1901-Cover-NL_0609-Cover-NFLD 12/4/18 2:22 PM Page 1
DIY Storm
Vol 31 • No 08
$4.99
January 2019
CHIPS & DIPS!
The Year in Weird Talking in Emoji
10 Ways to Slay Winter!
1901_Index_0609 index.qxd 11/30/18 1:54 PM Page 2
life is better Published monthly in St. John’s by Downhome Publishing Inc. 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3 Tel: 709-726-5113 • Fax: 709-726-2135 • Toll Free: 1-888-588-6353 E-mail: mail@downhomelife.com Website: www.downhomelife.com Editorial Editor-in-Chief Janice Stuckless Assistant Editor Elizabeth Whitten Special Publications Editor Tobias Romaniuk Art and Production Art Director Vince Marsh Graphic and Web Designer Cory Way Illustrator Mel D’Souza Illustrator Snowden Walters Advertising Sales Senior Account Manager Robert Saunders Account Manager Barbara Young Marketing Director Tiffany Brett Finance and Administration Senior Accountant Karen Critch Junior Accountant Marlena Grant Operations Manager Alicia Brennan Operations Manager, Twillingate Nicole Mehaney
Warehouse Operations Warehouse Operator Josephine Leyte Distribution Sales & Merchandising Joseph Reddy Sr. Customer Service Associate Sharon Muise Inventory Control Clerk Heather Lane Warehouse Associate Anthony Sparrow Retail Operations Retail Floor Manager, Water Street Jackie Rice Retail Floor Manager, Avalon Mall Carol Howell Retail Floor Manager, Twillingate Donna Keefe Retail Sales Associates Crystal Rose, Emma Goodyear, Ciara Hodge, Jonathon Organ, Nicole French, Elizabeth Gleason, Janet Watkins, Melissa Wheeler, Rebecca Ford, Darlene Burton, Natalie Engram, Erin McCarthy
Subscriptions Sr. Administrative Assistant Amanda Ricks Customer Service Associate Drew Ennis Customer Service Associate Keri St. Croix Founding Editor Ron Young Chief Executive Officer / Publisher Grant Young President Todd Goodyear Chief Financial Officer Tina Bromley
To subscribe, renew or change address use the contact information above. Subscriptions total inc. taxes, postage and handling: for residents in NL $39; AB, BC, MB, NU, NT, QC, SK, YT $40.95; ON $44.07; NB, NS, PE $44.85. US and International mailing price for a 1-year term is $49.00.
Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement #40062919 The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable for damages arising out of errors in advertisements beyond the amount paid for the space actually occupied by the portion of the advertisement in which the error occurred, whether such error is due to the negligence of the servants or otherwise, and there shall be no liability beyond the amount of such advertisement. The Letters to the Editor section is open to all letter writers providing the letters are in good taste, not libelous, and can be verified as true, correct and written by the person signing the letter. Pen names and anonymous letters will not be published. The publisher reserves the right to edit, revise, classify, or reject any advertisement or letter. © Downhome Publishing Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada.
Printed in Canada Official onboard magazine of
1901_Index_0609 index.qxd 11/29/18 2:40 PM Page 3
124 into the woods
Contents
JANUARY 2019
62 The Psychology of Habits Do you want to start your New Year off right? We talk with the experts about how to make healthy habits stick – for the long run. Linda Browne
102 Make Your Own “Storm Chips” Next time you stock up for a storm, bring home the ingredients for these delicious, easy to make, homemade chips and dips.
124 Horses & Slides
102 storm food
www.downhomelife.com
Architect and author Robert Mellin recalls hauling wood by horse in Tilting. Tobias Romaniuk
132 A Perilous Rescue at Sea A routine sail from Halifax to St. John’s was interrupted by a frantic call from a ship in trouble. John Williamson
January 2019
3
1901_Index_0609 index.qxd 11/29/18 2:40 PM Page 4
Contents
JANUARY 2019
homefront 10 I Dare Say A note from the editor 11 Contributors Meet the people behind the magazine
12 Letters from Our Readers
24
that’s strange!
A reader reunited with her grandfather’s accordion, lamenting the loss of rural NL, and digging into the Regatta boats’ Devon connection
22 Downhome Tours Explore Antarctica with Downhome 24 Stranger Side of 2018 28 Why is That? Why is champagne the drink of celebrations? And why do we sometimes feel like we’re falling as we drift off to sleep? Linda Browne 30 Life’s Funny Foot, Meet Mouth Eileen Cook
32
kool kiddies
31 Say What? A contest that puts words in someone else’s mouth
32 Lil Charmers Winter Wonders 34 Pets of the Month S’now Place Like Home
36 Submission of the Year YOU pick the winner!
42 Blast from the Past Remember… Step-ins? 4
January 2019
42 step it up
1-888-588-6353
1901_Index_0609 index.qxd 11/30/18 1:56 PM Page 5
44 Reviewed Denise Flint interviews Susan M. MacDonald and reviews her latest book, Treason’s Edge.
46 What Odds Paul Warford’s some sick
48 Beat That Lonely Feeling Carla MacInnis Rockwell
58
‘figure’- tively speaking
50 The Mind of a Cod Why being a Newfoundlander and not living there is a hard thing to do Erin Woodrow
features 54 Old Times Revival Author Jenny Higgins brings archival images and stories to light Elizabeth Whitten
58 Trying to Talk Emoji Tobias Romaniuk
76 seize the season
66 Running in the Family Just try and keep pace with the Powers Dennis Flynn 70 Floating a New Hobby Elizabeth Whitten
explore 74 What’s on the Go Exciting events happening in Atlantic Canada
76 Ten Ways Our Readers Slay Winter!
80
80 Bigger and Better Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador turns 40 this year and breaks ground on a new theatre space. Elizabeth Whitten
scripted success www.downhomelife.com
January 2019
5
1901_Index_0609 index.qxd 11/30/18 2:28 PM Page 6
Contents
JANUARY 2019
90
silent solitude
84 High Hopes for the Hill While the provincial government seeks proposals from potential buyers, skiers and staff continue to stand by Marble Mountain. Samantha Martin
90 Travel Diary G. Tod Slone seeks solitude in Round Harbour. 94 Changing of the Guard After three decades, the volunteer committee of the Brigus Blueberry Festival has disbanded, and it did so with a generous spirit. Dennis Flynn
96 Stuff About What does NapolĂŠon Bonaparte, Sixteen Candles and artist Christopher Pratt have in common?
84 lift needed
6
January 2019
1-888-588-6353
1901_Index_0609 index.qxd 11/30/18 2:33 PM Page 7
122 vintage cool
food and leisure 98 Everyday Gourmet Versatile Fruit Compote Andrea Maunder
112 Whale of a Time Woodworking 114 Down to Earth New Year, New Plans Ross Traverse
reminiscing 122 Flashbacks Classic photos of people and places About the cover This photo of Newfoundland ponies grazing on a hill was submitted by Stan Mac Kenzie. One time, horses and ponies freely roamed the outports, where they were valued workers. For more, turn to p. 124.
123 This Month in History The first time lights were turned on in NL
Cover Index
The Northern Ranger Ron Young
DIY Storm Chips and Dips! • 102 Make and Break Habits • 62 Perilous Rescue at Sea • 132 Hard Working Horses • 124 The Year in Weird • 24 Talking in Emoji • 58 10 Ways to Slay Winter! • 76
136 Unity in Champney’s West Terra Barrett
138 Boulevard and the Bay 140 Mail Order 146 Real Estate 148 Puzzles 160 Photo Finish
www.downhomelife.com
January 2019
7
30-49 homefront2_Homefront 2 11/30/18 4:06 PM Page 50
homefront in your words
The Mind of a Cod Why being a Newfoundlander and not living there is a hard thing to do By Erin Woodrow Canmore, AB
On a humid, overcast
and foggy Friday night, I threw my line into the ocean. We were situated just offshore from Portugal Cove, NL. It was only a matter of minutes before my jigger hit the ocean floor with what I imagined to be a thud. Soon the courting would begin. There was nothing overly fancy about this process: a large, weighted, three-pronged barrel tied to a line, thrown into the ocean with not a morsel of bait on the end. Still, the cod would bite, time and time again. So why then, were these baitless, simplistic hooks so appealing to the cod who frequented these shores? I don’t know, but I could identify with those cod all the same.
50
January 2019
1-888-588-6353
30-49 homefront2_Homefront 2 11/29/18 1:42 PM Page 51
I couldn’t always rationalize the draw and deep connection I had to The Rock, but it was something my heart could always so deeply comprehend. Over the years my head and heart have battled since my departure, very much like this act of what we Newfoundlanders call “jigging.” Since leaving there has always been an internal battle flickering inside, an unsettled score that has lingered in my subconscious, gently coaxing me back to our salty shores. Regardless of how far I travelled or how long I stayed away, the friendly shores of Newfoundland always welcomed me back with wide and open arms, the people relentlessly smiled and greeted me warmly, the connections remained deep and hugged tightly to my heart. During my university years, I was lucky enough to have spent time studying and working abroad. My worldly travels triggered an itch that I needed to scratch, so when I graduated I bid our isolated island adieu to seek out new adventures. With a great job opportunity on the table and a new city and province to explore, I packed my bags and booked a one-way ticket out West, and set out to begin a new chapter of my life. However, I told myself that I’d be back in a few years to make Newfoundland my home once again. The ebbs and flows that life brought would keep rerouting and delaying my plan, but from a distance my love for Newfoundland grew, as did my comprehension of why I struggled with the lure of that threepronged, baitless hook called home.
On the surface, Newfoundland is a massive rock lifted up from the ocean depths with spectacular cliffs, rocky shores and pebbled beaches. Its location in the North Atlantic brings rough waters, high winds, dreadful weather and frequent storms. It is a less than desirable place to live (from this perspective). The island’s weather, isolated structure and rugged exterior thus tells a story of survival of our people, and why the culture that took root and blossomed here is one where we care for our neighbours, openly welcome strangers and are forever
Newfoundland is and has always been a little different… an authentic people and place being true to who we are…
www.downhomelife.com
bonded to each other because of the weight we tie to the meaning of “Newfoundlander.”It took a hardy type – a type similar to our friends in the north – to make this island a home. It also required a community, courage and hope that this land would provide a better life than the one previous. I was lucky enough to be several generations down the line of my ancestors who chose to settle on the island. It wasn’t long before Newfoundland began to develop an identity distinct from their colonial country, and a sense of pride and honour to call this unique and rugged isle their home. Most of my parents’ generation, and many since, have considered themselves Newfoundlanders first and Canadians second, as we could all recall that many NewfoundJanuary 2019
51
30-49 homefront2_Homefront 2 11/29/18 1:48 PM Page 52
landers fought very hard to remain standing on our own two feet as a nation unto itself. Newfoundland is and has always been a little different – a bit behind the trends of the time. We are not necessarily the ugly duckling or a black sheep, just an authentic people and place being true to who we are with little to no regard for what others have to say.
On the surface, Newfoundland is a massive rock lifted up from the ocean depths with spectacular cliffs, rocky shores and pebbled beaches.
Although there was nothing remotely glamorous about growing up on the island, it suited me just fine. I had every opportunity I could have wished for and considered myself one of those generations that got to have the “better life” that our forefathers had so selflessly worked towards. The lines that divided social classes were blurred in those days, as money amongst most families seemed rare, and crime levels were low as only the 52
January 2019
most desperate would dare to steal from their neighbour. Kids played in the woods, families and communities huddled close together to keep each other warm, and spirits remained lifted with hearty laughs – true in both good times and bad. Both the island and its people weren’t without their wounds, but the struggle that has been endured over the years speaks to the fight that is ingrained in us. There is a silent code amongst Newfoundlanders that only we understand. We find each other under the most unforeseen circumstances, like a magnetic force that binds us together, no matter the nature of the relationship. We exchange inconspicuous nods upon our serendipitous meetings, as if to warmly accept and acknowledge that, although strangers, we recognize each other. It is a culture of connection, of acceptance and warmth, where you are made to feel at home in each other’s presence, no matter the logistical distance from the island. I will likely, for at least some time, continue to endure the struggle of what it means to be a Newfoundlander and not live there. I am happy enough where I live now that I can set my struggle quietly to the side, yet never forget or fully let go. For many Newfoundlanders, including myself, being from this place is one of life’s greatest gifts. It is a place that’s hard to leave and impossible to forget, and its meaning is tattooed onto our very existence. The draw of Newfoundland is not always so easy to perceive on the surface, similar to the baitless hooks we use to jig for cod. But if you look a little deeper, it becomes clear why I, and many others, keep biting, time and time again. 1-888-588-6353
30-49 homefront2_Homefront 2 11/29/18 1:48 PM Page 53
www.downhomelife.com
January 2019
53
124_HorseAndSlides2_0609 Home Front.qxd 11/30/18 4:20 PM Page 124
reminiscing
Life used to be slower, with a connection to the land
derived from necessity. Food came from the ocean, and warmth came from the woods, as did homes, boats and barns. Harvesting trees was winter’s work, usually done by men with the aid of horses and Newfoundland ponies. It’s a scene that, once upon a time, was commonplace across Newfoundland and Labrador, until ATVs and snow machines replaced true horse power.
In Tilting, on Fogo Island, people were still using horses in the late 1980s, when architect Robert Mellin moved to the town for research. These days, he’s an architect and an associate professor at McGill University in Montreal. We recently chatted about his memories of going into the woods with horses and ponies, and of differing ideas of comfort. 124
January 2019
Robert arrived in Tilting during a time of transition, when there was talk about town of putting an end to open grazing by requiring livestock be kept in fenced pastures. That change would be legislated a couple of years later, and it would be the end of horses and ponies as work animals in Tilting. In the winter of ’88, though, horses 1-888-588-6353
124_HorseAndSlides2_0609 Home Front.qxd 11/29/18 12:50 PM Page 125
All images reprinted with permission from Robet Mellin’s book, Winter in Tilting.
1-888-588-6353
January 2019
125
124_HorseAndSlides2_0609 Home Front.qxd 11/29/18 12:50 PM Page 126
Pat Mahoney with his horse Molly in Kinsella’s garden were still a large part of life, and Robert wanted to experience the Tilting way of gathering wood. “When I first started to do research on Tilting,” says Robert, on the phone from Montreal, “I thought it would be a good idea if I tried to participate in as many activities as I could.” He was always interested in exploring the countryside around the community and had an invitation to go out with Neil McGrath and his brother Andrew, who still had a horse at the time. Tilting, for those unfamiliar with Fogo Island, is in a relatively barren part of the island; although beautiful, it isn’t suitable for wood harvesting. They had to head south, down the slide paths. The slide, with its two 126
January 2019
runners, took skill and experience to use, since it wasn’t as agile or as steady as the bobsled, which had an additional pair of runners up front that could turn, making it much easier to navigate a heavy load. “There was always the potential for injury, especially when using the oldfashioned slides,” says Robert. “Most people were using the sleds, which are a two-piece contraption, when I was going in on the paths, but the older slides were one piece and you’d have a bit more precarious balancing problem for the centre of gravity of those, especially when you were turning, so you really had to know what you were doing.” Despite the dangers, Robert found it quite enjoyable. “It was a great 1-888-588-6353
124_HorseAndSlides2_0609 Home Front.qxd 11/29/18 12:50 PM Page 127
winter pastime,” he says. “You get to know the place names, especially. People had knowledge of every place along the slide paths. They knew the names; some of the stories they remembered of events that took place; they knew of the hazards, the weather, what to watch out for. I was always interested in that local knowledge of how people knew the forest, barrens, ponds.” To these men, the land was full of
1-888-588-6353
variation and distinct places, but to Robert, it all looked much the same. He admits he would have gotten lost had he been on his own. “I remember the experience of going in early in the morning, then having a little lunch in the woods, or boil up,” Robert says. “Any day that was a fine day you’d try to get out into the woods and, at least in relation to Tilting, people had to go a fair distance. It might take you an hour to
January 2019
127
124_HorseAndSlides2_0609 Home Front.qxd 11/29/18 12:50 PM Page 128
walk in or even an hour and a half. You could get a ride on your horse to go in, but walking out took quite a bit longer.” It was a lot of work, involving trail maintenance in addition to wood harvesting. Snow machine tracks tend to do a good job of packing down and smoothing out a trail, but when horses are the main trail users, a bit more maintenance is required to ensure the paths are passable. “There were a few places where it was a bit precarious,” says Robert, “where you had to go across a stream or a bridge, where you had to do what they call boughing the ponds. People would do that to help each other: they would put little trees on the path across a pond so you wouldn’t go astray.” Slide hauling was a necessary winter activity – no wood meant no heat – but for Robert, it was more about enjoying the outdoors and getting to know the landscape. “For me, it was just a lot of fun, something interesting to do in the winter. I liked being around the horses; I liked learning about the place names. I was just impressed, in general, by how active people were, that they would be willing to go out and to go so far to gather their wood, almost any chance they would get in the winter.” 128
January 2019
Robert’s first time ever getting firewood was in Tilting, so he was learning everything at once – how to handle the horse, how to safely cut down trees, how to navigate the path with a full load of wood on the sled, and how to navigate his way through the woods without getting lost. But if you were from Tilting, this is all knowledge gained from a young age. “Kids went out at an early age,” says Robert, “learning the paths, the place names, how to handle the horse, safety. It’s something you grew up with, same as fishing. You take responsibility at an early age.” There was a lot to learn, and some of it took practice to build skills. “There’s a fair amount of skill to it,” says Robert. “You had to know about the balancing of the load, about the places where there were hazards. But you could very quickly get into trouble and have everything beat up or destroyed… It wasn’t without its risks, put it that way.” There’s an old joke that mistakes are avoided by experience, and experience is gained by making mistakes. In the woods, a mistake could mean a load of wood tipped over on the path. It was an activity that required having one’s wits about them. “Sometimes you would have to stand on a runner to balance a load, you had to be aware of how much 1-888-588-6353
124_HorseAndSlides2_0609 Home Front.qxd 11/30/18 2:25 PM Page 129
Neil McGrath with his horse, Brandy, and dog Shadow material you had, what your horse was capable of, and what the conditions are. You certainly learned by experience,” says Robert.
Comfort, its own reward Far from Tilting, in McGill’s lecture halls, Robert says he tells his students that, for some people, comfort is defined differently. “Most of us, when we think of comfort, we think about central heating,” he explains. “We think about being able to do things easily without much challenge. And what I experienced in Tilting is a different idea of comfort – that in order to really appreciate comfort you also had to have some challenge, some discomfort, or it just didn’t seem like it was worth it.” The people of Tilting didn’t mind working hard, says Robert, and they 1-888-588-6353
didn’t mind the occasional bout of discomfort. It was just a part of a life spent out on the land or at sea. In a way, people are able to find comfort in what we would otherwise consider an uncomfortable situation. For instance, the comfort of letting the house get a little colder, says Robert, of not heating the whole house and wearing several layers of clothing indoors. “And I find somehow that’s a bit healthier, myself, to have a little bit of a challenge, a little bit of resistance, that not everything is so easy.” To read about slide hauling as told by Tilting residents, and to see more of the watercolour paintings by Robert Mellin shown here, pick up his book, Winter in Tilting, published by Pedlar Press. January 2019
129
132_DangerousRescue_0609 Home Front.qxd 11/29/18 1:17 PM Page 132
reminiscing
132
January 2019
1-888-588-6353
132_DangerousRescue_0609 Home Front.qxd 11/29/18 1:17 PM Page 133
A PERILOUS RESCUE AT SEA A routine sail from Halifax to St. John’s was interrupted by a frantic call from a ship in trouble. Photos and story by John Williamson • Halifax, NS
ON THURSDAY MORNING, MARCH 2, 1939, I awoke aboard RMS Newfoundland, sailing home to St. John’s, NL from Halifax, NS. Over six years I had made several of the 36-hour voyages to Halifax for orthodontic treatment. So at age 14, I was quite a seasoned traveller, unconcerned that a winter storm made this trip a rough, cold voyage with spray freezing where it hit the pitching, rolling ship. I looked forward to home, family and solid ground. But as I saw the dim gleam of the sun coming through my porthole, I thought, “Hey! Something’s wrong!” My cabin was on the port side, and since we should then be sailing north, I should not see the rising sun. We were going south! Why? I hurriedly dressed and learned that we were responding to an SOS from the SS Ranger, a 68-year-old wooden, three-masted sealing vessel. En route to the Gulf of St. Lawrence for the annual seal hunt, she had
begun taking on water from heavy seas that washed over her. As her pumps clogged, rising water flooded the engine room, stopped the engine and put the ship in grave danger of foundering in heavy seas. We steamed back around Cape Race, and off the Burin Peninsula we sighted the helpless Ranger. Until we got close, we could see her only
Left: SS Ranger in St. John’s harbour with a broken bowsprit. 1-888-588-6353
January 2019
133
132_DangerousRescue_0609 Home Front.qxd 11/29/18 1:17 PM Page 134
The deck of the SS Ranger taken from the bow of the SS Imogene
when both ships crested on the massive waves. The men aboard the Ranger had been without any heat for a day, and water was rising faster than their bucket brigade could overcome. The Ranger’s Captain Badcock, reluctant to abandon ship, was glad when Newfoundland’s Captain Murphy offered a tow to shelter. A line was fired by rocket to the Ranger, the sealers hauled in and made fast a heavy cable, and the tow began. But very soon, huge seas rising between the vessels forced them apart and the heavy cable snapped, dashing hopes of a tow. Capt. Murphy was determined to save the men aboard the Ranger and decided on a risky attempt. Manoeuvring close to the Ranger – so close that the Ranger’s bowsprit broke off 134
January 2019
on the Newfoundland’s side – he had a lifeboat lowered with a crew to row to the Ranger. That was an astounding feat of seamanship and boat handling. Suspended from the davits, the rescue crew waited until the roll of the ship and a rising wave lifted the smaller boat so they could let go and push off into the huge seas. Led by Chief Officer Roland Handley, and given some lee by the Newfoundland, they rowed close by the stern of the bucking Ranger. Eighteen men bravely jumped from the ship into the rescue boat. I watched as those men climbed a rope ladder up the side of the Newfoundland. Wet, frozen, hands bleeding, yet all smiles as they climbed. The boat crew made another valiant attempt, but wind and waves were 1-888-588-6353
132_DangerousRescue_0609 Home Front.qxd 11/29/18 1:17 PM Page 135
The author and his sister, Mary, aboard the SS Ranger in St. John’s Harbour
too strong and they could not again reach the Ranger. The lifeboat and crew returned safely aboard the Newfoundland. News then came that SS Imogene, Bowrings’ new, powerful, steel-hulled sealing ship, was coming to help. When she arrived, she successfully floated a heavier line downwind on a barrel to the Ranger. While the Newfoundland made some lee, a tow started and succeeded in getting the Ranger safely into the protected waters of Trepassey Bay. All well, the Newfoundland made for St. John’s. Meanwhile, when my parents awoke on Thursday morning, Dad reached for the bedside phone to ask Bowrings when the Newfoundland would be docking. As Dad asked, Mother eagerly awaited the answer. Imagine her horror when Dad, upon hearing of the Ranger’s plight, suddenly sat bolt upright exclaiming, “Sinking?” making her think that the Newfoundland and her John-boy were on the way to Davy Jones’ locker. 1-888-588-6353
As we docked late Saturday morning, a crowd waited on the pier, including reporters eager to speak to all on board. Interviewing Capt. Murphy, they hoped to elicit a tale of raging tempest, danger, hardship and heroism. But neither he nor First Officer Handley would admit to anything beyond, “All in the day’s work.” When they asked me, I told how awed I had been by the skill of the captain and crew, the courage and seamanship of the boat crew, and the forbearance of the men of the Ranger. I shall never forget what I saw, heard and felt. Meanwhile in Trepassey Bay, repairs were made to the Ranger, and she and Imogene steamed to St. John’s, arriving late Saturday night. On Sunday, Dad, my sister and I visited both ships at the Bowring Brothers South Side berth. Seeing the quiet, vacated Ranger, it was hard to imagine how she had been tossed about by the storm, and the freezing ordeal experienced by the 150 men on that crowded ship. January 2019
135