Last week, Paul and I took a work trip to Grand Bank and Marystown on our province’s Burin Peninsula. As coincidence would have it, we had taken a trip there ten years ago in October! With that photo shoot from 2014 at the ready, I thought I’d share it with you today. . .
It seems the older I get, the more I treasure the chance to travel around this province. Even when I visit a Newfoundland community I’ve been in before, it’s as if I see it with new and more appreciative eyes.
Earlier this week, I accompanied Paul on one of his little road trips for work, this time on the Burin Peninsula Heritage Run. Our destination was the vibrant town of Grand Bank. I hadn’t been there in over a decade.
It was a rainy trip. But good fortune smiled down, the sun came out as soon as we got there, and so did my trusty camera.
The authentic old buildings and heritage architecture I found especially charming. I’ll let the pictures tell the story of what I loved about historic Grand Bank.
The Inn by the Sea Bed and Breakfast:
The Thorndyke – Registered Heritage B & B. Notice the Widow’s Walk, a popular feature of long ago fishing communities:
I’m sharing one of my Evergreen Posts today, because much of its content still applies to my life right now. Between berry-picking, bread-making, and gearing up for more writing this fall with a plan to take part in November’s NaNoWriMo—National Novel Writing Month—I expect to be busy. If all goes well, I will complete the first rough draft of my fifth novel (I have two published, two un-published) by November’s end. Thanks for reading!
I know our Atlantic Canadian summers are short and I treasure the warmer days while they’re here, but there is something about this season of change I truly love as well.
Late summer and early fall has a uniquely different quality, where on a sunny day the air lends a crisper, more metallic edge to the natural world. (This love affair hinges on one important caveat: that the northeast wind doesn’t blow too much and turn our world chilly and wet for days on end.)
The outlines of clouds against the steel-blue sky look sharper, heralding the approach of what is to come. Most foliage and grasses are still summery green. I relish them all the more, knowing the colours will soon transition into vibrant shades of red and gold before finally fading to the cool grey and white hues of late autumn and winter.
It is a season of harvest and renewal, a time of new beginnings and the dawning of fresh ideas. The kiddies are back in their classes. Though my own school days and child rearing years are well behind me, I still feel that push of motivation into new plans and goals, to make the transition into a stricter work schedule, to get back to writing more in the coming months. November and NaNoWriMo are still a ways off, but I strive to clear up all loose ends in preparation for – dare I say it without jinxing myself – a 50 thousand-word first draft of a brand-spanking new novel. But hey, I did it before, so why not?
Then there are the berries. Where would this season be without the berries?
fruits of the first trip
…and fruits of the second
In two afternoon jaunts, the blueberries are now picked, and it won’t be long before we are in on the barrens again to pick partridgeberries. (In other parts of the world, these lovely bitter, relatives of the cranberry are called lingonberries or cowberries.) I make plenty of the jam for my other half since he likes it on his morning toast all year round, not to mention in the occasional pastry tart with a generous dollop of thick cream.
Especially anticipated, besides an excursion on the barrens, is picking the plump, juicy partridgeberries that grow right here on our land. I checked all around the Point last week and it looks like a bumper crop this year, probably a sign of how plentiful their growth is everywhere else.
My boy and me back in the day
Coinciding with the cool-down in temperature is a return to more bread-baking. There’s nothing like the smell of a fresh batch from the oven to take the chill out of your day.
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
What do you like the most about this time of year? Relief from the heat? A return to a more orderly schedule? Getting the children out from underfoot and back in school? Or are you sad because the summer is nearly spent? Do tell!
This post was inspired by Ailsa’s Travel Theme: Seasonal.*
Tomorrow, Monday September 23rd, is the first day of fall. Specifically, the 2019 fall equinox will begin at 3:50 a.m Eastern Standard Time on that morning. We tend to think the season starts September 20th or 21st, but the date varies. It ranges from Sept. 21 to Sept. 24.
Aside from this, I’m still trying to figure out where summer went. While I sulk over its all-too-brief appearance on my patch of the planet this year, I’m wistfully sharing this snap taken from my back deck on one of our loveliest summer days, August 4th.
While everyone else seems to have embraced fall and are busy with their updated plans and schedules, I’m here wishing I could turn back the calendar. 🌞 🌞 🌞
*Hi, everyone! I’m resharing a popular post from three years ago and have closed comments. My apologies – I’m away but will return next week with something new. – JKP
***
Designing abstract images from nature photography can be creative fun. When you play around with your photos to highlight shape, colour, texture, etc., you can come up with some interesting captures.
In this post, I share images from the four seasons.
All but one were taken here in Newfoundland.
Winter in Newtown
Cold Atlantic Ocean off Perry’s Point
Sleet on Grass with Ice Fog
Funnel Cloud
Spring
Iceberg in Greenspond, NL
Tuscan Vineyard and Olive Grove, Italy
Spring Thaw in Newtown
Summer
Groundcover in Woods, Kilmory, NL
Lead Cove Bank, NL
Thunderclouds over Newtown
Evergreen Branches in Garden Cove, NL
Autumn in Newtown
Granite and Lichen on Perry’s Point
Partridgeberries
Wet Sand
Mackerel Sky in Newtown
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” ~ Albert Einstein
Earlier this month, husband Paul announced plans for a quick business trip to Port aux Basques on our province’s west coast. It had been far too long since my last visit there, so faster than you can say “riding shotgun,” I had a bag packed and my camera ready. Fall has got to be the most colourful time to drive across the island.
As usual, I took far too many pictures,
but managed to sift and cull them down to what you see here.
Mountainsloom in the distance.
The Codroy Valley is a glacial valley in the Anguille Mountains,
a sub-range of the Long Range Mountains.
It is “a lush haven for birders, nature lovers, and adventurers alike.”
Marble Mountain Ski Resort waits for snow.
Port aux Basques:
Marine Atlantic Gulf Ferry
Hotel Port aux Basques, our home for one night
Corner Brook:
The long drive back.
We opted to stay somewhere for the
second night to break up the trip.
The trees were just as vibrant from
Springdale to King’s Point, where we stayed.
We knew the inn was nice from our overnight there two years ago.
I hope you enjoyed these scenes from our fall road trip.
*Photos taken with Canon EOS REBEL T3 and iPhone 6
I shared this post exactly five years ago this week. I thought its photos deserved another look. Have a great weekend, everyone! ❤
Due to time constraints, comments are closed.
I know our Atlantic Canadian summers are short and I treasure the warmer days while they’re here, but there is something about this season of change I truly love as well.
Late summer and early fall has a uniquely different quality, where on a sunny day the air lends a crisper, more metallic edge to the natural world. (This love affair hinges on one important caveat: that the northeast wind doesn’t blow too much and turn our world chilly and wet for days on end.)
The outlines of clouds against the steel-blue sky look sharper, heralding the approach of what is to come. Most foliage and grasses are still summery green. I relish them all the more, knowing the colours will soon transition into vibrant shades of red and gold before finally fading to the cool grey and white hues of late autumn and winter.
It is a season of harvest and renewal, a time of new beginnings and the dawning of fresh ideas. The kiddies are back in their classes. Though my own school days and child rearing years are well behind me, I still feel that push of motivation into new plans and goals, to make the transition into a stricter work schedule, to get back to writing more in the coming months. November and NaNoWriMo are still a ways off, but I strive to clear up all loose ends in preparation for – dare I say it without jinxing myself – a 50 thousand-word first draft of a brand-spanking new novel.
Then there are the berries. Where would this season be without the berries?
fruits of the first trip
…and fruits of the second
In two afternoon jaunts, the blueberries are now picked, and it won’t be long before we are in on the barrens again to pick partridgeberries. (In other parts of the world, these lovely bitter, relatives of the cranberry are called lingonberries or cowberries.) I make plenty of the “patchy-berry” jam for my other half since he likes it on his morning toast all year round, not to mention in the occasional pastry tart with a generous dollop of thick cream.
Especially anticipated, besides an excursion on the barrens, is picking the plump, juicy partridgeberries that grow right here on our land. I checked all around the Point last week and it looks like a bumper crop this year, probably a sign of how plentiful their growth is everywhere else. They, along with the blueberries and the cod from the food fishery, will go a long way in keeping our deep freeze full for another winter.
Coinciding with the cool-down in temperature is a return to more bread-baking. There’s nothing like the smell of a fresh batch from the oven to take the chill out of your day.
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”
– F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
What do you like the most about this time of year?
Relief from the heat? A return to a more orderly schedule?
Getting the children out from underfoot and back in school?
Or are you sad because the summer is nearly spent?
Do tell!
This post was inspired by Ailsa’s Travel Theme: Seasonal.
Designing abstract images from nature photography can be creative fun. When you play around with your photos to highlight shape, colour, texture, etc., you can come up with some interesting captures.
In this post, I share images from the four seasons.
All but one were taken here in Newfoundland.
Winter in Newtown
Cold Atlantic Ocean off Perry’s Point
Sleet on Grass with Ice Fog
Funnel Cloud
Spring
Iceberg in Greenspond, NL
Tuscan Vineyard and Olive Grove, Italy
Spring Thaw in Newtown
Summer
Groundcover in Woods, Kilmory, NL
Lead Cove Bank, NL
Thunderclouds over Newtown
Evergreen Branches in Garden Cove, NL
Autumn in Newtown
Granite and Lichen on Perry’s Point
Partridgeberries
Wet Sand
Mackerel Sky in Newtown
“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” ~ Albert Einstein
…and another Widow’s Walk.
Thank you for the lovely visit, Grand Bank.
“There is a harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky.”
Fall has got to be the most colourful time to drive across the island.
I hope you enjoyed these scenes from our fall road trip.
After breakfast, I zipped up my hoodie, grabbed my camera and took a stroll around the area we were staying. Won’t you come along with me?
Jennifer's Journal 