tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84115307511081953412024-02-20T07:29:32.594-03:30Adventures on the Eastern EdgeNotes and observations from a photographer and cultural interpreter living on Canada's east coast.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.comBlogger122125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-46948037346118904122016-07-23T14:25:00.000-02:302016-07-23T15:07:32.950-02:30The Whales Are Back!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diving whales </td></tr>
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Each year along the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador, humpback whale sightings are few and far <i><span class="st">Mallotus villosus</span></i>) is a vital part of the food web here, and it's responsible for nourishing not just the whales but the area's substantial seabird population, whose breeding season is timed to coincide with the caplin's spawning time. When the caplin arrive in their billions, so do the whales, intent on taking on close to a third of their body weight during the summer feeding season. When they're feeding, they concentrate completely on the task at hand until their principal food source arrives: the caplin (or capelin, <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Humpback tail</td></tr>
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On a recent trip out of Bay Bulls with <a href="http://captwaynes.com/" target="_blank">Captain Wayne's Marine Excursions</a> we spotted whales in just a few kilometres away from the shore -- a group that were actively feeding. We headed a little closer and stopped for a look. The whales were headed our way, staying at the surface briefly then diving to feed at depth. Several would surface at once, then dive within a few seconds of one another. As a result, there were ample opportunities for great ID shots of the tails' distinctive undersides. (See <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8411530751108195341#editor/target=post;postID=4666472223569503580;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=38;src=postname">One Fluke at a Time</a>, a post about humpback identification.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EyKULf3nALI/V5Om0MicJ3I/AAAAAAAAB0Y/3M9PSFM5rRIQgn9BkV3SHseq-hVGE3aywCEw/s1600/Caplin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EyKULf3nALI/V5Om0MicJ3I/AAAAAAAAB0Y/3M9PSFM5rRIQgn9BkV3SHseq-hVGE3aywCEw/s320/Caplin.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caplin after spawning</td></tr>
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We spent nearly two hours observing at a respectful distance, on a near-perfect July day. When they neared the surface, the whales' white pectoral fins showed up, appearing green through the sea water. Proprietor Wayne Maloney's uncanny whale sense came through as always, and we were treated to a truly unforgettable experience.Here are a handful of images from our visit. What a day on the water!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-16608274571065429492016-07-05T20:28:00.000-02:302016-07-05T20:28:34.297-02:30It's a great year for icebergs!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_7n2QLbwu70/V3w6F0f4L1I/AAAAAAAABy0/nYgTE74H21sBxZTvi6DMu75WdYhFPLXogCLcB/s1600/Waterline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_7n2QLbwu70/V3w6F0f4L1I/AAAAAAAABy0/nYgTE74H21sBxZTvi6DMu75WdYhFPLXogCLcB/s320/Waterline.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waterline of Bay Bulls iceberg</td></tr>
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The past few years have been exceptional for iceberg watchers. Hundreds of bergs have made their way down the Labrador Current, drifting south along the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador. 2016, in particular, has seen an unusually high number of tabular, or flat, icebergs. This isn't actually good news, since it means that increased numbers of icebergs are calving from Greenland's glaciers, but it's brought some impressive viewing for those who are willing to travel for a look at the results. On a mid-June visit to Bay Bulls and the islands of the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve with <a href="http://gatheralls.com/" target="_blank">Gatherall's Puffin and Whale Watch</a>, we were treated to some beautiful views of a small berg grounded along the south side of the bay. Although it was overcast, enough sun broke through the clouds to create a beautiful shade of blue near the berg's waterline.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An impressive pinnacle berg near St. Anthony</td></tr>
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Finding that June iceberg while exploring the Avalon Peninsula was serendipity; however, near St. Anthony there's a good chance of seeing bergs in July and sometimes even into August. A trip with <a href="http://www.discovernorthland.com/" target="_blank">Northland Discovery Boat Tours</a> is the perfect -- and safe -- way of getting a closer look. On a late June trip we encountered two bergs, one sharply sculpted and the other tabular. There were several others in the distance, including a huge tabular berg that appeared to be close to a kilometre in length. If you're lucky, they'll even manage to net a bit of broken ice from one of the bergs and provide a taste of ice that's over 10,000 years old; it's compacted snow from long before Earth's industrial age, so it's about as pure as it gets!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-41BBwdWHWds/V3w6AGyGpKI/AAAAAAAAByo/qhBvoAG4WAkEnnxQBkrXUA82mCdaXiqZwCKgB/s1600/Coming%2Binto%2Bview.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-41BBwdWHWds/V3w6AGyGpKI/AAAAAAAAByo/qhBvoAG4WAkEnnxQBkrXUA82mCdaXiqZwCKgB/s320/Coming%2Binto%2Bview.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pinnacle berg coming into view</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large tabular berg</td></tr>
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There's still plenty of time to view icebergs in 2016 -- for the latest in sightings, visit www.icebergfinder.com Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-31413725166929642512016-06-30T22:14:00.001-02:302016-07-23T08:02:05.757-02:30Cruising down the Saint Lawrence (Part 3) Cape Breton and St. Pierre<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QV_V05reU38/V5IUz9b7kVI/AAAAAAAABzY/FreudRPCzoIveMeX8Jf4m4Zuf-qCoYCTQCLcB/s1600/Skyline%2BTrail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QV_V05reU38/V5IUz9b7kVI/AAAAAAAABzY/FreudRPCzoIveMeX8Jf4m4Zuf-qCoYCTQCLcB/s320/Skyline%2BTrail.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Skyline Trail, Cape Breton Highlands National Park</td></tr>
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Cape Breton Island forms the most easterly portion of Nova Scotia -- connected to the mainland by a causeway completed in 1955. It's still a land apart by most measures, though, with a different way of looking at things and a spirit all its own. The passengers on the <i>Ocean Endeavour </i>got a taste of that spirit when we dropped anchor off the town of Cheticamp on the island's western side, near the border of <a href="http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ns/cbreton/index.aspx" target="_blank">Cape Breton Highlands National Park</a>. Many people associate Cape Breton with Scottish culture, but Cheticamp is a bustling little port with a character that's a hundred percent Acadian, from the food to the music to the first language of most of its residents. The ancestors of today's population were forcibly expelled by the English starting in the year 1755 in what was known as <i><span class="_Tgc">Le Grand Dérangement</span></i>, and those who have returned to Atlantic Canada did so because of their deep connection to the land. After being torn from their homeland, they endured years of exile in what is now the United States, gradually working their way back a few miles at a time, year by year, to what had been known as<i> Île Royale</i> but later came to be known as Cape Breton. When the Acadians returned, most found that the lands they'd once owned had been taken over by settlers of British descent; they found themselves relegated to marginal land with less value; Cheticamp was one of the places where the returning Acadians created a new home.<br />
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Our morning was spent hiking in the National Park, with groups doing both the Acadian Trail near the park entrance and the Skyline Trail on French Mountain; both groups were treated to beautiful scenery and escorted by Parks Canada interpreters. It was a perfect early-summer day, with blue skies and warm temperatures, and we were treated to glimpses of birds and wildlife on our way. Those of us on the Skyline Trail even enjoyed an opportunity to plant fir trees inside a moose exclosure, an area that is fenced to illustrate the difference between land that's grazed over by moose and land that's free from their grazing. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IhdH4A7vVKc/V5ITHamkeVI/AAAAAAAABzM/bATJjjzVlFwFtVwC4fgLAh2XFIBnTU2ZQCEw/s1600/Planting%2Btrees.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IhdH4A7vVKc/V5ITHamkeVI/AAAAAAAABzM/bATJjjzVlFwFtVwC4fgLAh2XFIBnTU2ZQCEw/s320/Planting%2Btrees.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Planting trees, Cape Breton Highlands National Park</td></tr>
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On returning to Cheticamp we were treated to a sampling of Acadian culture as we explored three of the town's main attractions: the <span class="st"><a href="https://www.lestroispignons.com/en/" target="_blank"><i>Trois Pignons</i></a> cultural centre with its impressive collection of the finely crafted hooked rugs associated with the area, <i> </i></span><i><span class="st">l'Eglise Saint Pierre </span></i><span class="st">(St. Peter's Church) which dominates the </span><span class="st">skyline for miles, and </span><span class="st"></span><span class="st">the</span><i><span class="st"> </span></i><span class="st"><a href="http://www.micareme.ca/en/" target="_blank"><i>Centre de la Mi-</i></a><i><a href="http://www.micareme.ca/en/" target="_blank">Carême</a>, </i>celebrating the tradition of revelry and merrymaking that broke with Lenten austerity, similar to Mardi Gras or Newfoundland's mummering. We gathered at a local lounge for music and dancing before returning to the ship.</span><br />
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<span class="st">The next day we found ourselves in the midst of a post-tropical storm that made yesterday's sun and gentle breezes a distant memory. It was rough and windy, and after assessing conditions it was decided that we'd have to forego the planned stop in the Magdalen Islands and instead, the cruise staff compiled an interesting and varied program of on-board presentations. The foul weather continued to follow us, so instead of a stop on the South Coast of Newfoundland the decision was made to press on to Saint Pierre and overnight there -- an unexpected treat!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7RFTOUnlBcE/V3W7vpU6loI/AAAAAAAAByQ/TiI6vQ82FPgQ6y1TIuKdHKppJs9TESbKQCLcB/s1600/Ile%2Baux%2Bmarins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7RFTOUnlBcE/V3W7vpU6loI/AAAAAAAAByQ/TiI6vQ82FPgQ6y1TIuKdHKppJs9TESbKQCLcB/s320/Ile%2Baux%2Bmarins.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="st"><i><a href="http://www.miquelon-langlade.com/miquelon/saint-pierre-et-miquelon/lile-aux-marins" target="_blank"><span class="st"><i>Île</i></span> aux Marins</a></i></span></td></tr>
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<span class="st">Early arrival in Saint Pierre meant lots of time to hike the trails surrounding the town, or to visit </span><a href="http://www.miquelon-langlade.com/miquelon/saint-pierre-et-miquelon/lile-aux-marins" target="_blank"><span class="st"><i>l'</i></span></a><span class="st"><i><a href="http://www.miquelon-langlade.com/miquelon/saint-pierre-et-miquelon/lile-aux-marins" target="_blank"><span class="st"><i>Île</i></span> aux Marins</a> </i>or Sailors' Island. Since we were docked directly across from the island, it was an easy trip by Zodiac.<i> </i>The following morning there was time for a sightseeing tour of Saint Pierre by bus, then some exploring on foot in the heart of the town to sample the wares at the local <i>patisseries</i> or pick up a bottle of French wine or a jar of <i>fois gras</i> before heading to the airport for our flight to St. John's. <i></i></span><br />
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<i>Adventure Canada's Mighty St. Lawrence cruise has been
named by National Geographic as one of its “50 Tours of a Lifetime".</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-66951309312868529502016-06-28T21:55:00.000-02:302016-07-22T09:43:11.743-02:30Cruising down the Saint Lawrence (Part 2) Bonaventure Island and PEI<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Q3xBvyt2KM/V3MULvPD9_I/AAAAAAAABxI/qIH8likUdUQxUk5DEjPudXo9Vp1SndalwCLcB/s1600/Gannets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_Q3xBvyt2KM/V3MULvPD9_I/AAAAAAAABxI/qIH8likUdUQxUk5DEjPudXo9Vp1SndalwCLcB/s320/Gannets.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gannets on Bonaventure Island</td></tr>
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Continuing down the Saint Lawrence after a stop at Métis-sur-Mer, we arrived at Gaspé for a visit to <a href="http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/qc/forillon/Activ-Recre.aspx" target="_blank">Forillon National Park</a>. There were options for walks of various lengths and degrees of difficulty, or time in the town for a walkabout; the National Park walks were through forested hills and there were wildlife sightings along the way, including a glimpse of a black bear, and there were lots of great photo opportunities. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ocean Endeavour through Percé Rock</td></tr>
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From here it was on to Percé, where we boarded the Zodiacs for a closer look at the famous Percé rock and the northern gannet colony on <a href="https://www.sepaq.com/pq/bon/index.dot?language_id=1" target="_blank">Bonaventure Island</a>. The island is roughly circular in shape and measures a little over four square kilometres, and is one of the world's most accessible bird sanctuaries. In addition to nearly 50,000 gannets, the island is also a nesting site for seabirds like common murres, black guillemots, razorbills and a few puffins.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lgAiW-Xxc_U/V3MUD96dlGI/AAAAAAAABw4/cYPhkn74zKEPDjMNUaws3WnMgzqSdE1xwCLcB/s1600/Quillwork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lgAiW-Xxc_U/V3MUD96dlGI/AAAAAAAABw4/cYPhkn74zKEPDjMNUaws3WnMgzqSdE1xwCLcB/s320/Quillwork.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying traditional quillwork, Lennox Island</td></tr>
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Returning to the Ocean Endeavour, we set off for our next stop, <a href="https://www.tourismpei.com/" target="_blank">Prince Edward Island</a>. Sometimes called the Garden of the Gulf, the island was known as <i><span class="st" data-hveid="34">Epekwitk </span></i><span class="st" data-hveid="34">(translated as "Cradled on the Waves")</span><i><span class="st" data-hveid="34"> </span></i><span class="st" data-hveid="34">to the Mi'kmaq people who lived here before the Europeans arrived. Two main options were offered for shore excursions from our stop in Summerside: a visit to the North Shore with its Anne of Green Gables history, from the books of L. M. Montgomery, and <a href="http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/pe/pei-ipe/activ/activ-menu/camping.aspx" target="_blank">Prince Edward Island National Park</a>; or a visit to the <a href="http://www.lennoxisland.com/" target="_blank">Lennox Island First Nation</a> where we visited the local school and were greeted by elders of the community to learn about its history, then had an opportunity to observe traditional crafts like porcupine quillwork. There was time for a little exploring in Summerside when we returned to the dock, and a shuttle service that provided transportation to points of interest around town. Leaving Summerside, we were treated to an unusual view of the <a href="http://www.confederationbridge.com/" target="_blank">Confederation Bridge</a> during dinner. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oB09xDGXu4M/V3MUKgsvpvI/AAAAAAAABxA/UsYo33AFjqwk9fz-pkSVmO3UWNtfTpYbwCLcB/s1600/Confederation%2BBridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-oB09xDGXu4M/V3MUKgsvpvI/AAAAAAAABxA/UsYo33AFjqwk9fz-pkSVmO3UWNtfTpYbwCLcB/s400/Confederation%2BBridge.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Headed for the Confederation Bridge</td></tr>
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<span class="st" data-hveid="34"></span><i>Adventure Canada's Mighty St. Lawrence cruise has been
named by National Geographic as one of its “50 Tours of a Lifetime".</i><br />
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<span class="st" data-hveid="34">Next: on to Cape Breton Island.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-48606226397576405402016-06-24T09:23:00.000-02:302016-07-22T09:43:36.421-02:30Cruising down the Saint Lawrence (Part 1) The Saguenay and Reford Gardens<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BHeVLz7eaLI/V20cMYXkWwI/AAAAAAAABvs/0E9CeTpX9C8RJ-d8ukx0BpVOIM4cGqaNQCKgB/s1600/St.%2BLawrence%2BQuebec.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BHeVLz7eaLI/V20cMYXkWwI/AAAAAAAABvs/0E9CeTpX9C8RJ-d8ukx0BpVOIM4cGqaNQCKgB/s320/St.%2BLawrence%2BQuebec.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving Quebec City</td></tr>
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The first day of June dawned sunny and mild; a group of stalwart travellers set forth from the Fairmont Chateau Frontenac to explore the beautiful and historic city of Quebec, the only surviving walled city in North America north of Mexico. After some time for sightseeing on our own and a chance to try out one of many local restaurants, we were met by Adventure Canada staff for a transfer to the <i>Ocean</i> <i>Endeavour</i>. There our small group of 22 met the rest of the 179 passengers boarding for the nine-day Adventures Afloat program, <a href="https://www.roadscholar.org/find-an-adventure/21823/exploring-the-mighty-gulf-of-st-lawrence" target="_blank">Exploring the Mighty Gulf of Saint Lawrence</a>. <br />
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There was time to get settled into our cabins before our lifeboat drill and orientation. We set off just after 6 p.m. in a light breeze, passing by Montmerency Falls and l'Île d'Orleans in beautiful evening light.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-olhIUu5KBqA/V20cfxT11vI/AAAAAAAABv0/Og5w0mOyVHUvZbc2bSu3vuU6S6whXD_GQCKgB/s1600/St.%2BLawrence%2BSaguenay.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-olhIUu5KBqA/V20cfxT11vI/AAAAAAAABv0/Og5w0mOyVHUvZbc2bSu3vuU6S6whXD_GQCKgB/s320/St.%2BLawrence%2BSaguenay.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the Saguenay</td></tr>
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We travelled down the river through the night, then turned up the Saguenay Fjord to begin our first full day of sightseeing with a leisurely cruise back down to the confluence with the St. Lawrence. On the way, under clearing skies, we spotted a few of the area's famous beluga whales along the shore. At Tadoussac we tendered ashore to the community's floating dock in the ship's fleet of Zodiacs and made our way to the local church for a welcome ceremony complete with snacks, drinks and music along with a few words from the mayor. We worked our way back to the ship taking in several of the town's attractions - including the exceptional <a href="http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/education/marine-mammal-information/cetaceans/?gclid=CjwKEAjwtLO7BRDax4-I4_6G71USJAA6FjN1eHYE4hz0lD5yWws_cmROo_4j0kW1Ib_36lbMT41KJBoCMm_w_wcB" target="_blank">Marine Mammal Interpretation Centre</a> - along the way.<br />
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<i>It rained while we were in Tadoussac, cancelling the town's plan for a beach bonfire to celebrate our visit, but it didn't dampen our spirits. One of my favourite memories of the trip is of walking through the town on my way to the ship, with a huge smile on my face, happy to be where I was at that moment. I looked up to see a member of the Adventure Canada expedition team walking in the opposite direction, wearing the same delighted grin!</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XKuZvlkmjOE/V20dVsodu0I/AAAAAAAABwE/Btb4UIpSrK0gN-RlPX8ZR_x497L_NQj1QCLcB/s1600/St.%2BLawrence%2Bdessert.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XKuZvlkmjOE/V20dVsodu0I/AAAAAAAABwE/Btb4UIpSrK0gN-RlPX8ZR_x497L_NQj1QCLcB/s320/St.%2BLawrence%2Bdessert.JPG" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dessert at Reford Gardens</td></tr>
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The following day brought a visit to <a href="http://www.refordgardens.com/english/" target="_blank">Reford Gardens</a>, a beautifully tended collection of plantings. Once privately owned, then operated by the Province of Quebec, the site is now under the control of a foundation headed by Alexander Reford, who served as the tour guide for our Road Scholar group. After a walk through the gardens, this group enjoyed a superb lunch prepared by the foundation's chef, who explained each course as it was served, beginning with a "bloom spoon" - a collection of flower petals and berries presented in the bowl of a spoon, designed to be consumed as a single mouthful. What a remarkable burst of flavour! This was followed by an asparagus and tulip salad, a choice of Reford Gardens lamb or fresh turbot, and a tempting dessert that was flavoured with lemon geranium.<br />
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We returned to the ship to take in some of the excellent on-board programming.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CThSAfhv_bg/V20dVhDdi1I/AAAAAAAABwA/d5FTdHjqEps11lROvqXGLzZvZ_o0Dz6kgCKgB/s1600/St.%2BLawrence%2BTadoussac.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CThSAfhv_bg/V20dVhDdi1I/AAAAAAAABwA/d5FTdHjqEps11lROvqXGLzZvZ_o0Dz6kgCKgB/s400/St.%2BLawrence%2BTadoussac.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hotel Tadoussac</td></tr>
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<i>Adventure Canada's Mighty St. Lawrence cruise has been
named by National Geographic as one of its “50 Tours of a Lifetime".</i><br />
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Next: continuing down the St. Lawrence bound for <span class="st">Gaspé.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-24950369506207731972016-05-25T23:03:00.000-02:302016-05-25T23:03:50.888-02:30Among the Tall Pines<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ox8mFTF8SSc/V0ZQ6w9-kDI/AAAAAAAABuk/FcrJUEJhb4QGO72EtbRsb8RkIdKcVsXRACLcB/s1600/IMG_3972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ox8mFTF8SSc/V0ZQ6w9-kDI/AAAAAAAABuk/FcrJUEJhb4QGO72EtbRsb8RkIdKcVsXRACLcB/s320/IMG_3972.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early rhododendrons</td></tr>
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In Milton, Nova Scotia, just outside the town of Liverpool, there's a riverside park that is one of the area's natural treasures. <a href="https://novascotia.cioc.ca/record/ROQ0057?UseCICVw=13" target="_blank">Pine Grove Park</a> was established by the Bowater Mersey Paper Company in 1987 to celebrate Queen's County being named as the Forestry Capital of Canada for that year. In the winter of 2012 it was turned over to the residents of the county.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g0PMG1VpEHc/V0ZRW1-KucI/AAAAAAAABuo/M_Ps-ZzXZowEL416EmS85oN-4hIdel1awCLcB/s1600/IMG_3984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g0PMG1VpEHc/V0ZRW1-KucI/AAAAAAAABuo/M_Ps-ZzXZowEL416EmS85oN-4hIdel1awCLcB/s320/IMG_3984.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tall pines along the trail</td></tr>
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With 1.6 km (one mile) of looping trails, a swimming beach, toilet facilities and a picnic area, it's a pleasant recreational park. In spring and early summer, though, the park is ablaze with blossoms: rhododendrons, azaleas, magnolias and other flowers are abundant and several woodland glade are perfect habitat for pink lady slipper orchids. Many of the flowering trees and shrubs were selected and donated by retired naval captain Richard Steele, an Order of Canada recipient known as "Captain Rhododendron".<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soft pink rhododendron blossoms</td></tr>
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The Mersey River flows past Pine Grove Park, and provides nesting areas for teal and black duck. The winding trails make a marvelous place to break up a long drive with a peaceful walk through the tall pines. The park is just minutes from Nova Scotia Route 103 at Exit 19 and is well worth a stop if you're in the area.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X5v_ivgS5L4/V0ZR0pTVeGI/AAAAAAAABu0/5w9ez_3sZ60X9gcTUmUjDBzJmj0Nm3Z5QCLcB/s1600/IMG_3982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X5v_ivgS5L4/V0ZR0pTVeGI/AAAAAAAABu0/5w9ez_3sZ60X9gcTUmUjDBzJmj0Nm3Z5QCLcB/s400/IMG_3982.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mersey River</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-88218395978303630892016-05-17T10:56:00.001-02:302016-05-17T10:56:29.332-02:30It's puffin time again!<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mJZCW82M52M/Vzsa8-muw3I/AAAAAAAABt8/BQKQGJNY1hMA_EZcw_Ld8DPIOMxjIEtYwCLcB/s1600/5920269780_a5da8fe602_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mJZCW82M52M/Vzsa8-muw3I/AAAAAAAABt8/BQKQGJNY1hMA_EZcw_Ld8DPIOMxjIEtYwCLcB/s320/5920269780_a5da8fe602_o.jpg" width="224" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Puffin on Gull Island, Witless Bay</td></tr>
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It's that time of year again -- the puffins and other seabirds have returned to their colonies around the coasts of Atlantic Canada and Maine. There are many places around the region to see these small, sturdy birds, but two locations stand out: the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve for sheer numbers, and the Puffin Island at Elliston for land-based observation.<br />
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The Witless Bay Ecological Reserve lies south of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Witless Bay takes its name from an early family of settlers, the Whittles family; over the years the name has been corrupted to its present form. The four islands of the reserve lie just off the shore, from north to south they are Gull Island, Green Island, Great Island, and the fancifully named Peepee Island, whose name is said to be from the distinctive aroma that wafts from it in summer.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HqF8ejg2Pdc/VzsbV4x9ByI/AAAAAAAABuA/_3PFKz_V7Pg6zZxzPxQumncMwUVBB117wCLcB/s1600/4739908043_cf6ce32b12_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HqF8ejg2Pdc/VzsbV4x9ByI/AAAAAAAABuA/_3PFKz_V7Pg6zZxzPxQumncMwUVBB117wCLcB/s320/4739908043_cf6ce32b12_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical "puffin weather" at Elliston</td></tr>
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There are boat tours that allow for a closer approach to the islands; to protect the bird life, only those operators granted special permits are allowed to travel through the reserve. Bay Bulls is the primary starting point for these excursions, while operators can also be found in the town of Witless Bay and in Mobile, just to the south. All Witless Bay photos in this post are thanks to <a href="http://captwaynes.com/" target="_blank">Captain Wayne's Marine Excursions</a> of Bay Bulls. Other operators can be found <a href="http://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/thingstodo/boattours" target="_blank">here</a>. <br />
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Puffins are true pelagics: they land on these rocky islands solely to mate and rear their young, spending the remainder of the year on the open sea. They burrow into the dirt of the island, or on rockier sites use narrow clefts in the rock for burrows. The pairs bond for life, returning to the same burrow year after year, although "divorces" are said to occur if one mate is a less-than-stellar provider. They're not the only seabirds that nest in the Reserve; there are also black-legged kittiwakes, common and thick-billed murres, black guillemots, and huge numbers of Leach's storm petrels among others.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OQbdz3JXe-k/VzsbjIeWyyI/AAAAAAAABuI/s2xeBfWUcr0yn_dbYKXKjL6UbaguMYwGgCLcB/s1600/3621996274_87c7697a67_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OQbdz3JXe-k/VzsbjIeWyyI/AAAAAAAABuI/s2xeBfWUcr0yn_dbYKXKjL6UbaguMYwGgCLcB/s320/3621996274_87c7697a67_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burrow entrance</td></tr>
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Elliston, located on the Bonavista Peninsula, is the self-styled Root Cellar Capital of North America due to the large number of these storage structures that can be found there. Just outside the community is a headland accessed by a rocky trail that leads to a viewing point overlooking a small island that houses a breeding colony of puffins. The unusual thing about this spot is that when the weather and wind are right (often damp weather and a southeast wind) the puffins will land near the viewing area on the headland itself. This makes for some incredible up-close viewing experiences.<br />
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The puffins will be around until late August, with a few lingering into September, so there's plenty of opportunity for a good look during the summer months. Happy viewing!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-84014587379970484452016-05-06T14:25:00.003-02:302016-05-06T14:25:46.700-02:30Reflecting on Nature<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gF9GYFwr4J0/VyzJ-Ep2oUI/AAAAAAAABs0/okTk8uOV-QMQANaF7KUmCcQyErs-I5-VgCLcB/s1600/3025091401_ed8e14d406_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gF9GYFwr4J0/VyzJ-Ep2oUI/AAAAAAAABs0/okTk8uOV-QMQANaF7KUmCcQyErs-I5-VgCLcB/s320/3025091401_ed8e14d406_o.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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While sorting through a few archived images for a project, I was struck with how many of them had one striking feature in common: reflections. Whether in sea water, glass or even wet pavement, this simple phenomenon has the power to captivate. I have to admit that I'm pretty much addicted to them. Sometimes the morning sun's low angle sets off a perfect combination of elements to create an unforgettable image.<br />
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Sometimes it's the evening light that does it, turning marsh grass to gold, deepening the colours of the blue-grey clouds and painting the granite rocks a stark white, like this scene in Atwood's Brook, NS.<br />
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Blue Rocks, Nova Scotia, is a picturesque spot at any time, but the touch of the early morning sun on the golden shades of autumn can make it even more beautiful.<br />
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Evening's soft rose tones on a winter day can create a Rorschach sunset around the inshore islands. This is another scene from Atwood's Brook, NS.<br />
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A few sanderlings scouting for food at the water's edge make for some striking reflections in the wet sand of Daniel's Head Beach, Cape Sable Island, NS.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-22187148975073042372016-05-02T19:46:00.001-02:302016-05-02T19:46:35.003-02:30Beer cans, balloons and bottles<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dBMNvMzd73g/VyfPv5tWzoI/AAAAAAAABsA/e_JRdDc_7ocQ1ybKXy99jXCLHwDqBLFaQCLcB/s1600/IMG_3902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dBMNvMzd73g/VyfPv5tWzoI/AAAAAAAABsA/e_JRdDc_7ocQ1ybKXy99jXCLHwDqBLFaQCLcB/s320/IMG_3902.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plastic bottles, coffee cups, Styrofoam and other plastics.</td></tr>
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I often walk for recreation, for thinking, or sometimes just for the sake of walking. It's great exercise and it's carried out at a pace that allows for taking in all the sights and sounds of my surroundings: bird song, flowers in bloom, the whisper of the wind in the trees, small dramas like the remains of a crab at the waterline where it's become lunch for a marauding gull. It's far more interesting from my point of view to walk outdoors regardless of the weather than to walk on an indoor track or on a treadmill.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yard sale leftovers.</td></tr>
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One aspect of outdoor walking that's becoming almost universal, though, is the increasing amount of litter that's casually dropped -- or sometimes intentionally dumped in quantity -- beside the trail or into the ocean. I carry a reusable bag with me and often fill it completely in just two or three miles of walking. Coffee cups from Canada's best-known coffee shops, plastic bottles, aluminum cans, foam "clamshell" containers from fast food restaurants and miscellaneous trash fill the bag day after day -- and on one memorable occasion there was a car-load of leftovers from a yard sale, strewn on the ground for others to deal with.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks like I missed the party.</td></tr>
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I honestly can't understand why anyone believes it's okay to just drop these things on the ground or in the water instead of disposing of them properly. I understand that some litter is inevitable; a plastic bag or a bit of paper gets caught by the wind and drifts quickly out of reach, ending up snagged high in a tree or far beyond reach. When the entire disposable wrappings of a fast-food lunch get dropped together in a heap, though, that's no accident. It's deliberate disregard for one's surroundings and for anyone else who happens along. In Atlantic Canada there's a spring cleanup of the roadsides that takes place sometime in April or May. Although disheartening, it's not unusual to see the first fast-food containers or coffee cups show up literally within minutes of the cleanup crew passing through. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Household items and lots of plastics.</td></tr>
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There's another type of litter that's most often found on beaches -- the spent balloons that have marked an occasion then been discarded or have drifted away. Sometimes they're even released en masse by well-meaning people in organized "balloon release" events that are beautiful to watch only if you're not aware of how horribly destructive they can be to birds and animals. Sea turtles in particular tend to consume balloons and plastic bags since when these articles float in the water they bear a strong resemblance to the jellyfish on which the turtles feed. Check out this information from the group <a href="http://balloonsblow.org/" target="_blank">Balloons Blow</a> to learn about the damage they can cause, and safe alternatives to balloon releases.<br />
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Thanks for dropping by, and thanks in advance for noticing and picking up litter. I know it's someone else's mess, but if we all do our part we can begin to make this a safer place for birds and animals, and for ourselves! Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-55215532627914842382016-04-18T11:03:00.001-02:302016-04-18T11:26:12.976-02:30The Birds of the Open SeaNewfoundland and Labrador is a prime location to see birds that normally make their home on the open sea -- the <i>pelagics</i>. The word is defined as "of or relating to the open sea" and in birding it refers to those species that spend most of the year on the open water and make their way to land only for the breeding season and to rear their young. They're fascinating, hardy birds and there are many varieties of them. Here are a few that can be found along the coastline of Canada's easternmost province:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atlantic puffin</td></tr>
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<b>Atlantic Puffin</b> (<i>Fratercula arctica</i>)</div>
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Nicknamed the Clown of the Sea or the Sea Parrot, this member of the alcid family can be found in huge numbers around Newfoundland and Labrador. Not satisfied to host the largest colony of this seabird in North America, the province also boast the next five largest colonies as well! Puffins aren't great fliers, and are far more comfortable in the water than in the air or on land. Their most-favoured nesting sites are islands that are naturally protected from most land-based predators, although still have to contend with occasional forays by gulls, hawks and even eagles. Puffins dig burrows into the soft soil of the islands or nest in clefts in the rock. The best viewing areas for puffins are from the boat tours serving the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve just south of St. John's, and Elliston's Puffin Island on the Bonavista Peninsula where the puffin-watching is land-based. The image at right was taken on an evening cruise with <a href="http://www.nlgeotourism.com/content/captain-waynes-marine-excursions/nfl564D2FEDBE9364611" target="_blank">Captain Wayne's Marine Excursions</a> in Bay Bulls.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Razorbill </td></tr>
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<b>Razorbill </b>(<i>Alca torda</i>)<br />
These elegant-looking birds with their black tuxedos and pinstriped bills are also alcids. Like many other pelagics they are colonial, tending to nest in large groups. They are less common than puffins or murres in this region, but a trip to the islands of the <a href="http://www.env.gov.nl.ca/env/parks/wer/r_wbe/" target="_blank">Witless Bay Ecological Reserve</a> in season is bound to bring a sighting or two. Auks like these mate for life, and each pair of adults produces only one egg per year; if that egg is lost another may be laid but in all likelihood won't be viable since the hatch is timed to coincide with the run of caplin (or capelin), a member of the smelt family that is the primary food source for most nesting seabirds along Newfoundland's coasts. When the breeding season is over, these birds head out to sea and spend the remainder of the year offshore, as far south as New Jersey and occasionally Virginia.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common murre nesting colony</td></tr>
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<b>Common Murre</b> (<i>Uria aalge</i>) <br />
This abundant bird is penguin-like in appearance, its resemblance to those southern-hemisphere birds the result of convergent evolution, or the gradual evolving of similar features in unrelated species as a result of living in similar environments. Unlike penguins, though, most alcids are capable of flight -- the exception was the great auk, extinct since the mid-19th Century, which was once found here in huge numbers. British birders know this species as the common guillemot. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thick-billed murre</td></tr>
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<b>Thick-billed Murre</b> (<i>Uria lomvia</i>)<br />
Known to British birders as <span class="st">Brünnich's guillemot, the thick-billed murre is distinguished from its common cousin by the white line along the side of the bill, which is slightly thicker than that of the common murre. Both species lay their eggs directly on the rocks instead of building nests, and the eggs are conical in shape so they roll in a tight circle -- a necessity when they are laid on narrow rock ledges high above the sea. Common and thick-billed murres are superb swimmers and divers, using their wings to "fly" through the water to depths of more than 100 metres. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Juvenile black-legged kittiwakes</td></tr>
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<b>Black-legged Kittiwake</b> (<i>Rissa tridactyla</i>)<br />
The kittiwake is a pelagic gull that nests on rock ledges. Unlike the alcids, these birds may lay two or even three eggs. They are graceful and agile fliers, and their name comes from a phonetic rendering of their call. In Newfoundland they are sometimes referred to as the tickle-ace or tickle-ass, from their habit of flying close behind other birds and harassing them by nipping at their tail feathers as they carry prey, in an attempt to get them to drop it; this behaviour of stealing food from other birds is called<i> kleptoparisitism</i>. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v4NJfnT48Fc/VxPCTMFUooI/AAAAAAAABqs/FIIl0PlaNQc4z4HXC6A0LR2euo1jXWeqQCLcB/s1600/4228337490_36d7c1b83f_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-v4NJfnT48Fc/VxPCTMFUooI/AAAAAAAABqs/FIIl0PlaNQc4z4HXC6A0LR2euo1jXWeqQCLcB/s320/4228337490_36d7c1b83f_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northern fulmars</td></tr>
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<b>Northern Fulmar</b> (<i>Fulmarus glacialis</i>)<br />
This handsome bird is found mostly in subarctic regions of the North Atlantic. While it looks like a gull it is related to both petrels and albatrosses, evidenced by the structure of its beak, which has evolved to help it remove salt from its system. Its wingbeats are stiffer than those of a gull and it can be recognized by the way it glides, and by the dark spot in front of the eye. When threatened, the fulmar has a rather disconcerting habit of projectile vomiting on the intruder, a very effective deterrent indeed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northern gannet feeding young</td></tr>
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<b>Northern Gannet</b> (<i>Morus bassanus</i>) <br />
This member of the booby family nests in colonies of bare rock, building a nest from grasses, seaweed and found materials like netting twine. The adults mate for life and raise a single chick each year, remaining in the nesting area until late in the autumn. A prime viewing area for this graceful species is the <a href="http://www.env.gov.nl.ca/env/parks/wer/r_csme/" target="_blank">Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve</a> near St. Brides, where they nest on a remarkable sandstone seastack that is only about ten metres away from the viewing area, reached by a 1-km-long trail from a well-designed interpretation centre.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greater shearwater</td></tr>
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<b>Greater Shearwater</b> (<i>Ardenna gravis</i>, formerly <i>Puffinus gravis</i>)<br />
While it breeds in distant Tristan da Cunha in the South Atlantic, the shearwater is a frequent summer visitor to the shores of Newfoundland, especially when a cold wind blows the fog in off the sea. Its name comes from the bird's gliding flight just above the water's surface. The darker sooty shearwater can also be found here, and there is a <a href="http://www.ec.gc.ca/soc-sbc/oiseau-bird-eng.aspx?sY=2011&sL=e&sM=p1&sB=MASH" target="_blank">small breeding population</a> of of about 350 Manx shearwaters (<i>Puffinus puffinus</i>) off the coast of the Burin Peninsula. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-56856802117471959012016-03-30T13:53:00.000-02:302016-08-16T12:30:01.494-02:30Hebron Will Aways be Home<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N8fiUgo5PYc/Vvv7yTmoK9I/AAAAAAAABpw/Jw9snxB9_Xcf_2i_wvAMJjZeXrehErZPg/s1600/Mission%2Bbuildings%252C%2BHebron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N8fiUgo5PYc/Vvv7yTmoK9I/AAAAAAAABpw/Jw9snxB9_Xcf_2i_wvAMJjZeXrehErZPg/s400/Mission%2Bbuildings%252C%2BHebron.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mission buildings at Hebron</td></tr>
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In 1830, Moravian missionaries (German and Czech protestants) established an outpost on a remote section of the coast of Labrador (now <a href="http://www.nunatsiavut.com/" target="_blank">Nunatsiavut</a>). They planted a sizeable garden and constructed a large building that housed a church, a school, and a medical clinic, and they set up a settlement that became an important trading centre on the coast. An Inuit community grew up in the hills surrounding the mission. In 1959, without consultation with community members, the Moravians decided to close the mission, forcing the relocation of some 58 Inuit families who had been encouraged to settle here. It was a time of upheaval and sorrow that is remembered by the Inuit of Nunatsiavut to this day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H7w8AY4W_dw/Vvv8MbftqPI/AAAAAAAABp0/ahHps6R8hiIpvzo7CheT5tVkJTuI2HBlg/s1600/Church%2Bat%2BHebron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H7w8AY4W_dw/Vvv8MbftqPI/AAAAAAAABp0/ahHps6R8hiIpvzo7CheT5tVkJTuI2HBlg/s400/Church%2Bat%2BHebron.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main mission building</td></tr>
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To visit Hebron is to step back briefly to that time, and to be haunted by the rugged beauty of the sheltered harbour and the embrace of the hills. The main mission building is under reconstruction, since the settlement was named a <a href="http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/rech-srch/clic-click.aspx?/cgi-bin/MsmGo.exe?grab_id=0&page_id=28655&query=L%20Anse%20aux%20Meadows&hiword=ANSER%20ANSES%20Anse%20L%20MEADOW%20Meadows%20aux" target="_blank">National Historic Site</a> in the 1970s. Other abandoned buildings on the site have not fared as well, and are in various states of disrepair. I visited on a perfect summer day in 2015, with <a href="http://www.adventurecanada.com/" target="_blank">Adventure Canada</a>. There was time to reflect on the history of the place and on the lives of those who made their homes here, and to visit to the buildings currently maintained by Parks Canada.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jl3hwkciiRE/Vvv8ZNn662I/AAAAAAAABp4/JBF5EOE81lYcXAycewo49pRvqGvdoHGLA/s1600/DSC01601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jl3hwkciiRE/Vvv8ZNn662I/AAAAAAAABp4/JBF5EOE81lYcXAycewo49pRvqGvdoHGLA/s400/DSC01601.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The hills surrounding the Hebron mission</td></tr>
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In 2005, a formal apology was made on behalf of the province by Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams; in the spirit of reconciliation, a monument on the site is inscribed with the apology in both English and Inuktitut, in combination with an acceptance of that apology. It reads, in part, "What happened at Nutak and Hebron serves as an example of the need for governments to respect and carefully consider the needs and aspirations of the people affected by their decisions."<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KYXAZsFQG6U/Vvv84M98Z-I/AAAAAAAABqA/otT20ixQTr4JMAmJ_sV8C_g3QbBqbin7Q/s1600/DSC01537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="175" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KYXAZsFQG6U/Vvv84M98Z-I/AAAAAAAABqA/otT20ixQTr4JMAmJ_sV8C_g3QbBqbin7Q/s320/DSC01537.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many of the buildings have fallen into disrepair</td></tr>
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There were eight missions established on the coast; among them were Hopedale, Makkovik, Ramah (closed 1908), Nutak (closed in 1959), Zoar (abandoned 1899), and Okak (abandoned in 1919 as a result of an influenza pandemic). Hebron is a place of great scenic beauty, and even greater cultural significance. In the hearts of many residents of Nunatsiavut, it will always be Home. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-56964676675575226022016-03-24T11:27:00.000-02:302016-03-24T12:08:57.438-02:30St. Anthony -- In the Footsteps of Grenfell<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yOwcYu6cx-o/VvPwMQpnA_I/AAAAAAAABpM/P_9fExwuHeYz7rqQf0P6RADrDEPd10LjA/s1600/St.%2BAnthony%2BSunrise.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yOwcYu6cx-o/VvPwMQpnA_I/AAAAAAAABpM/P_9fExwuHeYz7rqQf0P6RADrDEPd10LjA/s400/St.%2BAnthony%2BSunrise.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Anthony Sunrise</td></tr>
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Travel down the Great Northern Peninsula (yes, north is "down" here) and you'll find yourself in St. Anthony, the outpost at the end of the road. To be truthful, the road has only been here for sixty years or so; like many small towns around the coast of Newfoundland, this port was once served only by water, as a stop on the coastal boats that plied the island's shores. This community of roughly 2500 people serves as a supply centre for the surrounding area, so there are grocery stores, hotels, restaurants and many <a href="http://www.town.stanthony.nf.ca/" target="_blank">other services</a>, but it's St. Anthony's history that makes it remarkable.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_2HbhTRP_YM/VvPwcTcOMsI/AAAAAAAABpQ/T1Ez2YiW9TEO6qlvh9fQt_zz__ZB3TrvA/s1600/Grenfell%2BSun%2BPorch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_2HbhTRP_YM/VvPwcTcOMsI/AAAAAAAABpQ/T1Ez2YiW9TEO6qlvh9fQt_zz__ZB3TrvA/s400/Grenfell%2BSun%2BPorch.JPG" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sun Porch, Grenfell House</td></tr>
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In 1892, a young and determined doctor arrived here from England; this was then an English colony, and the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen carried out visits to bring medical care to the people of northern Newfoundland and the Labrador coast, and Dr. Wilfred Grenfell was here to do what he could for his fellow man. He was ahead of his time in realizing that social conditions, nutrition and physical activity were all part of overall health, and he went on to form an organization to raise funds to provide health services in the region. His legacy lives on the present-day health care system serving St. Anthony and the remote coastal communities of Labrador. The International Grenfell Association's headquarters were in St. Anthony and it was here that Grenfell made his home. One of my own favourite aspects of his house is the warm and welcoming sun room that wraps around it. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BtD9ZcX_J5Y/VvPxJOPbIRI/AAAAAAAABpU/ECVPFLxOb2AdubCyYh-4hLhqISFobT6Mg/s1600/Tea%2BHill%2BView.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BtD9ZcX_J5Y/VvPxJOPbIRI/AAAAAAAABpU/ECVPFLxOb2AdubCyYh-4hLhqISFobT6Mg/s400/Tea%2BHill%2BView.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The View from Tea House Hill</td></tr>
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Today, the <a href="http://www.grenfell-properties.com/" target="_blank">Grenfell Historic Properties</a> provide an opportunity to learn about this remarkable man through the Grenfell Interpretation Centre, the restored house, and the Tea House Hill Trail which provides wonderful views of the surrounding area. From the Grenfell Dock, <a href="http://www.discovernorthland.com/" target="_blank">Northland Discovery Boat Tours</a> provide whale-watching and iceberg-viewing opportunities with expert interpretation. This area boasts one of the longest iceberg seasons in Newfoundland and Labrador, as well as frequent sightings of humpback whales and dolphins and even occasional pods of killer whales!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gfVW2voQeYg/VvPx0bmdolI/AAAAAAAABpc/pucjnNTBd34KF0Z57Q8af3n0V2yLmo0dA/s1600/Iceberg%252C%2BSt.%2BAnthony.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gfVW2voQeYg/VvPx0bmdolI/AAAAAAAABpc/pucjnNTBd34KF0Z57Q8af3n0V2yLmo0dA/s400/Iceberg%252C%2BSt.%2BAnthony.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Iceberg Near St. Anthony</td></tr>
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St. Anthony's harbour is a busy one, with a fleet of fishing boats, processing plants, and a large wharf that accommodates vessels carrying freight. Several times a summer, small expedition cruise ships visit to take in the sights in the area. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-60002883084035401682016-03-15T15:40:00.003-02:302016-03-18T22:57:59.747-02:30Walking on the Moon -- Newfoundland's Tablelands<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jX-jXc7SELo/VuhEPwByq0I/AAAAAAAABok/42iAwB4qLTAC08tKaPDTE-bkeBOhlCjvQ/s1600/Road%2Bto%2Bthe%2BTablelands.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jX-jXc7SELo/VuhEPwByq0I/AAAAAAAABok/42iAwB4qLTAC08tKaPDTE-bkeBOhlCjvQ/s400/Road%2Bto%2Bthe%2BTablelands.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/nl/grosmorne/index.aspx" target="_blank">Last winter's snow </a></td></tr>
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<a href="http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/nl/grosmorne/index.aspx" target="_blank">Gros Morne National Park</a> is a wonderland for geologists and hikers alike. One of its best-known features is a range of flat-topped hills beside Route 431 just outside the town of <a href="http://woodypoint.ca/" target="_blank">Woody Point</a> -- a spot known as the Tablelands. The rusty orange tone of the hills comes from the peridotite that is their main component; when it's freshly exposed, this rock is a dark grey-green, but with oxidation it takes on a mellow golden tone. This rock is part of an exposed section of the earth's mantle; further metamorphic activity turns it into a rock called serpentinite, examples of which can be widely found here.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2T7ovTwADLk/VuhE8FbHOTI/AAAAAAAABow/kcZDK93SsIQBI02L8IxMfNeHBxnt_o4Ww/s1600/Tablelands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2T7ovTwADLk/VuhE8FbHOTI/AAAAAAAABow/kcZDK93SsIQBI02L8IxMfNeHBxnt_o4Ww/s200/Tablelands.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gros Morne's Tablelands</td></tr>
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Earth's mantle? That's right -- this is a section of rock that was once deep below the earth's surface, formed roughly 1.2 billion years ago. The process of continental drift several hundred million years ago forced this mantle rock upward, and subsequent erosion has given the hills their present form. They remain barren because the peridotite is low in life-sustaining nutrients and contains toxic concentrations of heavy metals. What vegetation that is found here is mostly along an old roadbed, on rock that was brought in for the purpose of road building. A well-maintained trail follows this roadbed, crossing Winterhouse Brook, which flows out into Bonne Bay just outside Woody Point. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mPxYzrptdEY/VuhERYmWAKI/AAAAAAAABo0/XbnZXZFXrfMC0VLrr-9uY8KI-jfrScYBQ/s1600/Sundew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mPxYzrptdEY/VuhERYmWAKI/AAAAAAAABo0/XbnZXZFXrfMC0VLrr-9uY8KI-jfrScYBQ/s320/Sundew.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Round-leaved sundew (<span class="st"><i>Drosera rotundifolia</i>)</span></td></tr>
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A walk along this trail reveals a surprising number of small, hardy plants that have developed the survival tactics necessary for such a forbidding environment. Many of them, like pitcher plants, butterwart, and the round-leafed sundew shown at left are insectivorous; instead of obtaining all their nutrients from the soil, they attract insects and through a variety of processes absorb the life-giving substances they need from the insects themselves or from their droppings. It's not an easy life, to say the least.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6cQTQbPF_gA/VuhERo-d8EI/AAAAAAAABo0/XGKPQ22YfGgKiOJaba4Oyt-m_dCmBiUow/s1600/Winterhouse%2BBrook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6cQTQbPF_gA/VuhERo-d8EI/AAAAAAAABo0/XGKPQ22YfGgKiOJaba4Oyt-m_dCmBiUow/s320/Winterhouse%2BBrook.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winterhouse Brook</td></tr>
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Continue along the trail as far as Winterhouse Brook (right), where snowmelt and run-off from the tops of the Tablelands form a swift-running stream. This area has a challenging winter climate, and a heavy snow load on the upper slopes often persists into late summer. If you think this place looks strange and otherworldly you're not alone. In fact, the landscape here is so forbidding that NASA has sent research teams here to investigate the area's similarity to the surface of Mars. On a beautiful summer day, though, it's a beautiful and fascinating little corner of Earth, and well worth a side trip. Woody Point is located on Newfoundland and Labrador Route 431, about 70 km from the town of Deer Lake. It has a motel, bed and breakfast accommodations and campgrounds nearby, and there are shops, restaurants and other services, and is roughly an hour away from Rocky Harbour. Parks Canada's <a href="http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/nl/grosmorne/visit/visit1.aspx" target="_blank">Discovery Centre</a> has high-quality informative displays, park information and a gift shop.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jdTrjHvcLp4/VuhEPgVNblI/AAAAAAAABo0/5OJvIQiCnYUDCzPiDklswJ7rvbp12Fgpg/s1600/Tablelands%2Bfrom%2BNorris%2BPoint.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="427" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jdTrjHvcLp4/VuhEPgVNblI/AAAAAAAABo0/5OJvIQiCnYUDCzPiDklswJ7rvbp12Fgpg/s640/Tablelands%2Bfrom%2BNorris%2BPoint.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woody Point and the Tablelands</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-58637174779812862012016-03-09T20:03:00.001-03:302016-03-10T07:59:20.589-03:30Exploring Rose Blanche<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CPWV895f7Sc/VuCvU0UrQPI/AAAAAAAABns/7mfNJBVNRdI/s1600/RB%2BLighthouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CPWV895f7Sc/VuCvU0UrQPI/AAAAAAAABns/7mfNJBVNRdI/s320/RB%2BLighthouse.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rose Blanche Lighthouse</td></tr>
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When approaching Rose Blanche, the most striking feature on the landscape is an impressive stone lighthouse, one of a series built between 1871 and 1873 along this coast. <a href="http://www.roseblanchelighthouse.ca/Planning.asp" target="_blank">The Rose Blanche light</a> is one of the last surviving stone lighthouses on the Atlantic Coast of Canada, and had fallen into disrepair by the 1990s, but the stone steps inside the tower were of such robust construction that they kept the building from falling down; restoration of the building was completed in 1999.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KAVCg2AJrLo/VuCvVeT0goI/AAAAAAAABnw/yr8PadK0_Jg/s1600/Rose%2BBlanche%2BHarbour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KAVCg2AJrLo/VuCvVeT0goI/AAAAAAAABnw/yr8PadK0_Jg/s400/Rose%2BBlanche%2BHarbour.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Harbour at Rose Blanche</td></tr>
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The little harbour of Rose Blanche is now accessible by road, but is still well off the beaten path so it sees fewer visitors than many more accessible Newfoundland communities. My own first visit here was on a superb July morning in 2015, on a cruise with <a href="http://www.adventurecanada.com/" target="_blank">Adventure Canada</a>. We dropped anchor just outside the harbour and made our way to shore in Zodiacs, landing at the public wharf and hiking to the lighthouse. The old path led around the inner harbour and over the hills, where the sun warmed berry fields and small ponds along the way. After seeing the lighthouse and the well-designed interpretation area at the end of the road, there was a warm welcome for the ship's passengers at St. Michael and All Angels Anglican Church on the hill overlooking the harbour. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hlagbqhTtdg/VuCvT8PrNOI/AAAAAAAABng/87SqHBV-H7g/s1600/Lighthouse%2Bpoint%252C%2BRB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hlagbqhTtdg/VuCvT8PrNOI/AAAAAAAABng/87SqHBV-H7g/s400/Lighthouse%2Bpoint%252C%2BRB.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lighthouse Point</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JcmsBsbdLmc/VuCvUb8cdSI/AAAAAAAABn0/DtaP7rJ49ao/s1600/Ocean%2BEndeavour%2Bfrom%2BRB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JcmsBsbdLmc/VuCvUb8cdSI/AAAAAAAABn0/DtaP7rJ49ao/s320/Ocean%2BEndeavour%2Bfrom%2BRB.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking seaward</td></tr>
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Rose Blanche now shares government with neighbouring Harbour Le Cou, the subject of a well-known traditional song from Newfoundland, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYczmWjl33Q" target="_blank">here</a> performed by the group Ryan's Fancy. If you're visiting by road, the community is located on Newfoundland's scenic southwest coast, about 45 minutes east of Port aux Basques via provincial Route 470.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-81lvF3FZwow/VuCvUjwb9RI/AAAAAAAABn0/U_Y9-4dAt30/s1600/Lighthouse%2Binterior%252C%2BRB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-81lvF3FZwow/VuCvUjwb9RI/AAAAAAAABn0/U_Y9-4dAt30/s320/Lighthouse%2Binterior%252C%2BRB.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lighthouse interior</td></tr>
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Take a walk through Rose Blanche via Google Street View <a href="https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Rose+Blanche+Light+House/@47.6113366,-58.6934507,3a,75y,169.68h,82.14t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1scvXocX1VLeUzgu3j2LMB-g!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DcvXocX1VLeUzgu3j2LMB-g%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D135.0356%26pitch%3D0!7i13312!8i6656!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x93624b8173c5030c!6m1!1e1" target="_blank">here</a>. Amenities include bed and breakfast accommodations, shops and cafes. <br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-67407966726329406532016-03-02T19:51:00.000-03:302016-03-02T19:51:12.403-03:30Life on the Rocks in Point Riche<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eoLNUYe5d4I/Vtd0FulNIYI/AAAAAAAABnQ/BsdlfJ460m0/s1600/PAC%2Bfossil%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eoLNUYe5d4I/Vtd0FulNIYI/AAAAAAAABnQ/BsdlfJ460m0/s320/PAC%2Bfossil%2B2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marine gastropod fossil</td></tr>
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One of my favourite moments during a visit to western Newfoundland is the "life on the rocks" exploration of Point Riche. The headland lies near the town of Port-au-Choix, on the island's Great Northern Peninsula, and its white octagonal lighthouse with a bright red lantern room is a striking sight. Below the lighthouse, though, is where this spot's treasures are found. In the broad limestone beds on the shore, thousands of marine fossils, mostly cephalopods and gastropods can be seen. It takes only a moment for the eye to become accustomed to the search; when it has, a scan of the rocks reveals one tight spiral after another, sometimes dozens within a space the size of a small notebook.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jFTyvxfBY54/Vtd0EyRaEuI/AAAAAAAABnM/mFG2LafbPQA/s1600/PAC%2Bfossil%2B1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jFTyvxfBY54/Vtd0EyRaEuI/AAAAAAAABnM/mFG2LafbPQA/s320/PAC%2Bfossil%2B1.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fossils at Point Riche</td></tr>
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Among the fossils are tidal pools that evaporate quickly in the summer sun, leaving a rim of salt around their edges. In the cracks of the rock, tiny plants take root in the most challenging of circumstances. Minke whales, seals and dolphins can occasionally be seen passing by, and when there are small fish like capelin or juvenile herring in the area, northern gannets knife into the water. There is a small herd of caribou living in the area, and a few moose can also be seen from time to time. <br />
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The limestone barrens on the Northern Peninsula are home to many varieties of calcium-loving plants, some of them found only in this environment, so it's necessary to tread carefully on the plateau above the shore. Just up the road, also part of the <a href="http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/nl/portauchoix/index.aspx" target="_blank">Port-au-Choix National Historic Site</a>, is an interpretation centre that concentrates on the area's remarkable human history; a succession of occupations of the area by various cultures go back some 6000 years.<br />
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The nearby towns of Port au Choix and Port Saunders are centres for fishing in the area, and there are restaurants, hotels and other services nearby. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KT0b3g6dHmA/Vtd0C7fFsHI/AAAAAAAABnI/F7RfCxuLHsI/s1600/PAC%2BGarden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="472" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KT0b3g6dHmA/Vtd0C7fFsHI/AAAAAAAABnI/F7RfCxuLHsI/s640/PAC%2BGarden.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A miniature garden among the rocks</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-74294787022148433452016-02-24T20:27:00.000-03:302016-02-24T20:27:52.857-03:30Coming back to Nain<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AkDYYlEnenI/Vs0PdtMvkrI/AAAAAAAABmg/TsKfy3ypLEA/s1600/Brass%2Bband%2Bwelcome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AkDYYlEnenI/Vs0PdtMvkrI/AAAAAAAABmg/TsKfy3ypLEA/s400/Brass%2Bband%2Bwelcome.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nain's brass band</td></tr>
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There's a little community in Nunatsiavut that I've loved since the first time I visited -- it's the northernmost inhabited community in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, and the largest community in Nunatsiavut and its administrative capital. I first visited Nain in 1994 via the <i>M.V.</i> <i>Northern Ranger</i>, as part of a cruise along the coast. In those days, the Ranger operated out of Lewisporte on Newfoundland's northeast coast, and the trip took in all the small ports along the way, including St. Anthony, Red Bay, and Cartwright on the way to Goose Bay - Happy Valley. Today the vessel still runs, but it's now operated by <a href="http://www.labradorferry.ca/" target="_blank">Nunatsiavut Marine</a> and plies the coast only from Goose Bay northward, stopping at Rigolet, Makkovik, Postville, Hopedale, and Nain, with a stop in the Innu community of Natuashish as well.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the roof!</td></tr>
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My most recent visit, though, was from a different vessel: the <a href="http://www.adventurecanada.com/trip/greenland-wild-labrador-2016/" target="_blank">Ocean Endeavour</a>, operated by <a href="http://www.adventurecanada.com/" target="_blank">Adventure Canada</a>. I was delighted to see that Nain would be one of the stops on their Newfoundland and Wild Labrador cruise in 2015, and was eager to return to the place where there were so many wonderful memories. The icing on the cake was that the stop happened to fall on my birthday, July 11.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AOiXB0z2_Fc/Vs0Pe4IGr6I/AAAAAAAABms/hgncm-_CrbI/s1600/John%2BTerriak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AOiXB0z2_Fc/Vs0Pe4IGr6I/AAAAAAAABms/hgncm-_CrbI/s320/John%2BTerriak.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carver John Terriak</td></tr>
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In the years since I'd been to Nain, a very important development had taken place: the local brass band, established by the Moravian Church as part of its outreach to the coast, had been resurrected through the efforts of a dedicated group of volunteers and advocates including Dr. Tom Gordon of Memorial University, who was a fellow staffer on the Adventure Canada team.When the Ocean Endeavour arrived, the band was there to greet us -- and after a welcome at the little white church near the public wharf, the band members followed tradition and climbed from the church tower onto the roof to play so the sound would carry better!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y1o05Danku4/Vs0PWYo3LDI/AAAAAAAABms/_BfjnCb1Oa0/s1600/Pitsik.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y1o05Danku4/Vs0PWYo3LDI/AAAAAAAABms/_BfjnCb1Oa0/s320/Pitsik.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pitsik</td></tr>
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The welcome in Nain was as warm as ever, thanks to <a href="http://www.tourismnunatsiavut.com/home/" target="_blank">Tourism Nunatsiavut</a>, and there was time to explore the community, see a demonstration of soapstone carving by noted carver <a href="http://www.birchesgallery.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&page=shop.browse&manufacturer_id=2&Itemid=3" target="_blank">John Terriak</a>, taste some local delicacies like partridge soup and <i>pitsik</i> -- dried char -- and do a bit of shopping for soapstone, sealskin, knitted goods and other keepsakes before a reception with <a href="https://www.nfb.ca/film/stories_from_our_land_vol2_strength_flexibility" target="_blank">Inuit games</a> at the local school; a buttery-soft sealskin eyeglass case seemed like the perfect birthday present, and by chance, the young man who sold it to me was celebrating his birthday as well -- along with his twin brother! We wished each other a happy birthday, and I was on my way.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZaHNQ1PCeGY/Vs0Q9wvNkMI/AAAAAAAABm8/jBs7hQkZ9lg/s1600/Glasses%2Bcase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZaHNQ1PCeGY/Vs0Q9wvNkMI/AAAAAAAABm8/jBs7hQkZ9lg/s320/Glasses%2Bcase.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The perfect keepsake</td></tr>
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It was a delight to return to this little spot after an absence of nearly twenty years; I've promised myself it won't be so long before my next visit. Nain is on the itinerary of Adventure Canada's <a href="http://www.adventurecanada.com/trip/greenland-wild-labrador-2016/" target="_blank">Greenland and Wild Labrador</a> <br />
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cruise for 2016.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving beautiful Nain</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-76429143266657331322016-02-20T19:39:00.002-03:302016-07-06T19:00:48.707-02:30St. Pierre & Miquelon -- a true taste of Europe in North America<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AjDbfYc8Mmo/Vsjw2P7PRyI/AAAAAAAABmI/txHLiXVTEX4/s1600/St.%2BPierre%2Bscape.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-AjDbfYc8Mmo/Vsjw2P7PRyI/AAAAAAAABmI/txHLiXVTEX4/s400/St.%2BPierre%2Bscape.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St. Pierre</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I8lmRm-UVP0/VsjwoZp9ylI/AAAAAAAABl4/9nG7ytRGAYY/s320/St.%2BPierre.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Le Café du Chat Luthier</td></tr>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I8lmRm-UVP0/VsjwoZp9ylI/AAAAAAAABl4/9nG7ytRGAYY/s1600/St.%2BPierre.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;">Y</a>Just west of Newfoundland's Burin Peninsula lie the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, France's last outpost in North America. This overseas collectivity of France has a population of a little over 6000, and is principally made up of two islands, St. Pierre -- more heavily populated and the smaller of the two -- and Miquelon-Langlade. A third island, Ile-aux-Marins, is located just off the town of St. Pierre and is no longer occupied. The islands lie a short ferry ride from the port of Fortune, Newfoundland and Labrador, or can be reached by air from Halifax, Montreal and St. John's; travel between St. Pierre and Miquelon can be accomplished by air or by local passenger ferry. The islands are also a popular stop for cruise ships both large and small; a great way to visit is on an expedition cruise like those offered by Adventure Canada; I first found my way here on their <a href="http://www.adventurecanada.com/trip/newfoundland-circumnavigation-2016/" target="_blank">Newfoundland Circumnavigation</a>, and will return in 2016 on their <a href="http://www.adventurecanada.com/trip/mighty-saint-lawrence-2016/" target="_blank">Mighty St. Lawrence</a> cruise.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miquelon </td></tr>
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The two islands have distinctly different personalities; St. Pierre has a more cosmopolitan feel despite its small size, with restaurants, hotels and shops ranked along its narrow streets, while Miquelon has a much more rural and relaxed atmosphere. Both islands, though, boast brightly coloured houses and beautiful scenery. Wine shops, patisseries and cafes make for some great culinary experiences -- after all, this is France and the wines and baked goods are legendary. Just like in mainland France, a visit to a small shop will provide plenty of options for a light lunch, including locally produced <i>chevre</i> and <i>fois gras</i>. Remember that even though this is definitely France and locals tend to be very fashionably dressed, a good pair of walking shoes is essential.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7bf_vUBF7Ik/Vsjw0-tIbhI/AAAAAAAABmE/XMsPjyU5kEs/s1600/Ile-aux-Marins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7bf_vUBF7Ik/Vsjw0-tIbhI/AAAAAAAABmE/XMsPjyU5kEs/s320/Ile-aux-Marins.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ile-aux-Marins</td></tr>
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Tourism information centres can be found in both towns, and local sightseeing tours by van can be arranged. A water taxi to Ile-aux-Marins makes for an interesting addition; the island is used as a summer home by some local residents, and historic and cultural displays can be found there. The heritage of the islands' residents is varied; on Miquelon there are many descendants of the Acadians, expelled from New France by the British in 1755, and many islanders also trace their ancestry to the Basque region. Local residents are friendly and most speak excellent English; if you speak French this is a great opportunity to put it to use, but don't hesitate to go because of a language barrier -- you'll get along just fine in English.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gcRyruIYG8M/Vsjw0Bzn4eI/AAAAAAAABmA/oohwq0D9CDY/s1600/Menu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gcRyruIYG8M/Vsjw0Bzn4eI/AAAAAAAABmA/oohwq0D9CDY/s320/Menu.jpg" width="179" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lobster on the menu!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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St. Pierre boasts several very comfortable hotels in its central district, while Miquelon has bed and breakfast accommodations. Information on transportation to the islands and on local activities and culture can be found <a href="http://st-pierre-et-miquelon.com/en/" target="_blank">here</a>. Currency is the Euro; both St. Pierre and Miquelon have banking machines where cash can be purchased, and credit cards are widely accepted.<br />
See you in St. Pierre and Miquelon!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-4312765071217098162013-05-25T21:12:00.001-02:302013-05-25T21:13:15.983-02:30Headed for Twillingate and the Bergs!I got an inquiry this week from a couple wanting to see icebergs in Newfoundland. Could I take them to Twillingate? Absolutely! <br />
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With changing weather conditions, the bergs seem to be moving inshore, and there are reports of two bergs at Long Point, very close to the lighthouse. Stay tuned -- I'll be there late tomorrow afternoon and there will be another post then, with photos. Meanwhile, here's one of a berg at sunset, taken from Twillingate a few years ago.<br />
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-89154472493303183822013-05-22T20:00:00.000-02:302013-05-22T22:14:37.826-02:30First Visit to the Cape<br />
The first spring visit to Cape St. Mary's always reminds me what a wonderful and varied place this is. Known primarily as a nesting site for thousands of northern gannets, it also provides a feeding ground for bald eagles and ravens, typical habitat for savannah sparrows and horned larks, and forms part of the range of the southern Avalon caribou herd.<br />
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I arrived in the early morning and started down the trail from the visitor centre; visible even from this distance, a juvenile bald eagle (<i>Haliaeetus leucocephalus</i>) was circling high above the cove, the sun highlighting its mottled colours.<br />
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Another few minutes of walking brought me to the main point near Bird Rock, the centre of the gannet (<i>Morus bassanus</i>) nesting area. This point overlooks the rock, and in another month it will be possible to spot the first of the year's chicks, guarded by their protective parents. Now, though, it's only adult birds that are visible, soaring overheard or returning to the nesting sites with seaweed or twine for nest repairs.<br />
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Returning along the trail, I heard the unmistakable trill of a savannah sparrow (<i>Passerculus sandwichensis</i>) from just ahead. There it was, perched on one of the stakes that mark the trail.<br />
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The day's real treat, though, came in the form of a handful of caribou (<i>Rangifer tarandus</i>) trotting across the Eastern Hyper-oceanic Barrens. They were a hundred metres away, and seemed unconcerned at my presence. They'll soon begin to shed their pale winter coats, taking on a darker, sleeker look for summer. It will be fascinating to watch the changes that take place here at the Cape between now and October.<br />
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-36721938583467772912013-05-20T20:28:00.001-02:302013-05-21T16:58:54.424-02:30Playing the Hand You're Dealt<br />
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A long-planned excursion to the town of Twillingate this weekend turned into an object lesson in the difference that attitude can make. The trip was scheduled to take place over the Victoria Day weekend; Victoria Day is a Canadian holiday that is now celebrated on the Monday prior to May 24, the actual anniversary of her birth in 1819. In Newfoundland and Labrador, the holiday has a largely undeserved reputation for bringing what could most generously be called <i>interesting</i> weather, but this year it came through in fine fashion. Snow began falling on Saturday evening, and continued all day Sunday in Central Newfoundland, dumping some 58 cm (roughly 22.8 inches) in the town of Gander. At Twillingate, on the coast, accumulations were not as great, but there was a good coating of slushy snow on the roads and streets, and steady snow in the air. <br />
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At the <a href="http://www.harbourlightsinn.com/">Harbour Lights Inn</a> in Twillingate, a motley crew of travellers from many parts of Canada showed the best possible reaction to an event like this one -- they took it in stride. Laughter filled the air, and all the guests in the nine-room inn carried on with their plans to explore the area. It wasn't just the hardy crowd at the Harbour Lights who showed this kind of moxie, though. Throughout our exploration, many other travellers could be seen taking photos, enjoying a meal at a local restaurant, or taking in the sights. <br />
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By the time the storm ended on Sunday, an iceberg had drifted into view on the horizon and there were already groups visiting the viewing area near the lighthouse at Long Point to catch a glimpse of it, and to marvel at the rime of ice that had formed on the nearby tuckamore as a result of the combined wind and icy spray.<br />
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According to Environment Canada, this is the first time in over ten years that there's been significant snowfall in Newfoundland on the Victoria Day weekend; we've come to expect wonderful weather at this time of year, but this year we got fooled. When this kind of unexpected event arrives and plans have already been made, we can feel conspired against and cancel, or we can roll with the punches and make the conscious decision to enjoy life as it comes. On an occasion when a few grumbles might have been expected, there wasn't a single complaint to be heard. Full marks to this weekend's visitors to Twillingate for playing the hand that fate -- and the weather -- dealt them. <br />
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-2843541357170043842013-05-15T13:34:00.000-02:302013-05-15T13:35:26.516-02:30Tales from the Kyle <div style="text-align: center;">
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One hundred years ago, on April 17, 1913, the <i>SS Kyle</i> began her maiden voyage. Constructed in Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK, she was destined for use on the service between Carbonear, Newfoundland, and the coast of Labrador, and was used for a time on the crossing between Port-aux-Basques, Newfoundland and North Sydney, Nova Scotia. During World War II she transported soldiers from the Dominion of Newfoundland to Canada, and later in her career was fitted as an icebreaker. Operated by the Reid Company of Newfoundland as part of its renowned Alphabet Fleet, which got its name from the fact that the names of the company's vessels began with successive letters of the alphabet, each with a Scottish connection: <span style="text-align: justify;">Argyle, Bruce, Clyde, Dundee, Ethie, Fife, Glencoe, Home, Inverness, Kyle, Lintrose and the Meigle.</span><span style="text-align: justify;"> These sturdy ships carried passengers and freight around the coast of Newfoundland and to and from Labrador; they were an essential part of everyday life for coastal residents from the 1890s until the mid-twentieth century. </span><br />
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The Kyle became a beloved part of Newfoundland lore when storyteller Ted Russell of Coley's Point, Conception Bay, penned his poem about her as part of his <i>Tales of Pigeon Inlet</i>:<br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">The Smokeroom on the Kyle</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: normal;">by Ted Russell</span></h4>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Tall are the tales that fishermen tell when summer’s work is done,<br />Of fish they’ve caught, of birds they’ve shot, of crazy risks they’ve run.<br />But never did a fisherman tell a tale, so tall by a half a mile,<br />As Grampa Walcott told one night in the Smokeroom on the Kyle.</span></h5>
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">With ‘baccy smoke from twenty pipes, the atmosphere was blue.<br />There was many a “Have another boy” and “Don’t mind if I do.” </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">When somebody suggested that each in turn should spin,<br />A yarn about some circumstance he’d personally been in.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Then tales were told of gun barrels bent to shoot around the cliff,<br />Of men thawed out and brought to life that had been frozen stiff,<br />Of bark pots carried off by flies, of pathways chopped through fog,<br />Of woodsman Bill who, barefoot, kicked the knots out of a twelve inch log.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">The loud applause grew louder still when Uncle Mickey Shea,<br />Told of the big potato he grew in Gander Bay.<br />Too big to fit through the cellar door, it lay at rest nearby,<br />Until, one rainy night that fall, the pig drowned in it’s eye.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">But meanwhile in a corner, his grey head slightly bowed,<br />Sat Grampa Walcott, eighty-eight, the oldest of the crowd.<br />Upon his weatherbeaten face there beamed a quiet grin,<br />When someone shouted, “Grampa, ‘tis your turn to chip in.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Oh, no boys, leave me out,” said Grampa. “Oh thanks, don’t mind if I do.<br />Ah, well alright boys, if you insist, I’ll tell you one that’s true.<br />It’s a story about jigging squids I’m going to relate,<br />And it happened in Pigeon Inlet in Eighteen eighty-eight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Me, I was just a bedlamer then, fishin’ with my Dad,<br />And prospects for the that season, they were looking pretty bad.<br />Now, the caplin scull was over and that hadn’t been too bright,<br />And here was August come and gone and nar a squid in sight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Day after day we searched for squid, ‘til dark from the crack of dawn.<br />We dug up clams and cock n’ hens ‘til even these were gone.<br />And still no squids so, in despair, we give it up for good,<br />Took our gear ashore and went cutting firewood.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Now, one morning, while out in the woods with all the other men,<br />And wondering if we’d ever see another squid again.<br />Father broke his axe that day so we were the first ones out,<br />And as we neared the landwash, we heard the women shout.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">“Come hurry boys, the squids are in.” Well, we jumped aboard our boat,<br />And started out the harbour, the only crew afloat.<br />But soon our keel began to scrunch like scrapin’ over skids.<br />“Father,” says I, “we’ve run aground.” “Me son,” says he, “that’s squids.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Said he, “The jigger, heave it out,” and quick as a flash I did,<br />And soon as it struck the water, ‘twas grappled by a squid.<br />I hauled it in and what do you think? As soon as he crossed the rail,<br />I’ll be darned if there wasn’t a second squid clung on to the first one’s tail.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And another clung to that one and so on in a string.<br />I tried to shake ‘em loose but Father said “You foolish thing.<br />You’ve got something was never seen before in Newfoundland.<br />Drop the jigger, grab the string and haul hand over hand.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">I hauled that string of squids aboard ‘til the boat could hold no more,<br />And then we hitched it in the risings and rowed for the shore.<br />Now the men were coming from the woods, they’d heard the women bawl,<br />But Father said, “Don’t hurry boys, we’ve squid enough for all.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">So Uncle Jimmy, he took the string until he had enough,<br />And, neighbour-like, he handed it on to Skipper Levi Cuff.<br />Well, from stage to stage that string was passed throughout the whole night long,<br />‘Til daylight found it on Eastern Point with Uncle Billy Strong.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Now Uncle Bill, quite thoughtfully, before he went to bed,<br />Took two half-hitches of that string ‘round the grump on his stagehead.<br />Next morning Hartley’s Harbour heard the news and up they come,<br />In a trap skiff with three pair of oars to tow the string down home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">And when Hartley’s Harbour had enough, the following afternoon,<br />That string went on from place to place until it reached Quirpon.<br />Now, what happened to it after that, well I don’t exactly know.<br />But some folks say that it crossed the Straits and ended in Forteau.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">Yes, tall are the tales that fishermen tell when summer’s work is done,<br />Of fish they’ve caught and birds they’ve shot and crazy risks they’ve run.<br />But never did a fisherman tell a tale, so tall be a half a mile,<br />As Grampa Walcott told that night in the Smokeroom on the Kyle.*</span></h5>
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In 1967, after long and varied service, the Kyle was retired at anchor in Harbour Grace; she broke free during a severe storm in that year and grounded just off Riverhead, where she can be seen to this day. </div>
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*Click on the link to hear Ted Russell's<i> "<a href="http://sskyle.com/kelly_russell_-_storytelling_-_smokeroom_on_the_kyle.mp3" target="_blank">The Smokeroom on the Kyle</a>"</i> as told by his son Kelly.<br />
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-19749311395454436542013-05-12T20:14:00.002-02:302013-05-12T20:14:27.275-02:30I Like Big Boats and I Cannot LieI've always loved working boats, both big and small to be honest, and there are few places better suited to someone with a love of such boats than Atlantic Canada. From the sandy shores of Prince Edward Island to the tides of the Bay of Fundy, shared by Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, to the rocky coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, this region has a wealth of boats of all shapes and sizes.<br />
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They can be found in small towns and big cities, tied up at wharves, riding at anchor, or moored "on the collar" in small coves whose names don't appear on any map. The unifying thread among all these boats is their utilitarian grace. They're built for work, not for show, but they have an innate beauty that's a bit poignant somehow, as if try as they will, they just can't help being graceful and elegant. <br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_sqTiyFzUqg/UZAap4ZYm6I/AAAAAAAABaQ/lBkgXPmG0xA/s1600/Dockside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_sqTiyFzUqg/UZAap4ZYm6I/AAAAAAAABaQ/lBkgXPmG0xA/s400/Dockside.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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These days their hulls might be fiberglass, metal or even concrete, but there was a time when every one of them had been built from wood in a local boat shop. Examples of those older wooden boats can still be found if you're willing to look; they might be housed in museums where they're carefully studied for their lines, hauled up on the shore and falling into ruin, or -- in some rare cases -- lovingly patched and mended and still afloat after seventy-five or a hundred years of plying the North Atlantic.<br />
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I particularly like those parts of the region where there's a lot of individuality expressed in the colours of the boats; those bright reds and yellows and blues and greens add cheer to a foggy day, and from a practical standpoint of those who wait on shore, it's a lot easier to recognize the boat you're looking for when it rounds the headland making for home. Although today's navigational and safety equipment have reduced the hazards, fishing is still a dangerous way to make a living; here's wishing safe home to all those boats, and to those who travel in them.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-57917164250798634362013-05-10T10:00:00.000-02:302013-05-10T10:00:02.074-02:30Patterns in the Sand<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Beaches are wonderful places for walking, running, digging for clams, watching birds or watching surf, listening to the rhythms of nature or perhaps doing absolutely nothing. One of the things I love most about them, though, is that beaches are, in a very real sense, living things. Each visit is met with a new and changing landscape; sometimes the changes are small and insignificant, while others, like those brought on by winter storms, are sweeping and more permanent in nature: wind-driven waves rip through protective dunes and spill onto the flats beyond, or tons of sand are moved offshore leaving rocks and gravel exposed. It can take years for major changes like these to reverse themselves.<br />
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Smaller, gentler changes, though, are here reward the careful observer. The breeze plays over the surface of the sand sculpting patterns that are particularly striking in the low-angled light of morning and evening, creating miniature desert or mountain landscapes. Return the next day or even a few hours later, and those landscapes will be altered: ridges lower or higher, textures smoother or coarser, new patterns overlying the old. As the tide changes, the water works in concert with the wind to form a new array of relief figures. The movement of breeze and water shift the small particles of sand and shell, sorting them by size and weight. Waves roll in along the swash zone, compacting the surface. Farther up the beach face lies the wrack zone, where seaweed marks the high tide line. Above this is the berm, the raised area where the sand is generally dry. In summer, this zone provides a vital nesting area for shore birds like sandpipers and plovers; their camouflaged nests are vulnerable to beach walkers, so it's crucial to stay below the tide line when walking.<br />
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I seldom visit a beach without a camera, and it's not there just for the birds or the waves or the cloud reflections; these erosion patterns are simply too tempting and to varied to ignore, and I love the way they mimic flames, waves, mountains and canyons -- or sometimes even characters from a Tolkien novel. The constantly shifting personality of the beach at the seemingly subtle whims of moving air and water means that in nature, as in life, the only real constant is change. There's nothing like a metaphor you can photograph.<br />
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</script><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-85483819477522785442013-05-07T19:35:00.002-02:302013-05-07T19:38:58.206-02:30Comfort and Hospitality at the Clockmaker's Inn<div style="text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CaWLr1bPQFg/UYl1ajgwzhI/AAAAAAAABXw/ODeY_03Odcc/s1600/Clockmaker%2527s+Inn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CaWLr1bPQFg/UYl1ajgwzhI/AAAAAAAABXw/ODeY_03Odcc/s400/Clockmaker%2527s+Inn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The Clockmaker's Inn at Windsor, NS stands proudly at a spot called Curry's Corner; this stately home with its distinctive mansard roof was built in 1894 for local merchant Rufus Curry, who occupied it until his death in 1934; his widow, Cornelia, stayed on in the house until 1946. After some thirty years, it was bought by Dennis and Veronica Connolly, who converted it to a bed and breakfast and named it after Sam Slick, the "Yankee clockmaker" who appeared in the tales of Judge Thomas Chandler Haliburton, a native of Windsor. The current owners acquired the property in 2005; the Inn as it appears today is shown above in a painting by artist David Howells.</div>
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Extensive renovations added three new suites on the third floor of the Inn like the well-appointed King's Suite shown above, adding to the five rooms and one suite on the second floor. The ground floor houses common rooms including the breakfast room, and is graced with several handsome fireplaces. </div>
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Ornately carved woodwork, parquet floors, and handsome stained-glass windows give a gracious feel to the house, like this dramatic window, located on the landing of the main stairwell. </div>
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Breakfast is hearty and cooked hot to order at the time of your choice, with choices like French toast, pancakes, omelettes and more; juice, coffee and tea, yogurt, cereals are available too, served buffet-style in the breakfast room.</div>
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The Clockmaker's Inn is owned and operated by the Dunhams, Debbie and Rick; their daughter Sarah, her husband Sean and their two adorable sons Frankie and Charlie. They provide a warm and friendly welcome. You'll find a link to the Inn's website <a href="http://www.theclockmakersinn.com/" target="_blank">here</a>.</div>
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</script>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04364162370958197432noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8411530751108195341.post-90047279852153744782013-05-03T10:00:00.000-02:302013-05-03T10:00:00.581-02:30The Places Left BehindI find myself drawn to abandoned buildings; there's so much mystery and poignancy about them, and they speak of lives left behind. Each one tells a story: houses that once were filled with life and laughter, shops that once saw a booming trade, or barns that once provided warmth and shelter for animals.<br />
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On a recent drive along the coast of Shelburne County between Port Saxon and Churchover via the Lighthouse Route, I stopped to look at two houses and a former general store. The first of the houses was in the village of Ingomar, on a stretch of road leading out of town toward the end of the point. I got out of the car to take a closer look, and when I took out my camera and shot through a broken window, a small animal chattered at me from inside. At least I think it was a small animal; I decided not to stay around long enough to find out.<br />
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The abandoned general store was also in Ingomar, on the main road leading into the community. Large windows had been boarded over, and next to the entrance door a thermometer on a metal backing had been hung from the wall. The glass appeared intact, but all the markings were lost in rust so I have no idea how warm -- or cool -- it was when I visited. I can imagine, though, that it was a selling tool in summer, when the proprietor could point out how hot it was, and convince the local children that a scoop of strawberry ice cream was the only logical way to cool down!<br />
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The second of the houses was at Gunning Cove, overlooking McNutt's Island and Shelburne Harbour. Like the first, it was of simple Maritime vernacular design, and likely would have been home to a good-sized family. From its location next to the water, it was probably the home of a local fisherman; there were lilac trees planted nearby to scent the breeze, and evidence of a garden that had been well-tended in its day.<br />
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The feeling that these buildings bring on is, for me, a mixture of curiosity and melancholy. Black and white felt like the right treatment for them.<br />
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