A Stroll Through Change Islands

FeaturedA Stroll Through Change Islands

Change Islands is on the northeast coast of Newfoundland and Labrador and is comprised of three islands, two of which are occupied. For more information on Change Islands please visit this link.

 

This fence caught my eye, as did the street signs in the shape of a fish.

 

IMG_3235 (800x533) (2) (800x533) - Copy

Beautiful old United Church. The doors were unlocked so I actually got to see the interior.

 

 

Unique buildings which all have a curved roof.  This curved roof design  was common  on Change Islands but rarely found elsewhere in Newfoundland. The yellow house was a cottage built  in the early 1900’s by Walter and Raymond Torraville.

 

I feel we are all islands – in a common sea.  Anne Morrow Lindbergh

 

IMG_3204 (800x533) (2) (800x533) - Copy

A patchwork roof….thrifty and eye pleasing.

IMG_3199 (800x533) (800x533)

Driving across the tickle (Newfoundland word for ‘narrow strait’) on the Spencer Bridge, this lovely pop of colour makes a welcoming statement.

IMG_3231 (800x533) (2) (800x533) - Copy

Salt in the air in the middle of nowhere.  (Pinterest)

 

This is not a walk where you would ever be bored.

 

While there I met some interesting people who have bought summer homes on Change Islands.  They love this place and enjoy the many opportunities for painting and photography. One of the people I met is a brilliant artist  Susan Abma    Susan graciously showed us some of her paintings. Please click the link to view some of her work.

 

20180803_104438 (450x800) - Copy

You can find me where the music meets the ocean.

 

Beautiful wildflowers along the way….Butter and Eggs.

Hooded ladies’ tresses
Hooded ladies’ – tresses

Hooded ladies’-tresses……..a first time ID for me.

Musk mallow

 

For all your shopping needs……….

 

I live in a very small house, but my windows look out on a very large world.   Confucius

IMG_3270 (800x533) (2) (800x533)

 

IMG_3268 (800x533) (2) (800x533)

 

IMG_3257 (800x533) (2) (800x533)

 

For the right understanding of a landscape,  information must come to the intelligence from all the senses.   Thomas A. Clark   In Praise of Walking

 

I hope you have enjoyed your walk through Change Islands. For information on the  ferry schedule from Farewell to Change Islands and Fogo, please call 1 888 638 5454.

 

Photos L & C Fudge

 

 

A truly happy person is one who can……..

FeaturedA truly happy person is one who can……..

…..enjoy the scenery while on a detour. (Anonymous)

We spent some time in Eastport in October 2017 and enjoyed many delicious meals, shows and activities. Finding ourselves with some time to spare between activities, we decided to hike the Sandy Cove Look-Out trail. It was an overcast dreary day and the hike was uphill but not very long.

The trail winds through trees and is fairly nondescript, but I always like to finish a trail once I have started, so we kept going.

We have to take personal responsibility for uplifting our lives. The Sacred Path of the Warrior Chogyam Trungpa

The trail was wet, dark and grey.

IMG_1458 (800x533) (2)

At the top, the Canadian flag flies precariously in the wind.

In summer, beautiful Sandy Cove beach is a favourite of mine.

IMG_1445 (800x533)

My husband saw this beautiful Caribou Moss and took photos.


It was the bright spot of the hike and I am so glad we took the detour.

“But,in my simple ignorance, suppose
That self-same Power that brought me there
brought you.” The Rhodora Ralph Waldo Emerson

photos L & C Fudge

Magical Cape Spear

FeaturedMagical Cape Spear

Hiking around the boardwalks and trails of Cape Spear is always beautiful and for me spiritual; hiking it with one of my grandchildren is pure magic.

IMG_5461 (1024x683)

“Walking gives freedom. When you walk you can determine your own tempo. You can choose your own course. You can think whatever you want.”      Nina Kuscik

Normally, I would agree with this quote but in this case, my four year old grandson chose the tempo and the course, and my thinking was limited to ….stay away from the cliffs, do not lose sight of him, do not run, do not spoil his day with too many warnings……….

IMG_5506 (683x1024)

Wait for me!

On my previous visits to Cape Spear, I had never explored this!

IMG_5493 (1024x683)

Surely with this workout, he will sleep tonight!

I truly do not understand people who abuse our earth with excess garbage, it will only sustain us for so long. Awesome is everywhere, let’s preserve it.

Photos by L. Fudge

Cape Spear, Newfoundland …..add it to your bucket list!

“Walk as if you are  kissing the earth with your feet. No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.” Buddha

Erin Mountain Trail

Erin Mountain Trail

Barachois Pond Provincial Park is one of the largest parks in Newfoundland and is located near Stephenville Crossing. Barachois Pond Provincial Park – The Canadian Encyclopedia

Erin Mountain Trail is located within the park and I was told, it was named after the grandson of an MHA who was  involved with the development of the park in the late 1950’s.

The park was opened in 1962 and has a large variety of trees. There are spruce, fir, larch, aspen,black ash and white pine.

 

360 meters

IMG_2794 (800x533) (2)

 

 

 

The trail is rated moderate/difficult and, according to the park board, is 6 km return. A guide book lists it as being 8 km, a newspaper article as being 10 and still another source, says 12 km! I didn’t have my Garmin with me, so I can’t confirm. My estimate would be 8 km.

….and off we go.

Some of the boardwalk was quite slick and slippery. It was wet and  seemed as if it were covered with some kind of tree (?) residue.

Stairs and more stairs.

Beautiful wildflowers along the way.

 

May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.  Edward Abbey

 

These little toads were everywhere along the trail and they are camouflaged so well, I almost stepped on them a couple of times. They are quite amazing. My husband tapped one gently  with his hiking stick and it tucked its head and played dead. Nature is wondrous.

The ferns were ginormous and sections of the trail were a little difficult.

No moose sightings, but they did leave a little gift.

After the hike, our feet were quite wet.

Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity.  John Muir

Hope you enjoyed the hike.

 

photos L & C Fudge

A short trek with a pictorial tale.

A short trek with a pictorial tale.

We last visited the Codroy Valley area 41 years ago when our first born was just a baby, so we decided to revisit it. I am so glad we did!

Cape Anguille is the most westerly point on the island of Newfoundland and is remote and beautiful. The Anguille mountains in the background and the roaring surf provided an ideal setting for a  short trek on a very humid day.

The inn had guests from Nova Scotia.

 

 

At first I thought it was an old abandoned well, but I believe my husband is correct in saying it was a wench for pulling up boats from the beach.

The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail. Travel too fast and you`ll miss all you are travelling for.   Louie L`Amour

IMG_3104 (800x533)

 

Cape Anguille—another beautiful part of our province.

 

IMG_3106

She loves the serene brutality of the ocean, loves the electric power she felt with each breath of wet, briny air.    Holly Black, Tithe

A Traditional Tale

A Traditional Tale

A boil up on the rocks has long been a family tradition. I went often with my parents and siblings, my husband & daughters, friends & extended family and in recent  years with my grandchildren. Early this week, a calm ocean, a sunny sky and freshly harvested turnip greens were ideal conditions for a ‘boil up on the rocks.’……..and we headed out.

IMG_2722 (800x533) (2)

Wish my grandchildren were here so we could play pirates.

It seems that this little island located not far from Canoe Rock and Knight Island has no name on Google Earth, but apparently our uncle used to call it Fish Island. I have renamed it Starfish Island:) because on two separate occasions, with different grandchildren, we have found large starfish here………and also because I like the name better.:)

The island is relatively small but holds delightful treasures.

IMG_2760 (800x533) (2)

Beach Pea

 

A field of beach peas

Catching blackberries:)

Catching blackberries.

Seaside Plantain

Seaside Plantain

 

Three-toothed cinquefoil
Three-toothed cinquefoil

Three-toothed cinquefoil

“(leaf) Edges are smooth except for three terminal teeth”   Todd Boland, Wildflowers and Ferns of Newfoundland.  These are easily seen in this picture.

Harebells
Bluebells

Harebells/Bluebells

“No attempt to simplify nature is foolproof-nature is far too complex to fit into a tidy series of icons and colours’   Todd Boland

 

 

A gift from a friend many years ago, my picnic backpack came filled with dishes, cutlery, blanket and tablecloth and a recent gift from my sister, my traveling teakettle, is a most welcome addition to our boil up.

The grill was a gift from our daughter and a  welcome addition to our outdoor life. I first saw this type of grill at a Forage, Fire & Feast outing with  Lori McCarthy last year. If you are looking for a feast on the beach, learning about edible plants and other culinary adventures, check our her website, Cod Sounds.

IMG_2778 (800x533) (2)

Newfoundland Jigg’s Dinner with…………..

Canoe Rocks

………..ambiance like no other.

“The most beautiful gift of nature is that it gives one pleasure to look around and try to comprehend what we see.”   Albert Einstein

 

photos by C. & L. Fudge

 

 

 

 

 

A Short Tale of Wildflowers

A Short Tale of Wildflowers

White’s wharf in Comfort Cove has been around for many years and has been photographed many times. Many family boats have  tied up here over the years and it has, at times, been quite busy; but, it was only today that I really focused on the variety of wildflowers that grow there.

Oxeye Daisies

Cow Vetch

 

CIMG_2630 (800x533)

Columbine……perhaps came from my mother’s or aunt’s garden many years ago.

 

Columbine

 

IMG_2645 (800x533) (2)

“Like wildflowers, you must allow yourself to grow in all the places people thought you never would”. –E.V.

IMG_2683 (800x533)

A flake of bluebells (harebells).

The flake was laid against the side of the cliff and the flowers have grown up through it.

You belong among the wildflowers.

You belong in a boat out at sea.

You belong with your love on your arm.

You belong somewhere you feel free.–Tom Petty

 

The Common Tansy, White Clover and Bittersweet Nightshade also grow here underneath the cliff and along the side of the path. The nightshade is so pretty when in bloom, but is poisonous. Todd Boland’s book Wildflowers and Ferns of Newfoundland is an excellent resource tool.

Happiness is buttercups

and grasses grown waist high

Happiness is the sun on your face

Birds on the wind and a butterfly…….

Hettie (White) Sarson

 

I will keep looking for more wildflowers around the wharf and I will………

 

20150803_163151 (450x800) (450x800) (450x800)

try to always find the extraordinary in the ordinary.