Tag: Canada

Come From Away

Published on by J. Kelland Perry21 Comments

Come-from-away or C.F.A.: a Newfoundland slang term for a traveler or anyone who is not from here; a non-Newfoundlander.

The musical “Come From Away” will be on Broadway next March, but Newfoundlanders have the chance to take in the show here at home for $20. We have our tickets and I can’t wait! We reserved them online here, but I don’t know how many tickets are left.

The musical, which tells the true tale of a group of travelers stranded in the little town of Gander, Newfoundland during 9/11, will honour the people of Newfoundland and Labrador by holding two concert performances of the new production at the Steele Community Centre in Gander on Oct. 29th, one at 3pm and one at 8pm. Another nice feature: all proceeds go to local charities.

Mirvish Productions gives us this synopsis:

“On September 11, 2001, 38 planes with 6,579 passengers were stranded in a remote town in Newfoundland. The locals opened their hearts and homes, and hosted this international community of strangers for a week — spurring unexpected camaraderie in extraordinary circumstances. When the world stopped, their stories moved us all.” 

Local actress Petrina Bromley stars in both the Broadway and Toronto versions of Come From Away which was written by husband and wife team Irene Sankoff and David Hein.

Come From Away earned wonderful reviews in California and Washington, and will run in Toronto from November to January. March 12th is Opening Night on Broadway.

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For the first time, I get to see a live show that will be on Broadway, and I only have to drive to Gander, our nearest urban centre (about 80 miles) to see it! I like that.

Fun, Sun, Sand and Smiles

Published on by J. Kelland Perry15 Comments

After nine days, the children have gone home.

Our house yawns astonishingly quiet and empty. The beaches here on Sandy-Feet Avenue and Perry’s Point look abandoned, lonely and forlorn; bereft of the three little beach bums that ran across them countless times a day.

A myriad of reminders surround me: empty sand pails, tiny mementos in the form of sea glass and shells from the beach, our grandson’s toy army tank left behind, a day pass from Windmill Bight Park, a box of our granddaughter’s favourite crackers in the cupboard, a candy wrapper under the bed. There is even a folder of GoPro videos they made saved on my PC desktop.

And I’m amazed at how much longer it takes for the dishwasher and the washing machine to fill up in their absence.

We miss our two grandchildren – plus one little friend – but we had an incredible time together filled with sweet summer memories and photos to look back on.

And there is always next year, God willing!

Here are a few captures from last week.

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Searching for starfish, hermit crabs and other treasures
“Wanna go clam-digging again?”

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The weather was beautiful nearly every day!

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Our girl having fun at the nearby playground
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Zip-lining!

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Waiting to dine on ‘Surf ‘n Turf’ at the local restaurant*

During one of these lazy afternoons, our girl decided she wanted to write a story. So while her friend and our boy continued playing on the beach, she sat down nearby with a pad of lined paper and a pencil. When I asked her what her story was about, she said with a shy grin, “Cats.”

I guess the (grand)apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

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*All photos taken with iPhone 6

Weekly Photo Challenge: Fun

Meanwhile, in Newfoundland…

Published on by J. Kelland Perry15 Comments

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“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” – John Steinbeck

“Summer afternoon—summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language.” – Henry James

“Summer’s lease hath all too short a date.” ― William Shakespeare

My Buttercup Runneth Over

Published on by J. Kelland Perry17 Comments

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Weekend Walk Part II – Lovely Greenspond

Published on 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.

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Post Office
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Lobster traps seen along the Causeway

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

 

Vivian’s View From Here: On the Prowl

Published on by J. Kelland Perry28 Comments

Hello, y’all! Vivian K. Perry here,
back on Jennifer’s Journal today to tell you how much I love this post.

No, no, no, not this blog post (shakes furry head).
This fence post!005

Now that summer is here,
I take time out of every one of my days to prowl around Perry’s Point.

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This is my favourite perch – a bird’s-eye view, if you will –
where I can keep a sharp lookout for little creatures in the grass like voles and shrews.

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Now that sister Maisie and I will soon be turning nine,
we’ve finally come to terms with our limitations
and admit the birds around here are too smart and swift for us to actually hunt.

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 Jennifer says that’s a good thing, but we disagree.

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I’ve been known to sit and wait here patiently for hours. I kid you not.
Hmm. Unfortunately, not much stirring here this afternoon.

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I’ll check back again after sunset.

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In the meantime, I think I’ll run out to the end of the point…

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…to check on the mink burrows!
Chat soon!

***

Do you have a cat like me that likes to prowl?

What do you do with your summer days?

Scenes from a St. John’s Book Launch

Published on by J. Kelland Perry34 Comments

My Book Signing Event was a success!

The Launch included an introduction and bio, a short author reading of an excerpt from Calmer Girls, question period, and sale and signing of books.

I wish to bestow a huge thank-you to everyone who took time out of their Saturday to attend. It meant the world to me. Several of you even drove from out of town to be there, and for that I am forever grateful. ❤

I also wish to thank Jewel S. Cousens, B.A., M.L.S., NL Librarian with the A.C. Hunter Public Library, Arts & Culture Centre, for all of her valuable assistance, as well as her insight and suggestions for future promotions. Ms. Cousens was happy to tell us that interest in Newfoundland and Labrador books has grown in recent years and continues to grow.

Special appreciation to my husband and family for everything you did to make this past weekend one I will never forget.

I hope you enjoy the photos and the slide show I’ve shared below.

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Reading
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Intent Listeners   🙂
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Answering Questions
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Signing Books
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Catching up after the Launch with a Scotiabank bud!

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A Weekend Walk (…and book stuff)

Published on 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 078I zoomed in for these two. Notice the wide band of blue, which is called looming.
068The 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 039These little shelters house picnic tables along the Greenspond trail.
028 066Now for the funny and unexpected part of our hike:
007I 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…009This 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!
010I 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:

UntitledHere 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!)

The Ends of the Earth

Published on by J. Kelland Perry21 Comments

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“I could make you happy, make your dreams come true
There’s nothing that I would not do
Go to the ends of the Earth for you
To make you feel my love.”

Bob Dylan wrote it. Billy Joel, Garth Brooks, Adele, Neil Diamond, and many others recorded it. These talented singers knew a great song when they heard it.

Make You Feel My Love has been one of my favourite love songs ever since Dylan released it on his 1997 album, Time Out of Mind. As it happened, that was the same year he came to perform two shows at St. John’s Memorial Stadium here in Newfoundland, one of which Paul and I attended.

A little side note here about that concert: My daughter Denise was in class during her last year of high school when she heard through the student grapevine that Dylan was coming to our fair province. Knowing full well how big a fan her mother’s fiancé was, she phoned Paul from school on her lunch break to be the first to blurt the good news. Needless to say, we were elated and scored our tickets right away for the show. But as excellent as the concert turned out to be, Paul remembers that phone call with a special fondness. It showed him how much his stepdaughter cared.

Nowadays I like to tease him about the song and how I identify with the lyrics in the last verse shared above. I am reminded of how I followed him to Newtown five years ago. Now tell me, what could be more proof of my love and loyalty – to make him feel my love – than to go to “the ends of the earth” that is Perry’s Point, a wild piece of land that juts out into the cold North Atlantic?

Mushy? Sentimental? I don’t care.

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*Photos taken from Perry’s Point on April 19, 2016.

Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: “Calm”

Published on 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…

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

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Tufts of grass lay frozen and still.

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harp seal on ice

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. 😉 )

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Turn that frown upside down!

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

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My neighbour’s lobster buoys

Just another quiet day on Perry’s Point.

Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Week 17 – Calm