drift down from Baffin Island and western Greenland. From May to September, whales and seabirds frequent these waters. Keep your camera ready because you may see a humpback’s tail!

Twillingateadventuretours.com

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Stay Awhile

Relax in comfort and style at Auk Island Suites, part of the Auk Island Winery in Durrell, Twillingate. Take a tour with a knowledgeable guide and sample their berry wines, some made from iceberg water, before soaking in the beautiful outport view from the suite’s private balcony.

Aukislandwinery.com

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Taste This

In Joe Batt’s Arm on Fogo Island, Growlers Ice Cream Shop churns up handcrafted ice cream celebrating local ingredients. Try a waffle cone of Partridgeberry Tart or a cup of Strawberry-Rhubarb sorbet for a heavenly treat on a hot day. Open Thursday to Sunday, 1 p.m. – 8 p.m. @growlersicecream

Off the Beaten Path

Steer towards Glover’s Harbour, near Leading Tickles, home of the Giant Squid. See the life-sized replica of the Guinness World Record-holding, 55-foot-long cephalopod caught by fishermen in 1878. It’s now part of the Giant Squid Interpretation Site, which, in season, includes a small museum, picnic area and gift shop.

Facebook.com/GloversHarbourNl/

Robert Carter photo

Joe Batt’s Arm Chad Peddle photo

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Burin Peninsula Don’t Miss

Motorcyclists, hop on the hog and take a spin down the Boot to Smuggler’s Cove in Port au Bras. You might think you’ve rolled onto the set of a spaghetti western, but the facades of the Frontier Fantasy Town were the brainchild of the late Tom Hollett, designed to attract visitors to the region.

Smugglerscovenl.com

Taste This

Have a traditional lunch (dinner) at The Tea Rose Café in Boat Harbour West.

This quaint little spot is a not-for-profit enterprise operated by the Placentia West Heritage Committee. There’s nothing like a spread of homemade fish cakes, steaming pea soup and freshly baked buns to fill your belly and make you feel right at home.

Facebook.com/newfoundlandmeals/

Stay Awhile

Frenchman’s Cove Provincial Park, located on the west side of the peninsula on Route 213, is brimming with beauty. Set up camp in one of the 75 forested sites, then explore the hiking trails or paddle on the freshwater barachois. Nearby, marvel at the 540-million-year-old fossils at Fortune Head Ecological Reserve.

Search “Frenchman’s Cove” on parksnl.ca/parks

Off the Beaten Path

Antique automobile enthusiasts will want to make a pit stop at Vernon’s Antique Car Museum in Swift Current.

See 60 of the finest classic cars in North America, including a 1908 Buick Model 10 restored to mint condition.

Open April to November.

Vernonsantiquecarmuseum.ca

Burin

Tanya Northcott photo

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South Coast Don’t Miss

Everyone is welcome at the Miawpukek Annual Traditional Powwow in Conne River, July 7-9. Traditional dancers, drummers, spiritual leaders and elders from across the Mi’kmaq Nation gather for this celebration of culture, spirituality and community. Head to Jipujijkuei Kuespem Park for camping, canoeing, swimming and family fun. New this season: wigwam glamping! Facebook.com/mfngov

Taste This

There’s no shortage of seafood in tiny Gaultois. Chat with the locals about the catch of the day and have a beach boil up of the freshest fish you’ve ever tasted.

Facebook.com/townofgaultois/

Pansy Snow photo

Stay Awhile

To really get away from it all, take the passenger ferry west from Bay L’Argent on Route 212 to Rencontre East – an outport only accessible by water, located east of Belleoram in Fortune Bay. Stay at historic Chart House, a vacation home built in 1893 full of traditional character blended with modern comforts. Rencontreeastvacation.ca

Off the Beaten Path

Explore the tiny isolated villages settled on the rugged south coast. From McCallum, a ferry runs weekly to Francois, an incredibly picturesque outport framed by a deep fjord. Be sure to check the ferry schedule and plan carefully before heading out. Gov.nl.ca/ti/ferryservices/schedules/n-mcallum/

Francois

Julie Baggs photo

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Bonavista Peninsula

Don’t Miss

In Trinity, Rising Tide Theatre’s Seasons in the Bight Theatre Festival has been presenting some of the finest theatre in the province for more than 40 years. The Trinity Pageant runs every Wednesday and Saturday all summer long, leading visitors on a walking tour of the town’s picturesque lanes while recreating significant moments in history.

Risingtidetheatre.com

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Taste This

Vegetarian or vegan? No problem.

The Two Whales Coffee Shop in Port Rexton offers a variety of fresh fare made with veggies and herbs from their own kitchen gardens, served with some of the tastiest coffee on the island.

Twowhales.com

Stay Awhile

Mifflin’s Heritage Inn is a newly renovated heritage home in the heart of historic Bonavista. Complimentary breakfast is offered across the street at Mifflin’s Tea Room. Later, catch a summer series show at the Garrick Theatre, NL’s oldest operating community theatre. Mifflinsheritageinn.com and Garricktheatre.ca

Off the Beaten Path

Search for ancient Ediacaran fossils along Port Union’s National Historic District Boardwalk, then head to the nearby Historical Museum to learn more about the unique history of Sir William Ford Coaker’s union-built town.

Historicportunion.ca

N Ryan photo

Trinity

Barry Langdon photo

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Avalon Peninsula Don’t Miss

Enjoy ocean breezes and stunning scenery along the edge of the Avalon Peninsula on the East Coast Trail – an incredible 336 km of wilderness paths varying in length and difficulty stretching from Topsail to Cappahayden.

The 10.9-km Flamber Head path near Cape Broyle is challenging, but the views are worth it. Eastcoasttrail.com

Taste This

In St. John’s, eat like a local. Go to The Duke of Duckworth for a feed of fi’ & chi’ – that’s “townie” for fish and chips.

Make sure you order it with dressing and gravy for the full experience. It’s the essential meal to indulge in when in the City of Legends. Kitchen hours are noon to 9 p.m.

Dukeofduckworth.com

Stay Awhile

For peace and quiet, book a suite at the Rosedale Manor in Placentia. Just an hour outside of St. John’s, you can sit in the flower garden and savour the character of Old Placentia or take a personalized art lesson from the host.

Stroll over to Castle Hill National Historic Site where the French and English duked it out in the 1600s.

Rosedalemanor.ca

Along the East Coast Trail Raymond Wang photo

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Off the Beaten Path

Roll up your sleeves and spend a day digging into the past at the Colony of Avalon in Ferryland. Join the Archaeologist for a Day Program with a dedicated crew to unearth 17th-century artifacts from Baltimore’s English settlement. (Spaces are limited, so register in advance.) Later, take a hike to the Ferryland Lighthouse for a gourmet picnic served with stunning coastal scenery. Colonyofavalon.ca and Lighthousepicnics.ca

www.downhomelife.com

Dennis Flynn photo

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explore

The ongoing story of Churchill Park, Newfoundland and Labrador’s first garden suburb

BY KIM PLOUGHMAN

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Folks of a certain vintage will surely recall using the expression, “Be there or be square!”

When it comes to Churchill Square in the capital city, it might be an apt phrase to resurrect, as this special urban enclave undergoes a much needed makeover.

The Square, and the entire Churchill Park that encircles it, dates back to the WWII era. While the original plan to create this suburb was greeted with skepticism, it emerged as a concept ahead of its time – bold and imaginative. It’s in that spirit that the City of St. John’s is giving this popular centrecity neighbourhood a 21st-century transformation.

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Heritage.nf.ca

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Houses under construction in the new Churchill Park area of St. John’s in the 1940s.

NL’s First Garden Suburb In the early 1940s, the country of Newfoundland was in a state of flux.

The administration of its affairs, following bankruptcy, was overseen by a British appointed governing body (Commission of Government), whilst its capital city, St. John’s, was an active war zone.

Most of the city’s growing population of 30,000-35,000 lived very near the harbour; and like many cities in North America, this one lacked a proper development plan.

Plagued by overcrowded and slum conditions, the downtown was home to its poorest citizens and prey to high infant mortality rates and infectious diseases, including rampant tuberculosis. In fact, the heart of the city was decried, at the time, as a “dirty, congested, ill-built, planless and expensive thing…” by the Commission of Enquiry on Housing and Town Planning (CEHTP).

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The CEHTP was headed by Justice (later Sir) Brian Dunfield. Its goals were to assess the state of city housing, devise a housing plan and rejig the city. The CEHTP issued five reports from 1942 to 1944, with two options emerging: clear what was then the centre city and rebuild; or relocate residents to a new suburban area. It also recommended the creation of a housing committee.

By July 1944, under the weight of the city’s crushing debt, the St. John’s Housing Corporation was formed, again chaired by Dunfield.

Its simple mandate was to create a new garden suburb, with an emphasis on modestly priced residential housing. Derelict housing in the city’s centre would be abandoned and demolished.

More than 800 acres of land (mostly farmland) were expropriated to make way for the expansion. In October 1944, ground was broken, 1-888-588-6353

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opening up the valley north of Empire Avenue. The city had birthed its first suburb, the Churchill Park Garden Suburb. Garden suburbs, outlines Heritage NL on its website, were proposed in the 20th century by English social reformer and planner Ebenezer Howard. “They were planned, self-contained communities that balanced the benefits of town and country by providing shops and services to residents in attractive suburbs incorporating large amounts of green space such as lawns, trees, parks and greenbelts.”

Downhome, Sharpe explains that as the city was transformed through its postwar growth, the Park was envisioned as a model for orderly urban expansion. Public housing occupied a portion of the land, with the remainder set aside for modern urban structures. While the original plan called for three villages (A, B and C), all connected to the downtown by trams, only Village B (Churchill Park) got off the ground.

Between 1944 and 1947, 244 houses – many with those signature corner windows – were built on new cul-de-

A 1946 ad in The Evening Telegram selling houses still undergoing construction in Churchill Park.

So intriguing was the story behind the Churchill Park development that Christopher Sharpe and Jo Shawyer co-authored a book about it, titled Corner Windows and Cul-de-Sacs: The Remarkable Story of Newfoundland’s First Garden Suburb (Memorial University Press, 2021).

They spent 20 years delving into this unique urban planning narrative while both were full-time faculty members of Memorial’s geography department. Both Sharpe and Shawyer are retired now, and Sharpe lives in Shelbourne, NS. But for decades he lived in Churchill Park.

In a recent phone interview with www.downhomelife.com

sacs. This neighbourhood is bounded roughly by the streets known today as Empire Avenue, Prince Philip Drive, Freshwater Road and Torbay Road, and includes Memorial University campus.

While the city succeeded in building a garden suburb, when compared to what was envisioned in the original CEHTP plan, it was “a total failure,” says Sharpe, especially as a social experiment with objectives to construct social housing and eliminate dilapidated downtown housing.

“It provided high quality houses for the middle class… not what the city needed at the time.”

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Churchill Park Notes The original Churchill Park houses are Cape Cod-inspired designs by architect Paul Meschino. He was granted early release from the Canadian Navy, which had him posted to St. John’s during WWII, to work on the Churchill Park project.

Low-income housing was built in Churchill Park after Confederation, with support from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

Ziggy Peelgood’s food truck has been a fixture at Churchill Square for decades, as has Big Ben’s neighbourhood pub.

The main building with the clock tower is called “Terrace on the Square.”

The bust of Sir Winston Churchill, for whom the Park and Square are named, was sculpted by acclaimed Canadian artist Elizabeth B. Holdbrook and commissioned by the prominent, philanthropic Johnson Family of St. John’s.

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The Formation of the Square Churchill Square, the commercial and social centre of the new neighbourhood, was completed in 1956. Its boutique stores and large parking area drew shoppers from around the city, as more and more families had cars.

With services including banking, grocery shopping, pharmacy, boutique clothing, dining and evening entertainment, Churchill Square had something for pretty well everyone.

Naturally, over the years there’s been turnover in businesses, mostly following the natural ebb and flow of the local economy, and the area was beginning to look its age. But now there is a new energy in the Square as some interesting developments take shape. The most obvious is the massive six-storey multi-purpose building well under construction, in the space that used to be the Dominion grocery store. This new structure will house luxury apartments, underground parking and retail spaces. It’s part of a greater vision being created by the City of St. John’s that began with asking citizens what they want for Churchill Square.

Councillor Ian Froude, who headed up the Square’s revitalization plan the past several years, says a concept plan (“Re-Imagine Churchill Square”) arose from a 2020 “What We Heard” document based on public engagement. Froude shares the various viewpoints that were heard.

Businesses in the Square were eager to maintain customer parking; residents asked for more green spaces and outdoor sitting areas, including accessible community space. Others envisioned additional trees, extended sidewalks, bike racks, EV charging stations, patios, lighting and land1-888-588-6353

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Terrace on the Square (above) is the centrepiece of Churchill Square.

New construction such as a this multi-purpose building promises to add more vibrancy to the area. scaping, and an enhanced connection between the commercial square and the grassy parkland across Elizabeth Avenue where a bust of Sir Winston Churchill resides. For socializing, a variety of suggestions were put forward, from sports to outdoor movies to a food truck festival. A number of those suggestions, including outdoor movie showing, appear in the concept plan.

“The idea behind improving the Square and allowing events there aligns with our broader strategy plan to create a more vibrant city,”

explains Froude. The next step, he says, is to engage engineering architects by mid-summer.

Meantime, Churchill Park was the centre of a celebration in the summer of 2022. A private group organized the first annual Churchill Park Music Festival on the greenspace opposite Churchill Square. Featuring Matchbox 20, Our Lady Peace, Gin Blossoms and Timber, it drew thousands of happy ’90s fans and was so successful this it’s returning this month for two weekends of outdoor concerts, August 11-12 and August 18-19.

Proposed designs by the City of St. John’s add more community spaces to Churchill Square. www.downhomelife.com

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HOME and Cabin

stuff we love by Nicola Ryan

Mermaid’s Treasure DROP IN Lure guests to your door with a siren-shaped doorknocker. Made of durable cast iron with an antique bronze finish for a weathered look, it’ll add a touch of maritime flair to any entrance. We spotted this one at Posie Row in downtown St. John’s, NL. PosieRow.com

ENCHANTED EVENING Lull your little one to sleep with Mermaid Lullaby, a soothing sea story about mer-moms and their babies at bedtime. Written and illustrated with gorgeous watercolours by Nova Scotia’s Briana Corr Scott.

ShopDownhome.com

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MAKING WAVES Rochelle Young of Imagine That Pottery creates unique pieces in her Kelligrews, NL, studio. We love this stunning yarn bowl, which features a swimming mermaid in a blue ocean-inspired glaze.

Check out the selection at Hillhead House in St. John’s. Hillhead-house.com

SEA GLASS Mermaid Sophia glides gracefully through the waves in this luminescent piece from Stained Glass Creations. Artist Jennifer Walsh makes free-hanging panels inspired by nature at the Artisan Studios in Quidi Vidi, St. John’s, NL. Facebook.com/

StainedGlassCreation

POSEIDON’S PALS Travel and lifestyle writer Karla Courtney grew up in Toronto, ON, and spent summers in Newfoundland, where her grandmother taught her to knit. Crafters will love her Ocean Patterns Pack featuring knitting patterns for a mermaid’s retinue, including a lobster, crab, oyster shell and puffin. Karlacourtney.com www.downhomelife.com

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HOME and Cabin

Ask Marie Anything Interior designer Marie Bishop takes your questions

Doggy Dens & Kitty Condos Q: What are the most creative ways you’ve seen pets (their beds, food dishes, toys etc.) incorporated into a home design? I’m looking for some ideas for the home I share with a dog and a cat.

A: Great question. There is no doubt we have become a society of pet lovers. These furry critters have become our friends, our babies, our family. While they have always shared our living space, there is a recent trend to create a dedicated “designer space” for our beloved pets.

Some would say it’s about time. Our fur babies have nestled their way into our homes as much as our hearts. Most pets have a doggie bed or kitty pillow somewhere in your main living area and likely in your bedroom, too. But what do you do with all their accessories, toys, treats, outerwear, grooming tools, medications and, yes, family photos?

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As with any design idea, this can be as elaborate or simple as your budget and space will allow. Of course, it also depends on the number and size of the pets you have. Let’s say you don’t mind investing a little money, effort and floor space for your pet. The most obvious space would be located in or near your main living area; no one likes to be left out. If it’s close to the entrance you most frequently use, even better.

For starters, you could invest in an open-faced, locker style unit with hooks, baskets and possibly drawers.

This takes advantage of vertical space to keep everything organized. The hooks can handle leashes, rainwear, vests, a small backpack for snacks, those little baggies and your sun/rain hat. Glass jars on an upper shelf could display treats. Baskets at the lower level are great for toys and towels for drying wet or muddy paws. Drawers can store food, medications, even a notebook for appointment reminders and medication schedules for times when someone else is in charge.

Add a serviceable rug next to a comfy doggie bed, as well as a waterproof placemat for the food and water dishes, and you’ve got a great Doggie Den. If you have unused or underutilized space – like the cubby under the stairs or a dead space at the end of a hallway – you can add character and personality with a funky light fixture, a fake plant, a photo wall, or even an accent wall colour or a mural.

Cats, on the other hand, have different needs. They will thoroughly enjoy the fact that you’ve created a special place for them, possibly wonder what took you so long, use it occasionally – and continue to claim www.downhomelife.com

Unused spaces like that found under a stair can be repurposed as a cute doggie den.

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Angled and level platforms on walls give kitty a vertical playground and a cool place to nap.

every other comfortable surface in your house. The best you can do is protect your furniture with nice-looking throws that you can replace every now and again. But if you are a cat lover, you already know this.

Indoor and outdoor cats will equally appreciate a creative indoor space that lets them hone their feline prowess. Cats love spaces where they can climb, hide, scratch, watch from above and sleep. It’s easy enough to create if you don’t mind giving them a little vertical space. This, too, can be designed in an underused area of the house where you can set up angled and level platforms on the wall, carpeted vertical spaces to scratch, tunnels to navigate and a spot to nap.

The ideal Kitty Condo.

Another consideration for indoor cats is the dreaded litter box. Fortunately, kitty litter has come a long way in terms of a long lasting odour control, quick clumping, easy scooping, mess-free product. But it’s not something you want in plain view.

There are many convenient options

available that look great and keep everyone happy. The most practical one I’ve seen is a small cabinet with two doors on the front and a kitty entrance on the side. Inside there is a shelf about 6"-8" from the top to store cleaning cloths and litter disposal bags. The bottom section houses the litter box and a hook on the inside of the door holds the litter scoop. On top of the cabinet you could arrange a few cat-friendly plants such as Silver Vine, Cat Thyme or Catnip. These are actually healthy for your cat and will keep them away from your more prized houseplants. Place this unit next to your Kitty Condo with a basket of toys and a container of treats, and your kitty will be purring for hours on end.

Maybe when you have your special space all fitted out for your furry friends, you could send me some photos featuring your proud pets.

It’s always wonderful to share the joy and even better when everyone in your house, including your pets, love their space.

Ask Marie Anything!

Got a design question for Marie? Email editorial@downhomelife.com.

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life is better Heading out to fish in Bonavista.

Mark Gray, Bonavista, NL

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the everyday gourmet

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harvest season. I’m so inspired by the everyday Itheadore beautiful and bountiful produce that farmers gourmet bring to market this time of year – it compels me

By Andrea Maunder

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

www.downhomelife.com

to cook vegetables in more creative ways.

The following is a simple, time-saving version of one of my favourite Indian dishes. Korma is a luxuriously flavoured, saucy curry – a long braise usually made with yogurt, ground almonds or other nuts, sometimes coconut, and whatever vegetable or protein is being cooked in it. While studying on the mainland in my 20s, I created quicker versions of some favourite dishes that delivered the exotic restaurant flavours I craved. I crafted a korma-style cooking sauce for boneless, skinless chicken breasts that became a regular part of the rotation. I hadn’t thought of it in years, but it popped into my head the other day when thinking of ideas for cooking local cauliflower.

Korma recipes vary depending on the region in India and, naturally, who is doing the cooking.

While I wouldn’t be so brazen as to serve this to an Indian cook as authentic Korma, the flavours definitely satisfy. Traditional Korma recipes call for a purée of caramelized onions and spices; I opted to represent that sweet onion flavour with a crispy onion garnish. (I buy packages of crispy fried onions at the supermarket.) Same with the coconut – rather than using coconut milk with the yogurt (that would be too runny), I toasted unsweetened coconut shreds as garnish. I always have a can of toasted salted cashews in the pantry, so they fit the bill nicely for additional crunchy garnish.

If you have a decent spice pantry, you can use individual spices for this recipe; but a convenient option is pre-blended garam masala (it is to Indian cooking what steak spice might be to North Americans). It’s a heady combination of warm spices, generally not spicy-hot, including cumin, coriander and cardamom (see the sidebar recipe to make your own). I always have ginger marmalade in my fridge, so I used it – but I’ll provide options in the recipe for you.

A note on yogurt. You’ll need thick, plain yogurt without gelatin or other thickeners. Don’t use lowfat or no-fat, or those that contain gelatin, pectin, August 2023

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gums or starches because they will become runny. I prefer natural, Balkan-style full-fat yogurt – around 3% milk fat. Greek yogurt will work for this recipe – you might even have to thin it with a drizzle of water if it’s super thick.

I’ve become a fan of the air fryer recently and find myself using it more and more. I cooked my cauliflower in my air fryer, but you can use the BBQ or your oven (convection bake, or bake and then finish under the broiler for some nice brown spots). For the BBQ, I would give it a little head-start in the microwave to start the cooking on the inside. It’ll take less time on the grill and you’ll be able to cook it through before the sauce gets too dark. Use a spatula to turn it so your “steak” holds together.

If you’re a regular reader of my column, you’ll notice I am leaning into giving more and more options for

ingredients and cooking methods. A recipe, after all, is a framework – the masterpiece is really up to you.

(Baking, naturally, calls for a little more precision.) I hope you have been becoming more comfortable flexing your culinary muscles and are feeling like you can intuitively make swaps and changes depending on what’s in your pantry – or to suit your palate.

My recipe is for two portions. The sauce will keep for at least a week in the fridge, so you can use it for other meals, such as boneless, skinless chicken breasts. They make a great weeknight meal, and leftovers are fabulous (with some of my Saucy & Sweet Marvelous Mango Chutney) in a sandwich or atop a salad. One caveat about the cooking sauce: don’t be tempted to use it cold as a dressing. The spices and nuts really need to cook out to lose any grainy texture.

Cauliflower Steak Korma 1 good-sized cauliflower head Cooking sauce 3/4 cup thick yogurt (eg. Greek) 1 tbsp garam masala 1 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp ground cayenne (or to taste, or substitute chili powder) 1/4 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp kosher salt 1 tbsp ginger marmalade (or orange marmalade / honey / 1 tsp sugar) 1 large garlic clove, minced very finely (or 1 tsp garlic powder) 1 tsp finely grated ginger (or 1 tsp ginger powder) 2 tbsp ground almonds 100

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Garnishes (optional) Crispy onions 1 fresh serrano chili or jalapeño, thinly sliced Good handful of freshly chopped cilantro 2 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted in nonstick pan Handful toasted, salted cashews (or almonds)

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Garam Masala The best flavour comes from toasting and grinding whole spices. If you have the time, inclination and a spice/coffee grinder, this is a fun little project.

Mix all sauce ingredients into yogurt. Taste for seasoning, set aside.

Clean the cauliflower and place stem-side down on a cutting board.

Cut two 1-inch “steaks” from the centre. You will have florets left over for another use. If cooking on the BBQ, place steaks on a microwave-safe plate, cover it and cook 4-8 minutes until lightly softened. Pat dry, then slather both sides and edges with cooking sauce. Grill until browned on both sides – about 5-8 minutes per side. Air-fryer method: Slather both sides and edges of the steaks with the cooking sauce and place in air fryer at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, or until tender, then increase heat to 400°F and cook another 4-5 minutes until browned. Conventional oven: Lay cauliflower steaks on parchmentlined baking pan and bake at 350°F for 30-40 minutes. No need to flip in air fryer or oven. If your oven has a convection feature, use it. Otherwise, you can turn on the broiler for the last few minutes to get more browning. For any method, if you see the cauliflower looking dry during cooking, add more cooking sauce. Serve at once with garnishes. Serves 2

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2 tbsp coriander seeds 1 tbsp cumin seeds 1 tsp fennel seeds 2 tsp black peppercorns 20 green cardamom pods 1 1/2 inches of cinnamon stick 4 whole cloves 4 dry bay leaves 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

Toast the whole spices and bay leaves in a nonstick pan over medium heat for a few minutes, tossing or stirring, until the colour darkens a little and you can smell the aroma.

Turn out of pan onto a plate to cool a little. Place the cardamom pods on a cutting board and, using the flat side of a chef’s knife, press down with the heal of your palm to break them.

Shake out the little black seeds into the spice mill and discard the green husks. Place the rest of the toasted spices in the spice mill and grate in the nutmeg. Grind until fine. Store in a glass jar until ready to use.

(If using ready-ground spices, use same proportions except for cardamom, use 1 tsp ground; cinnamon, use 1 tsp ground; cloves, use 1/8 tsp ground. Omit bay leaves.)

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Submit your favourite photos of scenery, activities and icons that best illustrate the down-home lifestyle. We’re looking for a variety of colourful subjects – outports, wildlife, laundry lines, historic sites, seascapes, hilltop views, and so much more – and photos from all four seasons.

This is your chance to get in on our most popular reader contest and try to woo the judges into choosing your photo for the 2024 Downhome Calendar. These calendars are seen by tens of thousands of subscribers and displayed all year long.

Deadline for Entries: August 31, 2023 Submit today, using one of these ways:

by mail: Downhome Calendar Contest 43 James Lane St. John’s, NL A1E 3H3 online: www.downhomelife.com/calendar

Must be original photos or high quality copies. Digital photos must be at least 300 dpi, files sizes of about 1MB. We can’t accept photocopies or photos that are blurry, too dark or washed out. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you want your photos returned.

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HOME and Cabin

downhome recipes

Stay Cool Enjoy the last blast of summer heat and keep your cool with these easy, breezy frozen treats!

Raspberry Freeze 1 envelope whipped topping 1 (250g) pkg cream cheese 1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup milk 1 pkg frozen, unsweetened raspberries, thawed and drained

Prepare whipped topping as per package directions. Line a 9"x12" baking pan with plastic wrap, letting it extend slightly over sides. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and milk until light and fluffy. Fold in raspberries. Gently fold berry mixture into prepared whipped topping.

Spread into lined pan. Cover with more plastic wrap and freeze for 3 hours or overnight. One hour before serving, place the dessert in the fridge to soften slightly. Invert onto serving tray and remove plastic wrap. Cut into 2" x 4 1/2" slices and serve immediately. Makes 12 slices.

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Baked Alaska Vanilla ice cream, softened a little (or your favourite flavour) 8" round sponge cake, sliced in half

3 egg whites, room temperature Pinch of cream of tartar 3/4 cup sugar

Line a bowl (with an approximately 8" mouth) with plastic wrap and fill to about 1" from the top with softened ice cream. Cover with halved sponge cake. Cover bowl tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Once fully frozen, remove plastic wrap and turn ice cream and cake out onto a platter (so the cake is now the base).

Remove plastic from ice cream. In a small bowl, whip egg whites and cream of tartar until it starts to thicken. Gradually add sugar while whipping, until the whites form soft peaks. Immediately spread meringue using a flat knife or spatula (or using a piping bag and tip for a fancier look) over the entire surface of the ice cream and exposed cake. Using a culinary torch, quickly sweep the surface of the meringue with the flame until it turns a golden brown. Serve immediately. Makes 12 servings.

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Strawberry Milkshake 2 cups vanilla ice cream 1 vanilla bean, scraped 2 cups strawberries, frozen 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt 2 large mint leaves, minced Milk, as needed

Place all ingredients, except milk, in a blender. Blend until completely smooth. If the mixture is too thick, or won’t combine, add a little milk to loosen it and blend again. Add as much milk as you feel necessary to create the consistency you like.

Makes 2 shakes.

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Watermelon Sorbet 1 cup sugar 2 tbsp fresh mint, minced 1/2 cup water 1/4 tsp lime zest 4 cups watermelon purée, seeds removed

Mix the sugar and water together in a pot and bring to a boil. Boil vigorously for 1 minute. Remove from heat and let syrup cool to room temperature. To make watermelon purée, blend chopped watermelon until smooth, then pour through a fine sieve to strain the seeds.

Whisk sugar syrup, watermelon purée, mint and zest together and either freeze it in an ice cream machine, as per manufacturer’s instructions, or place it in a stainless-steel container in the freezer until frozen. Once frozen (in the second method), scrape the sorbet to make it more “fluffy” and serve immediately. Makes 4-6 servings.

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Frozen Banana Treat 1 large banana

Greek yogurt

Chopped almonds

Peel banana and cut it in half, so you have two pieces with a cut end and a pointed end. Insert a popsicle stick into each cut end. Dip banana in yogurt (or smear it on with a silicone brush), then roll it in the almonds.

Place bananas on a wax paper-lined plate or baking sheet and place in the freezer for about 2 hours – until banana is frozen. Enjoy straight from the freezer or let it thaw a few minutes before eating. (This can also be done with a peanut butter or melted chocolate coating, and rolled with other nuts, chocolate shavings, coconut, sprinkles – whatever you like!)

Makes 2 servings.

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Iced Coffee Popsicles 1 cup cold coffee (your favourite brew) 1/4 - 1/2 cup cold milk

1-4 tbsp sugar Popsicle moulds (or small paper cups and popsicle sticks)

Whisk together the coffee with the right amount of milk and sugar for your taste. Sample and adjust as needed. Pour coffee into popsicle moulds, and secure the sticks and covers (or use paper cups and wooden popsicle sticks). Freeze for several hours until firm, preferably overnight. Note: Make sure you use chilled coffee and milk to start – it speeds up the freezing process so you won’t have to wait so long to enjoy your treat! And to make the swirly effect seen in the photo, add the milk last to each mould and stir lightly or not at all.

Makes 4 popsicles.

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HOME and Cabin

down to earth

Cottage Gardens Cottage Gardeners for

BY KIM THISTLE

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There are two types of cabin people: those who don’t want to mow or weed on the weekend, and those who can’t help themselves. However, even the worker bees don’t want to spend the entire weekend maintaining a perfectly manicured garden.

They want to enjoy a good book in the shade whilst surrounded by the fruits of their labour.

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Enter here, the cottage garden.

Wikipedia defines this type of garden as “a distinct style that uses informal design, traditional materials, dense plantings, and a mixture of ornamental and edible plants.” I define it as “chaos.” I love chaos in the garden.

Swaths of perennials of all colours and heights are a visual delight.

Scent and texture bewitch the senses.

Even the sound of a breeze blowing through tall grasses is calming for the soul.

until you are happy with the shape, then use a sharp shovel or edger to begin digging. Once you’ve edged out the shape, you can begin lifting the sod (or weeds) until the soil is exposed and you can picture the finished shape.

Amending the soil will be the next step. This is important, as you do not want to be constantly fertilizing and struggling with unhealthy plants.

There are all sorts of things you can add to the existing soil to improve

Let’s start with the shape of the beds.

Curves are far more pleasing to the eye than straight lines.

Cottage garden chaos does not mean that you go out and purchase a load of plants and haphazardly scatter them around your garden. It takes planning. The shape of the beds, the height of the plants, the timing of the blooms… all these factors come into play.

Let’s start with the shape of the beds. Curves are far more pleasing to the eye than straight lines. Take a flexible hose or some rope and place it around the perimeter of your planned garden bed. Move it around 112

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the tilth. Organic matter such as compost, well-rotted manure, composted seaweed, coco peat, peat and shredded leaves are all beneficial for soil organisms that are essential to soil health.

Plant choices for this type of garden are important, particularly their bloom time. Perennials usually bloom for just two to three weeks, not all summer, so carefully choose plants that bloom in early spring, late spring and throughout the summer and fall (see sidebar for suggestions).

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About Blooming Time The plants listed here all do best in a full sun or afternoon sun garden. Pick a few from each season to ensure continuous bloom in your garden.

Early Spring Crocus, early tulips such as “Red Riding Hood,” and “Tete a Tete” daffodils.

Late Spring Later blooming tulips and daffodils, grape hyacinths, hellebores and primula.

Early Summer Creeping Phlox, Aubretia, Azaleas, Rhododendrons, Bleeding Hearts, Columbine, Iris, Allium, Trollius

July Peonies, Foxglove, Lavender, Dianthus, Bellflower, Lady’s Mantle, Cranesbill, Sweet William, Baptista, Sage, Lamb’s Ears, Astilbe, Catmint, Daylily, Salvia, Blanket Flower, Coreopsis, Coral Bells, Liatrus August Shasta Daisy, Delphinium, Hollyhock, Echinacea, Russian Sage, Beebalm, Lucifer Crocosmia, Asiatic Lilies, Veronica, Yarrow, Joe Pye Weed, Goatsbeard, Queen of the Prairie, Heliopsis, Hydrangeas September Phlox, Sedum, BlackEyed Susan, Aster, Oriental Lilies, Hydrangea, and grasses such as Zebra Grass, Morning Light and Karl Foerster www.downhomelife.com

Stop yourself from spontaneous purchases because they look nice in the pot. This is where people run into trouble and end up with a lot of spring blooming plants because they are in bloom when garden centres are booming. Make a habit of shopping every couple of weeks to see what is in bloom at that time.

Alternatively, walk around your neighbourhood and observe what is in bloom at different times throughout the summer.

Pay close attention to the finished height while planting. It would be a shame to have a beautiful Beebalm hidden behind a Delphinium. You will want tall plants at the back, or in the centre if the bed is being viewed from all sides. Heights must be staggered from tallest to shortest.

Equally important is the finished width of the plant. A common error is to plant everything too close together and three years later have to dig your plants up to properly space them. The first year your flower bed will look sparse and unfinished. The second year it will start to come into its own. By the third year, you will finally be able to sit back and enjoy the finished product.

Now, pour yourself an iced tea, grab a pencil and paper, and start planning.

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

Got a question for Kim? downtoearth@downhomelife.com August 2023

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reminiscing flashbacks

Muscle Car

“This is a photo from June 1978,” writes the submitter. “My grandfather had no horse or tractor at the time, so he used the family car – a 1967 Chrysler Newport – to haul the garden plough. Only in Newfoundland!”

Ryan Coates Glenwood, NL

Backseat Drivers

Siblings Marcella, Abel, Marlene and Susan Ralph pose in front of the family car in this photo from about 1969.

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Road Trip!

After graduating from high school in July 1972, the submitter drove this Volkswagen Beetle from his home in Ridgewood, New Jersey, to his grandma’s house in St. George’s, NL. Steve Adam Georgia, USA

This Month in History Adventurer Sir Humphrey Gilbert (1537-1583) was a celebrated soldier, half-brother of Sir Walter Raleigh and flamboyant favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. In June of 1583, he scrounged up a fleet of ships – the Raleigh, the Delight, the Golden Hind, the Swallow and the Squirrel – manned by crews of misfits, criminals and pirates, and set sail. They landed in St. John’s in August. There, Gilbert formally took possession of Newfoundland as Britain’s first colony in the New World on August 5, 1583.

When the Delight was wrecked off Sable Island in September, Gilbert and his remaining crews hightailed it back to England. About 900 miles from Cape Race, they encountered rough and stormy seas. Gilbert obstinately stayed put on the deck of the Squirrel, reportedly reading a book. “We are as near to Heaven by sea as by land!” he cried, before the Squirrel went down with all hands.

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reminiscing

And other stories from childhood days in Springdale

By Victor A. French, P.Geo.

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It was a sunny day in mid-August 1949.

Although I was only five years old at the time, I remember the day well as it was the start of my first real adventure. My father, Harold French, had been the science teacher at Prince of Wales Collegiate in St. John’s, NL. But in September he would start his new job as principal of the four-room United Church school in Springdale. We spent the summer at our ancestral home in Clarke’s Beach, and in mid-August began our journey to Springdale.

Dad, Mom and me, their only child, loaded our suitcases and trunks into the taxi for the one-hour dusty trip to the Whitbourne train station, to catch the overnight run on the Newfie Bullet to Badger. The train station was a bustle of activity and excitement, and everyone’s heads turned at the sound of the train’s whistle echoing down the track, signalling its approach.

The coal-fired locomotive chugged to a stop, and people scurried aboard as luggage handlers quickly loaded the baggage cars. For this five-yearold passenger, the clickity-clack sounds from the tracks and the

swaying of the rail cars, mingled with the excitement of travelling through the wilderness, filled up the hours.

The next afternoon we arrived at Badger and were escorted off the train by the conductor, Jimmy (I don’t remember his surname ). This was the end of his run and he lived near the tracks, so he invited us to spend the night with him and his wife, as we had to wait until the next day for the taxi to Springdale.

After a delicious breakfast of fresh eggs, bacon and homemade bread, we boarded the taxi operated by the Inder family and off we went over the Halls Bay Line. In late afternoon, we

Above: Victor French (in the cart) and Arthur Smith 1-888-588-6353

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arrived at the fording site along the Indian River. There was no bridge, so the Inders used canoes to ferry their passengers and cargo across the water. Mom was nervous, but Dad and I were thrilled.

On the other side, another taxi was waiting to take us the rest of the way to Springdale and the rented house that would be our home for the next three years. It was a large two-storey home with an attic, furnished by the school board. It had its own small windmill for generating enough electricity to power the lights and the radio, so that we could listen to Foster Hewitt call the NHL games on Saturday nights – a real treat for Dad, a Maple Leafs fan.

Springdale was a bustling outport of considerable size (pop.

1,500+) compared to other rural communities. It was a centre for servicing the mining industry, well established in the region since the 1800s at places such as Little Bay and Pilley’s Island. The community prospered from the well-paying jobs and mining revenues. It boasted many stores, a general lumber and sawmill business, farms and taxis. There was a library, a pool hall, restaurants, a photography studio, several schools and churches, and a well-staffed and equipped cottage hospital. Adams’ general store had a gas pump to service the seven local vehicles that travelled the main gravel road connecting Springdale and Little Bay. General stores include Warr’s and Sons, Harold England’s (also a pool hall), Cyril Locke, Matthews and Whitehorn’s, to name a few.

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Above: Back row (l-r): Mildred French, son Victor, Arthur Smith.

Front Row: Harold French, Neil Smith Below: Stella Smith and Mildred French pose at the one gas pump in Springdale.

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Victor with his father

being close to the school; here large barrel apples could be purchased for three cents and a brown bag of candy for a nickel.

Our first fall in Springdale was busy and included purchasing a small flock of eight grey-speckled Plymouth Rock hens. These were good laying hens, capable of keeping us in fresh eggs. A small shed, left over from an old mink farm at the rear of the garden, became their home. Dad fenced a yard around it with chicken wire. Feeding the hens and collecting their eggs was a daily routine and became chores I enjoyed.

That winter of 1949-50 was a cold one, colder than we were used to in St. John’s. The night of the Christmas Eve concert at the school was bitterly cold and windy, dipping to -28°F (-33°C). It was so cold that the steel stovepipes in several homes cracked off just above the roof. For us, the cold night produced a crisis of a different kind. When Father checked in on the hens the next morning, two of them had their claws frozen. One of the hens was so badly 1-888-588-6353

maimed it had to be put down. The other had only one frozen claw, and Dad thought he could save it by amputating the frozen limb. He then whittled a small wooden peg and fastened it with a screw to the stump of the hen’s leg bone. Surprisingly, the hen did not kick up too much of a fuss in the process. The prosthetic leg endured and it became the Captain Hook of hens!

Our hen with the wooden leg became a fixture on our property and an object of curiosity for the neighbours. During feeding or egg collecting time, I could hear the distinct knocking of the wooden leg on the floor as the hen moved about in the hen house – especially if it was scurrying out for the feeding in the yard.

This is one of many vivid memories of my years in Springdale. The billy goat in the floor; salmon fishing on Indian River Falls; Joe, the large Newfoundland dog; dog sledding; snaring rabbits on Little Bay Road, and putting fresh salt on birds’ tails – all life-long memories that perhaps I’ll share another time.

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Now more than ever a Downhome subscription is a great value. Not only do you save over $20 off the cover price, you receive: 1 Year (12 issues) OF DOWNHOME

Free WALL CALENDAR Free EXPLORE TRAVEL GUIDE 2 Issues INSIDE LABRADOR †

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

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2308_Puzzles_1701-puzzles 6/21/23 3:31 PM Page 124

puzzles

The Beaten Path

Robert Carter photo

By Ron Young

Block out all the letters that are like other letters in every way, including shape and size. The letters that are left over, when unscrambled, will spell out the name of the above community.

I G E H J D A C I L p V U x M B A H G L J C E D f K I I B C I U x p B R L M C C V f G A P L C I p I J E H L O IV M K E D Y p V C K U U x B C x B f M A C

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Last Month’s Community: Norris Point 124

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Sudoku

from websudoku.com

Last month’s answers

?

Need Help

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

www.downhomelife.com

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Karla Gould photo

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Downhomer Detective Needs You After more than two decades on the Urban City Police Force, Downhomer Detective has come home to rid Newfoundland and Labrador of a new threat – cunning thief Ragged Rick. A real braggart, the slimy criminal sends DD a blurry photo of his surroundings plus clues to his whereabouts just to prove he’s always a step ahead. DD needs your help to identify where in Newfoundland and Labrador Ragged Rick is hiding out this month.

Use these 5 clues to identify where Ragged Rick is now: • People have lived here for nearly 50 centuries.

• Home to extremely rare wild plants.

• Fossils found here are millions of years old.

• Its outdoor French bread oven produces baked treats.

• Caribou freely roam about the lighthouse.

Last Month’s Answer: St. Lunaire-Griquet

Picturesque Place NameS of Newfoundland and Labrador

by Mel D’Souza Last Month’s Answer: Rattling Brook 126

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

Last Month’s Clue: I am unable to place my digit upon the thing In Other Words: I can’t put my finger on it

This Month’s Clue: Observe that thing that the feline hauled inside In Other Words: ___ ___ __ __ _______ __

A Way With Words

EYE BALL

Last Month’s Answer: Eye on the ball

This Month’s Clue

YOUR BREATH SAY IT

Answer: ___ __ _____ ____ ______

Rhyme Time A rhyming word game by Ron Young

1. Sweets found on a beach are _____ _____ 2. The conche broke when the _____ ____ 3. An unhappy driver is a ______ ______ Last Month’s Answers 1. stay away, 2. go with the flow, 3. teach speech

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.

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A G E I A H D H D H A E D D A A E S A E A N G H I N T Y N N O L T T A G E E A H S A L E R L O N R O U O R T E N Y D R S Y R E S O R S T H T Y Y R O S

Last month’s answer: I wake up every morning literally with a smile on my face, grateful for another day I never thought I’d see. www.downhomelife.com

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Rhymes 5 Times Each answer rhymes with the other four

1. fair

____________

2. obligation

____________

3. shell

____________

4. filth

____________

5. longing

____________

STUCK? Don’t get your knickers in a knot!

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

Last Month’s Answers: 1. grave, 2. save, 3. gave, 4. brave, 5. crave

Tangled Towns

by Lolene Young Condon and Ron Young

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

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

1. SHAMANGRIND

For best results sound the clue words out loud!

2. POSTTARE

Aid Arrive Her Slice Sins _ ________ _______

3. GAVELAS

Weaker Tool Hater ____ __ ___ _____ Last Month’s 1st Clue: Nose Hole Is Sitting.

Answer: No soliciting. Last Month’s 2nd Clue: Muss Tough Bend Ream Inn. Answer: Must have been dreamin’.

4. PHAYP TENUREVAD 5. YANDS VCOE Last Month’s Answers: 1. Corner Brook, 2. Pasadena, 3. Gallants, 4. John’s Beach, 5. Summerside

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

1. MOTLEY MEN PUN ~ Clue: you have to work your way out of it 2. ACID TINS ROT ~ Clue: made you look!

3. LEG VIAL ~ Clue: not Shakespeare’s hamlet 4. RAP RIOT ~ Clue: it logs your comings and goings 5. DEAR VAN ~ Clue: a porch, but longer Last Month’s Answers: 1. manufacture, 2. listener, 3. challenge, 4. waterfront, 5. disappeared 128

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Four-Way Crossword F o re Wo rd s • B a c k Wo rd s • U p Wo rd s • D o w n Wo rd s

By Ron Young

Unlike regular crosswords, in Four-Way Crossword each letter is not necessarily related to the letter in the adjacent row or column, but is part of one or more words in some direction.

1-10: estrangement 1-5: foreigner 1-91: explorer 2-22: lion 5-45: breastfeed 7-5: beige 14-64: cause 15-11: encouraged 17-14: rain heavily 17-19: urinate 21-25: elector 21-51: air out 25-28: eternal city 27-24: additional 27-29: encountered 30-10: charged item 30-27: distinct part 32-62: transgressions 38-18: shelter 38-36: allow 38-68: missing 40-37: story 41-44: pinches 43-23: place 43-63: play on words 44-41: rotate 44-64: offspring 46-96: equines 47-7: entice 49-19: tardy 49-47: bunch 49-89: citrus fruit 50-41: laundry holder 50-46: material 55-58: cheats 55-51: enumerate 62-92: positive 65-63: lodge 71-51: ditch www.downhomelife.com

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73-76: wagers 78-75: remainder 80-75: woods 80-77: golf shout 84-64: write 84-87: ode 87-47: intended 87-57: nasty 87-90: quarry 89-59: Alaska town 91-100: rethink 93-73: taxi 93-96: swindles 94-64: ajar 95-45: detect 96-99: team 98-68: soil

100-10: mirror image 100-40: contemplate 100-98: colour Last Month’s Answer

I NACCURA T E MO R O N E A R O K MN E V O RMO T A A T A E S A B U T U T A T RA I L S P Q E LOUDN E T AH R E S P OND E N T I R I S NA I L E R A T N B U P A L S A L E G I T I MA T E August 2023

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The Bayman’s

Crossword Puzzle 1

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by Ron Young

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ACROSS 1. presently 4. epoch 5. tax 7. paddle 8. longjohns 15. Bud Davidge’s monogram 17. loose ice (colloq) 19. Osmonds Hill Arm (abbrev) 20. pre-Confederation welfare 22. “Sonny don’t go away, I __ here all alone” 23. mosquito (colloq) 25. before Dec. 26. henpeck 28. never (poetic) 29. “I’d throw him __ anchor” 31. Woods Island (abbrev) 32. lane (colloq) 34. nest robber 37. “Where be it blackbird to? I know where he __” 38. Daniel’s Harbour (abbrev) 40. “Snowing by the ______” 41. for example (abbrev) 43. cranky (colloq) 46. similar 48. Office of Energy Efficiency (abbrev) 49. short skirt 52. sister 53. bare 54. smack 55. small pie 56. “I ___ with my little eye” 57. melody DOWN 1. “Those little boats of ____________ ____ the world to me” (2 words) 2. either’s partner 3. empty net (colloq, 2 words) 6. each (abbrev) 9. National League for Nursing (abbrev) 10. expiring 11. cord www.downhomelife.com

12. “He don’t care _____ night overtakes him” 13. auricle 14. road (abbrev) 15. rest (colloq) 16. pitcher plant (colloq, 2 words) 18. ____ Blondahl – singer-songwriter 21. “How’s ye gettin’ __?”

24. Path End (abbrev) 27. mouth (colloq) 29. old 30. born 33. Herring ____, NL 35. gluttonous 36. motorhome 38. party (colloq) 39. “A single line may have two _____” 42. overabundance (colloq) 44. lease 45. stash 47. “__ _ leaky punt with a broken oar, ’tis always best to hug the shore” (2 words) 49. Mountain Standard Time (abbrev) 50. Institute of London Underwriters (abbrev) 51. grandmother’s name I S E S I M B N M E G E T L T T E E T R B L A C K G U A R D B T R A I N I A N I A T E H A R V N B C G W E N A V E M G L T H N A D N E E B E C E L T I C A L L E Y L H C E H F C L A B R O A D I S I O E R O A S I S D B R L N M A K E R C L A U S D W A T E R B R E A S T

ANSWERS TO LAST MONTH’S CROSSWORD

August 2023

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DIAL-A-SMILE © 2023 Ron Young

Pick the right letters from the old style phone to match the numbers grouped below and uncover a quote which will bring a smile to your face. _ 4

’

____ 3668

___ 968

___

____ 9268

__ 86

____

’ 288 5433

___ 843

____ 7263

_____ 87738

_____ 96853

_______ 9484688

__ 23

___ 968

Last Month’s Answer: I always arrive late at the office, but I make up for it by leaving early. ©2023 Ron Young

CRACK THE CODE

z

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

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _

_ _ _ _ _R _

Q A ; ; l QQ m YL b m Z3 A zl _ R _

_ _ _ _

_ _ R _

_ _

m z l 7 r tk Bm zt rb _ _ _ _ .

3 Zb l

_ _ _ _ _ _ R

Y l Z t kl z

_ R _

m zl

_ _ R _ _ _ _ _ _

B lzH m Y l Y t Last Month’s Answer: The single most important key to success is to be a good listener.

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© 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.”

beam = _ _ _

vtK

hvt}s` f x

burial = _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ` ft sv x

eat = _ _ _ _

ekt s

t

value = _ _ _ _ _ Y Vv}[

boards = _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _

_ _

_ _ _

ot stvo _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _

KVf

_

_

_ _ _ _

_ _

kt _ _ _ _

eVVv

eket’}

vt VY

_ _ _ _ _

_ _

_ _

xs`}

_

V`}st

t

}[vV fh[ _ _ _

_ _

dxtt v o

[td dktsoo

KVf

_ _ _

appreciative = _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _

_ _ _

_

Vdst

Last Month’s Answer: Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and diligence. www.downhomelife.com

August 2023

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Different Strokes

Our artist’s pen made the two seemingly identical pictures below different in 12 places. See if you can find all 12.

ERN AND COAL BIN AT THE REGATTA

Last Month’s Answers: 1. Sail boat, 2. Iceberg, 3. Jib, 4. Porthole, 5. Flag, 6. Transom, 7. Wash, 8. Sunglasses, 9. Life jacket, 10. Shirt sleeve, 11. Ern’s right hand, 12. Cleat “Differences by the Dozen”- A compilation of Different Strokes from 2002 to 2014 (autographed by Mel) can be ordered by sending $9.95 (postage incl.; $13.98 for U.S. mailing) to Mel D’Souza, 212 Pine St., Collingwood, ON, L9Y 2P2

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HIDE & SEEK HIKING

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

BACKPACK BINOCULARS BOOTS CAMERA CHALLENGE CLIMB COMPASS DESCEND GEAR GRANOLA HAT MAP PACE PATH

POLES REPELLANT REST SUMMIT SUNSCREEN

Last Month’s Answers

TRAIL VIEW WATER WOODS

L X E C F D T H H J V P E X Z L A C R O S S E F B N A P U R Y S V S C Q A E Y X A K F O X J V R D O W R S M P C G F H N C C A N O E X D X J I E Z E H S I D E M O C R A T I C R H I E L P A M E V W S T F K F S W J L G J J T N E M A I L R A P Z M J O L V L C N Z Z X W B D T T O N F B I P P Y M U F N E X V R O C K I E S L A U G N I L I B Q S Z Q S E G P U M J X E U C G F V Z X X C T L F U I E J Z U I U D N S B Q Z J S N O I T A R E D E F N O C S L W G C X E O V Q N Q A K O Y I K X M A X L O F E B R L E J T L T O H W M O U N T I E S P V E Q M R J N K S C T D W R O E I N O O T Z N P M X G T I V C J D C T E K E C H E S T E R F I E L D P O U T I N E H A R R A N Z P R O V I N C E S S Q J U G O E R C W N P Q U O P J T E R R I T O R I E S Q F K T K E Q U G Y O R Q D Z S H O C K E Y R E V A E B T G T W C U X W T O C Y R R O S Z A T I M M I E S E F E K K W S N H C O M M O N W E A L T H U U Q C B C D

S E D V O Q A T B W J Y A J W A B C I V E X I H Y U H T A P M S I B G W X R T B V R A E I S T O O B O M O S O Q W M C I X A E J G E I X C B H E Q A O J H P I H O Z M H L N E M V S T D O V K X Z O G U D W K G J A P U A K L O A T R M Q N C N P G R G H S F V R J L K S L Q V Z C A P P J Z O E S A U E F A Q V M W L Q Z L G M R I U K H J J A E W Y C F L G L S Y A S A Z E C S L G C L C G B V R C Y F K A H Z S E T V L C N R N I D O L A V Q P C L Q W O B F C M R E U O Z G C N E A M S T R T O S I E U C S G Q M E R M N N E D S D U P V O W S L N M W P E Y X L Z E B I A H A J T J B A Y N A F E U B S J A V R E S I C S R W R B R L H S W O T J S S X T F E M S F Z R E A G E X E C A O S S Z U J Y Q E W S I D E D L A Y Q P I G Z T C M I F D N E C S E D D C D D Y W Z N Z W V B L M X Q T A K X U K F X N B Z P M U L S D O O W K U N H C V B W N Z B A N T R B G M P S V D W W P R X K B E F L U R E P E L L A N T www.downhomelife.com

August 2023

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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.”

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www.downhomelife.com

August 2023

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Not intended to solicit properties currently under contract

%$#"! $% $# $ %! $

709-726-5113 1-888-588-6353 advertising@downhomelife.com

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FOR SALE • HICKMAN’S HARBOUR • WATERFRONT 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1,800 sq. ft. split level on private 1.4 ac. lot in picturesque Hickman’s Harbour, Random Island. Property features a 16' x 20' shed, paved driveway and waterfront with stage and wharf. A perfect summer or retirement home - just a 40 min. drive to shopping, services and hospital in Clarenville.

For more info & photos contact: efmarsh40@gmail.com

Movers & Shippers Ontario to Newfoundland and All Points in Between

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Return Loads from NL, NS, NB, QC, ON at a Discounted Price

Contact: Gary or Sharon King

905-424-1735

Toll Free: 1-866-586-2341 www.downhomemovers.com

A&K Moving

arent58@hotmail.com www.ar-moving.ca

35 Years in the Moving Industry All Vehicles Transported

416-247-0639 aandkmoving@gmail.com

Movers & Shippers Rates start at $175 for a 1 col. x 2" ad.

Call Today!

709-726-5113 Toll Free 1-888-588-6353 Email advertising@downhomelife.com www.downhomelife.com

August 2023

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GREAT GIFT IDEAS!

She Said: A Crime Novel Mitchell D. King

Revenge Finds a Home: A Crime Novel - Bill Coultas

#85370 | $19.95

#85291 | $21.00

More Than Just A Name:

Labrador Cinema Mark David Turner & Morgen Mills

Guide to the Origin of Place Names in NL - Byron A. Brooks

Dictionary of Newfoundland & Labrador - Ron Young #34047 | $19.95

Newfoundland and Labrador Lullaby - Rie-

#85174 | $40.00

mann, McCarron and Steuerwald

IsThisAnOlogy? - Amanda

The Gull Workshop and

Bulman & Ruth Lawrence

Other Stories - Larry Mathews

#85290 | $19.95

#85289 | $22.95

Poppa and His Drum: A Heartwarming Story of Truth and Reconciliation - Judith M. Doucette

#85283 | $19.95

#49135 | $14.95

#85173 | $16.95

ORDER ONLINE: www.shopdownhome.com

Prices subject to change without notice. Prices listed do not include taxes and shipping. While quantities last.

2208_Mailorder_Mail order.qxd 6/22/23 4:56 PM Page 141

MORE SELECTION ONLINE www.shopdownhome.com

Bunny Buttons

Caribou Poo

Cod Tongues

Chocolate covered raisins

Chocolate covered peanuts

Sweet peach slices

#46796 | $2.99

#46794 | $2.99

#78020 | $2.99

Puffin Poop

Salt Water Taffy

#46795 | $2.99

#46793 | $2.99

#55128 | $4.99

Salt Water Taffy

Salt Water Taffy

- 450g bag

- 198g box

#55127 | $11.99

#84175 | $9.99

The Hangry Chef Food Seasoning

Moose Droppings

Chocolate covered jujubes

Yogurt covered raisins

TO ORDER CALL: 1-888-588-6353

- 135g bag

#81308 | $10.50

Prices subject to change without notice. Prices listed do not include taxes and shipping. While quantities last.

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GREAT GIFT IDEAS!

Assorted Kisses

Peanut Butter Kisses

Spearmint Lumps

Spearmint Nobs

#3997 | $4.99

#26991 | $4.99

#4010 | $4.99

#26990 | $4.99

Rum & Butter Kisses #16805 | $4.99

Peppermint Lumps #4239 | $4.99

Bull’s Eyes

#1085 | $4.99

Peppermint Nobs #4238 | $4.99

Newfoundland Screech Coffee 225g Ground #39905 | $11.99 454g Ground #39365 | $22.99

Purity Jam Jams 2 Pack #79557 | $1.65

225g Whole Beans #44259 | $11.99 454g Whole Beans #44257 | $12.99

ORDER ONLINE: www.shopdownhome.com

Prices subject to change without notice. Prices listed do not include taxes and shipping. While quantities last.

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MORE SELECTION ONLINE www.shopdownhome.com

Summer Savoury

Summer Savoury

- 28g bag

- 60g bottle

#34176 | $3.99

#34177 | $8.49

Dark Tickle Blueberry Green Tea - 20 tea bags

Dark Tickle Screech Tea - 20 tea bags

Dark Tickle Partridgeberry Tea - 20 tea bags

Pease Pudding Bag

XL Pease Pudding Bag

Vegetable Bag

#63348 | $9.99

#35871 | $2.99

#45644 | $9.99

#75944 | $3.76

TO ORDER CALL: 1-888-588-6353

Newfoundland Savoury Gift Card #22019 | $5.95

#45642 | $9.99

#60592 | $5.80

Prices subject to change without notice. Prices listed do not include taxes and shipping. While quantities last.

2308_photo Finish_0609 Photo Finish 6/22/23 2:07 PM Page 144

photo finish

Hiked It, Liked It

A hiker takes in the view from the top of the East Coast Trail’s White Horse Path.

Roger Gillard via DownhomeLife.com

Do you have an amazing or funny photo to share?

Turn to page 9 to find out how to submit.

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