Downhome July 2025

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$4.99 July 2025

Vol 38 • No 02

Tips for Better BBQ

Catch and Release?

The Government Wharf The ‘Pencil Pusher’ Boat Builder

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

Warehouse Operations Warehouse / Inventory Manager Carol Howell Warehouse Operator Josephine Collins

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

Retail Operations Retail Manager, St. John’s Jackie Rice Retail Floor Manager, Water Steet Crystal Rose Retail Floor Manager, Avalon Mall Jonathon Organ Retail Floor Manager, Twillingate Donna Keefe Retail Sales Associates Kim Tucker, Destinee Rogers,

Advertising Sales Account Manager Ashley O’Keefe Marketing Director Tiffany Brett

Emily Snelgrove, Alexandria Skinner, Colleen Giovannini, Emma Luscombe, Rebecca Pevie, Morgan Powless, Adriana Hann, Keith Lamkin, Martina Rogers, Hayley Warren

Finance and Administration Accountant Marlena Grant Accountant Sandra Gosse Office Administrator Kim Tizzard

Subscriptions Customer Service Associate Jennifer Kane Founding Editor Ron Young

Operations Manager, Twillingate Nicole Mehaney Chief Executive Officer/Publisher Grant Young General Manager/Assistant Publisher Tina Bromley

To subscribe, renew or change address use the contact information above.

Subscriptions 1-Year term total inc. taxes, postage and handling: for residents in NL, NB, PE $49.44; NS $49.01; ON $48.58; QC, SK, MB, AB, BC, NU, NT, YT $45.14. US $54.99; International $59.99

Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement #40062919 The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable for damages arising out of errors in advertisements beyond the amount paid for the space actually occupied by the portion of the advertisement in which the error occurred, whether such error is due to the negligence of the servants or otherwise, and there shall be no liability beyond the amount of such advertisement. The Letters to the Editor section is open to all letter writers providing the letters are in good taste, not libelous, and can be verified as true, correct and written by the person signing the letter. Pen names and anonymous letters will not be published. The publisher reserves the right to edit, revise, classify, or reject any advertisement or letter. © Downhome Publishing Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada.

Printed in Canada

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musical legacy

Contents

JULY 2025

20 Healing Harmonies The Atlantic music community came together amid loss during ECMA week Dillon Collins

42 Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary’s Honouring Newfoundland’s favourite folksong Nicola Ryan

62 Past the Overpass

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Part II: Bonavista to Elliston Cassandra Filice

82 Downhome Recipes Eight tips to be a better BBQ’er

what’s grillin’ www.downhomelife.com

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Contents

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homefront 8 Between the Lines A note from the Editor

10 Letters From Our Readers Favourite things, a baby on Kenmount Road, and words your pet understands

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vive la France

14 Downhome Tours France 16 Then & There Recent news, notes, events, anniversaries and more from across NL and beyond.

18 Why is That? Why do we sweat when we get nervous? Linda Browne

22 Life’s Funny Nightmare Blindness Ane Christensen

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

24 Lil Charmers Fishin’ for Fun 26 Pets of the Month Summer Tails

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da boy got talent!

28 Book Nook Downhome dives into the latest and greatest in Newfoundland literature

30 Fresh Tracks Wendy Rose reviews An Introduction by Youngtree & Carole Bee 34 Adventures Outdoors C&R works ‘when done properly’ Gord Follett

38 In Your Words Our Avian Hitchhiker Judy Powell 4

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68 show time!

48 life in the spotlight

features 48 Openly Karl A new memoir from one of Newfoundland’s most beloved media figures Dillon Collins

explore 56 The “Pencil Pusher” Boat Builder Public servant turned boat builder Maxwell J. Bursey Kim Ploughman

68 Wheels on The Rock Car show season in NL Nathanael Chen www.downhomelife.com

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Contents

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pottery ideas

home and cabin 76 Stuff We Love Adventures in BBQ’ing Nicola Ryan

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days gone by

78 Ask Marie Anything Interior designer Marie Bishop takes your questions.

reminiscing 88 Flashbacks Classic photos of people and places.

89 This Month in History Princess Mary, Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment 90 This Month in Downhome History 94 Visions and Vignettes The Adventures of two young scallywags in an imaginary outport in days gone by.

Harold N. Walters 6

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dem emmets!

98 Teacher, Preacher, Healer, Matcher and Dispatcher Clay Pits’ best-known settler, George Vardy Lester Green

104 In Your Words Leaving Joseph Seaward

108 Honouring Heroes Harold J. Carberry commemorates the veterans of Burgoyne’s Cove

114 Puzzles 128 Classifieds About the cover For generations, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians lived off the sea's bounty.

Otto Kelland’s beloved anthem, “Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary’s,” highlights the ocean’s call to the people who call this island home. Our July cover features a stunning image of Cape St. Mary’s from photographer Árpád Benedek, which perfectly mirrors our feature honouring Newfoundland’s favourite folksong.

Cover Index 8 Tips for Better BBQ • 82 Karl Wells • 48 Healing Harmonies • 20 Take Me Back • 42 Catch and Release? • 34 The Government Wharf • 142 The ‘Pencil Pusher’ Boat Builder • 56 www.downhomelife.com

130 Mail Order

the back porch 134 The Labrador Current Embers Nathan Freake

136 What Odds Is Paul Warford the monster at the end of this book?

138 Ties to Home My Newfoundland License Plate Dianna Brown

142 The Government Wharf Gary Rideout

144 Photo Finish July 2025

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between the lines

We all experience grief differently.

There are no wrong answers, no one track road to successful navigation of hurt. Clamp down and shun the world? Valid. Bawl your eyes out with only sad songs, rom coms and buckets of ice cream for company? Valid. Seek the presence of friends, family and distractions of all sorts? Valid. Bury your head in the sand and dodge reality until the problem goes away? Not sure that’s necessarily healthy long-term, but your feelings are yours and yours alone, so once again. Valid. But grieving as a community? That’s something entirely different. Newfoundland’s music foundation was rocked this past spring with the passing of the beloved Mark Hiscock. A master of the button accordion and founding member of local trad outfit Shanneyganock, Mark was an ambassador of the island sound to which he dedicated his life. Beyond that, he was a wonderful human being, one your grandmother might call salt of the earth. So when such a loss rocks a tight knit community just days before the East Coast Music Awards descended upon the Avalon, what do we do? You strum. You sing. You dance. You take it all in and revel in the sounds that shape us, the sounds that Mark Hiscock so proudly championed from childhood. “Music & Friends” may be the signature cut for Bud Davidge’s Simani, but it also holds some universal truths. To that end, this month’s issue of Downhome is in part dedicated to the songs of the sea and the friends she brings together.

“When blue skies turn to grey and hide the sun. When tired hands, their daily work has done. Nothing seems to turn things ‘round again. And make the whole world right like music and friends.”

Dillon Collins Editor-in-chief

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Submission Guidelines and Prize Rules

You could WIN $100!

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

Submit Today!

Send your photo, story, joke or poem to

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

Hidden somewhere in this issue is Corky Sly Conner.

Can you find him?

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

Send your replies to: Corky Contest 43 James Lane St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3

mail@downhomelife.com www.downhomelife.com Deadline for replies is the 25th of each month.

Congratulations to Cindy Barlow of Kingston, NH, USA, who found Corky on page 41 of the May issue!

*No Phone Calls Please. One entry per person

www.downhomelife.com

July 2025

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Kenmount Road in St. John’s in the 1970s

Kenmount Road Baby

I was living in St. John’s, just moved there and bought my first car. One warm sunny day, my friend Sue and I went for a drive to try out my new car. It was a very busy day with vehicles speeding past me on both sides as if it were the highway. My heart sank as I looked ahead and saw a toddler wearing only a diaper in the middle of the speeding traffic that was swerving to avoid hitting the child. I put on my emergency blinkers and came to a sudden stop not far from the child. Several vehicles sped past me, narrowly missing running over the child. When I saw my chance, and it was only seconds to spare with more vehicles approaching, I opened my door, grabbed the child and threw him/her into my car. Then I quickly jumped back into the car. So thankful we both were inside the car, I proceeded down Kenmount Road, counting my lucky stars we weren’t hit by any of the vehicles. Finding a safe place to pull over, I looked at the tiny tot, not knowing what to do next.

I can’t recall if it was my idea or Sue’s, but we decided to go to the police station with the child. As I started to explain to the police officer about the child, he told us that he had just gotten off the phone with a frantic mother whose baby had gone missing in the Kenmount Road area. We were very happy to hand the baby over to the policeman, knowing the child would safely get home again.

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This occurred around 1975 or 1976, and over the years, I wondered about the child who would now be about 50 years old. If anyone knows this story, I would be interested in knowing where they are now and if they could contact the Downhome magazine just to make themselves known.

Patsy Day Corner Brook, NL

Wow, what a story, Patsy. If anyone has any information, please let us know at editorial@downhomelife.com or directly at downhomelife.com

A Few of My Favourite Things Readers may remember a song entitled “My Favourite Things” from the Broadway musical The Sound of Music. This song has been recorded in over 100 different versions, and it has inspired me to write about a number of things in my own experience, which make my life meaningful and uplifting, including the following: To wake up in the morning with a feeling of undeniable vigour and drive, even at my age of 72; to know that these assurances will be with me at almost every moment of the day, gener-

ating optimism and equanimity in all my activities; and the awareness that, now that I am retired, I can structure and utilize all my hours according to my own wishes.

To take an inspiring stroll in the sunlight while I feel the gentle touch of a summer day; to meet under these circumstances friends with whom the benign weather makes our conversations particularly gleeful and uninhibited; and to amble on home again with the buoyant, light-hearted feeling that hostile weather is probably still months away.

DINE BIG, BIG, SA SAVE AVVE BIG WITH CCAA! AA! CAA Members save 10% on dining at Jungle Jim’ Jim’s! s!* Find new summer savings for every journey! portal.caarewards.ca/atlantic

*Conditions apply. apply. Offer Offer available at participating locations.

www.downhomelife.com

July 2025

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To awaken on opening day of the major league baseball season to the sensations of refreshment and reorientation that come only with the start of a renewed chapter in one’s annual routines; to turn on my television set and gaze at a delectable array of 10-15 games that are to be shown on the MLB Extra Innings package on this special day; and to revel in the knowledge that all 162 regular season games of my beloved and vitally important Toronto Blue Jays are also to be telecast, representing a little bit of heaven for me.

To turn on a CD by my favourite rock group, Johnny and the Hurricanes, and to relish their wildly effusive energy and exuberance; to take particular delight in the inimitable vibrancy of “Red River Rock” and “Crossfire”; and to realize how the classically surging sounds of this band bring back fond memories of my youthful social adventures and enjoyments.

To recall my impressions of an outstandingly and charmingly statuesque brunette whom I met at a university dance in St. John’s in 1965; to remember how we swayed in fervent unison to the unrestrained rhythms of “What’d I Say”, by the Ducats, the most renowned Newfoundland band at that time; and to contemplate how this girl could have meant precious joy and fulfillment for the rest of my life if I had had the good sense to follow up on our initial encounter.

To set down my thoughts on paper with wide imagination and concerted creativeness; to propel my mind to the point where my writing is palpably and profoundly absorbing (at least to me); and to know that my literary endeavours also bring pleasure and ele12

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Asks Downhome routinely takes to social media to pose questions to our followers. Here are some of our favourite responses.

What words or sentences does your pet understand?

Our boys know way too many words and sentences!!! We have to spell out the words if we don’t want them to know something right away. Craig-Jenny Wiscombe

My two boys understand everything!

Janet Ivey

Treats.

That’s it. Not their names, nothing.

Just treats.

Melissa Lynn My two understood everything. We started to spell things until they figured that out, too.

They have crossed the rainbow bridge now, but I often watch videos of me spelling things and them getting excited.

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vation to readers who care sincerely about me and my work.

To proceed methodically and gratifyingly through a typically cerebral novel by John Updike; to appreciate his distinctively advanced and imperious prose; and to observe with admiration how he masterfully develops and delineates the various characters and events of his books.

To realistically expect that after even 20 more years have passed, I will be able to follow in my father’s footsteps and still be generally healthy and active; that I will feel capable of maintaining significant support and stimulation from a large circle of friends and acquaintances into my 70s and 80s; and that, like numerous aged baseball fans today, I know I will be able to continue to find deep delight and enthrallment in the greatest, the most intriguing, and the most exciting game in the world.

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I hope that readers can identify with most of these thoughts and expressions, and that we all will live to experience qualities resembling the essence of my highest enjoyments and gladness.

Lloyd Bonnell Corner Brook, NL

Thanks for sharing this, Lloyd! We hope more readers have as much enthusiasm and drive for life as you do!

July 2025

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homefront Downhome tours...

France

Beaumont-Hamel Arabella Lewis (Brown) and her husband took a motorcycle trip to Europe during the summer of 2022. “We took a photo with me holding the Downhome magazine at Beaumont-Hamel on July 16th,” she writes. “I am posing with our guide Jacob from St. John’s. All the guides are students from across Canada.”

The Student Guide Program, run by Veterans Affairs Canada, gives bilingual Canadian students a chance to work as guides at Canadian war memorials in France. It’s a unique way to learn more about Canada’s military history while sharing it with visitors at Beaumont-Hamel and Vimy Ridge.

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Canadian National Vimy Memorial Barry and Julie Glofcheskie of Elmira, ON travelled throughout the Netherlands and Belgium in 2023 and took a somber side trip to the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France. “There are so many memorials and cemeteries in this part of Europe,” writes Julie. “It was a moving experience to be in such a strategic area where so many lost their lives.”

In April 1917, while the Canadian Corps advanced over Vimy Ridge, the British Third Army launched an offensive east of Arras, just a few miles away. The Newfoundland Regiment, part of this force, was based near Monchy-le-Preux. On April 14, they joined the 1st Essex Regiment in attacking Infantry Hill, Bois du Vert, Machine Gun Woods and the surrounding German positions – part of a broader effort to advance the Allied line.

Beaumont-Hamel Last fall, Sandra (Penwell) Smith, originally of Gander, NL, visited Beaumont-Hamel and several other Canadian war monuments. “I brought along my July 2016 Downhome as it contained a very interesting article about Allan Hawco and Mark Critch’s journey through France, Belgium and Turkey to see the Trail of the Caribou. It was an honour and a privilege to visit these sites. Thanks for the motivation that your article provided.”

The Newfoundland Regiment earned the title “Royal” for its bravery during the First World War and was awarded 16 battle honours for its role in major offensives, including Gallipoli, Beaumont-Hamel, and Cambrai.

The Trail of the Caribou follows the Regiment’s path through the war, linking six key memorial sites and honouring the soldiers who fought and died in action.

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homefront

Then&There

Downhome catches readers up on major recent news, notes, events, anniversaries and acknowledgements across Newfoundland and Labrador and beyond.

Beloved Musician Mark Hiscock Passes Away Mark Hiscock, a treasured member of Newfoundland’s music community, has passed away at just 53 years old. Known as a master of the button accordion, who began his love affair with the instrument at age four, the Fort Amherst native was a proud advocate of traditional Newfoundland music. He, alongside his longtime friend and collaborator Chris Andrews, formed a formidable ensemble as the award-winning Shanneyganock after first coming together by chance in Erin’s Pub over three decades ago. “I think Mark should be remembered for his love of Newfoundland music, and the people and the place,” Andrews shared with NTV News. “47 years, Mark has been playing music on the television and the radio ... and it’s made quite an impact on Newfoundland and Labrador music. And I hope people will remember him for that and also for the nice man that he was.”

Adds longtime friend and Irish Descendants frontman Con O’Brien, “He just did it on pure talent. And he loved it. The man loved to play. He’ll be remembered as one of the most influential accordion players and singers.

He was proud of where he was from.”

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Rogers Sports & Media

NL’s Jacob Lewis Has Got Talent!

Butlerville’s Jacob Lewis is a million dollars and a moment of a lifetime richer.

The offshore oil and gas construction worker wowed the judges, Howie Mandel, Shania Twain, Katherine Ryan, Kardinal Offishall – and host Lindsay Ell and the voting public with a rendition of Tina Turner’s “The Best” to win this season’s Canada’s Got Talent Championship and $1 million from Rogers. "Thank you, Rogers! Thank you, Canada. My family, my friends. Everyone back home. Thank you, guys. Thank you!" Lewis shared following the victory. Congratulations to the talented husband and father, and Canada’s next singing sensation.

Political Shakeups

John Hogan being sworn in as NL’s 15th Premier with Lieutenant Governor Joan Marie Aylward www.downhomelife.com

It’s a new day politically in Newfoundland and Labrador. Provincially, John Hogan moved past fellow nominee John Abbott to earn the Liberal leadership bid with over 78% of the vote. He was sworn in as the province’s 15th Premier in early May. Federally, Canada voted in Mark Carney’s Liberals for a minority government, marking the fourth consecutive Liberal government and third consecutive Liberal minority.

They won the popular vote for the first time since 2015, with the highest vote share for any party in a federal election since 1984. The election saw the highest turnout since 1993. In Newfoundland and Labrador, five of the seven electoral seats were won by Liberal candidates.

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Expert answers to common life questions.

By Linda Browne

Why do we sweat when we get nervous?

There’s nothing like hitting the pool or pond to help you beat the heat during the dog days of summer. But what do you do when the weather isn’t to blame for your excessive sweating?

If you’ve ever started sweating profusely when you’ve had to give a presentation, go to a job interview, or face another stress-fueled event, you likely understand how embarrassing it can be.

This month, we’re putting nervous sweating under the microscope, and we thought who better to help us understand this problem than the International Hyperhidrosis Society (www.SweatHelp.org), the only global non-profit dedicated to the medical condition of excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) and other sweating issues.

To better understand why nervous sweating happens, we must first get acquainted with the two types of sweat glands that humans have, says Angela Ballard, RN, educator and advocate with the International Hyperhidrosis Society. These are the eccrine glands, located on the soles of the feet, the palms, the forehead, the cheeks, and 18

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the armpits, and the apocrine glands, found in the underarm area, the genital area, and on the feet.

The former, Ballard explains, produces the watery sweat that helps us stay cool during hot weather and exercise. “This type of sweat begins after a slight warm-up period and tends to be odourless because it is composed mostly of water,” she notes in an email to Downhome.

In contrast, the latter produces a thick, viscous, usually invisible fluid.

“When this fluid comes in contact with bacteria on the skin’s surface, it produces a characteristic potent smell. Apocrine glands respond immediately to stress – no warm-up period required – to produce sweat that is full of proteins and lipids,” Ballard says.

Nervous sweating, Ballard explains, is part of our fight-or-flight response, when our body kicks into high gear to defend itself against a potential threat.

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During this time, our sympathetic nervous system gets activated, which triggers things like increased heart rate and breathing and the release of hormones like adrenaline, which activate sweat glands.

One interesting theory, Ballard notes, is that we evolved to sweat when we’re stressed not only as a way to help us keep cool when when running or fighting as a response to a potential danger, “but also to communicate danger with one another on a subconscious level, presumably in order to help the group to respond (fight, flee, etc.) in a manner that would result in the most individuals surviving whatever threat was causing the stress/fear.”

She adds, “Research has shown that smelling someone else’s fear-related sweat activates parts of the brain that involve emotional and social signals. So, the theory is that this type of sweating was an evolutionary advantage that made others’ brains more alert and primed for whatever was making a member of the group anxious.”

Another theory, Ballard says, suggests that since running from, or fighting, a threat expends energy, which

causes your body temperature to rise, “your body signals your sweat glands to produce sweat and keep you cool so that you can fight/run etc. more effectively without overheating.”

Are you trying to deal with the issue of nervous sweat (and the odour that accompanies it) and feeling discouraged? Don’t sweat it!

There are lots of simple things you can try, Ballard says, like washing regularly with antibacterial soap, using antiperspirant with a deodorant at least once a day (preferably before bedtime), and keeping odiferous parts of your body dry and free of hair.

And then, Ballard says, there are other options, which focus on getting a handle on the stress that causes the sweating in the first place by incorporating calming techniques like meditation and breathing exercises.

“Trying to lower your stress can be a huge help,” she says. “Consider calming apps for your smartphone, limiting phone use and social media use and current events consumption, enjoying stress-relieving exercise (especially outdoors), keeping a journal and prioritizing quality sleep.”

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

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

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homefront

DC Mills photography

The Atlantic music community came together amidst a tragic loss during ECMA Week in St. John’s. by dillon collins

Newfoundland and labrador’s music scene was sent reeling when, just days before the East Coast Music Awards were set to kick off in St. John’s, beloved island music fixture and longtime Shanneyganock member Mark Hiscock passed away suddenly at just 53 years of age.

“This week, as we come together in St. John’s for the 37th annual East Coast Music Awards, we’ll carry Mark’s memory with us,” the East Coast Music Association shared in a statement just hours before the band and longtime friend Bud Davidge would take to the stage to honour Hiscock with a stirring rendition of Simani’s “Music & Friends.” “Though he may be gone, his voice will carry on through the music he created – echoing in every melody, and remembered in every heart it touched.”

Hearts were heavy through the emotional opening to the ECMA’s Awards Gala at the Mary Brown’s Centre, with show host Tom Power calling Hiscock an “incredible ambassador for our music around the world,” “this province’s most iconic accordion player,” and “a driving force in sharing and preserving the music of Newfoundland and Labrador. He was a kind and wonderful man and a great friend to so many people in this community.”

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KELLIE LODER

In Mark’s honour, the festivities continued, celebrating the music and culture to which he proudly dedicated his life and career.

Further performances on the evening included Juno winning hiphop star Classified, powerhouse vocalist Measha Brueggergosman-Lee, the slick rock of Mick Davis & Thin Love, rising country star Brett Matthews and a tribute to the timeless anthem “Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary’s” (more on that tune on page 42) by The Irish Descendants for its Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame induction.

On the awards front, with honours handed out at the gala and throughout the weekend, Newfoundland and Labrador performed exceptionally.

Children’s Artist of the Year went to Heather Feather, with Dance Release

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of the Year presented to Summer Bennett, and Global Music Release of the Year to Ana Luísa. Deantha Edmunds took home the award for Indigenous Artist of the Year, Instrumental Release of the Year went to Mark Fewer, Loud Release of the Year was awarded to The Order of the Precious Blood, while Quote The Raven won the award for Roots Release of the Year. It was a big week for Kellie Loder, winner of both the TD Fans’ Choice Entertainer of the Year and TD Fans’ Choice Video of the Year, cementing their status as a talent on the rise.

Traditional Release of the Year was won by Downhome favourites Rum Ragged, while Hurricane Music Artist Management, Jud Haynes, and Zach Snow all won industry awards. Honourary awards were handed out to The Ennis Sisters, Wade Pinhorn and the late Chris Ryan, with the Newfoundland and Labrador winner of the Stompin’ Tom Award being Korona Brophy.

Through captivating performances across multiple venues in the St. John’s area, toasting the award-winning breakthrough artists, trendsetters and game changers, the east coast music community rose to the occasion with healing harmonies when needed most.

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homefront life’s funny

Nightmare Blindness Years ago, my youngest sister, Sally, who was then about three years old, woke screaming from a bad dream. When my dad rushed to comfort her, he asked what she had been dreaming about. “How should I know?” she replied, “I had my eyes closed!”

Ane Christensen via downhomelife.com

Do you have any funny or embarrassing true stories?

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

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“Nan, scro to ‘setting ll s’…”

– Janice Walsh

Say WHAT? Downhome recently posted this photo (submitted by Tara Fewer) on our website and social media platforms and asked folks to imagine what baby Nora might be saying. Janice Walsh’s response made us chuckle the most, so we’re awarding her 20 Downhome Dollars!

Here are the runners-up: He put tariffs on what?? - Leo Gosse What??!! Nanny backed into the ditch? - Christine Fluney Don’t tell me you can’t find Corky again? - Patsy Chaffey Humby

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

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homefront lil charmers

Jigs & Reels Little Jack’s hooked on jigging!

Stephanie Rose Burgeo, NL

Fishin’ for Fun B’y on the Bay Benjamin shows off the catch of the day.

Chantelle Fitzpatrick Conception Bay South, NL

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Outboard Adventure Sweet Lucy enjoys her baycation.

Bernie Pickett Wareham, NL

Sweet and Salty A meet-cute at the Fish Fun and Folk Festival!

Heather Reid Twillingate, NL

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homefront pets of the month

Canine Couture Lil’ Lotti is sun-ready and stylish.

Jacqueline Hicks Bonavista, NL

Summer Tails Dog Day Done German Schnauzer Annie is dog-tired from a great day of hiking and swimming.

Randy Vallis Prince Edward Island

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Chasin’ the Wind Adventurous Ace is king of the open road.

Samantha Burton via downhomelife.com

Summertime Snoot

This pretty kitty sniffs the sweet summer breeze.

Gordon Anastasiadi St. John’s, NL

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homefront book nook

Downhome dives into the latest and greatest in Newfoundland literature, running down must-reads and offering recommendations for your next book binge!

The Lucky Seven Gary Collins Flanker Press $22

In July 2024, the Elite Navigator fishing boat and its crew seemed to vanish one night after fishing for turbot for several days at sea. The craft was reported missing after transmitting its final signal at around 8:30 p.m. the night before, according to the Canadian Coast Guard. The vessel had caught fire, forcing the crew to abandon the ship and wait for rescue on the life raft.

In New-Wes-Valley, which is an amalgamation of three small fishing communities along Newfoundland’s northeast coast, friends and family braced for the worst. But on July 19, Friday night, out on the ocean, searchers saw a light from a flare. It brought them to a life raft, where the seven fishermen, now known as the Lucky Seven, were waiting.

This is the true story of a dramatic rescue at sea that took place after all hope had been lost. Award-winning author Gary Collins recounts the heroic efforts of the men and women on land, at sea, and in the air, which led to a miracle, one which grabbed national headlines in the summer of 2024.

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Downhome Recommends The Lucky and the Lost: Lives of Titanic’s Children John Boileau with Patricia Boileau Theriault

A compelling, illustrated narrative history of the children who sailed aboard the doomed RMS Titanic – both those who survived and those who perished – from the celebrated author of Halifax and Titanic. Historian John Boileau tells the stories of the children who fortunately escaped in lifeboats and those who tragically did not. It also examines the heartbreaking circumstances of the victims’ deaths as well as the fascinating stories of survivors’ lives.

White Picket Monsters: A Story of Strength and Survival Bev Moore Davis

Bev Moore Davis grew up in an ordinary home in the quiet community of Georgetown, NL. Her parents, while being praised for their humanitarianism, lived a life that was far from ordinary in the house behind the white picket fence. A house brimming with shocking family secrets of manipulation, sexual exploitation, and extreme violence. White Picket Monsters details an extraordinary account of determination, strength, and resilience.

The Lone Witness: Searching for Harold Francis Hector M. Earle

Based on a true story, The Lone Witness is about the search for Harold Francis who left his house on an October day in 1964 to snare rabbits and never returned. Intensive searching by local groups, as well as RCAF Search and Rescue from Gander, resulted in no signs of Harold. He seemed to have mysteriously disappeared off the face of the earth – a mystery that has haunted a family for over fifty years.

Visit shopdownhome.com for these and other great titles. www.downhomelife.com

July 2025

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fresh tracks

new music talk with Wendy Rose

An Introduction Youngtree & Carole Bee

IF YOU LOVE breathtaking harmonies, Peter Youngtree and Carole Bee’s recently released record will leave you speechless. An Introduction, a sevensong EP, is a sublime first offering, and I’m already excited for an LP. The EP opens with “Something Divine”, with soft acoustic guitar leading us into a fun little ditty. Listeners will immediately be captivated by the powerful harmonies of this darling duo.

Peter’s low rasp and Carole’s warm falsetto voice seem complete opposites when described in print, but the striking juxtaposition makes this combo so perfect.

“Can you smell the cedar burn, my love, in our iron stove? We have waited long now, it’s our turn, to rest in peace and love. Honey, we chose something divine,” they sing together, repeating the last lines as it fades out.

Before the song ends, Peter muses, “That was the best take yet,” before the pair erupt into cheers and laughter. It’s pure, unadulterated joy, and I’m glad they opted to leave this little snippet on the record for fans to discover.

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album’s second track, a Swedish song titled “Eklunda Polska No. 3:” “I’ve had a love for Scandinavian folk music since I was a teenager. A friend of mine in high school gave me a CD of the folk-rock fusion group Hoven Droven, and it blew my mind.

Since then, I’ve been extremely intrigued and curious about folk music from the Nordic countries and have spent a lot of time learning tunes from those regions and incorporating those folk styles into my playing,” Carole explained. “When Peter and I started playing duo gigs together, I really wanted to bring some Swedish tunes into our repertoire. I was thrilled when he was as excited about the idea as I was!”

Carole’s always-impressive fiddle skills shine on this instrumental piece, accompanied by robust acoustic guitar.

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The fiddle takes the lead on “The Phantom.” The first 90 seconds of this song put me in the mind of an old Western movie – this could serve as the perfect backing track to a famous outlaw riding into town, looking to raise a little hell.

The vibe shifts around the 1 minute 30 second mark, slowing down and building tension before Peter joins on guitar. With my imagination in moviemaking mode, I’m picturing the buildup before a guns-blazing showdown outside a saloon.

“Highway Desperado” continues to play into my outlaw-themed daydreams – “And there’s no one who will have me, there’s nowhere I belong, I’m a highway desperado, and my time has come and gone,” Peter sings.

Carole joins in with background vocals as Peter beautifully illustrates the lonesome life of the romanticized rambling man.

At nearly 4.5 minutes, “Sunrise Orwww.downhomelife.com

ange/Moonless Dream” is the album’s longest track, and it packs a serious punch, with both musicians showcasing their impressive skill set. If you can listen to this fun, energetic song without tapping your toes or bopping your head, you should consider checking your pulse.

“Nocturne” provides a very different atmosphere. Haunting and solemn, the gunslinger of my western-themed daydreams is riding off into the sunset to this instrumental composition.

The EP concludes with “4 + 20.” The first listen made me think of early Neil Young – the commanding voice, the storytelling, the effortless delivery… On the second, I couldn’t help but think of Rube & Rake, a local folk duo known for their incredible harmonies.

Upon listening for a third time, I could only think about how these two duos should not only tour together, but be tasked with penning the soundtrack to a western movie. Filmmakers of Newfoundland and Labrador… Can someone make my dream come true? For now, I’ll settle for the dulcet daydreams created by this album.

Just like its opener, this record is “Something Divine.” Take a listen, or better yet, catch these two live in concert. Peter and Carole’s harmonies will put you in heaven, and their musicianship will have you writing movies in your mind.

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Q&A with the Artists Wendy Rose: While both of you are familiar faces on the local folk music scene, let’s start with some backstory on how this collaboration was born!

When and how did you two start working together?

Peter Youngtree: I released my first album as a solo artist in 2015, and I needed someone to play violin at the album release concert. I started asking around, and a friend recommended Carole to me, so I sent her an email with a link to the album, and she thankfully agreed to play with me.

Carole Bee: I listened to Peter’s music when he reached out, loved it, and was fully on board for the album release concert. From that point on, a rich musical collaboration has grown.

WR: What was the general reaction when people discovered you were working together?

PY: Youngtree & The Blooms has al-

ways had a steadily growing following since we started that project. When we branched out as a duo, audiences seemed to dig our energy and chem32

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istry onstage. I think that’s because we only play music that we truly love to play, and we love playing it together.

CB: I don’t think anyone was surprised when we started doing gigs as a duo.

The duo started as an offshoot of the Youngtree & The Blooms band in those pandemic days when there were a lot of limitations on how many musicians could stand on a stage at any given time. Youngtree & Carole Bee has organically evolved in its own way at this point, and I agree with Peter that people really seem to enjoy the acoustic energy that the duo provides as much as the more alt-rock electric sounds of the 5-piece band.

WR: This album features mainly original music. Can you walk us through your writing process?

CB: I wrote a lot of the instrumentals

on this album during the pandemic when I had a lot of time to develop ideas creatively. I was spending a lot of time improvising and coming up with ideas, letting them percolate, and turning them into tunes.

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me. I sit in a dark room for hours and hours, and maybe something comes out, or maybe it doesn’t. And maybe it’s good, and maybe it’s not. But it’s important to keep sitting in the room and letting things happen. Otherwise, things never happen. And sometimes I’m walking on a path or driving in my car, and a song will just appear. And sometimes a year goes by and I don’t write anything!

citement, for Steve Poltz especially.

He is revered internationally in the folk world, and his energy is just not like anyone else you’ve ever seen. We had to play right after him three times in a row. We all had a big hug at the end of it, and it felt like something special had happened when it was over.

WR: What kind of feedback have you been hearing since the record’s release?

CB: I got a lot of great feedback after

our EP release show – people loved and appreciated the energy and dynamism of our show. We did the EP release show using the same microphone we recorded with, a very special ribbon mic made in the 1940s.

Folks have mentioned how much they enjoy the warmth of sound that they get from the CD, which I think is because of how we chose to record it. We recorded most of the album using that single vintage microphone that went straight to a Studer tape machine.

WR: You launched the album just in time for the 2025 annual Folk Alliance International Conference in Montreal, where you also performed! We’d love to hear about your experience at FAI! PY: MusicNL definitely punched above

its weight at that conference this year.

We saw some great acts, both famous and obscure, from a whole slew of countries. A highlight for me was an in-the-round we did with Steve Poltz and Madeline Hawthorne – the room was full and alive and buzzing with exwww.downhomelife.com

WR: What are your plans for 2025, as this duo, and with your other various projects?

PY: We’re heading to Ontario in Sep-

tember for a couple of shows. We’re also hoping to perform at some more conferences with international programmers this year, so we can travel to new places and play for new audiences.

CB: We’re excited for An Introduction to be out in the world and to share it with new audiences, but there’s also a set of new songs that we’re excited to develop and record in 2025. Stay tuned for even more new music from Youngtree & Carole Bee! July 2025

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homefront

adventures outdoors

Derek Brace releases a beauty salmon at Big River in Labrador

C&R Works ‘When Done Properly’

By Gord Follett

I’ve read close to 100 articles on catch and release (C&R) salmon fishing over the years, and have written several of my own, most of them during my three-plus decades as editor of the Newfoundland Sportsman.

It’s a never-ending debate. While studies around the globe consistently prove the merits of catch and release as a successful conservation tool, many anglers in Newfoundland and Labrador not only refuse to accept it, but say it should be banned.

Rather than rehash these same old arguments, I’ll focus on one particular aspect that’s repeatedly overlooked.

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Whether you’re for, against or neutral, you’ve no doubt heard the term “when done properly” countless times.

The phrase has been used so often that it sounds like a cliche, which is probably why we don’t stop thinking about it. Some even say they’re “sick of hearing it.”

The reason for this repetition, however, is that C&R works when done properly. Simple.

Do salmon swim away and make it to their spawning grounds every time they are properly released? Nope.

Even though I practise and support C&R, I don’t pretend or preach that it is 100 percent successful. My guesstimate would be somewhere in the 9095 percent range because there are so many factors that could come into play, such as how deeply or solidly the fish took the fly, or how long it fought and under what conditions.

Here’s what I call a “freak” example of not being able to release a fish, despite a determined effort to do so: I was fishing Green Point – I believe it’s called – on Gander River from a boat about 20 years ago and hooked into a chunky and spunky grilse. I had already tagged a fish and had every intention of releasing this one until it leaped higher than any fish I’d ever seen before or since, just about eyelevel to my six-foot guide as he stood in the boat.

On that jump, she came crashing down on a huge boulder with a loud ‘plop.’

I slowly reeled the lifeless fish in, hoping it had just knocked itself out, but after several minutes of trying to revive it, my guide suggested I put a tag on it because “that’s not going anywhere.”

I’ve also had a few ‘bleeders’ over the www.downhomelife.com

years and probably should have used needle-nose pliers or cut the leader in those cases instead of trying to get the solidly-rooted fly out of its mouth with my fingers.

In the vast majority of cases, however, a safe release is possible. And there’s no rocket science degree needed to perfect the practice.

A knotless rubber dipnet is much safer than nylon netting for releasing salmon First off, as per the regulations, only single, barbless hooks can be used, which are easier to remove from salmon and tiny parr, our future salmon, which we sometimes unintentionally hook by the dozens some days.

While the angler doesn’t always have the final say, he/she should make every effort to get the salmon in as quickly as possible, as opposed to setting a loose reel drag just to see how many ‘jumps’ they can get out of the fish.

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Knotless rubber mesh nets are pre- is ready to swim away, bring it up for ferred over old-fashioned nylon dip- a quick shot, then back in the water for nets or tailing the fish, but if that’s not a flick of the tail and a dart to safety.

Anglers who are against taking the an option, make sure your hands are fish out of water at all may criticize me wet for gentle handling.

I should point out that, much to the for that advice, but from my own exdisapproval of some, I used a cotton periences as well as those of numerous glove for many years because the fish others over the past 35-40 years, we’ve always slipped out of my hands with- learned that salmon are not as fragile out one while trying to tail and revive as some people believe.

I fished with a fisheries biologist it. These days, I have thin gloves with soft rubber palms, and they generally from Scotland in 2019, and one evening on the patio at Gander River do the trick.

Once the fly is removed and you’re Outfitters, we were chatting about the about to revive the fish, make sure it’s salmon’s durability.

When I informed him that some anfacing the current, gently supporting the tail and underside. Avoid pushing glers frown upon any touching of the the fish back and forth; let the current fish or taking it out of the water for a few seconds, his comment was, “Gord, flow naturally through the gills.

Never grab a fish by the gills unless they’re not made out of paper.” you’re keeping it. Never.

If you want a picture, have your buddy/photographer ready while you are keeping the salmon underwater, then raise it slightly for a few seconds, just long enough to snap a quick photo or two.

Better still – and this is something I’ve been doing successfully in reTony O’Brien photo cent years – take time to revive the fish first, and Gord Follett and friend/guide Ron O’Brien when it appears to have pose for a quick photo before setting this large fish free in Pinware River regained its strength and

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

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homefront from our readers

Our Avian Hitchhiker

By Judy Powell

Recently married,

Ray and I spent the fall and winter of 1975-76 living in Main Brook, Newfoundland. We knew it was probably the only chance I would have to meet his folks, as they were elderly and had never left the island. I was looking forward to meeting them and getting a glimpse into the life that had shaped Ray. Although I had never visited the island, I also had roots there, as my maternal grandfather had been born and raised in Tilt Cove and his father and grandfather in Burgeo. So, it was wonderful to have the opportunity to spend some time in this place of which I had heard so much.

One sunny winter’s day, Ray and I decided to go “across the country” – local vernacular for driving across the northern peninsula from one coast to the other, about 40 miles. We had a few errands to run there, picking up a few things unavailable in Main Brook. About four inches of fresh snow lay on the ground from a blustery storm the night before. Now it was calm and clear, the snow was pristine, no other vehicles having yet left their mark. However, we began to notice an odd little track parallel to us on the right shoulder. It seemed to be two small prints accompanied by two more, about four inches out to the side. Both tracks were not precise but dragged somewhat through the snow before disappearing and then repeating. Ray and I were intrigued.

What could have made such tracks?

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It was not long before the ensuing guessing game came to an end.

Rounding a corner at least a mile or maybe two from where we first noticed the tracks, we came upon a little creature still bravely beating its lonely path. It looked like a miniature penguin, definitely a bird of some sort.

Stopping ahead of the little bird, Ray was able to gently scoop it up. He identified it then as a dovekie, locally known as a bullbird. It was quite calm in Ray’s hands, no doubt glad for the rest. It is a seabird, seldom seen inland. It must have been blown off course and onto the land during the previous evening’s storm. It cannot take off from land, only from the water. Yet this brave soul was exhausting himself by trying. The strange track had been made by his little wings trying to achieve lift.

The least we could do would be to give the little fella a ride to the coast.

There should be some open water where a river enters the ocean, a few miles north of our junction. The dovekie settled in quite happily on the truck’s transom underneath the heater and contentedly groomed himself during the journey. When he was satisfied that all signs of his recent exertions had been removed, he rested, confident, it seemed, that we were going to help him out. After all, he had

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done his best – now it was our turn.

Arriving at the river, we were relieved to find there was indeed some open water. Gently removing our new friend from the truck, Ray set him carefully in the water. We said goodbye and good luck and stood back to see if he really was going to be okay.

Well, we were not disappointed.

What a show he put on for us! First he dived and washed and splashed, seeming to somersault with joy. Then, the moment we had been waiting for – he took off into the air – no problem at all! We clapped at his accomplishment. In return, he gave us encore after encore – diving into the water, taking off again, doing a few loop-the-loops, dive-bombing us and generally giving us the performance of a lifetime. Ray and I laughed and laughed.

Eventually, the dovekie dipped its wings one last time and headed out to sea. We waved and watched until we could no longer see him.

Every time I am feeling a little defeated by the tribulations of this life, I remember the spirit of that little hitchhiker. He had faith that everything was going to be okay. He did everything he could to help himself, but he also knew when to accept help, and wow – did he know how to celebrate and give thanks!

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

This is your chance to get in on our most popular reader contest and try to woo the judges into choosing your photo for the 2026 Downhome Calendar. These calendars are seen by tens of thousands of subscribers and displayed all year long.

What are you waiting for?

Submit today, using one of these ways:

by mail: Downhome Calendar Contest 43 James Lane St. John’s, NL A1E 3H3 online: www.downhomelife.com/calendar Must be original photos or high quality copies. Digital photos must be at least 300 dpi, file sizes of about 1MB. We can’t accept photocopies or photos that are blurry, too dark or washed out. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you want your photos returned.

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features

Honouring Newfoundland’s Favourite Folksong

By Nicola Ryan

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On May 8, 2025, at the 37th East Coast Music Awards Gala, one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s most beloved ballads, “Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary’s”, was officially inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. The Irish Descendants performed the evocatively beautiful song during the ceremony, honouring the man behind the lyrics, Otto Kelland.

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Otto Kelland in his workshop “Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary’s” is a masterwork of Canadian songwriting,” said Nick Fedor, Executive Director of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame. “Otto Kelland’s deeply poetic lyrics and haunting melody have become part of our national musical fabric, passed down through generations and resonating far beyond the Atlantic coast.”

The song vividly captures the identity, pride, and resilience of Newfoundland’s outport communities, and a way of life that has shaped generations.

Born in 1904 in Lamaline on the Burin peninsula, Otto was the youngest of five children. His father had served with the Terra Nova Constabulary before settling down on the south coast, where he bought a trap skiff and took young Otto out on the water. “Dad absolutely loved it,” recalls Otto’s daughter Jocelyn Kelland.

“He worshipped his dad, so wherever his father went, that’s where he went.

And I think that’s how he got the love of the sea.”

Otto was a lover of language, too.

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His mother, Hilda, an avid reader, regularly ordered books and magazines from England for the whole family. “Dad was a great reader from a very young age. We’re all like that,” Jocelyn says. “Even two generations down from dad, the whole family loves to read.”

After his father passed away when he was a teenager, Otto joined the crew of a cargo ship that sailed between St. John’s, Montreal, and Boston. He worked there for several years, until a longshoreman strike cut his sailing days short. “The captain let everyone go,” Jocelyn explains. “So, Dad walked up the hill and joined the Constabulary, just like his father.”

He was stationed in Corner Brook and Bay Roberts before accepting a position as Chief Warden at the penitentiary in St. John’s – a job that would offer him something rare: time.

Often after supper, while Hilda washed the dishes, Otto would sit at the dining room table and write.

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Otto in his younger days

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with a laugh, adding that the couple raised ten children together. “If Mom didn’t do absolutely everything, how would he have had time to write?”

The story behind “Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary’s” began with a brief, unforgettable encounter with a desperately homesick Newfoundland fisherman on a wharf in Boston. Like so many others, the man had moved away seeking opportunity, but his heart remained at home.

“So when dad’s ship came into port, the young man asked could he pay his passage or work on the ship, but the captain said no, he had a full crew and it was against company rules. He said, ‘Sure, why do you want to leave? This is a great place, and there’s lots of opportunity.’ And the young man said, ‘I’d rather be home on my western boat, living on one meal a day, than eating ten meals a day in Boston.’ He just wanted to come home, like every other Newfoundlander.”

The moment stayed with Otto. They were about the same age – barely twenty – and the young man’s longing left a deep impression. Years later, in 1947, while working at the penitentiary, Otto transformed that memory into a poem. He captured not only the homesickness of that one fisherman

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but something more universal: a deep yearning for home, the call of the sea, and the beauty and danger of life on the water. The lyrics are full of language any Newfoundlander would recognize: caplin, dories, combers, and seabirds. Terms like “Cape Ann” and “hag-downs” place listeners right in the boat with him, facing the fog and cliffs on the edge of the Atlantic.

The song first spread locally through oral tradition. In 1951, folk music researcher Kenneth Peacock heard it while conducting fieldwork in Newfoundland. He passed his findings to Gerald S. Doyle, who published them in the 1955 edition of Old Time Songs and Poetry of Newfoundland. From there, the song travelled further, appearing in two influential collections: Alan Mills’ 1958 Favourite Songs of Newfoundland and the 1964 songbook The Folksinger’s Passport to Canada, which helped introduce the song to audiences beyond the province. The first known recording of the song was made on the 1962 LP Songs of the Anchor Watch, a collection of Otto’s compositions sung by Leonard Meehan.

Over the years, “Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary’s” has been recorded by a wide range of musicians. Dick Nolan released a country version in 1963.

Actor Gordon Pinsent recorded it in 1968, followed by folk icon Harry Hibbs in 1971. The Irish Canadian folk band Ryan’s Fancy performed it on their 1977 television show, and Denis Ryan recorded a heart-wrenching solo version marked by traditional Irish ornamentation. Canadian songwriting legend Stan Rogers recorded the ballad in 1983, while more recently, Juno-nominated folk group Rum Ragged recorded the song with a 46

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Kelland in his Newfoundland Constabulary uniform

It was during Kelland’s years working at the penitentiary that he penned the poem which would become the classic song 1-888-588-6353

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beautiful video directed and filmed by Cecil Johnson of Tuckamore Productions, ensuring its continued relevance for a new generation. Now, “Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary’s” joins other cherished works like the “Ode to Newfoundland” in the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, securing its place in the canon of iconic Canadian music.

Otto passed away in 2004. So for his family, this recognition is a deeply personal musical honour.

“I was shocked. I was gobsmacked!”

Jocelyn says. “Bruce, the manager of the Irish Descendants, called and told me there was a surprise, and I just couldn’t believe it. When I heard from Nick Fedor at the Hall of Fame, I couldn’t stop crying. We’re all so proud – his children, his grandchildren, his great-grandchildren. Even two generations down the road, they’re amazed that they had this wonderful grandfather. We’re really, really proud.”

“Let Me Fish Off Cape St. Mary’s” first appeared in print in the 1955 Gerald S. Doyle songbook

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features

Openly

Karl The life and times of one of Newfoundland’s most beloved media figures

By Dillon Collins

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For some, he was a

bringer of sunny skies and storm clouds. To others, a familiar friend, a jokester uncle, or a fun-loving co-worker with an infectious appetite for life.

For three decades, Karl Wells helped raise a generation of television viewers in Newfoundland and Labrador through the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as a fixture of its flagship suppertime news program, Here and Now, where his live remote interviews and weather hits always provided professional quality under an entertaining lens.

Now, a celebrated author, anchor, actor, interviewer and critic, Karl unpacks a lifetime of highs and lows in his candid memoir, Openly Karl.

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The early years: Above: On the air at VOWR radio in 1971. Above right: Karl appearing in The Devil's Disciple - Shaw Festival company 1974. RIght: Delivering the weather forecast on CBC TV 1978

From his birth in the mining town of Buchans to growing up a grocer’s son in St. John’s, to wrestling with his sexuality at a young age – proudly embracing his homosexuality later in life – to navigating the barbs of a less tolerant time for the LGBTQ+ population to become one of this province’s most celebrated personalities, Openly Karl is at times a heartbreaking, heartfelt, and hilarious open book to a classic character in every sense.

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something that just happens, isn’t it?”

Karl begins in a candid sit-down with Downhome.

“People had suggested to me, people who are writers themselves, that I should write a memoir, and it was kind of in the back of my mind, and then I realized that I had all of this material because I’m a pack rat. I’ve always saved things all through my life, just little mementos, remembrances, something that somebody knit for me or something in a newspaper that struck my fancy. And so I kept all this stuff and photographs. God, I 1-888-588-6353

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had all kinds of photographs and photographs are great for jogging your memory. And so, I thought, maybe I’ll try.”

Karl first set his mind to documenting a chronicle of his family history before scrapping the idea in favour of a more illuminating look behind the curtain of its author.

“I just thought if somebody’s picking up a book and its my memoir, they don’t want to read all this stuff, they want to read about me, and they want

ways disappointed when I know that the person writing the biography is more interested in maintaining an image than in telling the nitty gritty of what actually happened or what their life was really like. I don’t like stories like that. It’s wasting my time. I want to read something that really gives me a clear, honest, straightforward picture of what that person’s life was like, and that’s what I wanted to write was a clear, straightforward, honest picture of my life. Let the chips fall where they may.

“I’m going to be 72 years old on my birthday, and at this stage in my life, why should I hold back anything? I’m just laying it out there, you can take it for what you want. That’s my story. It’s honest. It’s what happened,” Karl admits, explaining that, for the younger LGBTQ+ community, some details of the struggles he faced Anchoring the CBC Newscast (1987) might cause shock and disbelief. “They may say, ‘My God, was it really like to read about my beginning. So I that? I can’t believe that.’ Well, it did. threw all that out, and I just basically That’s the way it was.”

Now proudly married to his husstarted the book at my beginning, my birth and my immediate family and band Larry, with the couple advocatwent from there. And then I got up to ing for the LGBTQ+ community, the the end of my CBC career, and I had a career of Karl Wells wound through book. I realized I can’t write anymore various periods of social intolerance, because this book is just gonna be too ranging from hate and bitterness to long,” he shares, joking that while he full-on persecution.

Karl breaks down various instances doubts there’ll be a sequel, the experience was a walk down memory lane at of bullying and homophobia he entimes both pleasant and painful. Au- countered throughout his life, both in his younger years and within the conthenticity, however, was paramount.

“I can’t stress how important it was fines of the media. Openly homosex(to be authentic). I’m a reader and I ual in a much less open time in the read lots of biographies. And I’m al- industry and society at large, Karl www.downhomelife.com

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Right: Flying to spend the night on the Hibernia Oil Drilling Platform anchored in the Atlantic Ocean 350 miles east of Newfoundland (1990s)

Above: Peter Easton sketch in Carbonear, NL in 1994 Right: Halloween Frankenstein sketch, CBC TV, 1990s

faced his share of strife behind the scenes, but when in front of the camera, his profile and prospects skyrocketed.

One such incident of eye-opening fan interaction took place in Corner Brook in the immediate wake of Prime Minister Brian Mulroney’s resignation in the summer of 1993.

“Nobody knew this resignation was coming. It was just kind of out of the blue,” Karl recalls. “I had our remote truck with me in Corner Brook, so they couldn’t send the remote truck out to do interviews with people in St. John’s because I had it. So they said, 52

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you’re going to have to do streeters, which is just grabbing people in the mall and asking them what their reaction is to Mulrooney resigning? Anyhow, I’m standing there, and this lady has her little child. And I mean, this child was obviously very young because he was up in her arms. He was screaming, crying, and I had to stop what I was doing because he was making such a racket, and I’m looking over at the mother with sympathy. And all of a sudden, the little baby turned and looked at me and stopped. And he pointed and he was saying, ‘Ka, Ka Ka Ka, Ka Ka Ka.’ She came over and said, 1-888-588-6353

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‘He absolutely has a thing when you come on TV. Every time you come on TV, he just like stops, freezes and is fixated on you and the TV.’ I thought, oh my God, this is so strange.”

But then, Karl wasn’t like other newscasters at the dawn of the decade.

Affable, approachable and relaxed in contrast to the buttoned-down and stoic demeanour of his contemporaries, Karl was a welcome tonic for a post-moratorium Newfoundland television audience in desperate need of a pick-me-up.

“I was probably quite different from other broadcasters when I was on the air,” Karl recalls, reflecting on a conversation with a producer that helped steer his TV persona.

“I was going around doing the weather on location and in all kinds of communities. (The producer) said to me, ‘You don’t show enough personality.’ And I thought, well, this is exactly

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what I was giving the previous producer, because that’s what he wanted.

He didn’t want personality. The CBC had this notion that everybody had to be very staid and stiff and proper and annunciate. He said, ‘Yeah, I know that, but with the weather, I think we can afford to be a little bit more relaxed and show some personality, some humour, because God knows everything else is so depressing. This can be our bright spot in the show.’

And I thought to myself, you want a bright spot? Okay, buddy, you’re going to get it.”

The result of leaning into the cheerier side of news, where the weatherperson is more Mr. Rogers meets Johnny Carson than Walter Cronkite or Dan Rather, was immediate and immense, resulting in ratings paydirt and newfound celebrity status for the Buchans native.

“I tell you what, people must have

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been starved for it because they certainly reacted. I started noticing when people I worked with at the CBC came up to me and said, ‘Do you realize that something’s happening? You’re having this tremendous effect on viewers.

They really are drawn to you and seem to love you,” he said.

“The mail was coming in from all over the province, all kinds of it. People started knitting me things because

reer in acting were put on hold after seeing his parents’ financial struggles, necessitating a shift towards a more steady line of work, respective of the era.

“I had grown up, my father was in business, and he had a small grocery store, and he allowed people to get their groceries and charge it. And they would pay their bill every month, but lots of times they didn’t pay,” he re-

“No matter how bad the weather was, I had to be out because I was the weatherman. You have to be out! You’re the weatherman! It’s like I created it.

You created this storm, so you better be out in it.”

I was starting to go outside and do the weather, and I’d be out in every kind of weather. I mean, they literally would never let me stay inside the studio. No matter how bad the weather was, I had to be out because I was the weatherman. You have to be out!

You’re the weatherman! It’s like I created it. You created this storm, so you better be out in it.”

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calls, remembering how suppliers often called the family home to harangue his mother. “It was like water off a duck’s back with my father. He’d just say, ‘They’ll get their money when I get my money.’ It was just all transactional with Dad in that way.

“We lived over our store, and I would hear my mother, and I’d hear the fear and anxiety in her voice when these people would call looking for their money. And I just thought, I’m never, ever going to be in that position, ever. And so job security was im1-888-588-6353

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portant to me. Having enough money to live on was important to me.”

An ardent follower of radio and later television, Karl emulated his heroes on the CBC with a goal to procure a lasting career in media that would bring both fulfillment and security.

“I certainly had my eyes set on getting a permanent job at the CBC because I thought they were the best, the best! The ultimate! And who wouldn’t want to work for the best? I would practice on a tape recorder and all this kind of stuff, and the people that I copied were all CBC announcers. I fig-

mand media star in his home province. He’s a celebrated writer, television host and food critic, with a ten-year stint as co-host of the lauded One Chef One Critic series. As an actor, he’s lent his talents to the oneman production of A Christmas Carol and most recently parodied himself in Shanneyganock’s “Rain, Drizzle and Fog” music video. Though in reflection of all things remembered, it was the time staring down the red light, under the no-net tightrope walk of live television, where he was at his highest.

“I’ve said this before, in front of a

Left: Cover of the cookbook "Cooking with One Chef One Critic" with chef Steve Watson. Right: Performing in Shanneyganock’s “Rain Drizzle and Fog” music video (2022)

ured, well, these guys are the best, and this is where I want to work. So I have to be like them. I have the sound like them. And so that’s what I focused on.

And thank God somebody took a chance on me, and I got a job and stayed 31 or 32 years.”

Fast-forward to 2025 (you’ll need to read the book for the rest of the story), and Karl Wells has lived a remarkable nine lives as a malleable and in-dewww.downhomelife.com

live television camera, I felt more alive than anybody could possibly feel. In front of that live camera, looking into that lens and knowing that this was live, I felt alive, really alive. And then when the camera would go off, I would even out again. But it was quite a feeling, I have to say.”

Openly Karl is available now through Breakwater Books and wherever local books are sold.

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Public servant turned boat builder Maxwell J. Bursey

BY KIM PLOUGHMAN

Maxwell (Max) J. Bursey knows a thing or two about boats.

On his seaside property in St. Philip’s, with Bell Island shining in the background, seven boats bask in the spring sun. A longtime public servent, Max estimates he has built over fifty boats, including those gracing the seashore across the road from his house.

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The fire crackles during a recent visit to his home, radiating a cosy warmth. All around, even in the rafters, are memorabilia of his working life with Worker’s Compensation, as well as his passion for the sea, including a three-foot model dory crafted just last year.

Leaning back on the sofa, feet perched on a coffee table, Max chuckles at his cherished kingdom.

“This is my indoor shed,” he says.

The 84-year-old says his penchant for making boats emerged a few years after the husband and father of two settled in St. Philip’s in 1964.

Born in Caplin Cove on the north side of Conception Bay, Max was no stranger to the sea and fishing. He fished as a young boy, but admits he had no exposure to boat building.

In the early 1970s, his close friend and fishing buddy, Roy Snelgrove, built a “Glovertown” style speedboat that piqued Max’s interest and eventually, his desire to build a boat. “We spent hours going over the details, and then he provided the frames to 58

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construct an 18-foot speedboat,” he recalls.

From there, the eager crafter cut logs for the planking and laths, and in the spring of 1972, laid the keel for his first boat. He soon used his creation to fish for cod and lobster, and to hunt seals. “When I saw what I could do, I built four more speedboats from the same frames,” Max explains.

By 1980, his neighbour Harold Sheppard, a boat builder and master carpenter, constructed a 30-foot “Newfoundland/Cape Islander” style trap skiff from a scaled model he designed. “It was a beauty, and I wondered if I could build one. Skipper showed me the tricks of the trade using the scaled model, which he eventually gifted me.”

In 1982, after two years of gathering timbers and planking, Max laid the keel for his largest boat, a 30footer. He shares that he had his 23year-old son, Randy, in mind to take over the vessel, as he “was a born fisherman and lived on the water.”

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Max created this dory replica just last year

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Several years later, he crafted a trap skiff he christened the “Amanda Christine”, after his granddaughter and daughter, respectively.

Around this time, tragedy struck Max and his family. Randy was killed in 1984, as the crew were returning home from a fishing trip. Max soon lost his gumption for boat building and sold the “Amanda Christine.”

Eventually, the grief eased and Max regained his desire to craft more boats, including another “fairly large” 25-footer.

In 1991, by age 50, Max retired from public service. Three years later, he would lose his wife, Effie, to an aneurysm. “I don’t think she ever got over the loss of our son,” he shares.

Over the years, Max has repaired many dories used in the annual Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s Regatta, him-

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Max thumbs through a photo album, reflecting on his boat building days

self a championship rower in both the main race and later, in the “Old Timers” section. He and his second wife, Beverly Ashford, competed together in these popular Conception Bay races.

Max also constructed several boats he calls “The St. Philip’s Flat,” a 14foot wooden vessel. “Everyone had a flat when I first came here,” he remarks, explaining that back then, they were the fishers’ preference for tending nets and hauling pots.

In his 70s, Max sought out a new boat-building challenge. He recalls that as far back as 1958, when he went to Sunnyside as a school teacher, he was captivated by the lit60

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tle boats which symbolized the “workhorses” of the inshore fishery.

“All this time I never built a Rodney,” he admits. “They were great to row or scull and were beautiful under sail.”

In Sunnyside, he connected with his friend, Derek Penney, who then owned a 75-year-old Rodney, handed down from his father. The boat was a gift to by his grandfather (Hayward) in October 1941-42, when he returned as a Merchant Marine in the Second World War. Placed in storage in 1985, the treasured boat was about to get a new lease on life.

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a unique mould, Max and Derek constructed three more fibreglass Rodneys.

When asked what fires his boatbuilding propensity, Max quickly responds: “I really enjoy using a chainsaw and working with wood,” adding that time with his friends in the Point Leamington woods also helped hone his skills.

“A lot of work goes into making a bigger boat, especially if you cut your own lumber. I enjoyed it so much. I was at it every day, even while working full time,” Max explains, standing to showcase a few of his treasures, including the scaled model used for his first boat.

Max finds a small grapnel welded by his son, using part of a lug wrench and motor connecting rods. He still lovingly clings to his son’s memories and memorabilia.

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At 84, Skipper Max still likes to get out on the water to catch a few fish, and occasionally, takes his Rodney out for a row with his Cape Shore water dog, Willow.

Reflecting on his role as a boatbuilder, helping to connect the sea heritage to his people, community and province, Max remarks that, “looking back, I do feel a certain sense of pride, for sure.”

The senior recalls when the “Amanada Christine”, which he considers the pride of his fleet, was transported to Bay de Verde in 1996.

His younger brother, Byron, relayed that many fishermen praised her as “the finest boat in the harbour.”

He laughs as he reflects on how Byron, who built a few vessels of his own, jokingly teased him after he crafted each boat. “Not bad for a government pencil pusher.”

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PAST THE OVERPASS A three-part series exploring the communities of the Bonavista Peninsula

BY CASSANDRA FILICE

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Part two

bonavista to elliston

WELCOME BACK to our road

trip across the Bonavista Peninsula.

If you’re just joining the convoy, we’ve travelled Route 235 to pass through Open Hall, Red Cliff, Tickle Cove, Duntara, Keels, and King’s Cove. Each community offers its distinct charm and attractions.

As we continue down “the scenic route,” this leg of the journey will take us to the top of the Bonavista Peninsula and around to Elliston – but we’ve a ways to go, so buckle up!

From King’s Cove, Bonavista is a picturesque halfhour drive. The icebergs have melted into the deeper Atlantic by this time of year, but the shingling rocks and crashing surf are home to numerous whale species. Humpbacks, minkes, and fins are a common sight, and if you’re lucky, you’ll catch a glimpse of the more elusive orcas or sperm whales.

Bonavista offers several tour operators.

Each business provides Zodiac or larger-vessel whale watching excursions that also showcase the spectacular cliffs and caves along the coast. All guides are incredibly knowledgeable about the area and provide excellent entertainment with their Newfoundland lore.

After a slight dip in the road, the “Historic Bonavista” sign greets you at the top.

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Bonavista harbour view with The Matthew Legacy in the left foreground

What might strike you first is how far into the distance the community stretches. Unlike many coastal settlements that nestle into coves, Bonavista is a flat plain.

In the centuries since John Cabot’s landing in 1497, the town has become a bustling community with a vibrant and thriving artistic scene.

In the last ten years, Bonavista has seen an influx of new businesses that contribute to its charm. From handmade pottery and chocolates to iceberg soaps that have featured in Vogue, and restaurants serving up fresh local delicacies, Bonavista is one of Newfoundland’s must-sees.

Claire MacDonald moved to Bonavista in 2022 to open a studio and shop called Kind Seas, where she designs and makes sterling silver jewellery that is hammered on the rocks for individual, intricate patterns. She also offers a selection of works by other artists, mostly from Atlantic Canada.

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“Moving to Bonavista was a dream come true for me,” she says. “I had visited almost yearly prior to the move. I was just so drawn to this small rural town that seemed to have a really special sense of community.

The coastal landscape is very unique and has had a huge influence on my jewellery designs. There is so much inspiration here from the rocks, the ocean, and scenic trails; all the beauty around me influences the pieces I create, and the intention behind them as tiny mementos of a special place.”

Among the special places of interest to history buffs is a visit to the Ryan Premises National Historic Site to learn about the salt fish trade – a cornerstone of the province’s economy for centuries; if politics is more your style, the Mockbeggar Plantation Provincial Historic Site explores the history of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Confederation on March 31, 1949. Salt water in your blood?

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Visit The Matthew Legacy to discover a full-scale replica of John Cabot’s ship. The Matthew is a small wooden vessel known as a caravel that was designed specifically for long sea voyages. Step aboard and have informed guides take you back to the 15th century!

If you can plan your trip for the end of July, you’ll be right in time for the Church Street Festival. From July 2127, the town’s main street hosts a lively community event that showcases local talent. Arts and crafts, parades, fireworks, movies under the stars, a pizza war, and musical entertainment will be on full display to promote and celebrate the rich diversity that makes Bonavista so special.

And, of course, this year is the Bonavista Biennale’s fifth iteration.

The Biennale is a contemporary art event staged across the Peninsula and features artists from around the world. Rose Bouthillier, Artistic Director, observes that “the Bonavista Peninsula is such a unique, complex, and spectacular environment for art. It’s exciting to see how artists respond to the challenge of working in unconventional spaces, or developing projects for outdoor locations with wind and weather to contend with.”

Site maps are available to guide you to the installations, with many easily found along the shores or bluffs of the town.

Harbour view of Bonavista with the Ryan Premises in the background

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The sea caves at Dungeon Provincial Park

Bonavista boasts spectacular views.

If you happen to think that geology rocks, Dungeon Provincial Park offers a stunning display of sedimentary erosion. The park takes its name from two hollowed sea caves, also known as a gloup or blow-hole, that have been eroded by centuries of crashing ocean waves. There’s a viewing platform for safety, and it’s a lovely spot to listen to the surf. The summer months will find the park’s rolling hills home to sheep, cows, and horses that use its space as a community pasture. While photos are always encouraged, please stick to the gravel path and don’t feed the animals.

After strolling through town and taking in the sights at the Dungeon, you’ve reached the tip of the Peninsula.

The Bonavista Lighthouse sits in its red and white striped glory on Cape Shore Road. Built in 1843, it is one of the most photographed sites in the province. For generations, its light was the only source of connection 66

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with mariners far out at sea. You can still climb its stone steps to see its seal-oil-fueled light. Parking is free and plentiful around a statue of John Cabot. A gift shop and interpretation centre with knowledgeable staff are present to answer any questions.

If you’d rather reach the lighthouse on foot, you can follow the Cape Shore Trail for a leisurely walk along the coast. It’s a flat 3.5 km path that will have the sea wind blowing your hair and tantalizing your senses.

While you can easily spend a day enjoying the many offerings here, just a few short minutes down the road is Elliston, the root cellar capital of the world. Root cellars are exactly as they sound: an underground or partially underground structure that is used to store hardy foods and prolong their shelf life. Elliston is also home to a puffin colony.

Nevaeha Bullock is a grade 9 student at Discovery Collegiate in Bonavista.

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Biennale installation passing where to (2019)

by Robert Hengeveld

a puffin at elliston

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the third week in July and has live music. We have a talent show, ‘Peninsula Idol,’ and sometimes dog shows. A lot of the events take place on Sandy Beach, which also has a campground that’s part of Elliston Provincial Park. It’s really easy to walk out to see the puffins from there,” she says. “I’ve gone to the festival every year; I’ve only missed one.”

These small birds, known as the “clowns of the sea” or “sea parrots” because of their colourful faces, show very little fear of viewers who have the patience to sit still and quiet.

If you’re willing to lie down on the grass with your camera at the ready, a puffin or two might just waddle by for a photoshoot. Note that dogs are not allowed on site.

This day’s journey past the overpass is sure to provide stunning photos, remarkable memories, and a treat for all your senses. Information for all upcoming summer events in Bonavista can be found at newfoundlandlabrador.com/ destinations/bonavista.

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It was a cold April

evening at the A&W on Kenmount Road in St. John’s, one of the popular spots where classic car owners gather. An old black Chevrolet Caprice was seen in the parking lot. Car show season is just around the corner.

Blair Chaulk is creator of All Cars Welcome, a Facebook group for car enthusiasts of Newfoundland and Labrador, which currently boasts 1,800 members. Crediting his wife for coming up with the name, Chaulk says that while most car owners would start coming to A&W Kenmount Road in early May, he’d seen some in April.

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Blair Chaulk (right) started going to car meets after he bought his 2001 Camaro (above) in 2015.

“When I saw them, they were driving on the salt. I was like, ‘Oh, what are you doing?’ You know? But it’s their cars,” says Chaulk, the owner of a 2001 Chevrolet Camaro Z28.

Chaulk bought his light pewter metallic Camaro in 2015 and began attending car meets. However, he observed that these meets were brand specific; Corvette or Oldsmobile owners would not go to a Camaro meet, for example, while others were specifically for antiques or classics. His Camaro was not old enough to qualify as an antique.

Some feel A&W Kenmount Road is exclusively reserved for classic cars, with younger car enthusiasts with import cars such as Subaru and Honda eventually choosing the A&W White Rose Drive location as their space.

“Everything is separated, and I don’t feel it should be,” Chaulk explains. “A lot of opinions out there.

You’ve just got to brush it off and enjoy what you enjoy.”

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Leon House created Wheels for Wishes in 2019, a community car show that doubles as a fundraiser for a children’s charity. Wheels for Wishes does not focus on awards, House says, but rather to serve as a space for everyone to enjoy the show, regardless of gender, age or car model.

“It’s just about people who like cars coming together,” says House, adding that he enjoys evening car meets, even when the weather is still relatively cold. “When you’re a car person and all you want to do is go and hang out with car people, winters become really long.”

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Wheels for Wishes as a way to keep participants from feeling discouraged. Many similar shows see awards go to those who spend the most money. No competition, House says, helps to bring the car community closer.

and SUVS used as daily drivers since places in Labrador do not use salt on the roads.

“If that was down here [Newfoundland] and you drive them all year, there will be none left of it,” says Chaulk.

“ When you’ re a car person and all you want to do is go and hang out with car people, winters become really long.”

Chaulk adds that car show organizers usually plan a ‘rain date’ to reschedule should bad weather arise, which is a main challenge for car shows in Newfoundland. Scheduling, he says, is another.

Many people do not attend lesserknown car shows as the schedules often coincide with more popular shows held on the same day, especially in the summer months.

According to Chaulk, there are fewer car shows in Labrador due to the lower population. However, it is common to see older pickup trucks

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Chaulk shares that there are two indoor car shows in Newfoundland and Labrador held in Bay Roberts and Marystown, though House says that having indoor car shows provides certain challenges.

Typically, organizers charge an admission, and he has no desire to turn away potential visitors. On the other hand, there are few buildings in Newfoundland that can accommodate numerous cars. Last year, he says, there were 600 cars in the Wheels for Wishes show.

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Leon House has a love for early 20th century autos such as this 1932 Ford steel roadster reasons for their love of cars.

In 1979, Chaulk’s older brother brought home a 1978 black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, and that moment marked the beginning of his car obsession. He says it reminds him of the Smokey and the Bandit movie, which was popular at the time.

Like many other car enthusiasts, he had models and posters. His first car was a four-door 1982 burgundy Dodge Aries.

“It had a bench seat, it was a cushy ride, like very smooth,” said Chaulk.

“I thought it was a Cadillac, right?”

He also had an Innocenti, a small Italian car with a three-cylinder engine and a five-speed transmission, and a 1987 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, nicknamed ‘Gutless Cutlass’, with a 305 cubic inch engine that produced 180 horsepower.

“So many cars that I wish I had kept,” he says reflectively.

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Leon House expresses his love for antique cars from the 20th century.

He owns a red 1932 steel Ford Roadster that he bought from California, and a 1928 Ford Roadster pickup from Surrey, B.C. “I am a hotrod person at heart.

That’s just who I am,” says House, whose first car is a three-window 1929 Chevrolet AC Coupe that he bought from Mayerthorpe, Alberta.

car show at Memorial Stadium where he helped his friend’s father unload a 1931 Chevrolet Coupe. He initially planned to buy a Corvette before changing his mind and becoming interested in hot rods.

He also owns a 1926 Ford Model T “Doctor’s Coupe”, which refers to the higher roof version of the car. Back in the day, doctors wore tall hats, and the roof was designed in such a way

Leon and some fellow car enthusiasts with his 1926 Ford Model T

House says Hot Rods allow him to choose to build the cars in his own way, adding that he’s never seen a 1929 Chevrolet that resembles his car. Old Chevrolet cars were built with wood and had steel nailed to the wooden frame, while older Fords were built with steel.

“After 1959, I kind of really lost interest,” he admits.

In the early 1990s, House went to a

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to make sure there was enough room for the doctor’s hat.

What’s next for Chaulk and House?

“I can’t wait,” says Chaulk, explaining that he’s looking forward to going to The Atlantic Nationals in Moncton, N.B., for the first time.

As for House, this past spring he spent four nights a week in his garage. “I can’t wait for car show season,” he says.

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life is better Sunset in Bellevue Beach, NL Wayne Whelan downhomelife.com

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HOME and Cabin

stuff we love by Nicola Ryan

Adventures in BBQ’ing WHERE’S THE BEEF? The perfect BBQ starts with the right grub.

Head over to Anderson’s in downtown St. John’s. They offer premium meats sourced from Canadian family farms and their tasty selection of high-quality cuts is sure to impress. Andersonsnl.ca

BUG OFF Any spot without a built-in screen needs a magnetic screen door. It installs in minutes using hook-and-loop tape and thumbtacks. The strong magnets ensure it closes automatically behind you, so bugs stay out while you move freely in and out, hands full or not.

It’s an easy upgrade that makes a big difference, especially on warm evenings when you want the air – not the nippers. Homedepot.ca

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GLOW UP Add the perfect glow to your evening BBQs with a patio umbrella like this one. With built-in solarpowered LED lights, it keeps the party going after sunset, creating a warm, inviting atmosphere. Easy to use and stylish, it offers shade by day and charm by night – ideal for outdoor entertaining. Amazon.ca

CHILL OUT A wine chilling rod is a simple way to keep your wine cool without watering it down – perfect for warm evenings on the deck. Just freeze it for a couple of hours, pop it into your bottle, and you’re set. It also works as an aerator and pourer, and comes with a stopper, so everything you need is built right in. stokesstores.com

BOOZY BIRD Pick up a Broil King chicken roaster for beer can chicken nights (try our recipe on page 84). Just pop your seasoned bird onto the base with your favourite brew and let the grill do the rest. It cooks the chicken evenly, keeping it juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside, with no tipping and no mess. It’s sturdy, easy to clean, and turns out crowd-pleasing results every time. broilking.ca

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Ask Marie Anything Interior designer Marie Bishop takes your questions

Q. I’ve become very interested in pottery lately. Can you suggest ways I can incorporate some special pieces into the decor throughout my house?

That’s a great question. Items like pottery, old wooden cutting boards, wide wooden bowls and mixed metal items are high on the list of popular accessories this year. Anything handcrafted that offers a sense of the creative spirit seems to reconnect us to nature and our history, especially pottery. It’s such a direct, visceral connection to the earth, it automatically has a grounding influence.

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Very few, if any, current household items can claim the relevant longevity to our everyday lives as pottery. The oldest known pieces were recently discovered in a cave in China and are estimated to be between 19,000 and 20,000 years old. Surprisingly, many of the same techniques used then, such as pinching, coil and slab construction, are still used today to make all sizes and shapes of vessels, pots, plates and platters. The pottery wheel didn’t come along until 5000 years ago, one of the earliest mechanical inventions.

Another interesting note is the difference between pottery and ceramics.

Pottery is made from clay, whereas ceramics can be made from clay, silica, glazes and nonmetal substances. So all pottery is ceramics, but not all ceramics are pottery.

Pottery remains at the top of the list of household items because it has so many functional benefits as well as artistic offerings. Adding to its appeal is the fact that anyone can learn to create their own interesting and functional pieces. If you have that creative spark, would like to learn a new skill and love getting your hands dirty, I strongly suggest you give it a try.

You can search for a clay studio near you and enroll in classes, or just sign up for studio time where you can create at your own pace using whatever method you’re comfortable with. The Craft Council Clay Studio in St. John’s would be a perfect place to start if you are in or near the city.

Working with clay is very therapeutic and relaxing, as well as being productive and creative, especially when you produce something you can use or display in your home. And you will come www.downhomelife.com

Working with clay is very therapeutic and relaxing, as well as being productive and creative, especially when you produce something you can use or display in your home.

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to appreciate the process of creating pottery from a hands-on perspective.

Believe me, you will love your special pieces even more.

And if you want to enjoy some local pottery history, you could take in the Ferryland Archeological Dig at the Colony of Avalon in Ferryland. Every summer, university students continue to unearth artifacts, many of them pottery and ceramic items, from the 1600s, when the first English settlers arrived there. It’s fascinating to learn about that era and to imagine how those pieces were used in their everyday life.

There are so many ways pottery can be incorporated into your home decor. There’s the practical application using handmade, uniquely glazed bowls for serving dishes, fruit bowls, holding your keys or jewelry.

Statement pieces such as a large vessel, urn or sculptural piece become a focal point when placed on the dining table, stair landing or near the entrance. These pieces can stand alone or you could fill them with a tall natural arrangement of stems, leafy branches or pussy willows.

Large greenery or smaller plants added to your space create a warm, natural feel that you can enhance by putting those plants into colourful or textured clay pots.

For a more curated look, you could incorporate your favourite pieces into a bookcase or floating shelf to give a more layered look. Arrange your pottery with books, candles and greenery makes for an interesting look where your personality peeks through. Special pieces can certainly be displayed individually or as a collection in groupings of three or five of varying heights to create visual interest. You 80

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Pottery can be used in your home decor in a various ways, from serving dishes, storage bowls, statement pieces and holders for your plant life.

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could also consider adding some textural contrast, mixing smooth pottery with natural elements like wood, stone or even fabrics like linen.

And let’s not forget the obvious, everyday pottery items like plates, bowls and mugs that we eat off of, or wrap our hands around to enjoy a hot cup of coffee or tea. There are so many local potters and craft shops; the availability of handcrafted Newfoundland pottery is amazing. Many pieces are inspired by the province’s natural, rugged beauty and incorporate traditional motifs and raw materials into the work.

All across the province, potters are showcasing their work at markets, craft fairs and local shops, so it’s easy to find a piece or a collection that would speak to your taste. The bonus of purchasing local pottery is that you are not only promoting the idea of ‘buying local’ but you’re supporting the local craft and artisan community.

Bringing pottery, especially local pottery, to the spotlight in your home is a great reminder of the connection we have to our history, our creativity and our place. It’s a wonderful way to love your space.

Ask Marie Anything!

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

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downhome recipes

July is prime time

to BBQ in Newfoundland and Labrador. The weather’s (mostly) fine, the flies have slackened, and the youngsters are off school and running amok in backyards from Mobile to Birchy Bay. What better time to break out the grill (propane or charcoal, no discrimination here) and put food to the flame? Here, with inspiration from the fine folks at Napoleon Canada, are eight tips for better BBQ this summer season:

Keep it Clean It’s a cliche as old as the fire and the first man, but a clean grill is a happy grill. Kick off each BBQ season with a proper clean of your everyday grill. It’s a smart practice to turn your temperature to high when you’re finished cooking and use your grill brush of choice to clear away debris on cooking grids. It’s recommended to clean your grease tray and drip pan every two to four cooks to remove any inconvenient buildup of gunk. Excessive grease and fallen food can be dangerous to the body of the grill and leave an unwanted taste. So keep it clean, junior.

Your Q will thank you.

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Recipe Readiness Ever get halfway through a BBQ session only to run out of fuel? Knowing what you’re tackling, as in examining your ingredients and recipe, as well as the proper time for your cook, will mitigate these unwanted irritations. Avoid the headaches. Plan ahead.

Preheat to Perfection This should go without saying, but preheating your BBQ is a MUST. According to the BTU’s Blog - What Are BTU’s, the heat generated by the BTU (British Thermal Units) of a grill first has to be absorbed and distributed by that grill before a grill can effectively cook. They heat the cavity and the grids, which provide heat transfer through convection and contact. Failure to preheat the grill will prevent that sizzle every grillmaster seeks.

And who wants a steak with no sizzle?

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Don’t Be a Fool, Use the Right Tool You wouldn’t build a house without the right tools, so why cook a meal shorthanded? A set of tongs should be mandatory, but a spatula, grill and basting brush, copious paper towels, a squirt bottle and heat-resistant gloves are also key to a BBQ kit. Try building up your own inventory over time and see what handy gadgets you can pick up along the way.

No One Likes a Crowd You have a big family or a party to feed. There are hot dogs, steaks, chickens, veggie skewers, burgers, and lord knows what else. The urge to cram your grill full with meats, poultry and veg, for the sake of time, can be strong, but you must avoid the crowd at all costs. Adding too much to the grill can make things difficult if there’s a flare-up as you won’t have anywhere to move the food so it doesn’t get burned.

The more you’re grilling, the more heat is removed from the cooking grids, meaning your food will not sear properly, but instead will bake or roast, even if you are using direct heat.

And if you wanted a roast, you’d use a roaster.

Attention to Meatail Have you looked at the price of meat, fish, or fresh vegetables at the grocery store these days? Do you really want to set that money on fire, and perhaps quite literally, by not paying attention to what you’re cooking? Low and slow can be the best method, and by all means, there’s no need to lift, poke and prod every sixty seconds. Stay nearby, be grill-vigilant and monitor for smoke or flareups. Your diners and wallet will thank you.

Temperature Control Who loves their food overcooked? How about under? Few hands, we’d bet. Look up your proper cook times for your given protein or veg of choice. Wireless digital BBQ thermometers can be a godsend when it comes to getting that internal temp just right. When all else fails, be cautious and remove your food for a doneness check. Undercooked food can be returned to the grill, but there’s little to be done about overcooked food.

Give it a Rest You’ve made kingly kababs, steak fit for a sultan or poultry fit for a princess.

Take stock, sit back, sip on your beverage of choice and, literally, let the food rest alongside you. In the case of meat, allow five to ten minutes of rest before slicing. Among the many reasons not to dive in and dissect your beef or chicken immediately, not allocating a proper rest period will cause all the delicious meat juices (mmmm, meat juices) to leak all over the plate, leaving the meat as dry as this writer’s sense of humour. Juice is flavour, so be patient and savour your win.

Now, armed with your newfound BBQ basics, here are some grill-season recipes sure to please a crowd: 1-888-588-6353

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Beer Can Chicken 1 cup butter, divided 2 tbsp garlic salt, divided 2 tbsp paprika, divided

salt and pepper to taste 1 can of beer 1 whole chicken

Preheat an outdoor grill for low heat and lightly oil the grate. Melt 1/2 cup butter in a small skillet. Mix in 1 tbsp garlic salt, 1 tbsp paprika, salt, and pepper. Discard 1/2 of the beer, leaving the remainder in the can.

Add remaining butter, garlic salt, paprika, salt, and pepper to the beer can. Place the can on a baking sheet or disposable pan. Set the chicken upright on the beer can, inserting the can into the cavity of the chicken.

Baste chicken with melted, seasoned butter. Place the baking sheet with beer and chicken on the preheated grill. Cook over low heat until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 3 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove from the grill, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes before slicing. Yields eight servings.

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BBQ Shrimp with Citrus Corn Salad 10 large or jumbo raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails left on) 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro 2 tbsp lime juice 1 tsp ground black pepper, more to taste 1 tsp sea salt, or more to taste 3 tbsp barbeque sauce 1 sheet of aluminum foil

Citrus Corn Salad: 1 (16 oz) package frozen corn 1 tsp granulated sugar 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro 1 cup thinly sliced celery 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper 1/4 cup diced red onion 1 cup halved grape tomatoes 4 tbsp lime juice, or more to taste 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, or more to taste 1 tsp sea salt, or more to taste 1 tsp ground black pepper, more to taste

Set grill to medium heat. Clean and remove the shell from the shrimp (leaving the tail on). In a plastic container or bag, add shrimp, cilantro, lime juice, ground black pepper and sea salt, place in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes (overnight will give the best flavour).

Place marinated shrimp on a sheet of foil and pour BBQ sauce over shrimp, fold the aluminum foil up and fold over twice; fold each end. Leave enough room for air to circulate in the packet. Place the packet on the grill and allow to cook 6 to 8 minutes.

Citrus Corn Salad: In a large skillet over medium heat, add corn and granulated sugar, and allow to cook 8 to 10 minutes. Add ice and water to large bowl to make ice bath and pour corn into ice bath, drain in colander, pour corn back into the bowl and add the cilantro, celery, red pepper, red onion, grape tomatoes, lime juice, apple cider vinegar, sea salt and ground black pepper and mix together to incorporate. Yields five servings.

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Grilled Zucchini Boats 2 medium zucchini 1 slice of white bread, torn into small pieces 1 jalapeno pepper, minced 6 tbsp shredded sharp cheddar cheese 1/4 cup bacon bits 1/4 cup minced onion

1/4 cup chopped tomato 3 tbsp diced green chile peppers 1 tsp minced black olives 1 pinch dried basil seasoned salt to taste ground black pepper to taste

Prepare the grill for indirect medium heat. Place zucchini in a large pot with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain, cool, and cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out pulp to about 1/4 inch from the skin.

Chop pulp into small pieces. Mix zucchini pulp, bread pieces, jalapeño, cheddar cheese, bacon bits, onion, tomato, chile peppers, and olives in a large bowl until combined. Season with basil, seasoned salt, and pepper; mix well. Stuff zucchini halves with pulp mixture. Wrap each zucchini boat with aluminum foil. Place wrapped zucchini boats on the prepared grill over indirect heat and cook until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Yields four servings.

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Grilled Scallop Skewers 3/4 cup butter 2/3 cup chopped onions 3 cloves garlic, chopped 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 pinch salt 1 1/2 pounds sea scallops 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat and lightly oil the grate. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice and salt. Place scallops in a large bowl, and toss with butter mixture; let stand for about 2 minutes. Thread scallops onto skewers, or use a wire grill basket. Cook on preheated grill until scallops turn opaque, turning once, about 4 to 5 minutes. Return remaining butter mixture to saucepan; bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and keep warm while scallops cook. Toss or brush over grilled scallops and serve. Yields six servings.

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reminiscing flashbacks

Harbour Haul A young fisherman in Petty Harbour in the 1980s.

Cynthia Gullage Petty Harbour, NL

Sister Sister Twins Millie (Billard) Park and Mary (Billard) Carter enjoy a day outside in this photo from the 1950s.

Karen Simon Margaree, NL

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Catch of the Day “These are two cod fish my sister Marilyn caught when fishing for the food fishery off Snook’s Harbour, Random Island in 2004. One was 45 lbs and the other was 55 lbs. My five-year-old daughter Heather was astonished and afraid at the same time!”

Lorna Patey via downhomelife.com

This Month in History In July 1964, Princess Mary, Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, visited Newfoundland to mark the 50th anniversary of the First World War. Arriving on the Royal Yacht Britannia, she met with troops and veterans in St. John’s and Corner Brook, honouring their service in both world wars. The only daughter of King George V and sister to Kings Edward VIII and George VI, Princess Mary was deeply committed to the welfare of servicemen and advocated for the rehabilitation of wounded and disabled soldiers and support for their families. For this work, she was named an honourary General in the British Army in 1956. In addition to her role with the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, she also served as Colonelin-Chief of The Royal Scots and The Royal Signals, and as Commandantin-Chief of the British Red Cross Detachments.

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reminiscing

For over 35 years, Downhome Magazine has been at the heart of all things Newfoundland and Labrador. A comforting, familiar and constant presence in our province’s media climate, Downhome has been a name synonymous with ‘home’ for over three decades and counting. In this Month in Downhome History, we dive through our archives to give readers snippets of days gone by, highlighting major events, unique facts and the stories that matter to our readers.

July 1990 Volume 3 • Number 2

St. John’s – On June 1st, the demerit system went into effect for drivers. Before this, tickets didn’t reflect a driver losing their license. Under the new system, tickets will have a point value assigned and will be accumulated in the province’s computer system. If a driver accumulates 12 demerit points during a two-year period, it’s back to swarvin’ around for that driver.

According to Marine Atlantic’s recent annual report, some 2,656,000 passengers crossed the Gulf on their ferry service during 1989. This record high was a 4.5 percent increase over the previous year. However, on the financial side of things, even though traffic has increased, Marine Atlantic’s ferry service lost over $700,000 for the year. The highlight for 1989 was the launch of the super-ferry, the Joseph and Clara Smallwood.

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July 1995 Volume 8 • Number 2

Portsmouth, N.H. – Burgeoning seal herds preying on depleted groundfish stocks off the coast of Newfoundland should be controlled to avert “a natural disaster,” says Clyde Wells. “Five million seals eating an average of 10 pounds of fish a day is 50 million pounds or 25,000 tonnes of fish a day,” the Premier said on June 8. “No man takes anywhere near that quantity out of the sea. So if we are going to continue to fish those groundfish stocks without controlling the size of the seal herds, we’re inviting a natural disaster,” Wells told the annual conference of New England governors. The six U.S. governors at the conference gave a strong vote of support to recent Canadian efforts to stop foreign overfishing, including the seizure of a Spanish vessel this year.

Mount Pearl – The city of Mount Pearl is promoting a high-tech solution to the problem of identifying stray animals. In future, the city will use a leading-edge pet identification system called Petnet, which is comprised of an electronic scanner and computer microchips – permanently inserted under the animal’s skin by a veterinarian – which store pet registration numbers. Deputy Mayor Dave Denine says, when the scanner is passed over the microchips, the pet’s identification number and name are displayed.

Reprinted from The Express by permission.

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July 2000 Volume 13 • Number 2

Labrador City – The musical excellence of the Menihek High School bands of Labrador City was acknowledged when the talented artists came together for two outstanding awards at the New York City Heritage Festival. Comprised of 43 young musicians between 15 and 18 years of age, the bands competed against groups from all over Canada and the United States. More than 1600 musicians were involved. The 15-member Menihek Jazz Band earned first place, and the full band placed third.

This month in the history of Newfoundland and Labrador, 685 Newfoundlanders died in the Battle of Beaumont-Hamel (July 1, 1916). Sir Edward Morris formed a coalition government (July 16, 1917), and Radio Station 8WMC (later to become VOWR) went on the air in St. John’s on July 20, 1924. Elsewhere, on July 29, 1899, Francis Canning was executed by hanging in St. John’s for shooting Mary Nugent on May 12 of the same year.

In local acknowledgements, it took 51 years, but Roland Cooper of Campbellton was finally recognized for his heroic act that saved members of his family in a 1949 fire. Cooper, who lives in Sudbury, Ontario, was awarded the Bronze Medal of Bravery.

Elsewhere, St. John’s native Tina Maddigan hit the big time in entertainment in Toronto, starring in the internationally acclaimed production Mamma Mia. Finally, Bonavista’s Michael Ryder has signed a National Hockey League contract with the Montreal Canadiens.

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July 2005 Volume 18 • Number 2 –

Effem Inc., the maker of Whiskas cat food, recently asked pet owners to film their cats doing anything for their favourite food. After one month and three rounds of voting, Jigger from Pasadena, Newfoundland, was chosen as the winner of the Whiskas Great Lengths Contest. Owner Andrea Skinner filmed Jigger performing tricks such as shaking a paw, jumping through a hoop and rolling over. For the grand prize, Skinner received a year’s supply of Whiskas plus an equal amount for her charity of choice, the Bay of Islands SPCA.

After 16 years serving in provincial politics, Roger Grimes resigned as leader of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador. In a news conference at the end of May, Grimes told reporters he felt it was time for a new candidate to lead the Opposition party. Grimes, a former teacher, was elected MHA for the District of Exploits in 1989 and has held that position since. During his political career, he served in the cabinet positions of labour, tourism, education, mines and energy and health. He was sworn in as premier on February 13, 2001, a position he held for two-and-a-half years. Gerry Reid, TwillingateFogo MHA, is the Interim Opposition Leader until the next leadership convention.

Canada Post has unveiled a new series of stamps honouring those involved in search and rescue. One stamp shows Master Corporal Augustus Ryan of Pasadena, NL, making an air rescue while suspended from a helicopter. Elsewhere, pledges to the province’s latest Janeway Telethon have set a new record, with the 21st telethon raising $2,136,129.

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reminiscing visions & vignettes

Gnat, do you mind…

Emmet’s Nests

By Harold N. Walters

Harry’s face may not have been forty shades of green, but it was as vividly green as the greengages on Granny’s plum tree.

He may have been too inattentive in school to heed Miss Britt tell the Big Boys and Girls about “the greeneyed monster” Shakespeare speaks of in Othello, but he could feel jealousy commencing to steam in his noggin.

He knew nothing about villainous Iago whispering in Othello’s ear but knew well his own wee demon from the hobs of hell — Beasley Bob, who often goaded Harry to devilment.

Right now, the reason for Harry’s greengages chops was Slab Elliot…and Sally.

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crossed the road to the Big Rock. In the twilight’s shadows, they could see a couple perched on the rock, their foreheads almost touching. Only an Orange Crush bottle with two paper straws kept their noses apart.

“Hey,” said Harry.

Gnat sensed the green-eyed monster stir, as did Beasley Bob sitting idly in the warmth of the Old Boy’s hearth fires.

Slab and Sally stopped sipping soda pop and waited as Harry and Gnat approached.

“What’s yous at?” said Harry.

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“We’m drinking a Crush.” He held up the bottle, displaying the bent straws.

“I sees that.” Harry’s fists clenched.

Although they were dimensions apart, Gnat and Beasley Bob grinned.

“You guys going to the show?” Sally stood up and brushed off her coattail.

An attempt to derail Harry’s train of thought?

“We is.” Gnat took a step towards the schoolhouse where the travelling movie man would “put off a show” as soon as it was sufficiently dark.

The movie turned out to be gemdandy, a western with cowboys and Indians, and desperadoes who deserved any punishment inflicted on them.

Sally sat between Harry and Slab, grabbing both their hands whenever a war-painted face loomed up on the screen, or a black-hearted villain twirled his moustache.

Gnat kept one eye on Harry, tickled to see the green glow pulsating like Northern Lights on his boon companion’s cheeks.

One scene in the movie caused Sally to squeeze both boys’ hands so hard their knuckles crunched.

Two cowboys riding through a canyon happened upon a barechested man staked out spreadeagled on an anthill the size of a haystack. His tormentors had coated his chest with wild bees’ honey and left him to his misery. Swarms of fire ants covered every inch of the dead man’s naked flesh.

While Sally cringed and Slab smiled despite his grating knucklebones, Harry heard an impish whisper in one ear — “Imagine Slab tied down like that.”

Harry’s green flesh flickered.

After the show, after Sally had 1-888-588-6353

released his hand and Slab had gone home to Bun Town, Harry told Gnat, “I hates Slab Elliot. And I knows what I’m going to do to him. The movie give me an idea.”

“I ‘low,” said Gnat.

“You knows that big black spruce behind Old Man Farley’s fence?”

“What about it?”

“There’s three or four big emmets’s nest handy to it.”

“So?” “So, I got to get Slab Elliot underneath that tree.” Green lights spinning like a pair of tiny stars glinted in Harry’s eyes.

Noticing the hellish twinkles, Gnat hesitated before saying, “How are you going to do that?”

“You’m going to lure him there,” said Harry.

“When am I going to do that?”

“In a few days,” said Harry. “First I got to practice something.”

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

“Lassoing,” said Harry. “And I needs some rope.”

Harry knew where to find the perfect rope.

At their first sly chance, Harry and Gnat sneaked into Harve Hinker’s barn. Harry had been in Uncle Pell’s shop a couple of days earlier when Harve had bought some rope. “For new reins,” he’d told Uncle Pell.

As Harry had hoped, Harve had left the coil of rope hanging on a peg.

Quick as Granny caught the weasel, Harry whipped the rope off the peg and looped it across his shoulder bandolero-style. Then he and Gnat scravelled from the stable.

Safely away from Harve’s barnyard, me buck-oes found an out-of-sight spot where Harry could practice his roping skills.

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Harry fashioned a loop, shook out a noose and twirled it around his head like a cowpuncher readying to rope a steer.

Harry spun the rope round and round…and round, as if he was in a Beasley Bob-induced trance. The green glints glazing Harry’s eyes reminded Gnat of the sparkles he thought he’d seen in the eyes of a goblin-like critter he’d occasionally…imagined?... on Harry’s shoulder.

“Hey, Harry.”

Slab come around the Rock Cut and went to find Gnat.

“You got to lure him to the tree,” Harry said.

“How am I going to do that?”

“Tell him we found a dead muskrat or something. He’ll want to see that for sure.”

Neither Sally nor any of the other Brookwater girls were on the Big Bridge when Slab arrived. The only one there was Gnat, who jumped right into his role and said, “Hey Slab, want to see a dead muskrat?”

Next time Slab came to Brookwater with his hair slicked back and his shirt tail tucked in, hoping to woo Sally, Harry was prepared.

Gnat’s voice snapped Harry out of his trance. Startled, he hove his noose towards the sound. The rope flopped at Gnat’s feet.

“Poor throw,” said Gnat.

“You pretend to be Slab Elliot, and I’ll practice lassoing you until I never misses.” Harry wound up for another heave.

By supper time, Harry could snag Gnat every time he cast a noose, even when Gnat galloped in circles and fliced up his heels like a gambolling colt.

Satisfied that he’d honed his skills, Harry coiled his lasso and hung it back on his shoulder.

“Now we got to get Slab under that tree.” Harry’s pupils once again displayed emerald flecks.

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“Where is it?”

“Under a tree behind Old Man Farley’s fence. Come on, I’ll show you.”

Any bay-boy with a smidgen of Tom Sawyer in his blood would want to see a dead muskrat, so Slab followed Gnat to the tree.

Inside the alder thicket behind the tree, Harry, with the Old Boy’s favourite imp perched on his shoulder, lurked, lariat in hand.

“Mind the emmet’s nest.” Gnat pointed. “The muskrat is behind the tree unless something lugged it away.”

Careful not to step in the nests, Slab skirted the sandy hummocks that teemed with industrious ants scurrying around about their bug business.

“Where’s the muskrat?”

“It’s here somewhere. “Twas by the trunk.”

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Unaware that he was placing himself in reach of Harry’s rope, Slab stooped and peered among the dead leaves searching for the muskrat.

“Don’t see it.” Slab straightened up and stretched to get the crick out of his back … … which is when Harry, Beasley Bob, clutching his collar like a broncbuster clutching a saddle horn, stepped out from the alder bushes, threw the lasso over Slab’s head and shoulders and yanked it tight.

“Got ya!” Harry leaned back on the lasso. “I’m going to tie you down on them emmets’s nests. See how you likes that.

Harry clung to his end. His boot heels plowed furrows in the forest litter. He held his grip until his heels broke from their trenches and he catapulted forward … …and fell face and eyes onto the trio of densely populated emmet’s nests.

Harry dropped the lasso and wiggled to roll off the nests but failed to do so before the emmets swarmed him. A troop of ants raced down his neck, a squadron scattered up his sleeves, a battalion battered inside the legs of his pants, and smothered him in a horde of enraged, defensive insects known for the biting strength

“Shaggers.” Slab glared at Gnat, the traitor, and twisted to free himself.

He managed to free his hands, grab hold of the lasso and try to pull it away from Harry.

But Harry kept his grip even when Slab wiggled out of the lasso’s loop and, engaging in a tug of war, dragged Harry towards the nests.

Harry dug in his heels. Beasley Bob cut a caper.

“Mind out.” Gnat could see the future unfolding.

“Thinks you’m a cowboy, eh?” said Slab, hauling on the rope.

of their prodigious pinchers.

Free of the lasso, Slab cheered to see his foe’s intentions foiled.

Mind those emmets, Gnat? Mind Harry bawling out, furiously slapping his clothing, and seeking to be shed of his infestation, jumping feet first into the deep pool under the Big Bridge?

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Harold Walters lives in Dunville, NL, doing his damnedest to live Happily Ever After. Reach him at ghwalters663@gmail.com

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reminiscing

George Vardy: Clay Pits best known settler

By Lester Green

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OFTEN, we reflect on times

gone by and challenge our minds to think about the earliest settlers, the true pioneers of our province. What would life be like to depend entirely on land and sea? What were the challenges of harvesting a virgin forest and the waters that washed its shorelines? As a former teacher, I considered the challenges of educating children.

Historical records provide insight into this harsh, primitive lifestyle of the earliest European settlers in the Southwest Arm area of Trinity Bay. Clay Pits, a now-abandoned community, is historically referred to as part of Random in the Southwest Arm area.

Other than a grassy meadow slowly reclaimed by the forest and an overgrown, quaint little cemetery, there’s little evidence that this community existed and that the Vardy and Benson families eked out a living from land and sea.

Hidden among the trees, surrounded by patches of unkempt grasslands, one will discover what appears to be an enchanted graveyard whose white limestone grave markers lie in the shadows of the tall trees that have rejuvenated since the last settler cut firewood.

Clay Pits was located on a relatively flat, fertile plain where the settlers created small meadows for subsistence living as they harvested the trees in their backyards. The forest seemed endless and backed into the base of a hill known today as Old Vardy’s Hill.

By the 1850s, the Benson and Vardy families occupied this land. One kilometre away was another community called Batt’s Cove, occupied by the Shaw brothers and a family of Martins related to the Shaws. These Grates Cove families had migrated across Trinity Bay, leaving their homes, searching for new land and opportunities.

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Above: A grassy meadow and cemetery are all that remain of the community of Clay Pits.

Left: Clay Pits’ best-known settler, George Vardy, arrived with his family in the 1850s A family of Jacobs at nearby Little Harbour, former settlers of Bay De Verde, may have unknowingly described the settlers’ fears of this wilderness when their son, William Henry, died in 1860 at the age of 8.

Records show he was buried at Clay Pits, but the parents were so distraught that they had the body disinterred and transported by boat back to their former home of Bay de Verde for a proper burial in sacred ground.

Clay Pits’ best-known settler was George Vardy, born at Burton Green, Christchurch, England, on May 8, 1818. He first arrived on the shore of Newfoundland in the community of 100

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Grates Cove around 1840. Due to the lack of available land, his family moved to the Southwest Arm area by the 1850s.

He can be best described as a teacher, preacher, healer, matcher and dispatcher who served the communities of Fox Harbour (re-named Southport), Heart’s Ease, Gooseberry Cove, Butter Cove, Batt’s Cove, and Little Harbour area. He was the Justice of the Peace and instrumental in filing several petitions for funds from the Government of Newfoundland to construct and maintain a cart road between Clay Pits and Heart’s Ease Beach. This road was well con1-888-588-6353

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structed and still exists 160 years later. A culvert constructed from slate still functions near the top of Old Vardy’s Hill, bearing testimony to the engineering in the 1860s.

Reverend R. Holland Taylor offers the best description of Mr. Vardy in a document entitled Two Missionaries at Random, 1879: “...For twenty years, Mr. Vardy acted as a schoolmaster, walking day by day to Heart’s Ease over a road which requires to be seen to be appreciated; he has acted, and still acts, in the capacity of lay-reader, conducting Service on Sunday, visiting the sick, burying the dead. He informed me quite seriously that he had buried over 130 persons! He is a doctor and lawyer as well as spiritual adviser, though he humbly repudiates any knowledge of medicine or acquaintance with the intricacies of the law, but as he naively puts it, they bring the sick to him or come for advice and medicine, and he prescribes to the best of his judgment.

We found him most willing to forward our work in every way.”

Journals of the House of Assembly for 1860-1875 proved he was the only teacher in Random during this period. The 1860 Journal describes the opening of the first school, noting that “the school can only be a humble one, but I presume the master is engaged partly for the purpose of leading religious services on Sunday in a locality that can seldom have the visits of a clergyman.”

Records suggest George taught at this school/chapel between 1859 and 1875. The exact location is unknown, but described as on a hill 100 feet above a rocky beach with a scenic view of a tombolo that can still be 1-888-588-6353

viewed by hikers today. The beach gave Europeans a means to dry cod for nearly 200 years before the people permanently settled the region and built the school/chapel.

During the school year, Mr. Vardy’s daily round trips to Heart’s Ease from Clay Pits would involve a sixmile trek. He was also the lay minister who kept church service on Sundays, which required additional walks to Heart’s Ease for spiritual guidance and burials.

“For twenty years, Mr. Vardy acted as a schoolmaster, walking day by day to Heart’s Ease over a road which requires to be seen to be appreciated.”

Reverend Taylor briefly describes the hill Mr. Vardy climbed when he set out to visit the communities further “down the arm.”

“It was rather late when we reached his (George Vardy) house, so we had to be content with Evensong in his kitchen, for the church at Heart’s Ease was fully three miles off, and the road, well, it was what our Yankee friends would call “a caution.”

Had you seen this fine road before it was made, You’d lift up your hands and bless General Wade, but if you were to see this road, how it is made, you would wonder how people got up July 2025

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Above: Descendents of George Vardy gather at a story board in Clay Pits. Right: The restored headstone of George Vardy and down it, especially up it! Our Inspector of Schools has named it Break-heart Staircase, it is so marvelously steep; I suggested Breakneck Staircase as connoting the most prominent characteristic of the road.”

The earliest records of his teaching years are in a government report on education status titled “Report Upon The Inspection of Protestant Schools for the year 1865.” It records Mr. George Vardy as the teacher in a school/chapel being paid a yearly salary of 30 pounds.”

He was likely employed a year earlier based on Reverend Taylor’s reference that Mr. Vardy told him he had been teaching for about 20 years.

That year, he was responsible for the education of 13 boys and 16 girls, most of whom were under the age of 12 years. The average attendance was recorded at 30 students, with most children coming from nearby Fox Harbour, Gooseberry Cove and Butter Cove communities.

Mr. George Vardy passed away on 102

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January 18, 1882, three years after Reverend Taylor visited. He’s buried at the now abandoned Anglican Clay Pits cemetery, and descendants of Mr. Vardy recently had his headstone restored to mark his final resting place.

In addition, two of the family surnames, Vardy and Benson, of Clay Pits, helped fund a storyboard dedicated to preserving the history of Clay Pits. The board was unveiled in the summer of 2024 during a flower service at the historical Clay Pits Cemetery, with George Vardy and other early settlers featured.

The restored headstone and storyboard pay tribute to Random’s first teacher, preacher, healer, matcher, and dispatcher.

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reminiscing from our readers

By Joseph Seaward Wolfville, Nova Scotia

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It was Friday, June 27, 1952.

I had already said goodbye to my siblings and friends. At 10:15 p.m., accompanied by Mom and Dad, we walked the short distance to the train station. After a hug from Dad, a tearful goodbye, and a hug from Mom, I boarded the westbound train. Because of its slow speed, it was nicknamed the Newfie Bullet. I was on my way to a new adventure, into which God only knows.

When the train reached Grand Falls, I washed up and went to the dining car for breakfast. After that, I settled in for the rest of the west trip. During the ride, I had time to think about what I had done. Except for a week in the Come-By-Chance hospital and two weeks at the recruiting centre, I was never alone in my seventeen years, but here I was, heading into a future I knew not what or where. I already miss my family and have been away for only one night.

As I stare out the window, watching the landscape blur into a tapestry of colours, I cannot help but think back to a whirlwind of events that led me here. Two weeks ago, the decision to join the army was still fresh, a beacon of change on the horizon. The recruiter was enthusiastic, speaking of duty, honour, and the adventures that awaited. I listened, heart pounding, as the future was painted with broad, bold strokes of possibility.

The days that followed were a blur of paperwork and preparation. My supportive yet sombre family stood by me as I packed my life into a suitcase.

Their faces, etched with pride and worry, remain vivid.

Now, on this train, those memories are bittersweet companions. The excitement of the journey ahead is tempered by the loneliness of leaving everything familiar behind. The rhythmic clatter of the train wheels is a steady reminder of the passage of time and distance, carrying me away from the life I have known into the embrace of the unknown.

In 1950, after much family illness and a poor fishing season, my family moved to the larger community of Clarenville. This brings me to where I am now, on a train taking me away from my home and family.

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Gooseberry Cove in the 1950s I thought about the places I had lived: My genesis, Gooseberry Cove, a small village surrounded on three sides by low hills facing the rigours of Trinity Bay’s waters. My great-greatgrandfather, Robert Seward, established the catholic faith in the community in the mid-1800s. When I was six, my family moved to Southport, a village whose harbour was protected by three islands from the Southwest Arm’s open waters. I learned to fish with my grandfather, Ivany, and later my father, Martin Seward and decided that fishing would be my life’s vocation.

My memory takes me back just three weeks, when I boarded the eastbound train at 4 a.m. for the five-hour ride to St. John’s. On arriving, I took a taxi to my dad’s sister’s place and was greeted by Aunt Bertha Locke. After a hearty breakfast, I was escorted around St. John’s by my cousin, Catherine. I visited my other aunt, Catherine Manuel, at the Battery, a 106

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fishing village on the north side of St. John’s harbour entrance. My cousin Catherine also showed me the way to the entrance to Buckmaster’s Field, the recruiting centre for the Canadian Armed Forces in Newfoundland and Labrador. On entering the recruiting centre, I noticed three buildings: Navy, Army, and RCAF; later, I learned they were listed in order of seniority, with the Navy being the senior service.

Being a middle-of-the-road kind of guy, I chose the Army. Little did I know how that decision would affect my future in the Canadian Armed Forces. I did not have the minimum education requirements (an eighthgrade certificate) to enter the Armed Forces. For the first of many times, luck was on my side. The Korean conflict was on (It was not yet called a war), and the Army was recruiting to fill the ranks of Battalions for service in this conflict. I do not remember being asked for proof of education. I 1-888-588-6353

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suspect the recruiters were advised not to enforce the education requirement policy on applicants applying from the outports. (My opinion. There would be few who would qualify, including me.) When I was asked for my birth certificate, which I did not have, I told the interviewer that it was lost in a fire in Heart’s Content, NL. I did not tell her the fire occurred 39 years before I was born.

During the next five days, I went through all the requirements for entry into the Army, including oral, written, medical and physical examinations. On Tuesday morning, I was told I had been accepted as a recruit. The swearing-in ceremony came next. Now I was a real soldier, all five feet four inches and one hundred and eighteen pounds.

I was presented with my pay record book, service book, tickets for travel and meals to Halifax, Nova Scotia and a four-day pass to spend time with my family in Clarenville.

Mom and Dad were still apprehensive about my joining the Army. Later, I learned that Dad had consented to my joining because he believed I would not pass the medical examination and would soon be home again.

www.downhomelife.com

Dad soon changed his mind and became my most supportive and proud fan.

I am back on my westbound voyage.

We left Grand Falls and explored central Newfoundland, which has beautiful lakes and forests. Then, we travelled to the west coast. I was amazed by the vastness and beauty of the majestic mountains. Finally, we arrived at the Port-aux-Basques terminal. We boarded the passenger ferry, were assigned a berth, and settled in for the nine-hour overnight voyage to North Sydney, Nova Scotia.

I watched the land that held everybody and everything I loved fade into the distance. My decision weighed heavily on my heart, but I knew there was no turning back. I had charted a new course for my life, one filled with uncertainty and possibility. With each passing wave, I felt the pull of fear and excitement. This journey into the unknown would shape the man I was to become, testing my resolve and pushing me to grow in ways I could not yet fathom. Though the uncertain future, I was ready to embrace it, trusting that my chosen path would lead to something extraordinary.

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reminiscing from our readers

-

smd

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My grandfather, Harold J. Carberry, has done a lot of work commemorating the veterans of the Burgoyne’s Cove, Trinity Bay area. Over the last several years, he has rebuilt the cenotaph, added a room to the local church with veterans’ history, and did the same in the local community centre. He received an award in 2021 from Veterans Affairs Canada, and he has been a staple in the Trinity Bay Area for many years.

In 2024, he completed and released a book called “Those Almost Forgotten.” So far, he’s sold a couple hundred copies to family and friends and by word of mouth in the area.

My family orders and enjoys the Downhomer magazine from all over Canada. It would make our family complete to be a part of the Downhomer and keep my grandfather’s love for NL veterans alive for many years ahead.

Skylar Carberry Alberta, Canada

HAROLD J. CARBERRY,

originally from Southport and raised in Burgoyne’s Cove, NL, has dedicated much of his retirement to honouring the legacy of local war veterans. After a successful career as a certified technician with the Association of Engineering Technicians and Technologists of Newfoundland, Harold retired in 1999 and began a new chapter rooted in remembrance and community service.

What started as a personal quest to learn more about four World War I veterans named on a fading memorial from the 1920s grew into a full-scale effort to document and commemorate all veterans connected to Burgoyne’s Cove, New Burnt Cove, and Clifton. His research uncovered the stories of 26 local men who served in the First World War – nine of whom never came home – and later expanded to include veterans from the Second World War as well. His dedication also extended to the cemetery, where, beginning in 2008, he single-handedly marked Remembrance Day by placing poppies on the graves of 14 known veterans. www.downhomelife.com

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Top Left: A skilled carpenter, Harold crafted boxes to store and protect ceremonial flags.

Top Right: Harold helped restore the cenotaph in Burgoyne’s Cove.

Right: Harold (far right) accepts a commendation from Veterans Affairs in 2021 In 2014, Harold co-founded and became Chairperson of the Burgoyne’s Cove Veterans Commemoration Association, established with a mission to remember, educate, and inspire future generations about the sacrifices made by local servicemen. Under his leadership, the association built a new plinth, added additional stones and restored the original cenotaph.

A skilled carpenter, Harold also personally crafted ceremonial flag boxes, a lectern for the growing binder of veterans’ biographies, and hand-framed portraits for the Wall of Remembrance he built himself.

To date, Harold has helped preserve and share the stories of more than 50 veterans with ties to the region.

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In recognition of his extraordinary efforts, in 2021 he was awarded a Commendation from the Federal Minister of Veterans Affairs, a distinction authorized by the Governor General to honour outstanding volunteer contributions in service of Canadian veterans.

In 2024, he completed and released a book titled Those Almost Forgotten, in an attempt to document what little is known of the experiences of the veterans of the area.

Thanks to Harold’s devotion, the names and stories of local soldiers are carved in their rightful place of honour, and the spirit of remembrance remains alive in the heart of his community.

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

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

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All for just

$42.99 + applicable taxes

12 issues for $42.99* or 36 issues for $107.99*

Save up to $120 when you sign up for 3 years!

Delivered with December’s issue. ††Delivered with June’s issue. Canadian mailing only. ††† Delivered with a spring and fall issue. *Plus applicable taxes

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Sign me up for a Downhome subscription Name:____________________________________________________________________________ Address:__________________________________________________________________________ City:__________________________________________ Prov/State: ____ Country: _______________ Postal Code: ____________________

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SIGN GIFT CARD FROM: _______________________________________ * Valid in Canada on a 1-year term. Total inc. taxes, postage and handling: for residents in NL, NB, PE $49.44; NS $49.01; ON $48.58; QC, SK, MB, AB, BC, NU, NT, YT $45.14; US $54.99; International $59.99. ** Valid in Canada on a 3-year term. Total inc. taxes, postage and handling: for residents in NL, NB, PE $124.19; NS $123.11; ON $122.03; QC, SK, MB, AB, BC, NU, NT, YT $113.39; US $159.99.

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

ORDER ONLINE TODAY! www.downhomelife.com

2507_Puzzles_1701-puzzles 5/22/25 1:53 PM Page 114

puzzles

The Beaten Path

Pansy Snow photo

By Ron Young

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

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G H J

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U

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R U m T

T H

U

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A K D M Q K H E M S x E Q p E p L F F A x S S R D E A O G n

S

S

S

Last Month’s Community: Springdale 114

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Sudoku

from websudoku.com

Last month’s answers

?

Need Help

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

www.downhomelife.com

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Debra Harley original photo

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

Use these 5 clues to identify where Ragged Rick is now: • This was the first British settlement in Bonne Bay • It was devastated by fire in 1922 • It hosts festivals for comedy, music and literature • Located in the heart of Gros Morne National Park • The lighthouse is a photo-op stop

Last Month’s Answer: Bonavista

Picturesque Place NameS of Newfoundland and Labrador

by Mel D’Souza Last Month’s Answer: Grand Bank 116

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

Last Month’s Clue: I observe using my miniscule orb In Other Words: I spy with my little eye

This Month’s Clue: That which fails to end you increases your robustness In Other Words: ____ _____ ____ ___ ____ ___ _______

A Way With Words FAME IS

RATED

Last Month’s Answer: Fame is overrated

This Month’s Clue

craft beer

TAP

Answer: ____ ___ __ ___

Rhyme Time A rhyming word game by Ron Young

1. To launch a ship is to _____ a ____ 2. To attempt tears is to ___ to ___ 3. A feline beanie is a ___ ___ Last Month’s Answers 1. camp lamp, 2. goad a toad, 3. summer bummer

Scrambled Sayings by Ron Young Place each of the letters in the rectangular box below into one of the white square boxes above them to discover a quotation. Incomplete words that begin on the right side of the diagram continue one line down on the left. The letters may or may not go in the box in the same order that they are in the column. Once a letter is used, cross it off and do not use it again.

,

A E D T A G D I E F A A E D N T E E A A E P I H H E B I N O W V I E I F N E R H N T L F A D L R R S I O N N S I S N O O S I O W O R H E O T S T J P T X S T R T N O O R U T S

Last month’s answer: Family life is not a computer program that runs on its own; it needs continual input from everyone. www.downhomelife.com

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Rhymes 5 Times Each answer rhymes with the other four

1. brag

____________

2. hover

____________

3. raglan

____________

4. bag

____________

5. choose

____________

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

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

Last Month’s Answers: 1. camper, 2. damper, 3. pamper, 4. hamper, 5. glamper

Tangled Towns

by Lolene Young Condon and Ron Young

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

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

1. LINPAC VOCE

For best results sound the clue words out loud!

2. STERNEW YAB

Arrow Lurk Holster _ _____ _______

3. RITAVICO

Weak Arrow Bout Chew __ ____ _____ ___

5. GRISUB

4. BAREACORN

Last Month’s Answers: Last Month’s 1st Clue: Ade Us Tier Owed.

1. Whitbourne, 2. Dildo, Answer: A dusty road. Last Month’s 2nd Clue: Stay Cake Lame. Answer: Stake a claim. 3. Hearts Delight, 4. Winterton, 5. Old Perlican

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

1. BIT I NIL IS IVY ~ Clue: the power that lets others see right through you 2. NAIVE RESORT ~ Clue: its time will come 3. STOLE CAB ~ Clue: it’s always getting in the way 4. BOY TIRES ~ Clue: it’s a glass empty kind of feeling 5. CLEANS TIN TOOLS ~ Clue: they are stars to everyone on Earth Last Month’s Answers: 1. cemetery, 2. aquarium, 3. oceanfront, 4. restaurant, 5. distraction 118

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

By Ron Young

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

4-1: head covering 2-22: unconscious 7-5: that woman 10-1: maternity 10-5: overprotect 10-30: Miss West 13-11: Attila 14-44: reported 16-14: plenty 16-19: Late night Jay 17-37: tree 18-68: environment 20-17: top notch 23-3: which person 25-23: depressed 26-23: setback 26-30: sound loudly 29-49: raced 33-31: consume 36-6: capable 38-40: pitch 37-34: post 41-1: tolerate 41-43: Sol 41-46: ice-cream treat 47-49: merriment 47-77: confront 49-79: Rome burner 54-51: price 54-94: repetitive song 55-5: seaman 55-59: frighten 55-85: self-satisfied 56-60: is concerned 57-59: exist 58-38: furrow 60-10: brook 61-64: quiet!

63-43: offspring 65-68: rodents www.downhomelife.com

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91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

100

66-68: frozen H2O 69-99: eternal city 71-73: acquired 71-91: potent potable 73-76: tight 78-76: damp 78-80: Awesome!

82-85: lengthy 87-90: note 91-1: bedside table 91-51: dark’s time 93-91: charged item 96-6: evident 96-46: poster 96-76: negative 98-58: less 98-100: gave food to

100-10: riverway 100-70: fine feathers 100-91: meaning Last Month’s Answer

WH I S P E R I N G A E S HE R E NAA T AGA TODN EM E L I MS T E AME ROD A T AMU CK P AR I A F P T R E R E I DRA T RU E OCV E UD I A S P ON E A TOO I E E F OR E RUNN E R July 2025

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The Bayman’s

Crossword Puzzle 1

2

3

by Ron Young

4

5

6

7

8 9

10

11

18

19

12

23

26

31

42 45

17

32 35 40

39 43

25

28

34

33

36

37 41

44

46

47

120

24

27

30

38

16

15

20

22

21

29

14

13

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ACROSS 1. “It’s the 24th of ___ and we likes to get away” 4. “Tight __ _ bull’s arse in fly time” (2 words) 5. “Come __ go day, God send Sunday” 7. Durrell’s ___, Twillingate 9. opposite of NW 10. crossbar behind a horse 14. bracing wind from the north 18. “__ only fit to be prayed for” 19. Labrador West export 20. “He had me __ the knots” 21. snowing by the ______ 23. church seat 25. tree 26. “And to fish in the sun, _____ the clear blue sky” 28. mischievous child 29. passageway 31. we 33. “Arn?” response (colloq) 34. permit 35. fall 38. mouth (colloq) 40. his boat was painted green 42. a merchant company in old St. John’s (3 words) 45. island (abbrev) 46. Robert’s Arm (abbrev) 47. fish stringer 48. aft DOWN 1. unmarried young woman 2. foolish __ odd socks 3. sly (colloq) 6. cold and bracing (colloq) 8. short for Megan 10. wild bird hunting (colloq) 11. Lieutenant-_______ – King’s representative in NL www.downhomelife.com

12. zone 13. birdie bed 14. pinch 15. “A fisherman is ___ rogue, a merchant is many” 16. pyramid-shaped dried grass piles (2 words, colloq) 17. thin (colloq) 22. fuel 24. ocean waves on a windy day (2 words, colloq) 27. colour 30. Toogood Arm (abbrev) 32. breeding horse 36. campaign for office 37. physical education (abbrev) 39. “You’ll never __ the man your mother was” 41. spun story 42. question 43. “If clouds ___ gathering thick and fast, keep sharp lookout for sail and mast” 44. neither (colloq) 45. “Every patient __ a doctor after he’s cured” M A P O O R R E A T T C H O O N A P S L E E H A S A S I P R M B P R O A S I U O N R A N G S W E

ANSWERS TO LAST MONTH’S CROSSWORD P Y C N A H M A A N I N C S E L Y C E O V S L E

O V E R Y E E T H A I Y V

I N K A D I S T O W N P L O G O N W S O M S N C E D O N O R A T E I L L E

July 2025

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DIAL-A-SMILE © 2025 Ron Young

Pick the right letters from the old style phone to match the numbers grouped below and uncover a quote which will bring a smile to your face. ____ 2287 ____ 8426 ___ 438 _ 2

___ 273

_ _ _ _.

3647

_____ 34448 ____ 7533

______ _ 762783 7

’

____ 2268

___ 968

__ 86

____ 2287

_______ 8476844

____ 7855

____ 7669

Last Month’s Answer: I never feel more alone than when I’m trying to put sunscreen on my back. ©2025 Ron Young

CRACK THE CODE Z

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

_ N _ _ _ _ _

0Z

t npOt

_ N _ _ _ _ BZb 3 A A _ _ _ _ _ N _ ; 0QQ3 ZA _ _ _ _ N _ A 3 xp ZO

_ _ N

x0 Z

_ _ N,

\L Z

_ _ _ _ _

2 ; 3 H3 _ _

2p

_ _ n3

_

0

_ N _ _ _ 3 Z2 H

t

Last Month’s Answer: If you die in an elevator, be sure to push the Up button.

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Food For Thought

© 2025 Ron Young

Each food symbol represents a letter of the alphabet. Find the meanings to the words then match the letters with the food symbols below to get a little “food for thought.”

locomotive = _ _ _ _

affirm =

_

b vay h

bravery= _ _

_ _ _ _ _

sheep =

_ _

_

_

_

_

_

_

_ ’_

_ _

_ _

_ _

_ _ _

_ _

_

csa` w

qa h b

l vaVy b v

_

_ _ _

hw lsw qb

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _

_

v yIsw

abandon = _ _

sa` c

v[t

yIv

shotgun = _ _ _ _

q[t valw _

_ _ _ _ _ _

V wv

_

Iassyhl

I[ v

_

_

yh

_

_ _ _

s[Vw

Last Month’s Answer: Life has no limitations, except the ones you make. – Les Brown www.downhomelife.com

July 2025

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Different Strokes

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

ERN AND COAL BIN AT THE HARDWARE STORE

Last Month’s Answers: 1. Window, 2. Arm, 3. Chair, 4. Tree, 5. Glass, 6. Picnic table, 7. Chimney, 8. Hill, 9. House, 10. Beard, 11. Lobster, 12. Pot “Differences by the Dozen”- A compilation of Different Strokes from 2002 to 2014 (autographed by Mel) can be ordered by sending $9.95 (postage incl.; $13.98 for U.S. mailing) to Mel D’Souza, 212 Pine St., Collingwood, ON, L9Y 2P2

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HIDE & SEEK DOWNHOME SURNAMES

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

BRETT BROMLEY DSOUZA COLLINS

GOSSE GRANT HOWELL MARSH

KANE OKEEFE ORGAN RICE

ROSE RYAN WALTERS YOUNG

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

Last Month’s Answers

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

www.downhomelife.com

July 2025

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Colourful Culture

The drawing on the opposite page

is the work of Newfoundland Mi’kmaq artist Marcus Gosse, a member of the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation Band. His grandmother, Alice Maude Gosse (nee Benoit) is a Mi’kmaq Elder from Red Brook (Welbooktoojech) on the Port au Port Peninsula.

Marcus’ work has been exhibited in the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax; The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery in St. John’s, NL; and the Canada 150 Art Show at the Macaya Gallery in Miami, FL; and his work is in private collections around the world.

He has generously offered a series of colouring pages that run monthly in Downhome. Each image depicts a NL nature scene and teaches us a little about Mi’kmaq culture and language. Each colouring page includes the Mi’kmaq word for the subject, the phonetic pronunciation of the word, and the English translation. And you’ll notice a design that Marcus incorporates into most of his pieces – the eight-point Mi’kmaq Star.

This symbol dates back hundreds of years and is very important in Mi’kmaq culture. Marcus’ Mi’kmaq Stars are often seen painted with four colours: red, black, white and yellow, which together represent unity and harmony between all peoples. Many Mi’kmaq artists use the star, and various Mi’kmaq double curve designs, to decorate their blankets, baskets, drums, clothing and paintings.

To download and print this colouring page at home, visit DownhomeLife.com. To learn more about Marcus and find more of his colouring pages, look him up on Facebook at “Mi’kmaq Art

by Marcus Gosse.”

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www.downhomelife.com

July 2025

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backporch_Layout 1 5/22/25 11:47 AM Page 134

the back porch the Labrador current

Embers

By Nathan Freake

A year ago, I was sitting down in the Well-Bean Cafe, desper-

ately trying to finish my final paper for my Master’s degree, when the smoke began to roll in. I had been there from nearly open till close, and with my back towards the window, the whole shop had turned to a deep orange haze when I drew my eyes from my laptop screen. I checked Facebook and quickly discovered the panicked state our whole town was in. Some posted pictures from their yards, some shared updates from the town council, and others claimed there was nothing to worry about. I only had two things on my mind: boy, did I ever need to get this paper written, and where in the world are we going to have our baby if we have to evacuate? My wife, coincidentally, was 38 weeks pregnant.

I stepped outside and was hit with the distant scent of smoke, warm and unsettling. There was a clear line on the horizon from where a blue sky with white clouds was overtaken by crimson-orange. My car had been dusted with flecks of ash. I put an intense rush on my final few paragraphs of my paper, but the nervousness hadn’t hit me until that moment.

I came home to my wife, son, and mother-in-law feeling tense with the looming, billowing smoke. We had just sat down to eat supper when the announcement came through: total evacuation protocol in effect.

With an anxious pup, a toddler in 134

July 2025

tow, and a baby on the way, we crammed into a hastily packed truck and headed down the road, hoping to return to everything the way we left it.

It immediately became apparent that there would be very little driving happening. The streets were packed, bumper to bumper, with vehicles.

Dogs hung out of windows, people weaved through the streets on bikes, and town employees directed traffic in high-visibility gear. It was an image that will stay with me.

As time went on and evening set in, the worry for the baby was more and more on our minds. What if he comes tonight? Do we stay? Do we push on 1-888-588-6353

backporch_Layout 1 5/22/25 11:47 AM Page 135

to Goose Bay? 530 kilometres in gridlocked traffic? What if he comes tonight?

About three hours into our crawl, it started to become clear that we’d have to make a decision fast, before we lost cell phone service and communication. Luckily, our cabin is situated about 30 kilometres along the TransLabrador Highway, and that’s where we felt it was safest to go in the meantime. What took 25 minutes on a normal day took about 3 and a half hours of inching slowly towards our destination.

The overnight stay at the cabin was an anxious one, but by morning, we found that our decision was the right one. Friends of ours who drove through the night rolled into Happy Valley-Goose Bay at 5 a.m., tired, hungry, and exhausted. We drove freely in the morning and made a beeline for the hospital to make sure that they were aware of our situation and that baby number two would soon arrive.

It went smoothly, with the staff at the Labrador Health Centre treating us with the utmost care and respect, and our nerves settled quickly.

We spent a week in Goose Bay at my grandparents’ place, doing our best to pass the time, to take things slow and process our reality, hoping for a return to normalcy. And then, on the day in late July when we were finally given the all-clear to return, little Thomas made his way into the world.

I wrote the following poem for our

little guy to commemorate the joy he gave us in the face of the anxiety of being displaced.

The warmth that his new life provided will never be forgotten, and every time I think of his birth, I’m reminded to appreciate every blue sky and be thankful for each breath I take.

Embers

Oh, let embers subside and after growth takes shape Let wind carry tomorrow’s rain and renew our life again Let that same rain seep into our earth a new creation – into our world this newest love; and let that love burrow – coil around us; bind us to our earth like roots Oh, let embers subside and let us tend this new creation Let us breathe each day the dulcet air and listen to its wind Let us bask in every sunlight let us drink the clean, clean rain And as the embers of this flame subside let us cultivate this life; As we look upon this sleeping child let us watch our Earth reprise

Nathan Freake is a writer and educator from Labrador City. For any inquiries, you can reach Nathan at thelabcurrent@gmail.com

www.downhomelife.com

July 2025

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the back porch what odds

the monster at the end

By Paul Warford

of my favourite picture books as Today, I’m One a pink-cheeked child featured Grover from feeling a bit like Sesame Street. Remember Grover? Some Grover myself. If Wikipedia fact-checking tells me he first appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1967, but he you’re reading came into my life years later. Part-narcissist, this, you’ve now part-daredevil, Grover was impossibly charming come to realize to the developing mind as he spoke without that I’m the using contractions and rode his sparkly motorcycle into random calamity much like Super monster at the Dave Osborne. Among the countless options on end of this my shelves as a kid, The Monster At The End Of month’s issue This Book was my favourite.

Would you like a plot summary of this classic of Downhome literature?

I thought you might. From the very Magazine. first page, Grover warns his young readers that there’s a monster at the end of this book, and it would be best if we all just put it down before we even start reading it.

As intrepid children soldier on, he tries everything in his power to stop you; he tries to secure the pages shut with rope, he tries blocking up the pages with brick and mortar. He keeps urging you to stop turning the pages before the end because the monster is waiting for them there.

Finally, you’d reach the final page, and – surprise! The monster at the end of the book was Grover all along. What a twist!

Today, I’m feeling a bit like Grover myself. If you’re reading this, you’ve now come to realize that I’m the monster at the end of this month’s issue of Downhome Magazine.

The only difference between Grover and me is that while he tries to prevent you from turning the pages, I urge you to be sure to flip through and examine every section of the printed copy you’re now holding. Unlike Grover, I’m contractually obligated to encourage you to read all pages and keep turning. However, we do share the honour of being the last monster you turn to 136

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as you make your way along. I feel like the high school kid smoking behind the school, selling rollies for twentyfive cents apiece.

So, what are we doing here, you might be asking? Well, it turns out the Downhome brain trust wizards have concluded that now is a great time to shake up some of the interior sections of the magazine, and I’ve never been one to argue with the brass behind the desk lest the powers-that-be opt to kick me to the curb. I was a bit startled by the news at first. I’ve been hovering around page 28 for so long that my whole identity slowly started to metamorphosize with one specific area of Downhome. Can I even function outside of the early portion of the book, near the pet pictures and subscription inserts? Can “What Odds” be back here? Can I be like Grover?

However, in all seriousness, once the office explained the move to me, I started to enjoy the idea of being the monster at the end of the book. We can catch up each month after you’ve enjoyed everything else our mighty table of contents has to offer for Newfoundlanders, displaced Newfoundlanders, and mainlanders alike.

This fresh section has been titled “The Back Porch”, and I like that, too.

Mormons and Girl Guides come to the front porch, cupping their faces against the glass of your door, looking to see if anyone is home before their eager knocks. However, it’s your friends who go to the back porch.

They’re familiar enough with you and www.downhomelife.com

yours to bypass the formality of the front porch’s cedars and mailboxes.

The back porch is where the barbecue is, the patio furniture, and the sunblocking parasol that keeps blowing away when the wind gets too high.

And I like that.

I like being in the familiar space that feels most welcoming. We have our own little corner back here to talk about whatever comes to mind, and if someone decides to get the accordion out, well, it wouldn’t be the first time, would it?

Also, just between us, I’m also hoping I can get away with more swears if I’m this close to the back of the bus.

Unlike Grover, I’m always trying to sneak in more references to sex, drugs, and swearing than Sesame Street tends to permit. Downhome doesn’t allow this sort of filth, either, but it’s not for a lack of trying on my part.

Perhaps we can tell a few more dirty jokes than we used to get away with up at page 28 to 32. I won’t tell if you don’t tell. That’s how it works ‘round the back of the school; everyone’s a bit of a misfit, at least for the duration of recess. So, be sure to keep stopping by and bring some friends along! There’s lots of space back here.

Paul Warford began writing for Downhome to impress his mom and her friends. He writes and performs comedy in Eastern Canada.

Follow him on X @paulwarford July 2025

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the back porch ties to home

my newfoundland license plate by dianna brown

In 2020, my husband and I

bought a 1986 Vanguard on a Ford E-350 chassis. We’ve always loved camping in a trailer, but needed more space with two teenage sons.

With the uncertainty of COVID at the time, we needed to be outside while the world had to endure a period of isolation. We saw it as an opportunity for a family project to revamp the old motorhome, to make it our own. Wood flooring replaced the linoleum tiles, new wallpaper was hung, cabinets were painted a fresh coat of white, and furniture reupholstered – until it became the warmest little ‘homeaway-from-home’ to take camping around Alberta.

As a finishing touch, my Dad brought us a fine-looking license plate to display on the front of the RV – a Newfoundland flag. We explored the province on the weekends over the next four summers, with our Newfoundland flag leading the way. Always keeping our motorboat in tow, we gravitated to campgrounds with lakes so we could fish, cruise around and go tubing.

There’s something about the peacefulness of water that makes us feel like we’re back home. Although I’d prefer the rocky beach of my hometown gazing over the Atlantic Ocean, I have learned to enjoy the serenity of different lakes around Alberta and British Columbia.

No word of a lie, eyes would light up when our motorhome entered campgrounds. The nostalgia of the retro RV opened a kind of floodgate for spectators, inspiring a little walk down memory lane. However, it was the sight 138

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of the license plate, recognized by Newfoundland eyes, that got attention. Like a welcome mat, people have been drawn to stop by and share what part of Newfoundland they are from, and tell fond rememberings of their time spent on the rock.

This got me thinking. Our time spent camping on the mainland, in my modest opinion, can be considered the equivalent of a traditional Newfoundland kitchen party. Hear me out. Although completely different, camping has people coming together, day or night, in a circle of foldable chairs

around a crackling fire. This is the place where stories are told, music is played, songs are sung, and people get up to have a little dance. Laughter fills the air as someone stokes the fire, attempting to keep the smoke at bay.

There’s a deck of cards beside a cribbage board on the picnic table and plenty of food and drinks to go around.

Similarly, this is how we’d gather around my Nan and Pop’s kitchen table. Every time the screen door squeaked open, my Nan would run to grab another stool and add it to the www.downhomelife.com

circle before offering food and drinks.

We’d be huddled in close to listen to the old folk’s stories or play games of bingo, with big dreams to fill our small coin purses. Then, my Uncle Ed would strum his guitar, and my Pop would play his fiddle. Everyone would sing along, with feet tapping and hands clapping. Before too long, someone would swing someone else around the kitchen floor and do a jig. The jingle of beer caps on a homemade ugly stick also kept the beat. Those were the best days, spending quality time with the ones we love. Our lighthearted souls are so full of love and happiness, surrounded by family and friends.

During the cold months, once day slipped to night, the kitchen party would continue – the heat of the woodstove kept us warm, with everyone taking turns topping up and poking the burning firewood. The sweet scent of smoke complemented the mouthwatering aromas of supper.

However, on summer nights, we’d head outside to enjoy a bonfire on the beach under the stars.

Or if we wanted to stay close, my uncle Ed had a dandy rig for a fire pit in his backyard. He used the inner tub of a retired washing machine. The holes in the wash basket were the perfect size to keep spring-loaded flankers from whizzing out.

This memory sparked the recollection of an experience we had at a campground in Alberta, where we had the pleasure of witnessing the most innovative creation by a family friend from Newfoundland. It’s what I July 2025

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thought should be called ‘The Newfoundland Travelling Firepit,’ as it was made of the base of a lawnmower and the bucket of a wheelbarrow. Holes were drilled on the side of the bucket, outlining the shape of the province. The ingenuity of this design brought the spirit of the Newfoundland kitchen party, as the fire pit on wheels was pushed around to visit neighbouring friends’ campsites. It reminded me of summertime mummering, without the disguise. What an image to see on a dark night – on the side of the bucket, the silhouette of Newfoundland glowed when the roaring fire got going.

The fond memories of Newfoundland kitchen parties will forever be etched in my heart and mind. With modern, busy times, this tradition sometimes gets put aside. However, when someone from home comes to visit, we are brought back to those good old days and excitedly make plans to get together, inviting friends and family to share a meal, tell stories, play instruments and sing some songs. Although it doesn’t always look the same as it did back home, that heartwarming feeling of togetherness is there.

In reflecting on this piece, I realize I need to chisel out time from our family’s over-scheduled way of life.

Tony Moss photo

The Newfoundland Travelling Firepit

Less of the over-planned events and more simple, spontaneous gatherings around the kitchen table or campfire.

So, this summer, if you want to feel like you are home again, get yourself a Newfoundland flag or a Newfoundland license plate to attract others, whether at a campground or backyard gathering, and keep alive the spirit of the Newfoundland kitchen party.

Dianna Brown is a hockey mom, an elementary school teacher and author of two novels: Saltwater Joys and Saltwater Stranger. She was born in Gander, currently resides in Calgary, and loves to visit her hometown, Kelligrews, C.B.S. You can reach her at diannabrown.tiestohome@gmail.com 140

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the back porch from our readers

The Government Wharf

By Gary Rideout Pasadena, NL

Governments of the day

built wharves in outport Newfoundland to boost the fishery and to accommodate the moving of passengers and freight by coastal boats, mainly since most of those communities were not connected by road to the Trans Canada Highway. Vital at the time for the purpose intended, the wharves over time would become an integral part of the infrastructure.

Many of the wharves served multiple purposes. Jutting off from the shoreline out a considerable distance, they served as breakwaters, protecting smaller wharves and stages from being destroyed by severe weather.

Government wharves were very beneficial in the fact that they provided anglers with countless hours of recreational fishery for cod, squid and the elusive mackerel. It made a food source more readily available to many not equipped to pursue it at sea. Majestic icebergs and whales were now in close proximity to be viewed, admired and photographed by locals and tourists.

Children returning to outport Newfoundland for the summertime, after being “imprisoned” so to speak in Mainland Canada, enjoyed the freedom of fishing from these wharves under the watchful eyes of their parents. Here, they could familiarize themselves with the different species of fish.

Frowned upon now, but back in the 142

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day, many chose the government wharf as a spot to gather and drink a few beer, keeping a watchful eye out for the law while their evidence of their breaking the law were the longnecked bottles floating around in the waters of the cove. (Before the days of returning empties).

It may be a feeble attempt to inject a bit of humour, but one day, my aunt and uncle were parked on the wharf in my hometown, close to the perimeter.

Some young chap attempted to pass between the car and the side of the wharf, at the very same time my aunt decided to open the car door. Needless to say, the poor guy ended up in the “drink”.

On a downturn, wharves have been the scene of many tragedies over the years. Many tragedies were caused by individuals who let their guard down intentionally or unintentionally.

On a moonlit night, the government wharf provided a perfect spot for those pursuing romance. A place to whisper “sweet nothings” in one another’s 1-888-588-6353

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ears. A place to make promises, some of which were kept and some of which were broken.

Before the network of roads was complete, helicopters used the wharf as landing pads. Aircraft were used to ensure that politicians got to visit communities in their ridings. In my particular area of the province, names like Fred Rowe and Charlie Grainger come to mind. It was always a big attraction for the locals.

The arrival of the coastal boat to the government wharf was always a welcome change from the mundane moments of the cove. As boys, we were drawn, as if by a magnet, to the activity about to occur. We would observe with great detail who and what got off

the ship and who and what got on it.

An array of things came by “steamers” as they were called. Passengers, livestock, automobiles, provisions and much more were scrutinized by our young minds as everything was unloaded from the ship, and we wondered where it all originated.

I recall on quiet Sunday mornings, men of the community making their way to the weekly gathering on the wharf to exchange views and opinions of the week’s happenings at home and abroad until the appointed time for their mid-day meal.

The above reflections come from 70 years of living in outport Newfoundland, in the community of Seal Cove.

Original photo by Scott Lilley

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photo finish

Oh, Canada!

A crisp Maple Leaf flag waves above the wild beauty of Black Island.

David Boyde Twillingate, NL

Do you have an amazing or funny photo to share?

Turn to page 9 to find out how to submit.

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