Bonavista Bay – Page 3 – Jennifer's Journal

Weekend Walk Part II – Lovely Greenspond

Published on July 19, 2016 by J. Kelland Perry26 Comments

There is something about the town of Greenspond in Bonavista North that consistently captures my imagination. Yes, it is known for its wonderful walking trail and its majestic icebergs in spring, but it is magical to me because of much more than that.

No matter how many times I visit, take pictures, or blog about it, this historic community with its many mansard roofs, saltbox homes, and idyllic scenery harkens me back to imaginings of yesteryear when English settlers first came here from Dorset, Devon, Somerset and Hampshire centuries ago.

These first inhabitants grew Greenspond into a major economic enterprise through fishing and trading, yet today it stands preserved in an “olden day” atmosphere, giving this visitor storybook inspiration of how Newfoundlanders lived before life became modern and fast-paced.

Take a little tour with me through the following photos. The first one is from Facebook but the rest are from our visit there in May.

facebook

195 — Lobster traps seen along the Causeway

105 099 may 2015 100 103 107 110 birds

Greenspond - Part II — Last but not least: one of my favourites from two years ago

A Weekend Walk (…and book stuff)

Published on May 24, 2016 by J. Kelland Perry21 Comments

This past Victoria Day long weekend turned out to be a beautiful and sunny one here on the island of Newfoundland.

We headed out on Saturday hoping to find icebergs, but unlike last year’s bumper crop, they kept their distance for the most part, hugging the horizon.

Undaunted, Paul and I took a hike around the trail in Greenspond and still managed to capture these pretty nature scenes.
001 006 022 021 Icebergs big and small can be seen dotting most of the horizon.
023 042 078 I zoomed in for these two. Notice the wide band of blue, which is called looming.
068 The atmospheric phenomenon of looming made this iceberg seem to stretch -or refract – vertically into a shape that made me think of a water bomber…sort of.
064 039 These little shelters house picnic tables along the Greenspond trail.
028 066 Now for the funny and unexpected part of our hike:
007 I decided to snap a photo of this helmet someone had picked up and placed here, thinking I would show it on Facebook to help unite it with its owner. But… 009 This is where I stepped back to get a shot from the other side, and my “accident-prone” foot got caught in a crevice. Down I went. Luckily I missed the big rocks and my camera was also unharmed. At home, I discovered I’d taken the above photo by accident!
010 I got the other shot, no harm done. Hubs got a little fright (and a laugh), though. 😉

What did you do for fun this weekend?
(and did you lose a helmet?)

Author updates:

I’m running a Goodreads Book Giveaway! Enter here or on the sidebar for a chance to win a signed, first edition paperback of Calmer Girls. Though the winning entry is randomly chosen by Goodreads, I will mail the book directly to the winner.

And…I’m attending my Book Launch this Saturday in St. John’s:

Untitled Here is the link for the Library announcement:
NL Book Launch – Jennifer Kelland Perry
A.C. Hunter Adult Library

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Have a safe and inspiring week, everyone. ❤
(and watch out for those crevices!)

Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: “Calm”

Published on March 17, 2016 by J. Kelland Perry58 Comments

Spring is a long, drawn-out affair here on the island of Newfoundland.

No matter what the calendar says, we still have to endure the odd snowstorm and it seems to take forever to warm up.

Sleet storms are common. But the next day I take in the results with my camera…

023

…because when the sun comes out, everything shimmers and glows with a crust of rime.

024

Tufts of grass lay frozen and still.

Silence reigns today because the spring ice is in and the air is calm.
Our “flippery” friend lolls about, basking in the peace and quiet.
(And I do believe I made up a word. 😉 )

harp seal — Turn that frown upside down!

You are free, little seal. Nothing to hurt you here.

Just another quiet day on Perry’s Point.

Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Week 17 – Calm

Road Trip: Eastport Peninsula

Published on December 11, 2015December 11, 2015 by J. Kelland Perry32 Comments

Earlier this fall, Paul and I visited the Eastport Peninsula in the central part of Bonavista Bay. With an economy that traditionally focused on its rich natural resources, it has become one of Newfoundland’s most popular tourist destinations. The peninsula is home to sandy beaches, motels, cottages, campgrounds, bed & breakfasts and inns, and is part of The Road to The Beaches tourism region.

Eastport Peninsula - photo credit: tango7174 — **Eastport Peninsula** – *photo credit: tango7174*

NLC_Eastport5_tango7174 — **Salvage Bay** – *photo credit: tango7174*

This pretty peninsula extends from Terra Nova National Park and follows the coastline along Newman Sound to the south, around the community of Salvage, around Salvage Bay to the east and then following Damnable Bay, Morris Channel, Fair and False Bay, Bloody Reach and Northeast Arm on the north.

Don’t you love the funny place names?

After Paul finished his work in Eastport and before we retreated to our cabin for the night, we took a drive out to the farthest point of the peninsula. This drive brought us through Salvage, population 174. Most of the residents there are retirees.

Canadian radio host Michael Enright calls the 9 kilometre walk from Salvage to Eastport “the most beautiful in the world.” Even though it was on the damp side during our visit, I could certainly see why he calls it that. With its peaceful winding road lined with trees, foliage and gorgeous, tidy properties, I could also see why someone would choose to spend their retirement years there.

Of course being a fan of all things feathery,
I had to stop to get up close and personal with the lovely ducks in the area.

I told Paul – and the ducks – that I would love to return to the Park next summer. A longer stay in this area of the island is a highly anticipated holiday for me when the weather warms up again.

Luminous

Published on November 12, 2015November 16, 2015 by J. Kelland Perry29 Comments

Luminous: radiating or reflecting light; shining, bright.

**Overlooking Barbour Tickle on a brilliant autumn day**

☀️

☀️

**The shores off the Point** **bathed in milky sunlight**

Direct observation of the luminous essence of nature is for me indispensable. – Robert Delaunay

Be luminous. Don’t adapt yourself to the circumstances around you but change them to be better. Always take your sunshine wherever you go. – Islam Elnady

I believe there is luminosity hiding in the shadow of the mundane. And things that hover on the periphery of our vision. If that’s magic, then I believe in it. – Natasha Mostert

Photo Challenge: Luminous

Three Day Quote Challenge

Sea and Sky

Published on July 21, 2015May 17, 2018 by J. Kelland Perry47 Comments

We might not have the greatest weather in Newfoundland, but we do have some of the loveliest views.

I can’t seem to get enough of our local brand of vitamin Sea.

Beautiful view from Signal Hill, St. John's — **Beautiful View from Signal Hill, St. John’s**

This photo from my hometown/birthplace.

I have a treasure trove of pics from our visit to the town of Bonavista.
This one is perfect for the theme of half sea and half sky.

I took this one evening from the lovely Garden Cove Walking Trail,
while we were staying in Kilmory.

Of course, this post would not be complete without a view from our own backyard.

“Smell the sea and feel the sky.
Let your soul and spirit fly.”
~ Van Morrison

Do you find the sea and sky as naturally therapeutic as I do?

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PHOTO CHALLENGE: Half and Half
This week, let’s split our photos in two.

Travel Theme: Land meets Water
(… meets sky? 😉 )

Where The Heart Is

Published on June 11, 2015 by J. Kelland Perry43 Comments

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I can hardly believe it. It’s been nearly five years since my husband and I went through with our plan to trade in our old lives and move out of the city.

In August of 2010, we threw caution to the wind and put our home of ten years on the market. Paul kissed me goodbye, drove to his hometown, and began overseeing the gargantuan job of renovating his grandfather’s old two-storey in Bonavista North. When the sale of our house closed near the end of September, Maisie, Vivian and I joined him. We stayed nearby in a friend’s vacant summer home until the bulk of the work was completed.

During the first week of December that year, we finally had enough upgrades done to buy our new appliances, unpack the boxes, and begin to set up house.

Do I have any regrets? Not many. That first winter, I missed living close to my family, and I still wish I could see my children and grandchildren more often than I do. But other than that, I am happy to have relocated here to our home by the sea. Somehow, I don’t think I would have taken up writing the way I have if I’d stayed in the city, so taking this journey to fulfill my lifelong dream has certainly made it all worthwhile.

Besides that, Paul’s dream to return to his boyhood home has come true too. ❤

Looking back now, I think we can both vouch for the old saying: the best journey is the one that takes you home.

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Have you lived to see a dream come to fruition?
Or are you working on one for the future?

Berg Watching

Published on June 2, 2015June 2, 2015 by J. Kelland Perry57 Comments

Iceberg Alley is what we call the area stretching from the coast of Labrador to the northeast coast of the island of Newfoundland, and the best time for viewing bergs is late May and early June.

Saturday was beautiful and sunny, so Paul and I decided to drive to Greenspond to see if there were any icebergs close enough for good snaps. Before we entered the town, we were delighted to meet a few of them next to Greenspond’s causeway.

may 2015 178 (1280x741) — **I can’t remember ever getting this close to a berg so huge!**

**This group climbed down on the rocks to get a closer look.**

may 2015 040 (1280x1180) — **Close-up of a tiny waterfall on the iceberg.**

may 2015 183 (1280x776) — **Loving Nature’s sculptures**

We drove on into Greenspond to discover even more of the frozen beauties from the North.

may 2015 111 (1280x383) — **Well, hello there, giant hunk of glacier!**

may 2015 090 (1280x578) — **Such a pretty backdrop**

**This one makes me think of a flying saucer. Notice the deep blue middle.**

may 2015 070 (1280x518) — **A splendid view from this property.**

One more look from the causeway on our way back — **One last look from the causeway on our way back**

Have you ever gotten up close and personal with an iceberg?

Forces of Nature

Published on May 14, 2015June 20, 2018 by J. Kelland Perry32 Comments

Once again, iceberg season has arrived in Newfoundland.

Icebergs are beautiful to photograph and are a huge Force of Nature ( we only have to think of the Titanic disaster ) but the pack ice that often accompanies them can wreak their own special havoc. In our part of the world, these masses of moving ice interfere with fishing and sometimes even trap whales and dolphins.

In the area of Bonavista Bay North where I live, the water is too shallow to allow the big icebergs to get very close, but we do see plenty of pack ice and bergy bits.

Enter the seagulls. These hardy scavenger birds are so well-adapted to this rugged environment, I am in awe. Their ability to not only survive, but to thrive here, may well be called another force of nature.

Like all of our feathered friends in the northern hemisphere, seagulls mate in spring. This is the time of year in Newfoundland we see them answer to their instinct and pair off to procreate. They are monogamous, usually with one mate for life.

On the evening I took these photos, the setting sun cast interesting shadows and hues upon the ice and the water.

Of course, speaking of a force of nature, our Vivian needed to be a part of it all.

What Forces of Nature do you have in your backyard?

Ephemeral

Published on April 1, 2015April 1, 2015 by J. Kelland Perry30 Comments

To trace the remote in the immediate; the eternal in the ephemeral; the past in the present; the infinite in the finite; these are to me the springs of delight and beauty. ~ H. P. Lovecraft

Captured from our doorstep last weekend…

…and a few minutes later.

Photo Challenge: Ephemeral

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