House in Patrick's Cove

An old abandoned house stands just below the hill in Patrick's Cove. I wonder what memories were created here.

The Three Amigos

Here is another photo from my father's collection, taken while on a camping trip to Birchy Lake in central Newfoundland in the early 1950's. We were happy campers, without a care in the world, wearing the latest outdoor styles.

 

Great Egret in a Newfoundland Marsh

See that great egret
at the marsh's edge, solitary,
still? Mere pretense
that stillness. His silence is
a lie. In his own pond he is
of some renown, a stalker,
a catcher of fish. Watch him.

- Ted Kooser, U.S. Poet Laureate

Lobster Cove Lighthouse

Lobster Cove Head lighthouse was built in 1897 and is located in Gros Morne National Park on the west coast of Newfoundland. It is a cast iron structure built locally by Victoria Iron Works of St. John's. The Newfoundland government, being very concerned for fishing and shipping safety in the outports, built the lighthouse on a major headland also protecting the shipping lanes through the Strait of Belle Isle. Until the lighthouse was completed, a local fisherman kept a seal oil lantern burning in his home to help his neighbours find their way from the fishing grounds. Today Parks Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard have joint responsibillity for tending the light. The park offers an interpretive program illustrating the history of the lighthouse and the people it serves. Lobster Cove Lighthouse, in its wild and beautiful setting, is always a highlight during a visit to Gros Morne National Park.

Great Egret

This magnificent heron with its dazzling white plummage is an uncommon bird in Newfoundland but well known in the southern United States. This bird arrived three weeks ago and has found a ready source of stickle-backs in a freshwater marsh near the Confederation Building in St. Johns. This beautiful bird nearly became extinct in the early 1900's when it was hunted mercilessly for its long plumes during nesting season. After hunting became illegal, the birds gradually increased in numbers and are now very common in warmer southern climates.

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Waterford River - Bowring Park

I sat beside the little brook
In the quiet of the day,
Listening to the peaceful sounds
The running water made.

I saw the many stones,
With their different size and shape.
Their color added beauty to the water
And landscape.

- Mary Patterson

Horse Trough - Bowring Park

This cast iron horse trough in Bowring Park is surrounded by cobblestones from Water Street, St. John's. In days gone by, these whimsical horse troughs were found throughout the city and now this last one serves as a drinking fountain for thirsty visitors to the park.



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Ring-billed Gull - Bowring Park

This small gull resembles a herring gull but is more delicate in stature with characteristic bright yellow legs and a clear black band on its yellow bill. It is lighter and more graceful in flight than the larger gulls and is aptly named the Pond Gull for its habit of frequenting freshwater ponds during nesting season. In Newfoundland, it seems to prefer the coastal habitat. Parking lots of fast- food restaurants and city duck ponds appear to have a certain attraction for these birds.

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1835 Reflection

Pools of rain water reflect yesterday's light station.

 

The Old 1835 Light

A stone tower 240 feet above the ocean supported seven revolving reflector lights which could be seen for eighteen miles in fair weather.

Old Cape Spear Lighthouse

The Cape Spear Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse in Newfoundland, standing sentinel on the most easterly point of North America since it was built in 1835. It once served as a directional beacon for St. John's Harbour, about 9 miles to the north, and remained in service until 1955 when it was replaced by a new concrete light tower in 1955. The old lighthouse is in fact a stone tower typical of the early 19th century construction but is surrounded by a two story, square light keeper's residence. The newer lighthouse can be seen on the left.

Springtime In My Garden

Blue and white crocus blooms nod merrily
in the warm sun of late April.

One Summer Evening

Every night
The horizon lights up
Swirls of pink and orange
Fading to blue and purple

- Jessica Milsap

At Rest

There is a single leaf, in all this heaven
Of leaves, which rain has loosened from its twig:
The stem breaks, and it falls, but it is caught
Upon a sister leaf, and thus she hangs.

-Conrad Aiken

Battle Harbour Landscape

Battle Harbour, Labrador, was a fishing station in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and was known as "The Capital of Labrador". A Grenfell Mission was established in the community in the early 1900's. To the right can be seen St. James the Apostle Anglican Church designed by Englishman Rev. Grey who visited the community in 1846. In 1852, construction began on ths church which became the focal point for the spiritual needs of both the resident and migratory fishermen. This church is the oldest non-Moravaian church in Labrador.

Blue Flag Iris ( Iris Versicolor )

This hardy perennial receives its name from its color but it has several other common names such as water flag, fleur-de-lis or flower-de-luce. It thrives in wet, swampy conditions, and is found in marshes, thickets, and wet meadows from Newfoundland to Manitoba and south to Florida and Arkansas. At Cape St. Mary's near the gannet colony in late spring and early July, one can find extensive fields of this delightful flower lending a quiet beauty to that landscape.

A Long Long Time Ago

My father was always taking photos of the family when we were growing up. Unfortunately all the negatives disappeared when the old homestead was sold and only some of the old photos remain. This photo was his favorite. A family story tells of him actually entering this image in a local photo competition and being disqualified because it was considered a posed photo. However, I can assure you that I was not posing when he pressed the shutter back in 1951.

Atlantic Common Murre ( aka Baccalieu Bird )

The Common Murre or Turr as it is commonly called in Newfoundland is one of our best known seabirds. In spite of considerable hunting pressure during the winter months, the population has been increasing so that at the Cape St. Mary's colony there are presently 10,000 nesting pairs. In 1959 this colony consisted of only 2500 pairs. The common murre nests along the narrow ledges of steep cliff faces. There is little room for the adult pairs but the pear shaped egg is less likely to roll off the ledge than a round egg. Murres feed mainly on fish but they also have a taste for crustaceans and other marine life. 

Fireweed ( Closed Petals )

This tall perennial is the provincial flower of the Yukon but is quite common across Canada and well known in Newfoundland. It is an ubiquitous plant growing from sea level to high in the mountains and it commonly invades burned over areas protecting the denuded land from erosion. As the forest regenerates, these flowers tend to die out. This happy flower is found blooming throughout the summer.

Stained Glass Gower Street Methodist Church

May this Easter warm your heart and bring you the beauty of spring and the spirit of love.

Eyes Right - Kittiwakes - Cape St. Mary's

On the southwestern tip of the Avalon Peninsula is one of the most spectacular seabird colonies in the western world. Extending along 125 ft. cliffs for more than 3 miles are the nesting sites of several species of seabirds. In addition to gannets, thick-billed murres, razerbill murres, and black guillemots, these steep mainland cliffs are the breeding territory of 10,000 nesting pairs of kittiwakes.

Stairway to Heaven - Cape Spear Light

This lighthouse is located at Cape Spear, the most easterly point in North America and was built in 1955 to replace the original lighthouse. The first lighthouse, built in 1835, still stands, some 200 meters to the right.

Before Time and Again

The Easter weekend arrived as a warm sunny spring day presenting me with a comfortable opportunity to photograph the beauty of Manuel's River, a short drive from my home. On arrival at the trailhead, I noted with dismay that I had forgotten my tripod. Nevertheless, I hand-held my trusty Nikon D200 hoping that the images would be acceptable in spite of the inevitable softness caused by the slow shutterspeed. The resulting images speak to the ageless beauty of the rocks and water.

Before Time - Spring Runoff

Water
wavy wet
flowing tumbling rolling
rocks boulders sand silt
scouring churning eroding
rain soaked
primordial
water

Port de Grave Reflection

I, too, was once a child of wonder, and I still reach out to touch a fleeting glimpse of yesterday,
But, today, I see only the reflection of distant memory.

Northern Gannet - Cape St. Mary's Colony

The Great Northern Gannet is a spectacular bird and a familiar sight to fishermen in our coastal waters. It is a bird of the open seas not coming to land except to nest in dense colonies on offshore islands. There are three main colonies in Newfoundland: Baccalieu Island, Funk Island and Cape St. Mary's. The latter colony is the second largest in North America having 5000 nesting gannet pairs. This colony is also notable for its easy access and its magnificent coastal scenery.

Cape St. Mary Sunset

"And as the evening darkens, lo! how bright,
through the deep purple of the twilight air,
Beams forth the sudden radiance of its light,
with strange, unearthly splendor in the glare!"

The Lighthouse - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Pointe Riche Lighthouse

Located near Port au Choix on Newfoundland's great northern peninsula, the Point Riche Lighthouse stands alone since the light keepers house was destroyed by fire in the late 1970's. The original tower was built in 1871 and was replaced by the present octagonal timber structure in 1892. The site is a wild and beautiful place still haunted by the ghosts of the Maritime Archaic Indians who lived here 4400 years ago.

Western Brook Pond

"Western Brook Pond is the modest name of the most dramatic piece of terrain in the island ( Newfoundland ) , if not in Eastern Canada. It is an immense body of water, twelve miles long, lying in a cleft that runs deep into the Long Range Mountains at one of their highest points. The mountains are split as though with an axe, and the two thousand foot cliffs drop sheer into the pond to a fathomless depth below the black water."

Gros Morn - A Living Landscape - Pat McLeod

 

Window Cats

"Cats can sleep anywhere - Any table, Any chair, Top of Piano, A Window Ledge."

Return to Ferryland Lighthouse

This lighthouse on Ferryland Head was constructed in 1871 by William Campbell, a St. John's contractor, and Thomas Burridge, a St. John's mason. The two-storey dwelling was designed to accommodate the lightkeeper, his assistant and their families. The tower is a masonry structure sheathed in iron and holds a fixed dioptric light that can be seen for 13 nautical miles. The light was automated in 1970 and it still is an active aid to navigation.

Waterford River - Bowring Park

"Bowring Park is a familiar and beloved area of St. John's and is best-known for its picturesque landscapes, its royal swans, and its recreational areas.

This beautiful park was donated to the people of the City of St. John's in 1911 by Bowring Brothers Ltd. commemorating their 100th anniversary of commerce in Newfoundland. Bowring Park was officially opened by His Royal Highness, the Duke of Connaught in 1914."

Morning Mist at the Battery

No fishermen walking in the early mist,
Only gulls
No boats departing for the codfish banks,
Only silence.

Wooden Bench in an Empty Park

The crowds are gone now and only hungry squirrels sit on empy benches in empty parks where lovers meet.

St. John's Harbour - Sunday Morning

If all the ships I have at sea 
Should come a-sailing home to me, 
From sunny lands, and lands of cold, 
Ah well! the harbor could not hold 
So many sails as there would be 
If all my ships came in from sea. 

- Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Gull Rookery at Flat Rock

The herring Gull is the most abundant gull about Newfoundland shores and is the species generally meant when "gull" is mentioned. It is very noisy around the nesting colonies. The raucous cries from the rookery are sometimes useful to fishermen in foggy weather, as it helps them locate their bearings.

Self-Portrait

"Sometimes, I think my life is a true story."