Day 52 - Bonavista, Newfoundland

It is Saturday, July 21st and a travel day to Bonavista – l88 miles.  The sun is shining so it made for an easy day, but it was quite windy.  Actually we’ve had a lot of wind in the Maritimes especially the closer we get to the ocean.

Just a few pictures while  driving here.  We just never knew what we would see going over a hill or around a bend.

As soon as we got setup at our campground, Bruce and I headed into town to find a café with Wifi so I could do yesterday’s blog.  It was a very nice place and Neil, the owner, was super – even gave us samples of some homemade bread.  Then he was making Carrot – Ginger Soup.  Oh boy did it ever smell good; however, he didn’t have any at the time for us to have – darn.  I’ll be stopping there tomorrow sometimes to do this blog so I’ll see what he will be making then. 

We drove along the coast on the way to a Puffin Festival and the coastline is just awesome.  I took over 200 pictures – don’t worry, you will only be seeing a small sample.  The Puffins have their homes on the rocks.  They are such a pretty bird with very colorful beaks.  One had to show off and spread his wings – too cool!

I have no words for the beauty of the area, rocks, water, waves, birds, etc.  Breathtaking!!!

Fran, Gordon, Wayne, Roni, Ruth & Wendy

Bruce spotted a whale and fortunately – shear luck – I was able to get a picture.  I didn’t realize until I downloaded the pictures that I actually had the whale not just the spout – cool!!!  We thought we saw a seal but it was actually an otter.  We just had to sit for a bit to take in all the beauty.  The baby was a seagull.  There were actually two babies.

A few more pictures.  I can't imagine how wonderful it would be to have this view everyday like the people living on the coastline.  The houses are pretty much all the same style.

After we spent an hour or so at the Festival – small town affair, we drove back to the Bay and walked along and took a few more pictures.  The water seemed a little calmer.  I have Fran taking a picture and enjoying the sights.  The sun was setting so it was a great time to take a few pictures of the sunset.  I just about made the sunset my picture of the day but Bruce said, I've done that already.

Picture of the Day!

This Puffin was waiting for a Photo Op!

It was another beautiful day for us.  Everyone said we would be pleased with New Foundland and they were right.  Anxious to see more another day.  Hope your enjoying the view from your front door as well. 

Day 51 - St. John's, Newfoundland

Oh My, it is a gloomy Thursday morning, this 20th day of July.  Sure am happy that we were able to take our long walk yesterday, as it wouldn’t happen today.  So we punted and took a ride out to see some small villages and coves.  That didn’t turn out to be the best idea as we really didn’t see that much.  There are whales in this area but we didn’t see any so we drove back into town.

These are some shots of the coves and a field of flowers - very pretty.  This is their dock for the boats.  I think they need to have a different plan.

After our drive, of course, we would be hungry as it was noon, so we stopped at Green Sleeves Pub for lunch.  The food was great and we also had entertainment – a couple guys with their guitars.  I hated to leave as they were very good but unto other things.  We drove to the back side of the harbor and saw the city from a different view point.  It was neat to see the difference in architecture  - new and old in one glance.  They still like their colors using different colored glass windows. The building with all the hanging flowers is their City Hall.  The big blue boat is a Russian one.  I think there was a story for that, but then again, we've heard so many that I'll save you from at least one.

We walked up to the Lighthouse and saw a Coast Guard Vessel leaving for The Artic for 6 months as it is used as an ice breaker.  The lighthouse is still in use right on the edge of the cliffs.

Top Left Picture:  Patty, Pat & Sharon -  Top Right:  Jackie and Bob - Right Middle:  Our Wagon Masters:  Skeeter and Pat -  Bottom Left: Wally, Rod, Richard & Fran - Bottom: Bruce

Our entire group got tickets to a dinner show at a Masonic Temple.  I had no idea how beautiful they have it with a very nice dining room, lounge and bar area.  We got there a bit early so we all ended up around the bar sharing the events of the day.

Top Left: Dolly Parton & Kenny Roger - Top Right:  Tina Turner - Bottom Left: Katy Lang(sang by one of the guys) & Ann Murray - Bottom Right: Conway Twitty singing to a Lady from our group, Mary.

It was a fantastic show.  We all laughed until we cried and listened in awe at their beautiful voices.   They were all very accomplished performers.  Some of the duets they did were (in addition to the ones above:  The Judd’s, The Carpenters, Frank Sinatra and Julio Inglasius, Everly Brothers, Tina Turner and Rod Stewart and June and Johnny Cash. These are just a few of the routines.  We all agreed that this was one of the best shows we’ve seen in a long time.  I think Mary is still blushing.

More pictures of the group singing a variety of songs.  Right Middle:  June and Johnny Cash.  Why the short hair - not sure but she had the accent happening perfectly.  The lady in the red dress, was Tina, Ann Murray and June - plus others.  Fabulous show!!!

I want to take this time to Congratulate Gr’ma Karen on the birth of her first grandson, Thomas Jon in Madison, Wisconsin.  Also, another family member in New York had baby Jake.  However, we also want to extend our sympathies to the family of Lucille Dietrich , who passed away.  She was a dear friend that we got to meet and know in Mesa.  She lived until 9l and had a good life.  God Bless them all. 

Day 50 - St. John's, Newfoundland

It is Thursday, July l9th and we had a great day with Wendy and Wayne walking over 6 miles into town. We started out at 8:30 and didn't return until 4:30.  There was a walking trail that we took from our campground around several ponds, back of hotels through parks and nice neighborhoods. Thankfully, it was a nice day to be out walking and enjoying the sites.  Even though we did the bus tour through town, it was nice to just walk around at our leisure.

We walked next to a river and you can see how lovely it is with the water cascading down.  Just as we stopped to take a break, we saw this outdoor workout area.  Wayne and Bruce did their best to build some muscle - lol!!  Wendy and I were better at using our legs.  The sun was shining so we didn't want to overdue and get over heated. 

It was a great house for a family as it was so large; however, the General wasn't married and had it all to himself.  Of course, he had a cook, maid and other servants to tend to his needs.  The dining table and room were quite large but he always had military personnel working or visiting.  Do you think Bruce could have filled his shoes???  Sorry, not even his hat!!!

You may remember seeing the painted houses yesterday but these will be clearer with no reflection from the windows since we aren't moving in a bus.  The yellow house is just so pretty.  We walked passed the War Memorial.  It is hard to see with the buildings in the background.  Wendy and I had to take a closer look at the dogs. 

I didn't realize that the Labrador (Retriever) is a descended from the Newfoundland, but was mated with English Setters and Pointers, to strengthen the retriever's gaming capabilities. 

Earlier we stopped and toured Newman's Wine Vault and got a small sample of Port Wine which is all they serve and sell there.  I didn't realize that Port is a combination of Wine and Brandy - maybe that's why I like it.  All Port comes from Portugal - did you know that??  We walked around some more and decided before we start walking back to the campground, we needed a full glass of brew or something substantial to drink.  We stopped on George Street, which is a real happening place at night - full of pubs, bars and restaurants.  They have music playing and they dance in the streets - how fun.

The building above is The Masonic Temple where we will be going Friday night for a dinner and show "Go Duet Yourself".  Will tell you all about it tomorrow. 

   

Picture of the Day!

We just love all the huge beautiful houses.  These were all privately owned at one time but now most of them have been renovated into apartments. 

Hope your day was as picture perfect as ours!!

Day 49 - St. John's, Newfoundland

I will apologize before I even start on this Wednesday, July l8th, as it was a very busy day and I just might get a bit lengthy - sorry!!  The weather was on and off all day, warm, cool, sunny, very foggy but nothing stopped us from a very full day that started at 8:30 a.m. and ended at 5:00 p.m.  A tour bus picked us up and we toured many sights in and around St. John's.

We started our city tour at the Lt. Governor's House.  Unfortunately, we weren't able to take a tour inside, even though he was out of town.  Bruce took a picture through the front window of the Greeting Room.  There are flowers everywhere - they even have their own greenhouse.  The bottom is an invitation to meet Queen Elizabeth in June of l959.  Any and all royalties are housed here.  We all got to sign the guest book - wow!!  The house was built between l827 and l831 and retains much of its original furnishings.

Like many other cities in Canada, they like their colored houses.  These are in the historic part of town so if you buy one of these houses, that today cost a lot of money, you cannot make any changes to them except paint them a different color.  The green house in the top right photo is very well known here in St. John's, as it is used in a TV show.

As we drove on Water Street passed the harbour, we saw a lot of boats - big and small.  I was told that a lot of the boats are used to haul repair parts, etc. to the Oil Rigs off shore - not necessarily these two.  There is a statue honouring Terry Fox who attempted to cross Canada to bring awareness about Cancer.  There is also a statue of a Newfoundland Dog and Labrador Retriever.  The NF dog is known for his size, strength which allows him to excel at water rescue.  He has a thick double coat, webbed feet and innate swimming ability.  Also a bronze monument to the Cod Fish - see the inside formation is of a fish.  At one time, the Cod Fish were in abundance so there was no limit as to how many they could catch.  However, once there weren't so many, they were told they couldn't fish them anymore.

High above the city, as shown in the bottom left picture, Signal Hill has been used for defense, observation and communication.  From signal masts high atop the Hill, flags conveyed information on approaching vessels to military and mercantile interests in St. John's.  Merchants then had plenty of time to prepare their docks for incoming vessels.  Also became the site of harbour defenses from the l8th century through World War II.  The Cabot Tower was constructed in l897 in honour of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, and the 400th anniversary of John Cabot's "Voyage of Discovery".  Guglielmo Marconi officially opened the new Marconi wireless Station on the second floor of the Cabot Tower.  It became the main wireless link between Newfoundland and the world.  It was used until l960.

High School students performed a Tatto for us at Signal Hill.  They marched to Drums and Flutes and then did a reenactment of a skirmish.  Our timing was pretty good because the fog came in as you can see in the top left picture. 

St. John The Baptist Cathedral was established at the end of the l8th Century by Irish Settlers.  The top left picture was taken by Bruce from the top of Signal Hill - great picture!!  Top right is of the alter, below it, is one of many many stained windows and the bottom right is of the ceiling.  I took a walk around the back of the alter, and I actually got lost - that's how big this church is. 

After our tour of the Cathedral, we also received a small tour - two rooms - of the Presentation Convent where retired Nuns live.  They have a beautiful alter in one of the rooms as well as a beautiful statue of the Veiled Virgin.  We were in complete awe of the workmanship.  One piece of marble was used to create the Blessed Virgin Mary.  The "perfect gem of art", as referred to by the bishop, was exquisitely sculptured by Giovanni Strazza (l8l8 - l875) and brought from Rome in l862 by Bishop Mullock of St. John's.  It was given to Mother Mary Magdalen O'Shaughnessey, Superior of the Convent.  Fran and I just couldn't believe how beautiful it was.  The vase was a gift to one of the Nuns and the bottom right hand corner shows the ceiling in one of the rooms.

This is Cape Spear.  It was very foggy here.  At one point, we couldn't even see the lighthouse.  It is the most Easterly point in North America.  The bottom right is the Cape Spear lighthouse - the oldest surviving one since l836.  Modern equipment was installed in l912 and remains in use in the concrete tower built nearby in l955.  Much altered during the l9th century, the old lighthouse has been restored to its original appearance.  It was opened by the Prince and Princess of Wales in l983.

Picture of the Day!!

This stature was so beautiful.  Hope your day was equally as lovely.

Day 48 - St. John's, Newfoundland

I woke up early this Tuesday, July 17th, because the waves were a bit choppy.  Due to the lack of sleep, I was hoping to sleep longer but I got up, showered and off we went for breakfast.  There wasn't a lot to do so we played cards with Wendy and Wayne.  After lunch, we went back to the cardroom and played somemore.  Rod and Patty joined us.  There were other groups playing as well. 

 

Patty, Wendy and Wayne are walking down the aisle - always having a good time no matter what we are all up to.  Joyce, Mary, Pat, Tom, Pat, Sharon, and Larry are busy playing cards.  Two pictures of our dining area.  Not too exciting but it worked.

No, I'm not in the Windy City of Chicago.  The Ferry is going into dock and we are out trying to get some pictures.  The water is quite clear so when the Ferry was turning around so we could drive out the rigs, the water got churned up and looked so pretty.  I think we were just about one of the last rigs to roll off the Ferry.  New Foundland, here we are!!!

It is raining out but between the raindrops, I was able to get a few pictures of the landscape.  I'm seeing alot of water and wild flowers.

I'm seeing a lot of lakes and other forms of bodies of water.  A lot of trees as well.  We actually saw a Moose today but not in time for me to take a picture.   Shortly after we arrived at our campground, we had a short Happy Hour due to the weather - looks like it could start raining at any time.  Tomorrow will be very busy with an all day tour.  We had to change our clocks by half an hour - yes half an hour - go figure!!  
 
Heard the weather is hot again at home.  So happy we aren't there as I would be withering from the humidity.  Hope all is well and you are enjoying your days.

Day 47 - North Sydney, Nova Scotia

Today, Monday, July l6th, was a very uneventful day - so far!  I did laundry, ironed, cleaned up the RV, got caught up on e-mails,, packed for our cruise, and took a walk with Wendy and Wayne.  That part was very nice as we walked along the bay.  Actually got in a 6 mile walk.  We had to exercise so we could eat tonight.  The Staff prepared Nacho's for us at 5:30 prior to our travel briefing. Our Staff does a great job feeding us - why we bother to buy any food is beyond me.

We saw a family of ducks while walking and some pretty wild flowers as we walked to the Park.  We couldn't believe it when we got to the park as there were children in the water - a bit too cold for us but they seemed to be having a great time.

There are no other pictures at this point in the day (who wants to see me slaving away washing floors on my hands and knees); however, I will have a couple in the next several hours - 8:30 to be exact as we are leaving the campground and going to the Port to get on the Ferry that will take us to New Foundland.  It will be a l6 hour cruise.  We depart at midnight and arrive in NF at about 3 p.m. Yes, we do take the RV's on as we will be in NF and Labrador for l9 days.  We will have a cabin for the night.  Both breakfast and lunch will be supplied - in other words, we've already paid for them.  It is a gloomy and very windy day so hopefully the North Atlantic Ocean won't be too rough.

We were ready at 8:45 P.M. to take our place on our ship; however, instead of boarding at l0:30 as we were told, we didn't get on until ll:45.  Some of the people fell asleep and had to be awakened to move their rigs on the ship.  The Ferry did leave at l2:30 as scheduled.  We were some of the last vehicles to board the Ferry.

We finally got on the ferry and above is a picture of us going on as well as the Ferry itself.  It wasn't very fancy but all we needed was somewhere to sleep and a bathroom to shower, etc. and it worked very well.  We checked out the Ferry so we knew where to go for breakfast, etc.   

Because of the time, we all went to our cabins and were asleep in minutes.  Good Night!!!  Will be in touch next from New Foundland. 

Day 46 - North Sydney, Nova Scotia

It is a beautiful Sunday, July l5th.  The sun is shining and we have a free day to do what we want.  Just around the corner from the campground is St. Joseph's Church so Bruce and I went to mass.  The church was lovely and the people very friendly.  One of the Usher's asked us to take the gifts up to the alter during Mass so that was special for us.  We ended up talking to the Priest afterwards and some of the parishioners.

The church was bright and very colorful.  They used a lot of tapestries vs statues.  The metal work was all designed and forged in stainless steel.

We drove into Sydney, the third largest city in Nova Scotia.  It's known as Spanish Bay - not exactly why as it is mostly Scottish settlers that arrived in the early l800's and with the opening of the coal mines and a steel plant at the turn of the 20th century, a large number of Eastern European settlers arrived. 

There are huge Aderondike chairs everywhere - even in our Campground so I thought I would see how comfortable it actually was.  I can tell you, it was pretty nice; however, I had a hard time getting out of it.  We drove around the Harbour and here stands the "Big Ceilidh Fiddle" or Largest Fiddle in Canada - probably the world.
The fiddle is to recognize the pre-eminence of fiddle music and the fiddlers, past and present, who have contributed so much to the musical heritage of Cape Breton Island.  Fiddle music was first brought here by Scottish immigrants more than 200 years ago and has since been shaped by Acadian, Irish and Mi'kmaq musicians.  The fiddle stands 57' tall, is made from painted steel, weighs eight tons, and was fabricated over an 8 month period by a Sydney artist and welder.

From Table Head on the outskirts of Glace Bay, Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi sent the first west to east trans-Atlantic wireless message to Cornwall England in l902.  Marconi conducted many radio experiments at his transoceanic wireless station at Table Head, the first on the North American continent.  On this headland stood four giant wooden towers supporting a massive web of copper wire.  A transmitter connected to this aerial was housed in a building near the exhibit center we were visiting.  A steam-driven alternator powered the apparatus.  The gentlemen in the picture operates a local amateur radio station and transmits to people all over the world. He was a lot of fun to talk to.

The Staff arranged a lobster and steak dinner for us.  You can see Patty's ready to dig in and Bruce can't wait to start.  Fran is holding it to show me how big it is.  Me, I'm not really interested as I had a very good dinner of steak and potatoes.  We had a group playing music and entertaining us after dinner.  They played and sang some fun hand clapping local music.  I had to take a picture of this little puppy.  Is he not just the cutest?

Picture of the Day!!!

Hope the sunset where you are, was as beautiful as this!