Northern Peninsula, Family Style!

The following post was written by Natalie August 22 in anticipation of Internet access which, obviously, never happened at that time:

Greetings from Burgeo on Newfoundland’s south coast! It has been three weeks or so since Rich or I have taken the time to update the blog, not least of which because we haven’t had access to the internet all that much. We’ve been too focused on being present in Newfoundland to seek out public access sites! Were to begin when I know I only have about 20 minutes available before the Burgeo public library closes? How about a few highlights of the last weeks….

We’ve had a wonderful visit with my brother Renny, his wife Edie, and three of their sons: Mark, Liam, and Matthew. Anouk absolutely loved having her big cousins to play with -- a gang of three perfect toddler entertainers! It was a blast touring around with the family, including visiting L’Anse aux Meadows where remains of the Viking settlement of 1000 years ago have been found; a bike ride into Raleigh, a small Newfoundland outport attempting to make a go of tourism by showcasing their fisheries and craft heritage; a roller-coaster ride of a whale watch tour that netted my second ever sitting of White-beaked Dolphin (the first had been the night before from the St. Anthony Lighthouse!) and lots of Humpback Whales which look larger than life when you see them surfacing within 5 foot swells; a visit to the Grenfell Mission celebrating the work of a turn-of-the-century doctor who single-handedly affected the health and spiritual well-being of northern Newfoundland and Labrador; “Little Neddy on the Heady,” a gut-splittingly funny theatre production of Newfoundland song and stories for kids; a boat ride up the once-was-a-fjord-but-now-is-a-stunning-freshwater-pond West Brook Pond in Gros Morne National Park; about 23 Moose in just 5 days (Edie I hate to admit defeat but I do confess your vehicle count was higher than ours…); and finally, a visit to Conche, a French Shore community that artistically celebrates its French ancestry though no French is spoken by residents today.

When I say artistically, you need to understand that this town inspired me to take up embroidery, something I told the women working on the immense tapestry depicting their town history that my mother would practically faint upon reading (um, I guess it is safe to say that I, unlike my very talented mother, have never been real active in the domestic arts, but what these women where making was so cool that even 17-year-old Matthew was inspired to try his hand at it).

From a sabbatical project perspective, though the visit meant I cut back on writing time in order to play and cook and hang out with family, the running commentary that any family has about visiting a new place together netted really great observations for my project that I may have otherwise missed. A great time all around! Ok, the library lady keeps glancing my way. I am off. Hoping you are all having a safe and fun filled summer!