Such Is Life

...in friendly Stayner

 

Dear Jesus, Divine Physician and Healer of the sick, we turn to you in this time of illness. O dearest comforter of the troubled, alleviate our worry and sorrow with your gentle love, and grant us the grace and strength to accept this burden. Dear God, we place our worries in your hands. We place our sick under your care and humbly ask that you restore your servant to health again. Above all, grant us the grace to acknowledge your will and know that whatever you do, you do for the love of us.

posted by: staynergirl at 07:29 | link | comments (1) |

HOME

Here is home and where I will be tomorrow night.  Shea Heights is a community settled on top of the hill to the left side of this image (houses are not in view), and that is where I grew up before moving to Ontario at the age of 16.  At night, you could see all the city lights twinkle below and the air is fresh and salty from the Atlantic.

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St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador is one of the oldest European settlements in North America. St. John's is a seaport town sitting at the eastern edge of the Atlantic Ocean. The city is a mixture of wooden row houses, imposing churches and trees, lakes and walking trails. Combine this with an eclectic culture, modern buildings and industries and you have stepped into a city that is lively and vibrant.

St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador, is the oldest European settlement in North America, founded on the feast of St. John the Baptist, June 24, 1497.

The Italian navigator John Cabot, who sailed under English flag, was the first European since the Vikings verifiably known to have reached mainland America. The 500th anniversary of his landing in what he named New Founde Lande was celebrated in 1997. St. John's became the oldest British colony in North America as, on August 5, 1583, Sir Humphrey Gilbert took possession of the region for England. The settlement changed hands several times between France and England, until becoming permanently British in 1762 and serving as a naval base during both the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812.

Many of the St. John's earliest settlers came from the Southeast of Ireland, primarily Waterford, Wexford and Kilkenny. This would explain the similarity between accents from that part of Ireland and Newfoundland.

The worst disaster to befall St. John's was on July 8, 1892 and is commonly called The Great Fire of 1892. There was another major fire that started in the same neighbourhood on December 21, 1992, destroying over a dozen businesses and leaving hundreds homeless.

It was at St. John's that Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless message, and it was from there that the first nonstop transatlantic flight was made in 1919 by Alcock and Brown.

During the Second World War, the harbour was used by Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy ships used for protecting convoys. It was also the site of a large US Army base called "Fort Pepperrell." This base was established as part of the "Lend-lease" agreement between the UK and USA.

*taken from http://www.tidespoint.com/stjohnsnewfoundland.shtml

posted by: staynergirl at 09:29 | link | comments (6) |
travel

Hot Dog...

Here's our cute, little Shaemus dog...  Staying cool and desperately needing a haircut, as you can see.  Isn't he the most adorable little hairball?  This miniature schnauzer has a wonderful personality and we loves em very, very dearly. 

posted by: staynergirl at 11:48 | link | comments |

Majestic creature...

This picture was taken using digital zoom without a tripod therefore, it's a little blurry from the camera-shake.  We sat in a small fishing boat and watched this beautful bald eagle gobble down the musky fish guts we fed him, a couple of weeks ago.  It's a rare pleasure to get this close indeed.  Simply spectacular...

posted by: staynergirl at 08:40 | link | comments |
travel, nature, summer

The warmth is gone...

...and replaced my the constant heatwave and smog alerts of southern Ontario's so-called summer.  Our holiday in north-western Ontario was fantastic, to say the least.  The air smells so different there.  

My father-in-law stands staring at the crackling fire, while the loons lullaby a song.  Mornings bring Mergansers, frolicking and fighting for fish along the sandy shoreline.  Swim in the beautiful lake...  Cocktails in the afternoon...  Musky, walleye and bass fishing at dusk...  Feed the bald eagles the fish guts so that the bears don't intrude...  Nightcap...  Listen to the loons, while sitting around the fire again...  Have the best sleep with crisp coolness, nipping at your nose...  Awake with the chattering of red squirrels, as they drop bombs of pine cones from the tall tops of the red and white pine trees.  Careful to not get hit on the head with one, because they fall like rocks and it can hurt.  Silly little squirrels. 

Three weeks gone and I want to go back.  What a gorgeous place...  Vermilion Bay, Ontario.

posted by: staynergirl at 08:27 | link | comments |
travel, nature, summer