A poem by Cap'n Ted ( and first mate Rumpole ).

A fisherman now I want to be,

Captain of the open sea.

The fish would swim along with me,

A sight to see, so wild and free.

To the harbour I would run,

Nets of fish full by the ton.

Cod, mackeral, and a bottle of rum,

Lobster, shrimp for a little bear's tum.

Aug. 6th. - Awoke to a dull day. Talking to the library lady, she informed us it was so cold last night that she had to light her wood stove! Then she had to open her windows as it was too hot! Pat is feeling much better now and went back to the clinic for the address so he could write and thank the doctor. From Deer Lake we traveled to the BAIE VERTE PENINSULA and are staying tonight at Fleur-de-Lys, in the middle of their baseball field, just above the grave yard and with the river, waterfall and swimming hole to the side - and surrounded by bush - and I'm not kidding!

Aug. 7th. -This morning started with a visit to the soapstone quarry at Fleur-de-Lys, followed by a drive to Coachman's Cove where we met an interesting couple from St. John's who told us of interesting places to visit.As we were talking, a small open fishing boat went by and she remarked that you rarely see these boats now as the cod season is very limited and they are only allowed to catch a small number.Earlier on this trip we have seen the salted cod drying on racks outside houses.Later we met her again on the edge of an old, closed asbestos open pit mine.She was involved in health matters tied to St. John,s university and was interviewing an ex miner of 35 years who had related health issues from working with asbestos.Afterwards it was visits to many far flung fishing villages all along to La Scie.There the boats were unloading shrimp as an inspector slashed open the netting on randomly selected bags to take samples.Lots of pics. taken there.Later that evening saw us having dinner in the Anglican church basement.It was a traditional Nfld meal called "Fisherman's Brews" - cod, hard bread and pork fat mixed together - it wasn't bad but we didn't go back for seconds!Dessert was local partridge berry pie or apricot pie.The meal was put on as a "home coming" celebration for the people who have left for work in western Canada, many of whom did indeedreturn for a holiday so as to attend this event.There were lots of smiling faces and much back slapping going on.

Aug. 8th. - It was a cold clear evening last night and a lovely night sky. While we were outside brushing our teeth we saw some comets. Hopefully we will see the Northern Lights but I think winter is a better time for those. Overnight it dropped down to 4 degrees but at 8am we were able to have breakfast outside in lovely sunshine. It surprises us that there is no farming in all the areas we have so far traveled in Nfld. Not even cattle, pigs or sheep grazing. Most of the land we've seen has been covered with trees and it's marshy in places but it could be worked. Land here is relatively inexpensive and food isvery expensive in the northern parts. Another surprising thing is the lack of life jackets that are used in the little open boats by experienced seamen.

A large distance was covered today in order to reach Cottlesville on the Twillingate peninsula. Upon arriving there was a crowd gathered by the dock. The kids were having a competition in their homemade cardboard boats. They were wearing life jackets!There are little rabbits at tonight's campsite and squirrels running all over the van.

Aug. 9th. - After much hype from several people about how gorgeous the Twillingate area is - named "Road to the Isles" -it was a little disappointing to us after some of the scenery we've been through. This is central Nfld. where it is flatter. Towards the east it is supposed to become more rugged again. In Twillingate, Arctic ice flows brought a polar bear into town in the year 2000. Another whale was seen today, far out to sea. Being Saturday there were lots of yard sales so Pat was dragged in to a couple. No more weight to the van was added! It's always interesting to talk to people however and you learn a lot about the area. Trinity is the name of the little town where we are camped for the night. The van is parked by Black's brook, a free camp site with trails and swimming area.

Aug. 10th. - The main mission today was to reach Bonavista and its peninsula.Traveling by main highways does not appeal to us as you see very little of the local communities and cannot talk to people.Trouble is, many of the secondary roads are riddled with deep potholes, some of which have had many patch jobs done over the years.After commenting today how few bears we have seen so far, we saw a car had stopped to look at one on the verge. As we watched from a distance, he kept going into the bush and then coming back on to the road again. Jenny guessed it was toilet time for him but with the other car so close, he was 'shy'!Anyway, to get back to the town of Bonavista, it's a surprisingly large community on the coast, with a large harbour and many old buildings, some dating back to the early 1800's.Alexander Strathie of Greenock, Scotland built the oldest residence in Nfld. here and then decided to settle.He and his family built many more.There are over 1,000 historic buildings, also a floating replica ofthe "Matthew" which is the ship John Cabot sailed from the old world to the new in 1497.The houses are scattered all over the place, with narrow, winding streets, making this place very appealing. A rare sightwas to see horses, cows and sheep free range grazing on the way to the light house, unusual because these are the first farm animals we have seen in Nfld. Up at the lighthouse, Marigold was admired by a French couple, who asked permission to photograph her.

Aug.11th. - Awakening the next morning after staying in Bonavista, the morning greeted us with a thick sea mist, which gradually lifted.Jenny discovered a possibility of a family connection to the area through her maiden name. Many immigrants had come here from S/W England in the 1800's.Not long after leaving town, there was a mother moose and her baby mooselet (!) close to the road.A fortunate turn of events found us in Trinity ( a different one from before ).A lunch break was taken there, and what a delight it was.The break ended up being the whole afternoon.Lots of historical buildings open to the public, signposted meandering lanes, and charming shops.Outside one of these, Pat asked a man about the unusual license plate on his car, on which was a crown and no numbers. The man replied that it belonged to the Lieutenant Governor of Nfld . ( Queen's Representative ).His name is John Crosbie and would we like to have our pictures taken with him as he would only be too happy to do it, but we declined as it just isn't our thing.This man happened to be the chauffer, informally dressed, and was interesting to talk to, especially about the devastating collapse of the cod fishery in 1992.He also was very interested in Marigold, as there are few vans like her in the east, and asked to see inside her.He was amazed to learn that she is 24yrs old.As John Crosbie came out of the restaurant, the chauffer said "coming your honour", with an impish smile.

Cap'n Ted says "Cast-off".

P.S.Pat says he is feeling much better now thanks to the Prednisone.