WILLY NILLY
Our Mother bought a fascinating little book for the grandchildren last Christmas. ‘Will’s Words’ is beautifully illustrated, effectively portraying simple messages through the exaggeration of cartoon. More specifically, it explains the significance of William Shakespeare’s works, its influence on the English language, and why its important for us to continue his study. Brilliant! ‘……
TR’EE’S COMPANY
We met up with old friends from Corner Brook, Newfoundland and it wasn’t long before the conversation brought us back to all the great times we’d shared while operating a resort near the city’s signature ski hill – ‘Marble Mountain’. There were stories aplenty and though we enjoyed many laughs, his wife could take no…
THE PITS
One must keep an open mind while traveling in Newfoundland, for this is a most unusual place filled with all sorts of bizarre anomalies. Before you shake your head and dismiss something with; “Oh those Newfoundlander & Labradoreans” – we ask you to size things up, ask questions, and apply some good old-fashioned logic. …
BORN TO RUN?
Touring provides us with an opportunity to meet some extraordinary characters and participate in many ridiculous adventures, but nothing compares to the recent trip we hosted in an autonomously driven vehicle provided by one of the world’s largest automobile manufacturers. Scary? Supposedly. But nothing like the convoluted story it evoked this Halloween when we met…
SHINING
Newfoundland exhibits the most diverse array of wildflowers on the planet. An island state located off the east coast of Canada, this country’s many unique (and sometimes bizarre attributes) create a truly spectacular garden whose continuity of blooms splay across the coastal landscape for the entirety of the growing season. “… cloak of vibrant…
HELLO GOV’NOR
We just delivered the latest Boondockers Snowmobile Film to Jim Parsons, the mayor of Corner Brook. This is the video’s birthplace, so its pretty exciting stuff. But get this, we arrived on the doorstep of City Hall driving a “Side by Side” ATV! Not kidding guys. We’ve always said that Corner Brook is the most…
MEESE
As we often explain to guests on our McCarthy’s Party Tours, much of Newfoundland’s cultural mosaic can often be attributed to the simplest of factors; including a shortage of fresh meat. To truly appreciate this phenomenon, one must realize that Newfoundland was once located at the southern most extension of the ‘Canadian Shield’. During the…
WITCHY WOMAN
We joined our sister in law Lori McCarthy and a small group of tourists on a foraging hike along the shores of Conception Bay. We were gathering edible plants for the menus she’s created for Adventure Canada’s circumnavigation cruise around Newfoundland this week. We ate rose petals and blue berries, mint tips, oyster plant leaves…
HEARTS DESIRE
A few years ago, we had a very young couple join one of our ’12 Day Comprehensive Newfoundland & Labrador’ tours. The average age of our guests sits around 70 years, and though seventy is the new fifty, these two fell well outside the bell curve. A mere youngster at 35, while she might have…
NOW I LAY ME
We rode in Argentia, Newfoundland today, and as you can see from the photographs, everything was perfect. The area is wondrous for its brilliant vistas and diverse riding terrain. The weather was ideal and the company solid. There was nothing more to ask for and while we usually make time to give thanks and praise…
MILLENNIAL MAGIC
One of the hottest topics in today’s ‘Human Resources’ (HR) world is the wave of ‘Millennials’ who are entering the workplace in a state of stress. Despite current global economic growth, expansion and opportunity, millennials are expressing uneasiness and pessimism about their careers, their lives and the world around them. “… the next generation…”…
PIRATE PEACE
Hollywood has a peculiar way of teaching history. Growing up in Newfoundland meant we heard a lot of pirate stories. Our family home in ‘Conception Bay’ gazes directly upon ‘Kelly’s Island’; peppered with holes dug by treasure hunters hoping to find the hidden cache of the Pirate Captain who lent his namesake. We often played…
MERCHANT OF MENACE
Just before we married, my wife inherited a ramshackle of a place in Bonavista, Newfoundland. It was a hard-old spot that looked fit for nothing beyond the haunts that were rumoured to possess it. We intended to flatten it and use the lovely section of level land to build a new seaside cottage. But those…
CULINARY COUNTRY
We were living in Vancouver when the foodie world first discovered Newfoundland and its many culturally identifiable culinary nuances. Really? Hawkins Cheezies? Roast Chicken Chips? Pineapple Crush? How in the name of God could anyone tout Newfoundland as the “Darling” of the Gastro clique? “… starved for content.” Obviously, the food community must…
RIGHT FLIGHT
This year marks the 100th anniversary of transatlantic flight. Can you imagine? Only 15 years after the Wright Brothers fly for the very first time, Jack Alcock and Teddy Brown strap themselves into a glorified kite and hurtle themselves from the shores of Newfoundland. 16 hours later they landed in Clifden, Ireland and so immortalized…
