We get very interesting people to our b&b. Folks who have had varied and fascinating jobs, and some who are still working, in fact, working while staying at our place. Some have been nurses with companies selling equipment, or working to improve nursing care, and others who like to help creat a blast!
George is just such a character. He arrived from Corner Brook and needed lodging for a few days. George operates a drill making holes that hold dynamite charges to break up rocks.

George took this video while we watched the side of the quarry blow apart. Hope you like it.

A fine October day at Musgrave Harbour

Our busy season has wound down so Hugh and I can be tourists in our own area. It was 26 degrees Celsius, about 80 Fahrenheit, as we walked this fine beach, which stretches for about 4 km.

Warm breeze, no insects, and one person on the beach walking a dog, made it fabulous. Aren't we lucky?

We survived Hurricane Igor

It was an amazing event! Winds exceeded 90 km about 11 am and continued to build throughout the afternoon. At 1 pm we saw our weather station at the top of 80 foot rock right beside the house exceed 120 km. At 4 pm the weather station showed 160 km sustained wind and that continued for about 2 hours. Hugh was out in the full brunt of it when one of our neighbors basement was flooding. He said that he couldn't stand up and that the rain stung his face. At 8 pm, the winds receded to around 90-100 km, then stayed about 60-70 throughout the night.

The winds were blowing off the land so we had very little seas, except for the rain being whipped into a stinging driving force. No storm surges either but lots of flooding including our local hospital that had to be evacuated, and hotel and restaurants that had to close. At least one house had the roof blown off, and many reports of siding and boards blown away.

We hosted several stranded couples with meals and beds. One honeymooning couple ended up with us for 3 days waiting for roads to open.

We were very fortunate, some loose flashing on the roof that Hugh fixed the next day, and we picked up various items that had been blown around. We felt very lucky!


The next day was sunny and the winds were strong enough to deepen the ocean colour to this gorgeous blue.

Meditation on the dock

Hugh and I love our spot in beautiful New Wes Valley, Newfoundland and Labrador and that feeling is enhanced when we can share it with others. Our recent visitors have taken the opportunity to relax and increase their chi, flexibility and find their center. What better use than that!

Blogging for Becky

Some guests find it harder to leave than others. We loved Becky's response. She watched the ocean enjoying its beauty as much as we do. It is fantastic being able to share this wonderful spot with others.

A first!

Having a b&b delights both Hugh and I with the fascinating and fun people we meet and get to enjoy. The foursome that showed up this week were perfect examples. Fun loving, adventurous, gregarious people who welcome new experiences are just descriptions. Craig looked at the ocean, and dock exclaiming, "I'm going swimming!"

Well, this is the North Atlantic, and his remark is not one we have heard before. In fact he became the first person to use our dock in this way. Craig swam for a while, calling the experience refreshing.

We enjoyed lively conversation with Craig, Johanna, Joan and John on the sunny deck until dinner time intervened. Come again friends.

Perfume everywhere

The beautiful lupins that have graced the road edges along many highways and lanes and our garden are now producing their seed pods becoming the background so that the wild roses and fire weed become the foreground.




The aroma is wonderful,and they add wonderful color to the property as they contrast the granite and green.

A perfect day!

It's been a perfect day! My good mood was well established by spending time with dear guests who have made their second trip to Newfoundland and brought their lovely daughter to meet us. Thanks, you three for your great energy.


Our friends from Texas arrived with their motor coach. They are staying a few days so we can catch up on their latest exploits. Dot and Jim have a passion for filming wildlife and they are good!


The weather was also amazing. Just the right amount of sun and breeze to create ideal conditions. These summer days are glorious and all the more precious because they are usually sandwiched in between rain systems moving through.

Travelers came by the tea room but chose to sit out looking at the view. These folks from Germany love Newfoundland and hiked many miles.




And wonderful guests enjoyed the dock, taking deck chairs down to the ocean's edge.

Whales!

Can you see the whales out there? Neither can I, but they are there! I watched them yesterday blowing, surfacing and moving over the area feeding on capelin. The day was beautiful, warm, with a lovely ocean breeze.

The wild irises are making their appearance, this blue flag graces our side yard, where it singularly brightens the bog and rocks.

The first blush of color showed up this last week. Rhodora is in bloom, a member of the Rhododendren family and beautiful.

Wildflowers of Newfoundland and Labrador, written by Peter Scott and Dorothy Black states, “During its blooming period it looks as if mauve clouds have descended and have been caught along the edges of the forests and bogs.”

So pretty!

Project Countdown

The weather has been vacillating between rain with wind, or sun with wind, but mostly the rain has been winning. We were excited to be able to finish 2 projects that are near the end of the list that we've decided we want completed in order to give our guests the best experience possible.

Project 1-This is where we put our firepit, protected by the rock on the right from the ever present wind, and looking out at the lights of "Down Harbour." We're doing the "Gravel Stomp," very helpful in leveling the area.





The finished product looks quite nice, don't you think? We had a lovely fire later.
Project 2 was a new surface for the deck with Hugh doing the edges, while I filled in. 2 coats of color and one of sealer.



Please rain, stay away until it's dry!

Our first evening meals!

I've wanted to offer our guests an alternative to the cuisine of the area which has a large emphasis on deep fried foods. It would also give me the opportunity to test recipes and further develop my repertoire.

Lobster and cod were the choices of our delightful guests. Kris and her daughter Riki chose the lobster, while Rhonda, Arne and Greta settled on cod au gratin. These were accompanied by a rice medley, dressed up green beans, spinach salad, peas with mushrooms and a Black Forest cake to celebrate Greta's birthday.

This group chose Hugh's Invigorating Porridge several mornings during their stay, much to Hugh's delight. He has developed his unique mixture based on his studies of nutrition and his own love of seeds and is tickled to share it with others.

This delightful fivesome stayed with us for 3 days while acquainting themselves with cousins and aunts that they had never met. What a great start to our season with such warm and appreciative guests.

The Wonders of Spring!

Spring in Newfoundland brings delightful seafood. Lobster season and trouting happens very close together. We enjoyed delectable lobster for Lloyd's birthday and Hugh went out to a point here on Pool's Island to collect these beautiful sea trout that taste much like salmon. Lovely!

Mother's Day Tea at the Edge

New paintings, new tablecloths, new recipes were the preparation for our High Tea. Cucumber sandwiches, shortbreads with white chocolate and raspberry, scones with lemon curd and whipped cream, chocolate sponge roll and chocolate truffles filled the plates.

The sun shone during tea on both Saturday and Sunday, favoring our celebration. Mothers left with a stem of carnations. Both Hugh and I had great fun.

Exploring my artistic side

One of the luxuries of retirement is the time to develop new interests and skills. I've been captivated by oil painting after attending a workshop this summer at Norton's Cove Studio (my most favorite haunt in New Wes Valley!) and learning some basics from Tara Bryan, a fabulous instructor from St. John's who started life in Texas (another place that I love).

My first paintings were of the wild roses in my yard, and I painted them from photos I had taken.

Then I found recorded programs of Ed Martiniuk demonstrating a "wet on wet" technique on satellite tv. The two at the top were painted by following his instructions. I have a fondness for the one that shows the hay bales piled in the field. I used to drive the tractor while my dad loaded them onto a tiny trailer that would pile them into this shape and then dump them to dry before putting them into a huge stack.

Enjoying Tuesdays this past winter

One of my pleasures this past winter has been spending Tuesdays in Janet Davis’s shop Norton Cove Studio which is both an art gallery and an active artist’s studio. The studio is housed in a heritage building which was Job Kean’s general store from the 1890's. It has been a labor of love to restore both this building and the grand home behind that Janet, Duke her husband, and Frederick, her son, live in.

Janet earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design graduating in 1998. Since then she has been a prolific artist in many kinds of media. Her current passion is fish! She sketches them, oil paints them, linotypes them, etc! Her art gallery features not only cod, but capelin, squid, dolphins, then branches into moose, puffins and historical buildings of the area.

I was first attracted to Janet because of her quick wit, and her expertise as an artist and teacher. Last winter both Hugh and I took some classes and hung some of our renderings. But I’m also drawn to her because of her passion for Newfoundland. I loved the times she shared stories of her family, her take on the social fabric of this fabulous province.

I've found the studio a magical place, just being there causes me to want to express myself creatively. I've been drawing and painting. What fun! What a magnificent time of life where I no longer care what others think, I love being who I am. To me, retirement means recreating yourself in other dimensions that make you feel full alive. Yes, life is good here at the Studio!

March ice storm

Three days ago the winds came in stronger than usual from the northeast accompanied by rain, and some sleet. With temperatures around freezing during the day and below at nights, the ice build up was amazing.

Along the house is a 6 foot drift that we can walk on!

Winter moods here at The Edge

Last week on February 4th a good storm blew into the area and gave us an opportunity to practice our shoveling skills. We had guests with us for 2 days from Happy Valley- Goose Bay in the room at the end of the deck who needed breakfasts and coffees so keeping a pathway open was important!


After dumping a fair bit of snow - 8-10 inches it left. Now, freezing rain has given us glitter. Looks gorgeous.

Awesome ocean

What a great weekend we had celebrating Christa Starkes marriage to Matthew Nicholls. We had the privelege of hosting Matthew's parents, Adam Tuck and Heather DeHann. In addition, we met some of Matthew's friends who all made the weekend a special time. Christa looked beautiful, and we enjoyed having the wedding party here while the deck was used for photos.

Today we are enjoying great weather, sun, -5 degrees with the ocean dressed out in a spectacular blue, and the ice ringing the granite rocks creating a magnificent effect. We feel very blessed to enjoy this spot and these wonderful people.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

The sun rises late but spectacularly! But the warmth at this time of year comes from the fantastic hospitality and gatherings that extend from Christmas Eve through to January 7th which is called "Old Christmas" here in Newfoundland.

We have had the pleasure of sharing wonderful meals and families in the area. The Hoyles (there are 9 children) entertained us often, punctuated by lovely times with the Janes, the Shepherds.

We also hosted a New Year's Eve potluck. Eighteen of us gathered for supper that was followed by dancing at the hall of the Society of United Fishermen.

Now the Christmas decorations are all down and the fine weather that El Nino brought is cooling down. Welcome winter, the wood's in and the fire is lit.