Letters from Corner Brook - June 26,2011

June 21, and summer begins. Technically. According to the calendar. As I look out the window, the same grey mass which has sat over us all week is still here. At least it’s not raining - at the moment. This is Corner Brook - and even at 8 p.m., on a chilly day, someone is out MOWING THE LAWN!!!!

Before Norio came, the weather was horrendous. For most of the time he was here - with the exception of a couple of very chilly days - it was sunny, blue and warm. We had beautiful drives in the country. Norio left, and the heavy grey came back. It’s getting a bit wearing. However, life here is never boring. One thing about Corner Brook is that there are plenty of things to do.

Sunday evening, I attended a concert at First United Church. Wendy Woodland, soprano - and a local music teacher; accompanied by Dr. Jennifer Matthews: PhD in Operatic Studies, and no formal piano training - but a formidable accompanist nonetheless. She has the distinction of having been the youngest faculty member at U of Western Ontario - at the age of 26. She is now home in Corner Brook. It was an evening of art song - everything from Grieg to Benjamin Britten - finishing with Puccini’s ‘Vissi D’arte’. It was absolutely fantastic, as good or better than anything one would find anywhere.

Monday morning, I took off for the town of Pasadena, about 25 minutes away, with my friend Pauline - to have a full manicure and pedicure. On the way, we stopped at a stream just outside Steady Brook - fresh clear mountain water. One just puts the water containers under the hose, and fills them up. It is absolutely pure, clear water - and my, the coffee in the morning tastes 100% better than when made with tap water.

Newfoundland has very few farms, and most that there are tend to be vegetables and such like. There is nothing to pollute the water. The boat tours of Bay of Islands are called “Crystal Waters”; the crab from off Guernsey Island (aka Weeball) is the best in the world.There are streams all over the island which come down from the mountains. Not very many places like this left. No real polluting industries, very little air pollution. I suspect that Newfoundland natives don’t always realise what they have here. Next time we are at the stream, I will get a photo taken....

So we followed up our trip to pamper ourselves, with a buffet lunch at Pizza Delight, of all things. I didn’t know they had that! Good day off. Tuesday was back to work - minutes of last Friday’s meeting, preparation of bulletin for the summer, coverage for vacation times. Went shopping, and met my two colleagues for lunch and conversation before we all head off for the summer - or at least, before we all don’t want to be reached for a couple of months :-)

Oh yes, side story. At the District meeting last month, I was part of the music team. The first evening, a rather lively worship and singing time, I was busy whacking away on the tambourine. Remember that diamond ring which I had reset before going on the trip? Well, the gold ring part got cracked right through from the tambourine. I realised, of course, that I haven’t worn that ring for a long time, and completely forgot about having it on. Lesson learned. The other lesson? Don’t remove wedding ring in the middle of a service - said wedding ring got dropped down the pedal board on the organ. The good news was, two men at the church knew how to remove the pedal board, and I got the ring back. I think my rings are jinxed. Next time, rings stay at home in a safe place. No tambourine with rings.

Back to Corner Brook - and another view of Newfoundland generosity. Our church caretaker popped into the office one day to see if I need a sewing machine. She had bought one and then didn’t like the way it worked, so bought a better one - but now she had the problem of what to do with this almost-brand-new machine and stand. Would I take it? Well, sure, I said - thinking she would sell it to me. No such happening. My doorbell rang not shortly afterward, and there is Ivy with her son, dropping off the machine and the desk for it. And no, she would be *insulted* to take money for it. Just so it gets used. - and it so happens I have a few things which need hemming, a wall hanging to make, and some curtains for my office.

OK so while a lot of this is a kind of chronicle of my day to day life - there’s more here than meets the eye. Newfoundland has a culture of open-ness and generosity which I have never seen anywhere else in this country. I know that it’s because of a history outside of Confederation (remember Newfoundland didn’t join till 1949) - and it’s a history of hard life and community collaboration in tiny outport communities, in order to survive. While it is changing a little - it is still ingrained in people. It’s what made those fishermen sell the crab to Norio and me - for far less than they get at the fishery. It’s what makes people open their homes, no matter who you are. There’s a philosophy that if you have something, and someone else can use it, you do it.

I am always baffled by how a week can look clear at the beginning, and by the end it’s been full. Given that it was cold, damp and rainy on Wednesday, I stayed home. Two of our sister churches are joining with Humber to share the summer services - so there was a bulletin and inserts to be prepared. We are going to worship in both churches - on alternating weeks.....and it works out that both clergy take three Sundays each, and the rest of the summer is weekends off, even though we have our other things to do. So I can spend some time on my beautiful (almost finished) deck.......

Thursday was also cold and wet - but I spent the afternoon with Oliver Dingwell, planning our part of the orientation for staff and volunteers at the United Church camp, West Haven. This camp is about twenty minutes from Corner Brook, in the town just north of us called Pasadena. It is a beautiful camp, on a very quiet part of a lake. This year the camp hired a cook who is beyond fantastic. Since there are always issues of camp upkeep, some of the board members have been looking for community donations. One of the major jobs this year is to scrape and paint the outside of all the buildings. - and what should transpire, but a local paint store has donated all the paint needed, as well as a team of painters, to help the camp. I will be sure to take pictures to post - but here is a photo of the outside of the camp, Norio cooking burgers for the Sunday School kids.

The camp board is chaired by Rev. Wilson Gonese. Wilson is ordained in the Dutch Reform Church of Zimbabwe, and served as Moderator of that denomination in Botswana. He came to Canada several years ago and applied to be admitted to the United Church. He willingly took a post in the tiny town of Burgeo, on the south coast - one road in, and if you want to go anywhere else, it’s by boat. Wilson appeared at a camp board meeting, after being in District church meetings for two days - and sat down to a roast beef dinner. I warned him the picture of his piled-high plate would be posted!

Thursday supper I had a quick barbecued burger with the Dingwells, and then whipped down to the church to run off the summer bulletins and meet with a young couple for baptism - and I mean young....but they are mature for their age, have recognised that they are a bit young, and are working hard to upgrade their education and be good parents. I hope that Humber can be a support for them as they move ahead......I love moments like these.

Alas, the photocopier, which has been so kind all winter, did not comply with my wishes. So while the major part of the bulletin got run off on the risograph without a problem, the copier insisted on making folded fans out of the insert page. Gave up. They will get run off at the other church.

Friday started out grey and overcast - but I decided the trip to the provincial park with my colleague and friend, Kim, had to happen. Grabbed some yogurt and fruit, stopped at Timmies for some croissants, picked up Kim and got coffee at her place - and we drove out to the country. As we drove, the weather slowly improved, and we spent two hours sitting by the water, in the sun, eating and yakking. Perfect. The front garden space is almost ready for the roses to go in; the landlord insists he is finishing the deck this weekend, and the weather prediction is for sunny and warm all next week. Can’t really organise the deck till it’s done - but here’s another photo of how it is now...

Already, next week is filling up. Funeral on Monday and a possible meeting; trip to the camp on Tuesday (which is fun); possibly strawberry picking on Wednesday and visiting with a family; another pastoral visit Thursday, and camp orientation on Friday. There goes another week......but it’s fun.

Nova Scotia strawberries are in the stores....not long till local Newfoundland berries come along..now don’t these look good???? and so ends another week.....