Sea to Sea in Canada: Starry, Starry Night

One of the excursions we had been looking forward to all summer was a visit to meet with friends from Newmarket, Bob and his wife, Deb, at their cabin (summer home) in English Harbour. English Harbour is on the Bonavista Peninsula on the west side of Trinity Bay.

It was about a 3 ½ hour trip to English Harbour, with the roads getting progressively smaller and bumpier. When we finally arrived, we missed his house and continued farther along the gravel road and up a fairly steep hill until we arrived at a house. But the cleaning woman there didn’t know Bob and Deb (even though it turned out that theirs was the previous house we had passed). Fortunately, Bob had seen us pass and phoned me. After struggling to get the trailer turned around in the narrow space available, we finally arrived.

Al, Bev, Deb, Seth, Ross, Diana, Bob

Also visiting were Ross, Diana and son, Seth, also from Newmarket. Bob and Deb’s cabin is on a point/headland and has steep cliffs not far away. It was an incredible feeling to sit on the “head” and watch the crashing surf below and the vastness of the open ocean in front. Eagles and hawks (along with crows and seagulls) soared overhead on the strong, ever-present winds.

English Harbour, despite having a tiny population which triples in the summer, has tried to become a centre for the arts in the area. There are several crafters and many musicians. That evening, we went to see Stephen Fearing, a Juno award-winning singer/songwriter/guitarist who sang for about 90 minutes in an old church that is now the Arts Centre, so you know the acoustics made his great songs sound their best.

Steve Fearing concert

Later, we had a magical night. Walking back from the Arts Centre, the sky was clear and millions of stars could be seen, including the cloud-like band that was the Milky Way galaxy, as seen from our tiny place on the inside of it. We sat on the porch singing late into the light, watching shooting stars and a half moon rising from the horizon into the night sky. There was a fiddle, a guitar, an “ugly stick” and we all sang along to songs. Ross and Al accompanied Bob in some three-part harmony, reminiscent of their times singing together in the Upper Canada Chordsmen Chorus back in Newmarket. It was one of the highlights of our year in Newfoundland – so far.

Bev with an ugly stick. Easy to play!

Al singing "Your Man" with Bob playing guitar

Bob

The next day we went into the town of Trinity, which is a fair bit larger than English Harbour. We watched the “pageant” which is a play with about 12 scenes that take place throughout the town. The cast, which totals around 20, performed each scene outdoors in costumes from the historical eras that figured in the development and growth of Trinity. While some actors performed a scene, others were at the next location, changing costumes and preparing for the crowd to arrive. It was a very entertaining and informative play. The uniqueness of the multiple locations and the moving audience made it extra special.

Everywhere we went, we were met with friendly people who greeted us warmly. Newfoundland truly is a special place. Since the federal government imposed a moratorium on cod fishing back in 1992, which was the lifeblood of most outport communities in Newfoundland and the other maritime provinces, some communities have struggled to remain viable. Many turned to fishing for squid, shrimp, lobster, crab or other fish species. Some, like English Harbour, Twillingate, Trinity and many others have worked to develop a tourism industry.