Vol 39 • No 05
$4.99
October 2026
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Get Lost in Little Fogo Islands
Seaweed Skincare A Guide to Slugs & Snails
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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 Operator Josephine Collins Shipping/Receiving Clerk Jonathon Organ Shipping/Receiving Clerk Kim Tucker
Art and Production Art Director Vince Marsh Illustrator Mel D’Souza Illustrator Snowden Walters
Retail Operations Retail Operations Director Jackie Rice Retail Manager, Water Steet Crystal Rose Retail Manager, Avalon Mall Emma Luscombe Retail Manager, Twillingate Donna Keefe Retail Sales Associates Destinee Rogers,
Advertising Sales Marketing & Advertising Director Tiffany Brett Account Manager Curtis Heffernan Finance and Administration Accountant Marlena Grant Accountant Sandra Gosse Operations Manager, Twillingate Nicole Mehaney
Emily Snelgrove, Alexandria Skinner, Colleen Giovannini, Morgan Powless, Adriana Hann, Keith Lamkin, Martina Rogers, Hayley Warren, Bridget Bartlett, Maggie Fenton, Nikeah Bennett, Jessica Newman, Ryder Melville, Jeanette Burt, Jamie Muise, Shannon Power
Subscriptions Customer Service Associate Jennifer Kane Customer Service Associate Jacinta Squires Founding Editor Ron Young 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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56 up North
Contents 82 home feast
OCTOBER 2026
56 10 Must-See Experiences in Bonavista North Marie-Beth Wright
62 Slick and Slimy A guide to Newfoundland and Labrador’s slugs and snails Todd Hollett
82 Downhome Recipes Top 10 Tips for Your Perfect Newfoundland Thanksgiving
96 One For The Road: A Ghostly Tale of Old Brigus Dennis Flynn
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Contents
OCTOBER 2026
homefront 8 Between the Lines A note from the Editor
10 Letters From Our Readers Prayers of Thankfulness, Karma, and Learning the Upalong Ways
16 Then & There Catching readers up on major recent news, notes, events, anniversaries and acknowledgements across NL and beyond.
18 Downhome Tours Italy
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what’s new
20 Island Insights Ominous Omens Nicola Ryan
24 Life’s Funny Bubbly Bologna Rose Noel
25 Say What? A contest that puts words in someone else’s mouth
26 Lil Charmers Autumn Antics 28 Pets of the Month Happy Halloween!
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cutie creatures
30 Book Nook Downhome dives into the latest and greatest in Newfoundland literature
32 Fresh Tracks Wendy Rose reviews The Irish Descendants’ Our Tribute to Stan Rogers
36 Adventures Outdoors Ptarmigan Hunting Heaven Gord Follett
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paying tribute 4
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Contents
OCTOBER 2026
50 off the beaten path
features 42 The Knowledge of the Water A generation of lived experience risks being lost to time Pam Pardy
50 Little Fogo Islands Newfoundland’s best-kept offshore secret Christopher Payne
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68 7 Fathoms - A Life of Exploration Meet the makers behind bioactive-rich seaweed skincare products Zachary Mosher
life lessons
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Contents
OCTOBER 2026
90
looking back
home and Cabin 76 Stuff We Love Fall Fixtures 78 Everyday Gourmet When Life gives you Lemons Andrea Maunder
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one of a kind
reminiscing 90 Flashbacks Classic photos of people and places.
91 This Month in History 92 The Clairvoyant Witch of North West Brook Lester Green 100 The Tale of the Acme Schooner Jean F. Collins King 6
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140 fowl foe
106 Puzzles 118 Colouring Page 120 Classifieds 122 Mail Order
the back porch 126 The Labrador Current A About the cover Our October cover features tips and recipes to perfect your fall feast. We serve up kitchen hacks and mouthwatering dishes to please your friends and family this Thanksgiving. Elsewhere, we look at ominous omens and death tokens, dive into the world of slippery slugs and snails, take a trip to Little Fogo Islands, and offer up 10 must-see experiences in Bonavista North.
Cover Index Ominous Omens & Death Tokens • 20 10 Must-See Experiences… • 56 Fall Feast • 82 Get Lost in Little Fogo Islands • 50 Seaweed Skincare • 68 A Guide to Slugs & Snails • 62 www.downhomelife.com
Family Halloween Nathan Freake
138 What Odds Paul Warford loves lobster rolls.
130 Ties to Home Halloweens of the 90s Dianna Brown
134 I Am Not Lassie, I Am Droop Dwight Verge 138 Raise the Flag Cyril Griffin 140 Runaway Rooster Lloyd Mushrow
144 Photo Finish October 2026
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between the lines There’s a change in the air here in Newfoundland and Labrador when the calendar crosses to October. It’s the season of change – both literally and figuratively – and those transitioning colours and nip in the air bring forth feelings of nostalgia, both eerie and endearing. This issue of Downhome is, in many ways, a celebration of those falltime feelings, the comfort and curiosity and the wonderfully strange. We begin with the familytime tradition that is Thanksgiving, Newfoundland-style! We serve up 10 tips to help make your holiday gathering a little more memorable and, hopefully, a little less stressful. Then we trudge headlong into darker territory exploring ghosts, witches and the curious death tokens that have found their way into our our stories and folklore. Of course, October in Newfoundland wouldn’t be complete without a few things that are slick, slimy and surprisingly fascinating. Our guide to slugs and snails takes a closer look at some of the tiny creatures you might otherwise overlook. From there we head to Little Fogo Islands to get lost for a while, explore the unexpected world of seaweed skincare and share 10 must-see experiences in Bonavista North. Whether you’re planning a Thanksgiving feast, chasing a ghost story, exploring somewhere new or rediscovering something old, we hope this issue gives you a reason to slow down and look a little closer at the place we call home. Happy October, Newfoundland and Labrador.
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 Mary Stuckless of North Bay, ON who found Corky on page 95 of the August issue!
*No Phone Calls Please. One entry per person
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A Few Prayers of Thankfulness
Your extraordinary magazine is a joy to receive at our house every month and has been for many, many years. Thank you for all the amazing stories, recipes, jokes, and for basically bringing Newfoundland to life in our house. My partner Bill and I visited your province for three weeks in September and October of this year. Our drive took us to so many beautiful communities such as Fleur de Lys, Cape St. George, Gambo, Trepassey, Bonavista and New-Wes-Valley, where we heard first-hand of the blessed fortune for seven fishermen who were rescued and safely taken home following a fire and abandonment of their vessel. Along our travels, we met the most handsome Australian Shepherd dog I ever saw and two sophisticated felines. To my heart’s delight, we also met a lovely lady who was a Buchta dancer on Don Messer’s Jubilee (I always wanted to be a Buchta dancer). Gorgeous scenery embraced us like a big hug everywhere we ventured, and that includes all the places we visited and not just those mentioned above. For our last two days, we rented a cottage in Newfoundland’s most westerly point, Cape Anguille, where the waves splashing on the shore lulled 10
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us like a baby being rocked to sleep. Here we roamed the shore for many hours, where the salt air filled our nostrils and the crystal clear water brought such peacefulness. On our last afternoon, upon spending several hours walking along the rocks with the waves splashing at our feet, I said a few prayers of thankfulness for the opportunity and health to have travelled safely on this fantastic vacation. My mother, who passed in 2022 at age 94, walks beside me every day, but today her presence was more pronounced. Perhaps it was the connection to the saltwater and the rocky shoreline, as my parents were born and raised on Big Tancook Island, which is located off the southern coast of Nova Scotia. Mom spent countless hours exploring the shore all around the island, but more so below our house, basking in the tranquility, waiting for her fisherman husband or
looking for the uniquely shaped rock which she wrapped up in a Christmas present so we would be fooled by the weight of the package. I silently asked Mom to send me a sign, and as Bill came up behind me saying, ‘It’s time to go,’ I looked down at my feet and enclosed in a photo of the rock I found. To say the least, I was overwhelmed, but I knew my mother was walking with me on that day, as she does every day, and I will treasure this stone as I have treasured being part of her forever. Yours truly, Donna Langille Amherst, NS
This is a beautiful story, Donna. We’re so glad you had a fantastic time in Newfoundland and your bond with your mother was no doubt powerful. Thanks so much for sharing this with our readers.
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Re: Not For A Million Dollars I just finished reading Gord Follett’s article “Not for a Million Dollars” in the latest edition (August 2026). I can only assume that Mr. Follett’s protests are against the development of wind turbines in the province and the supposed “massive destruction of the province” that will result. He speaks of the loss of drinking water, not being able to “catch a meal of trout,” gullies for ducks disappearing and not being able to go where you used to be able to go in the outdoors. He claims fishing, hunting, hiking, snowmobiling and ATV’ing will never be the same. He equates all of this to the apocalypse: “This is the beginning of the end,” and warns the people of Newfoundland and Labrador that “this province is about to be destroyed and devastated.” Wow. Some pretty strong opinions, Mr. Follett. But there’s one key element missing from your article and position. EVIDENCE. On what do you base these statements and warnings? Readers of Downhome magazine know your love for the outdoors and the province. But perhaps you can provide the credible evidence, research, impact studies, etc. that actually justify the fear mongering in your article. Brian Gillam Ottawa, ON
Thanks for your note, Brian. Once again, Gord’s insights and opinions bring on much healthy debate, which we absolutely encourage. There’s only one Gord Follett, and we’re happy to have him.
Asks Downhome routinely takes to social media to pose questions to our followers. Here are some of our favourite responses.
What’s the spookiest thing that’s ever happened to you while out in the woods or berry picking? I was walking back to my campsite in Gros Morne. It just turned dark out, a bat dove at me from the trees. I ducked, it missed, and l boot it back as fast as I could. Robbi Gellately At least 10 very close swoops by a Great Horned Owl. Early morning, October. So not a nest issue! Randy Jenkins
What’s one meal that always tastes better when someone else makes it? We always called it cooked supper growing up, but now I hear Jiggs, but I got to have gravy. Gloria Bailey My late Mom’s soups (chicken, turkey, potato, beef) and her macaroni and cheese, and her roast beef dinners! Gail P. Davis Probably anything because you are able to sit down and enjoy it instead of rushing around trying to get it all put together lol. Robin Fry Bacon, because making it without a shirt on hurts. Stephen Bussey
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Karma I read the recent letter from the new subscriber in the May edition looking for old magazines, which prompted a big smile. Sorry I can’t assist because I have been giving away my old Downhome magazines for years. My primary donation “victim” is my longtime buddy originally from Northern Ontario who has teased me for years about being a Newfie. You know what they say about karma. It can be fickle. His son, a born-andraised-in-Ontario guy, moved to Newfoundland for a job opportunity, and he proceeded to bring his new bride along, as you would. Lo and behold, my buddy “the teaser” is now the proud grandfather to two little Newfie girls. Of course, I dare not tease him… wrong! He gets it every time an opportunity arises, which is every time we are together, or talk on the phone, or by text, or email…the fun is endless.
www.downhomelife.com
As for the magazines, I ship them and take them to their summer family and friends’ cottage up north, where they are spread all over the various sleeping quarters and especially the prime spot, the outhouse. Blessed reading for all the folks who visit! Long live the Downhome magazine! Lyndon Regular Whitby, ON
We appreciate your kind words, Lyndon! We value our readers more than you can realize.
Learning the Upalong Ways Having grown up around the Bay in the 70’s, I was not very worldly. In those days we did not have any fivestar restaurants where you had to use the correct knife and fork. Nor did we have cloth napkins to put on our lap while we dined. I remember being taken to a nice restaurant in St. John’s
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homefront pets of the month
Count Catula
Strawberry’s a cat of the night! Melissa Edwards Paradise, NL
Happy Halloween Canine Candy Collector Nala’s the sweetest trickor-treater. Vanessa Hann Benoit’s Cove, NL
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The Lone Woofer Saddle up! Lucy’s ready for some Halloween fun. Dolores Oxford Appleton, NL
Send us your cute pet photos!
downhomelife.com
Too Cute to Spook Cuddly Dori’s sweet, not scary. Chantal Oake Paradise, 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!
Cryptids From The Rock
Edited by Ellen Curtis & Erin Vance Engen Books Ltd.
There are creatures in the dark we cannot explain. The fog rolls in, and the light plays tricks, and all logic leaves us in the moment. Every culture has them, and they all exist on an island off the east coast of Canada. From the editors of the From the Rock anthologies comes a new selection of twenty stories, carefully curated from some of Newfoundland and Labrador’s favourite authors. Between these pages, revisit old legends and fresh new additions to the world of cryptids. Including the work of Ali House (The Hunters and the Hunted), Ainsley Hawthorn (Land of Many Shores), Dwain Campbell (Strange Duty), Matthew LeDrew (As Loved Our Fathers) and more!
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Downhome Recommends The Wreckhouse Christopher Butt
What awaits you as you travel along a dark stretch of highway on the southwest coast of Newfoundland? Horror, strangeness and dark humour. This legendary road shares the same aura of uneasiness as the macabre tales in this collection. So, on a dark winter’s night, are you prepared to travel through the Wreckhouse?
Terror Nova Various Authors
When four tourists set out on the Terror Nova bus from St. John’s to hear spooky tales and visit strange locales, they had no idea who their mysterious tour guide Simon was, nor the horror that awaited them in the rocky inlets and winding roads. Featuring twelve terrifying short stories from Newfoundland’s top talents, including two-time Nightmare on Water Street winner Josh Goudie, Erin Mick, Paul Carberry (Zombies on the Rock), bestseller Ali House (Chillers from the Rock) and many more!
Screech! Ghost Stories From Old Newfoundland Charis Cotter
A spooky, illustrated collection of Atlantic ghost stories for middle-grade readers. Featuring ghostly illustrations from Newfoundland artist Genevieve Simms, as well as an overview of the Newfoundland storytelling tradition, and a Story Behind the Story for each tale including context on the story’s history, its original teller, its featured ghost, and setting, along with tips for spooky storytelling and a Glossary of Newfoundland terms, Screech! is equal parts eerie and educational, making it a riveting read as well as a great resource for budding historians and storytellers. www.downhomelife.com
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features
It’s not too early
to start planning that long-awaited trip to Newfoundland and Labrador! Whether you consider yourself a naturalist, beachcomber or an amateur historian, “The Shore” region of the Northeast Coast will engage you! Your starting point is R320, later transitioning to R330, by leaving the TCH at Gambo. Read on.
Lumsden Beach Company photo
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1/Hare Bay Adventures This well-established multi-service enterprise in Hare Bay offers whale watching, sunset cruises and fishing excursions on the bay. There are three 10-day guided excursions, highlighting the nearby tectonic Dover Fault, where ancient continents collided, samples of local fauna and flora and, of course, fishing! Their solar-powered glamping dome at nearby Bragg’s Island boasts luxury conveniences as you explore the island. Twenty years on, the Adventures’ core establishment is a café and gift store featuring original souvenirs, quilts, books and your latest copy of Downhome! An RV camping site is available.
2/Black’s Brook Trail and the Dr. Janice Fitzgerald Hold Fast Lookout
Blacks Brook Trail (CWT) Facebook
During COVID-19, Chief Medical Officer Dr. Janice Fitzgerald’s expert advice ended with her signature phrase, “Hold Fast.” Trinity now honours its native daughter with the Black’s Brook Trail’s “Dr. Janice Fitzgerald Hold Fast Lookout.” This jewel of a trail is 45 km from the Trans-Canada Highway, along the scenic Kittiwake Coast. The park offers hiking, camping sites, playgrounds, picnic sites and a swimming area, plus seasonal community events. Visitors experience a well-maintained woodsy walk for all ages. The main trail has boardwalks and bridges spanning waterfalls where you might glimpse wildlife or see relics of old buildings. Interpretive signs offer insights into the area’s logging history. Storyboards detail the role the area played from the early 1900s, supplying wood for boatbuilding and for Bowater’s Mill. The lookout is on a challenging side trail, off the main loop. From the Bell Hill trail, you can see Dr. Fitzgerald’s childhood home. www.downhomelife.com
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3/Washed Ashore Antiques and Coffee Bar Located in Trinity, Washed Ashore was the winner of the Small Business Award for 2016. As touted by TripAdvisor, this destination offers a selection of antiques, vintage, retro and home décor, with locally handmade crafts and souvenirs. Choose from Timothy’s & Jumping Bean coffees along with delicious sweets. A chat with owner-operator Kirk White is a bonus! Caution: this is NOT the Trinity in Trinity Bay!
4/Greenspond Courthouse This Registered Heritage Structure (1901) has a Mansard roof and dormer windows, with its courtroom and the living area on the upper floor. Volunteer guides describe fish plant employment, life before the causeway was built in 1983 and other outport changes. Free admission, but donations support operations. Its beautiful gift shop features locally inspired items. One of the most popular attractions is mock trials. These lively tenminute presentations are based on real historical cases. Once found guilty, visitors spend two minutes in the original jail cell and pay a toonie to escape. Acclaimed artist Chris George has family roots in Greenspond, and much of his displayed artwork is inspired by local landscapes, buildings, and people.
Newfoundland Built Heritage Facebook
Heritage Society volunteer Joy Barfoot holds some artwork from artist in residence Chris George 58
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5/Ida’s Place This Greenspond tourist mecca, an old Saltbox house on the edge of the Atlantic, has operated for 10 years, retaining its original charm while gaining an international reputation. Visitors have soaked up the atmosphere while munching Ida’s fabulous desserts. Better still, you can now stay at Ida’s Place by choosing their “Sounds of the Sea” cottage or their Out Harbour Room “bunkies.” A few heroes from 9/11 have made the pilgrimage, including airline Captain Beverly Bass of American Airlines and Come From Away producer, Michael Rubinoff.
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Ross Weste photo
6/St. Stephen’s, St. Alban’s, St. Luke’s Follow the trail of three historic Anglican churches. St. Stephen’s, Greenspond, begun in 1812, is where many find their genealogical ties in its vast records, stretching back to the 1700s. St. Albans, Badger’s Quay, dates from 1909. A spectacular renovation occurred in 1930, where the church was stretched apart to increase size without compromising architecture. St. Luke’s in Newtown, from 1892, was later saved from disaster when a fire in its roof was extinguished through the nimble efforts of a bucket brigade. This church welcomed St. Matthews’ congregation from Pinchard’s Island after the 1950s resettlement and is great for photographs due to its picturesque location.
David Purchase photo
7/Barbour Living Heritage Village Site The Barbour Site, an anchor destination for the Shore, has added educational and entertainment value in 2026. Visitors experience living interpretation where the stories of Newtown’s fishing, sealing, merchant, and community history are brought to life. Guests move through the village, meeting interpreters who help recreate the feel of life in earlier times. ‘Journey with Steve Perry’ offers a personal, fun touch for visitors. Neptune Theatre is a lively space for music, storytelling, and entertainment, with weekly shows featuring Legends of the Shore and Mick’s Diner (Mick Davis, with special musical guest). Plus, The Olde Shoppe Restaurant & Public House and Poop Deck Gift Shop make the visit memorable. 60
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Queen’s Meade Bird Blind
8/Newtown and Pool’s Island Storyboards Here, the history and culture of the Shore is documented through detailed illustration and text. You can trace Aboriginal hallmarks, Resettlement homes, war service, the Barbour Family exploits and Newtown’s evolution. Pool’s Island, dating from the 1700s, was home to St. James Church (the Sealers Church). On its former site, an interactive museum holding artifacts traces its service and is available for viewing 24/7. Seasonal displays are mounted. Storyboards chronicle church history, war sacrifices, and shipwrecks. Storyboards at the top of the island document area development: its Cottage Hospital, thriving Beothic Fish plant and nearby abandoned communities like Safe Harbour.
9/Cape Freels Beach and Queen’s Meade Wetlands Bird Watching Cape Freels, authentic home of the Random Passage novel, is a key ecological base for over 120 species of seabirds, including the rare Piping Plover. The Cape Island Walking Trail is a 11.4 km walk along beaches and shoreline, boasting breathtaking views from its many vantage points. How wonderful that a Bird Blind is established at the beginning of the Queen’s Meade Wetlands, where visitors can observe waterfowl and their habitat. Queen’s Meade offers spectacular birdwatching, prompting Indian Bay Ecological Corporation and Birds Canada to set up a Motus Tower to gather continuous data.
10/Lumsden Beach Company Located in scenic Lumsden, this enterprise, which started six years ago, hypes the white sandy Floridalike beaches of the Straight Shore. Its website promises stunning ocean views, cosy stays and coastal adventures. Situated in the former Lumsden North community, you can choose from RV Trailer accommodations, spend a day at a beach sea shed, paddle your kayak through a gentle stream or shop and eat at their café. The area boasts a half dozen walking trails, with other pristine white sand beaches nearby. A wellness retreat is planned for the fall. www.downhomelife.com
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reminiscing flashbacks
A Working Life “My great-grandparents Earl and Mary Skiffington,” writes the submitter. “They moved to Corner Brook when Pop got a job at the mill and Nan decided to set up a chip stand at the railway stop.” Tracy Kreuzburg via Downhomelife.com
Straight from the Pan Jim Lane, Tom Ryan and Ben Brien tuck into a scoff in Trepassey in the 1960s. Kenneth O’Brien Airdrie, AB
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Share your photos of days gone by
downhomelife.com
Petty Harbour 1902 Check out this great view of the houses, fishing flakes and premises of Petty Harbour. Memorial University Archives and Special Collections
This Month in History In the early-morning hours of October 26, 1978, RCMP Constable James Blackwood responded to reports of an unidentified object in the sky over Random Island near Clarenville. Joined by another officer and several civilian witnesses, 25-year-old Blackwood watched the silent, metallic craft through a powerful police telescope for nearly two hours. He described an oval-shaped object, larger than a Boeing 737, with blue and red flashing lights and a bright white light illuminating its underside. It hovered low over the water, occasionally making sudden vertical movements before returning to its position. In the most remarkable moment of the encounter, Blackwood flashed the high beams of his police cruiser and the object immediately mimicked the signal. The craft eventually rose slowly before disappearing at tremendous speed. The incident attracted international attention and became one of Canada’s bestknown UFO cases. We want to believe!
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the back porch from our readers
Raise the
Flag
Cyril Griffin
New Perlican, NL
The Little Cove
had its share of characters even though there never was more than thirty-five people living there at any given time. I remember one time when Nan hitched a ride up the shore with Din. She put out a wash of clothes before she left, knowing she would be back later that day. It promised to be a beautiful summer day with a nice breeze, ideal for drying clothes outdoors. She came to Carbonear to visit Mom and do some shopping. I was all excited because I was going with her when she returned to the Cove. Din stopped by later in the evening and had a lunch. Nan and I got into the cab of his truck for the ride down the shore. If you drive to the Cove from Old Perlican, even today you can see Nan’s house from the top of Gravel Hill a mile or more before you reach the top of the Cove. It’s the only house you can see from there, and Nan’s house is the last in the Cove on the way to Grates Cove three miles down the road. Nan’s house looks the same today as it did when I was a little boy. It was restored a few years ago. I said it looks the same from the outside. Inside it’s modern with electric appliances, two bathrooms, running hot and cold water and central heating. There were 138
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no bathrooms or heating when I spent my summers there long ago. The only time we had running water was when Nan and I got caught in the rain. Nan washed her clothes in a big galvanized washtub with a wooden washboard and a cake of Sunlight soap. The heavy quilts were wrung out by hand and draped over the fence to dry because they were too heavy for the clothesline. You didn’t want to break it, and if you ever did, for some reason Nan would get Vince, who lived down the lane, to fix it for her. He also tarred the roof for her and made other minor repairs when needed. The day was warm and sunny with a gentle breeze. The road down the shore was gravel then and very dusty on a dry day. I was sitting between Din and Nan. There were no seatbelts in cars and trucks back then. Most of the 1-888-588-6353
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time when I rode with Din, it was just the two of us. My feet didn’t touch the floor of the cab, and when we went around a turn I would usually slide over to the passenger door and when we turned the opposite way I’d end up almost in Din’s lap. It was fun. I loved being in that truck. It had a standard gear shift, a rod that came up through the floor with a round knob at the top. Din always drove with one hand on the wheel, the other on the gear shift. As we came to the top of Gravel Hill, we could see Nan’s house off in the distance. But something was flying from the flagpole outside Nan’s house. You couldn’t tell what it was from the top of the hill, and when we got to the bottom of the hill we couldn’t see anything. We drove on through the Cove to Nan’s house, and when we came through the trees across from John Thomas’ house, Nan saw what was on the flagpole. Imagine Nan’s shock when she saw a pair of her dark blue bloomers flying in the breeze atop the flagpole. She knew right away who the culprit was, of course, because there was only one person in the Cove with enough devilment in him to do the like of that. Well, Nan wasn’t long taking the makeshift flag and the rest of her wash from the clothesline. She was fit to be tied and couldn’t wait to confront Vince.
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After Nan made supper for herself and me, she watched through the windows to see if she could see him on his way to the brook. After all, it was wash day in the Cove, and he would have to refill their water barrels. Lo and behold, she spotted him coming up the lane with his wheelbarrow with the water barrel built in – they had two big barrels on their back porch which he had to fill, which meant several trips to the brook. Nan figured to wait until he filled the wheelbarrow; that way he couldn’t get away from her on his way back home. So she watched and waited until he left the brook. Then she went down the hill to the lane and waited. He couldn’t get away from her. She blocked the lane. “I know it was you who hung my drawers up the flagpole, you devil’s kin. That wasn’t funny, you know!” she scolded. Vince just looked at her with a big grin on his face and in a very serious tone said, “I heard the Bishop was coming and I had to put out the flags.”
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