Newfoundland: Icebreaker and Song

 

Photo Courtesy of JC.Dwyer

“La la la la la, la la la la la,” a TSA agent at Logan International Airport sings as I collect my shoes and backpack from the tub on the conveyor belt.

“La la la la la,” I sing back to her.

Then we alternate lines: Sing, sing a song

Sing it simple, sing it strong

Don’t worry that’s it not good enough for anyone else to hear.

And we conclude, together: Just sing, sing a song.

“Someone else knows a Carpenters song,” the agent says, surprised.

If it weren’t for COVID, we might have chatted a bit longer. A nice icebreaker though, right?

The pandemic caused my wife and I to avoid getting on a plane since January 2020, when we flew to Nashville.

Because the total active COVID-19 cases in Newfoundland have been fewer than fifty and strict protocols have been in place on “The Rock,” we felt it was time to fly to visit our Northeastern neighbours again.

This would be about our 20^th trip to Newfoundland. We’d seen our fair share of icebergs in the summer, and we figured another November visit was in order. Who would we meet? What would we learn? Would there be snow flurries, as one weather forecast indicated?

At the Alt hotel, perched on the 5^th floor and overlooking St. John’s Harbour, I notice the Canadian Coast Guard Ship (CCGS) Terry Fox, it’s orange base in the cold North Atlantic water. Classified as a heavy icebreaker, the vessel named after a Canadian hero doesn’t seem to have any work to do yet. Cold, but not cold enough.

In the hotel lobby, my wife plucks Canada C3 from the “library” shelf. A giant book full of pictures and words, it documents the story of a Students on Ice initiative. Very little to do with hockey, I learn. Everything to do with breaking down cultural barriers and getting to know the complete Canada, from coast to coast to coast.

Every day, I read about this 150-day voyage aboard the MV Polar Princess, an icebreaker that traveled 23,000 kilometres—from Toronto, Ontario to Victoria, British Columbia.

Youth ambassadors, musicians, artists, journalists, environmentalists, scientists…these people of all colors and who spoke many languages opened their hearts and minds and tear ducts as they got down to business: connecting Canadians who might otherwise never meet to delve beyond the buzzwords of diversity and inclusion, reconciliation, youth engagement and the environment.

Tears, laughter, music, difficult conversations. Lingering sadness for missed opportunities mixed with tonnes of progress and hope, as far as I can gather, swelled together as the participants made their way about this great big country, including stops in Newfoundland and Labrador. That was in 2017.

Here in 2021, my wife and I walk along Water Street to visit the Terry Fox Mile Zero Memorial Site. A statue of the brave young man and plaques capture his quest to raise awareness and funds for those fighting cancer. For the uninitiated: Terry Fox commenced his Marathon of Hope here to commence his coast to coast (East to West) trek on April 12, 1980.

Imagine Terry, crossing Water Street and up a steep hill. And then all the way to Thunder Bay, Ontario before cancer caught up to him and took control of his lungs.

On two good legs, I walked to Fred’s Records on Duckworth Street. Fred Brokenshire, the store’s founder, died last month. I bought a piece of Newfoundland music history, Ryan’s Fancy – What a Time! A 40 Year Celebration.

Down at the other end of Water Street, on our last day here, my wife and I meet a couple of friends at Boston Pizza. Jon Drover, a member of Newfoundland’s premier party band, 709 tells us about their drummer, Jon Lane, who passed on in September. So sudden, so sad.

We chat about the music that binds us. Jon mentions his love of Nashville, where one top-notch act covered songs from Lenny Kravitz and the Carpenters. Jon couldn’t wait to witness whatever song was next on the set list.

I don’t know when my wife and I will be back to Newfoundland. The memories of this trip, like those of Karen Carpenter, Terry Fox, Canada C3, Fred Brokenshire, Jon Lane …well, I trust they’ll live on every time I play those Ryan’s Fancy CDs.

Thanks again, Canada. Merci, Maarsii, Qujannamik.

Newfoundland Top Twelve: All the Best

Newfoundland, +1.5 hours from Boston.
Image courtesy of  YYT Photo and Design

Since our last trip to Newfoundland, much has changed—new eateries and music to be discovered, for example—yet the unyielding wind and the waves and the wonderful people anchor this place in our hearts.

From the Air Canada flight, when my wife spied “the Rock” from above for the first time in six years to our last night in Newfoundland, when we shared an elevator with a couple from Ottawa (they thought we were from Ontario, too), I present the Top Twelve highlights from our latest Canadian espionage adventure:

1.      Signal Hill

A snot-knocking wind whips my face, and my jeans billow. I am alive and well. In front of me and below, on a descending trail that skirts the ocean, walkers and runners become specks. I imagine successful journeys and shipwrecks. Alan Doyle’s “Laying Down to Perish,” a haunting song about surrendering to the inevitable, sticks with me long after I’ve left what some still call “the Lookout.”

2.      Breakfast and “Launch”

Rocket Bakery & Fresh Food on Water Street: We enjoy the logo and vibe, and the quiche of the day, the porridge or a breakfast croissant, and the coffee. We have breakfast there, but not “launch.” We enjoy our mid-day meals at Nautical Nellies, also on Water Street. The Pear, Bacon and Goat Cheese salad do Newfoundland proud, as does the Patrice Bergeron lookalike who serves our food and chats about hockey and Boston.

3.      Newfound Music

Walking along George Street on a Sunday evening, my wife and I hear someone singing “Boston and St. John’s.” We look at each other, intrigued. Who’s covering this Great Big Sea Song? We walk into Green Sleeves, past the singer on stage. David Whitty covers “Galway Girl,” a revamped version of Notorious B.I.G.’s “Juicy” and some clever and catchy original music. He ends his show with Elton John’s “Your Song.” On another night at what at least one local calls “the Snotty Cuffs,” Rob Cook (from the band BUMP) has me “Feeling Groovy” and does a splendid job of covering Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire.”

4.      Lighthouses

I smell the pine trees on either side of me as I walk from the makeshift parking spot to the towering bold red edifice in Ferryland. At the Cape Spear lighthouse, I climb the same steps the Cantwells—lightkeepers for 150 years—climbed. I witness the outermost layer of wallpaper (there are more than 60 layers) in their house, now a historic monument, on this most northeastern point in Canada.  

5.      Dinners

The YellowBelly Brewery & Public House serves a delicious Meatball Trio appetizer—parmesan meets polenta—and the Four Cheese & Chicken Caesar pizza pacifies our taste buds. Best of all is the gracious server from Corner Brook, NL. Best place for authentic Neapolitan pizza: Piatto Pizzeria on Duckworth Street. We watch the pizza man prepare our dinner and we talk about his fondness for Salt-N-Pepa. Let’s just say that it’s “very necessary” for us to return there for a VPN Margherita.

6.      Desserts

Newfoundland Chocolate Company: Ur cracked if you don’t walk a few blocks from downtown to learn Newfoundland expressions, which are wrapped around the chocolate bars, or to try a treat named after a St. John’s street. Shockin’ good chocolate. Or, if you prefer old school candy and a retro-nerd atmosphere, then the Freak Lunchbox is for you. Sing along to “Karma Chameleon” and say “Yo, America,” to A.L.F.

7.      Beyond St. John’s

Drive west along the Trans Canada Highway to the Bay de Verde Peninsula, which separates Trinity Bay and Conception Bay, and then continue along the Baccalieu Trail to discover Newfoundland’s strong tie to Portugal. The Bonavista Peninsula, home to ex-Bruin Michael Ryder, fleets of icebergs and a heavenly pea soup and ham sandwich, lift my sagging spirits. We drive back to Clarenville and enjoy the enthusiasm and breakfast (molasses muffins and bakeapple jam on brown bread, yum) at the Island View Hospitality House.

8.      On the Radio

VOCM, 590 AM, is a great way to learn about what’s on the minds of locals and to hear the Newfoundland accent. Local citizens talk about issues—Muskrat Falls, the Fishery, health concerns—and politicians from all parties chime in. And there’s a healthy dose of folks who call to solicit support for charitable causes. Many callers sign off by saying “all the best.”  There’s also music for the drive: I hear a Journey song on the way back to St. John’s

9.      Old Reliable Music.

Larry Foley has been on the music scene for two decades, and he still mesmerizes with his voice and lyrics. He’s a must-see act for those who love traditional Irish music or the “Gulf of Mexico.” So we do see him perform, at Shamrock City.

10.  Finding it at Fred’s

My wife and I walk past the array of Newfoundland and Labrador musicians featured—from Ron Haynes to Great Big Sea to The Once to Hey Rosetta! Steve and Tony recommend artists and help me with music history (stuff I’ll use in the historical novel I’m writing). We buy the latest from The Fortunate Ones, The Bliss.

11.  Icebergs

Ever stare at an iceberg for an hour? That’s what we did at Cape Spear. A bit of ice slides off one drydock iceberg that at first looks like a jet plane and then morphs into a bunny rabbit alongside a shoe. The bergy bit lolling to shore transfixes me, and I wonder about the behaviour of icebergs: Most of them are calved from glaciers off the western coast of Greenland, a place I reckon 90% of us won’t see in person, and these behemoths evolve. If we’re lucky, we can see the surface level juts, peaks and fissures, but we can’t possibly know the pain and sorrows hidden underwater, the sentiments that can cause an iceberg to scour the ocean floor; we can’t easily see the beauty beneath, that which can propel the arctic creature to its next destination…until it dies and melds with the ocean…and its hydrogen and oxygen disperse and circle back to its creator.

12.  Guitar Buddy

An older fellow wearing a white scally cap strums his acoustic guitar as he sits on chair on Water Street. A block away from George Street, where the more popular performers are guaranteed a job, this fellow is paid mostly in loose change tossed into his guitar case. He grins as his left hand forms G, D and A chords and his right hand keeps the rhythm to “Looking for Love.” I smile back at him and join him in song and spirit, unfettered by fear. My newfound friend, whose name I don’t ask, broadens his smile and brightens my day.

Until next time, all the best.