A Night at The Whale House

This past Friday, Andrew and I decided on a whim to drop everything and head out of town.

I'm kidding. That's not how it happened at all. We don't live like that, unfortunately. Our road trip and getaway was planned weeks in advance with lots of scheduling and planning for who would care for our three children, who would pick up who and when, and where everyone had to be at certain times. We carefully and methodically packed up their medicines, feeding supplies, wheelchairs and books of emergency contact numbers and handed over our responsibilities to people we could trust. It doesn't always work out for us, but when it does, it's like a well oiled machine - people jumping in to take over and let Andrew and I sneak away for a night.. it's a beautiful thing!

Because we had planned this weeks ahead of time, we had no idea that we were going to be in the midst of a "polar vortex". That's a fancy name for "too cold to be out"! It started the middle of last week, and we have been enduring a swath of bitterly cold, dense air ever since. We are braving the coldest temperatures our province has seen in 25 years. This is no joke. Over the weekend, with the wind chill it was -30 degrees Celsius. That means a risk of frostbite to exposed skin within minutes, and the damp cold just cuts right through you. It was freezing.

We piled on our layers and headed out the Southern Shore Highway, to the town of Mobile, where we had a reservation at the Whale House Guest House. The Whale House Guest House is located in the middle of the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, and overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. It is actually Heaven on Earth.

We live in such a beautiful place, and that never gets lost on us. Andrew and I spent all day Friday exploring some communities further out the Shore, driving through Cape Broyle, Calvert and Ferryland, and we made a point to check out the wind farm in Fermuse. We had been there several years ago, but it is just so cool, we had to go again. There are nine wind turbines, and they are massive. It really is quite impressive.

In Ferryland, we hoped to pop in for tea at the Tetley Tea Room, but it was closed for the season like many of the other little shops and cafes we passed along the way. We love playing tourist in our own home province, and it is lovely in the summer when business is bustling, but there was something really special about being out on our own, off season, and not seeing another soul. It was quiet and desolate and it was exactly what we needed.

We found ourselves in Burnt Cove, where we stumbled upon another little hiker's paradise. 

We'd love to go back over the summer to do part of the East Coast Trail here.

That's a seal! I was looking at the cool bubbly ice formations, when Andrew spotted him, and we were so excited! We kept our distance but stopped to watch him sunbathe for as long as we could until we were too cold to stay out any longer. This was definitely a highlight of our adventures!

We took a drive around Tors Cove, one of our favourite little communities on the Southern Shore, and almost killed ourselves walking down the icy path to The Cribbies, but it was totally worth it!

The Witless Bay Ecological Reserve is "one of nature's greatest wonders anywhere on earth", and while it was lovely, we nearly froze to death here. Just behind this mound is a small sandy beach, and I wanted to spend more time there, but I could honestly feel the blood draining from my lips. Frost bite is no joke, so we ran back to the car as fast as we could to warm up. We will hit the beach another day.

We had the best time exploring the good ol' Southern Shore, and we couldn't have picked a better place to stay. The Whale House Guest House was perfection. After a day of adventures, we spent the most restful, relaxing night in the Blue Whale Suite. We had our own private hot tub, which we enjoyed at midnight, looking out at the ocean, gazing up at the stars, and counting our many blessings. We are thankful for our children, for our family, for our full and busy life.. and we are extra thankful for this little break from it all.

Now we are home and back into the thick of it, refueled by the deep breath of alone time we just experienced. If you have the opportunity to sneak away for a night or two, I seriously recommend it. Don't mind the cold. Just go. Live. Experience. Make memories. Fall in love all over again!

Labour Day Weekend

On our day off on Monday, Andrew and I got out for a hike on the East Coast Trail, this time doing part of Father Troy's Trail that runs from Torbay to Flatrock. This is an easy walking trail, that took us right along the edge of the magnificent coastline, with beautiful views of the cliffs of Torbay. We passed through quiet meadows and forests, and were completely in awe of the beauty of both the land and sea. At Gallows Cove, we met a lovely little horse who greeted us so excitedly, I was sad that I had nothing to give her. I'm going to have to go back and bring her a treat!

We came to Tappers Cove wharf, which is a hot spot for the food fishery, and we saw a fisherman who had just hauled in his catch. We watched him fillet his cod, while his young boys played nearby. I just love that we live in a place where you can stumble upon scenes like this - scenes that have been playing out here for hundreds of years. You can even see it depicted in the mural, which is inspired by Torbay's unique fishing history and some of the local fishers.

This is a cod eyeball. Kids have no fear, and are just not grossed out by this stuff (like I am)!

We ended the day back at Mom and Dad's, where we had a fish fry out on the campfire. We had planned to have everyone out by the fire, but it was just too windy for Brennen, so he stayed inside with Poppy, and we brought up their dinner. Mom and Andrew and I enjoyed our fresh fish (caught the day before by a friend of my Dad's), scruncheons, salads and s'mores cooked over the open fire. There's nothing like it. Dad said it was the best pan-fried cod he's ever had, and I believe it! Even a cup of tea tastes better outdoors!

This was the perfect way to cap off a wonderful Summer. It always goes by too fast, but we embraced the longer days, and now it is time for change. Tomorrow, Brennen goes back to school - Grade 5. Holy cow. But we are ready, or at least as ready as we're gonna be. A change in routines can be nice, and we have some exciting things to look forward to, so life is good!

“Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don’t resist them; that only creates sorrow. 
Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.” - Lao Tzu

La Manche

Whenever we get the opportunity (and if the weather is cooperating, and we have someone to watch Brennen, and the stars align), Andrew and I enjoy hiking the East Coast Trail. We have done a number of the trails in and around the city, and just recently went back to explore the area around La Manche, on the Southern Shore.

La Manche was once one of Newfoundland's most picturesque outport communities. Originally settled around 1840, La Manche served as a flourishing seasonal fishing village. It featured a beautiful protected harbour but very little land on which to build, so much of the community was built on stages along the cliffside. You can only imagine how hard the people of La Manche must have worked to run a fishery from such a difficult location. Walking along the trail, we were struck by both the beauty and the harshness of the steep cliffs and the rugged shoreline.

In 1966, a severe winter storm devastated the community, wiping out its stages and wharves, and forcing the residents to resettle. All that remains today are the old concrete and slate foundations upon which the houses stood, remnants of brick chimneys, and stone steps that lead to nowhere.

In the heart of the former fishing village is the most notable feature of La Manche. The 50 metre suspension bridge was built in 1999 - replacing the original bridge that was destroyed by waves in the storm of 1966. This new bridge was officially opened in June 2000, and is dedicated to the former residents of La Manche Village, many of whom resettled in nearby communities.

We continued on a side trail to Doctor's Cove, which is the perfect location to set up a picnic, or to just sit and watch the waves crash in on the rocks. The stillness and the beauty of the area was not lost on us, as we breathed in the salt sea air and enjoyed every moment of silence.

On the way back, Andrew let me take a picture of him in his cat tank top!!!
Back up, ladies. He's taken!

This was such a great day! If you get the opportunity to visit La Manche Village, I totally recommend it!

"There are things we will never see, unless we walk to them." - Thomas A. Clark