Letters from Corner Brook - Picking Up Again

Many of you have asked what happened. The short answer is, so much has happened I just got left behind! I know that I left off at the end of March, on my way to Toronto to meet Norio for the much-awaited anniversary trip. The trip consisted of two weeks aboard Liberty of the Seas, crossing the Atlantic - with stops in Bahamas, Canary Islands, Cadiz/Seville, Malaga, Valencia and ending in Barcelona. Once off the ship, we rented a car and drove back across Spain, through Valencia and Cordoba, and ended in the town of Moncarapacho in Portugal where we rented a beautiful home for a week. The picture to the left is a wonderful dish we ate in Miami (before sailing), at an Italian restaurant called Primo's, run by an Italian-Canadian from Ottawa!!! This is called 'cioppino'.

There is too much to get into this one blog, but I post a couple of pics of the trip. It was an incredible month, and we not only saw a lot, but learned a lot. There is a beautiful little town in Spain just outside Malaga called Nerja - we fell in love. Our hosts in Moncarapacho were Kent and Inge Ringborn. Kent retired from Royal Caribbean International about six years ago. He and Inge have built a wonderful guest house next to their own home, and we quickly became friends. We’ve booked ourselves in for two weeks again next April, and will explore around Spain and Portugal some more. The beauty of it is, the town is just half an hour from the airport in Faro, and Air Transat flies direct.

Norio - at Senor Frog's in Nassau. I figured he at least needed to have one visit! Then there's Jimmy and Teruko, people we met on board. The village of Nerja, on the Costa del Sol in Spain. The pool at our house in Portugal. Norio, Inge, and "Captain" Kent, at the top of the hill overlooking Olhao and Moncarapacho.












If you wish to see more photos, find me on Facebook - there are lots more there.






I returned to Corner Brook at the beginning of May, and life took on a life of its own, so to speak. My covenanting service was May 11th, and instead of a single sermon my two colleagues - Myles Vardy and Kim Waite - gave a five-minute reflection on the nature of covenant. It was an excellent service, but I realised afterwards that my camera was still in the office! So I have one photo of Myles signing the Warrant to Covenant, on behalf of the District. It's now done...

On May 16 I flew to Minneapolis for the Festival of Homiletics - the preaching conference which I attend every year as continuing education. It was a beautiful warm week in Minneapolis, and the whole conference was exceptional, as it always is. I caught up with several friends in ministry in the US, as well as a quick wave to Diana Butler Bass, who always has fascinating ideas, and of course her lecture generated a long line-up of people wanting to talk. My 'roomie" again this year was Evelyn McLachlan from Mississauga. Fun!

Back here, to find that Norio had decided to make a trip, and had booked for the last weekend of May - which is always Conference or District meeting, in pretty well every part of the country. Oops! So with a quick rearrange, his time was changed to June 2.

End of May was the spring meeting of West District of Newfoundland and Labrador Conference. District meets twice a year - spring and fall. Since I had volunteered to be on the Liturgy Team, I was also involved in worship and music. The meeting was held in Gander, so it was also some time away, but working time. Stayed in a lovely little motel just outside Gander. The day we drove up it was sunny and 25 degrees. Within an hour that evening, the clouds and rain had come in and the temperature plummeted to 7 degrees. Welcome to Newfoundland!

It was great having Norio here for two weeks. We had dinner at many different homes, drove up both sides of the Bay of Islands, found the Blow Me Down Provincial Park about twenty minutes from here, got a season’s pass for provincial parks and picked out the campsites we like. Took a walk on a nature trail - almost unmarked, but gorgeous. Walked the Corner Brook stream, went to concerts around town, and just had a really good time together. Norio got in some time
canoeing ... at a friend's cottage. Stopped at many streams and rivers along the roadside on the way to Lark Harbour. We had a wonderful three-church barbecue at the church camp, 70 people came, and Norio did yeoman's duty with the hamburgers. Haven't been able to get him to eat a whole moose-burger, but he did have some and allowed as how it was "pretty good". I, of course, love mooseburgers.

...and so I am back to single lifestyle. The landlord is finishing the deck, and I’ve managed to get a whipper-snipper, as well as some potted herbs and flowers. Oh yes, chairs and cushions for the deck too. Last two pieces of stuff - a small barbecue and maybe a firepit.....hmmmm.

In between, I am already aware of friends who are coming through - and visiting. July will not be quiet! But Corner Brook and western Newfoundland in the summer and fall are spectacular. I should say it is always spectacular, but the green right now almost hurts the eyes.

...Norio left here June 13, and on June 15 flew to Japan. He will return to Toronto August 3. On July 27 I fly to Toronto, and together we will drive back to Corner Brook and do some camping. Later in August we take a quick trip to Halifax for a conference, and then back here.

....and so begins the next set of chapters of life here in Newfoundland. It’s an adventure, and I thank you all for coming along on the ride. Salut! I leave you with a photo of the very fresh snow crab we picked up in Lark Harbour - right off the boat, straight out of the water.