CLAFC – Creativity, Learning, Adventure, Freedom & Cessation

It happened…we’re still not sure how, or exactly why, but it happened. We are now landlubbers once again. The little house on the hill is fully and definitively ours. And to cap it off, our much loved boat — the boat we’ve owned for nearly 15 years, and the place we’ve called home for nearly a decade — is in the process of being sold*.

What a summer it has been 😳 😬😄

After the rush of deciding to buy a new house, we spent the following couple of weeks sorting out some of the financial details, while also enjoying life as sailors, for perhaps one last time. We got off the dock, and went out to nearby Siviers Island anchorage where our friends Craig & Paula were waiting for us. We spent a wonderful few days with them, swinging from the mooring balls, and just enjoying the easy life.

After Siviers we went a bit further out to a place called Samson Island. Here we spent days with Randy & Mary Ellen, and Steve & De (& Farley the dog) — the people who’s fault it is we now own a house in Ramea!

Although we had planned to move on from Samson, the threat of a brush with hurricane Ernesto kept us moored to the spot. This was no great burden since Samson is beautiful, and semi-remote. So we spent the next two weeks, just exploring, and reading, and generally enjoying the watery life aboard Pachina Mia.

Our good friend, and fellow sailor Mark, had finally made his way back from his incredible Labrador sailing adventure. He tracked us down in Samson, and we spent another week tied together, reveling and relaxing.

Eventually though, we decided we had better get serious, and go and see this house we were now going to call home. We hauled up the lines, headed back to Lewisporte, packed a few bags, and drove off to see what the heck we had done 😳. Mark, being both the sweetheart, and also the skilled architect-type, elected to come along with us.

Getting to Ramea from Lewisporte is a full-day event. It’s a six hour drive to Burgeo, and then a one-hr & 15 minute ferry ride from Burgeo to Ramea. You have to time the ferry ride since it only runs one to three times each day. The ferry (Gallipoli) can only carry about 10 vehicles, and it’s first-come-first-served. So we had to leave very early from Lewisporte to get to our house in Ramea.

Side note: The road running from the Trans-Canada-Highway (the “TCH” as it is called in Newfoundland) down to Burgeo is an adventure in itself. The road is small, narrow, and makes the other highways in Newfoundland seem as smooth as silk (even though they’re terrible by most standards). The Burgeo highway is a bone-shaking, teeth-rattling, 150km-long ribbon of potholed horror. If you take your eyes off the road for a second, you’re liable to leave your car’s axles behind as you plunge into one of the holes of death. Driving it is quite literally like running a slalom course; dodging and weaving, and praying (if you’re into that stuff).

The Burgeo road also cuts through some of the most fascinating terrain. The typical Newfoundland forest slowly gives way to what they call the “Barrens” landscape. Trees shrink, then mostly disappear. Growth is mostly scrub brush and moss/bog. The landscape is littered with rocks and boulders, and deep sink-hole like ponds. It feels like passing into the northern tree-line, but we are heading south. It’s bizarre, and incredibly beautiful. And there’s caribou (if you’re lucky, as we were on the first trip).

The easy part is the ferry ride.

As we approached Ramea, we were … nervous. We’d only seen our house from the outside, and then in pictures sent to us by Steve & De. We were… apprehensive, to say the least.

But as the ferry came into the islands of Ramea, we were able to see our house from the boat. And we received the warmest greeting from De & Steve, our new Ramean neighbours, and fellow “Puffins.”

The House… the good:

Our house has the most amazing views of the harbour, the channel, and some of the islands. Our house backs onto open land, and looks out onto the most amazing rocky hills. The windows are newish, there is a functional deck with a big patio door. The bathroom has been upgraded, and the kitchen is older but largish with decent cabinets and work spaces. There are three, or four bedrooms (one is likely an office). The house appears to be reasonably well insulated. And while the heating is all electric baseboard, each room is on its own thermostat, so heating can be very local. We have a decent fridge, stove, flat-screen TV, and a dishwasher (although we’re likely getting rid of that). Plus, the house came with a bunch of small appliances, like bread maker, kettle, air fryer, vacuum cleaner, slow cooker, and lots of bowls, cups and the like. There are lots of hand tools, and even a few electrics, like a weedwhacker, palm sander, a full table saw, and a cement mixer. Oh, and it was very cheap; far less than the average price of a new car.

The House… the bad:

The plumbing is in sorry shape. The roof leaks in a few places. And the crawl-space/basement is very damp, and is in need of a vapour barrier. The insulation is loosely fitted in place, and the extension part of the house has no insulation around the skirting. The roof is in bad shape on the windward side, and will need to be replaced asap. And the deck, while serviceable, needs attention.

The House… the ugly:

The house was basically abandoned by the second-to-last owners. They left a ton of crap, ranging from good stuff like the appliances, to absolute stinking, rusting garbage. We have already hauled eight contract-size bags of junk out of the crawlspace, plus disposed of ton of metal crap (oil furnace, BBQ, propane tanks, chairs, etc…). The attic is also full of stuff, including boxes and bags of kids toys and X-mas decorations. It’s going to take a lot of time just to get rid of all this junk.

Our first night in our house was spent without any running water, but with a warm sense that everything was going to be OK. And I guess I’d be remiss if I didn’t say something about Mark’s lovely house-warming gift, which is a hand-carved soapstone polar bear which he bought directly from the artist during his Labrador travels. But on a darker note, Ann found (screeched with delight!) a Crokinole game hiding in a closet. No wonder the previous owner’s marriage ended in disaster 💀.

We spent a few days doing some cleaning, sorting, and generally getting introduced to the house, the town, and some of the neighbours. But after a few days we headed back to Lewisporte. We had to haul the boat out early so we could spent the last couple of weeks in Ramea. So it was back to the marina to do the hard work of hauling, winterizing, and getting the big canvas cover over Pachina Mia.

Coming back to the club felt both comfortably normal, yet so very different. By then we knew this might be the last time we get Pachina Mia ready for winter. In fact, it might be the last time we come to the Lewisporte Marina — at least, as boat owners*. So many friends. Such a warm and enlivening space — and we might be saying goodbye to it all. Feelings were running deep, and unsettling; not in a bad way, but it did (does) feel like we are coming to an end.

The normal work proceeded to get the boat ready for winter. Our plan was to haul out, winterize, and then make another run to Ramea carrying a load of stuff. Since Pachina Mia will likely not be our home next season*, we had to think differently about what was left on board, and what we needed at the new house. So while it all felt similar, there was a background of finality, and “What the heck are we doing?!?”

Back to Ramea to continue the work on the house , and also to meet with sailor friends Duncan & Renée, who were going to sail in on their way to completing a circumnavigation of Newfoundland. It felt right to meet them at our new house, because they were with us in an anchorage earlier in the season just as this whole adventure began for us.

A few more days, and it was back to Lewisporte for our last load of stuff from the boat, and to finalize Pachina Mia for the winter. Again, emotions were mixed and confused. It’s so hard to think this might be the last time we do this… at least under our ownership*. But I should hasten, the sale is not yet finalized. Things might change.

We spent the last week back at the house, making her our own, while also removing more garbage and doing what we could to get this new place ready for its long winter without us.

We also spent more time getting to know our new-found Ramean friends . So far, everyone we’ve met has been incredibly kind, welcoming and helpful. And speaking of helpful, Ramea is populated by incredibly self-reliant and skilled people. You can’t call the plumber, roofer or electrician every time there is a problem. You do it yourself … or in our case, we call Austin. He is one of those guys that can do everything. People were contacting him on our behalf even before we met him. I guess everyone knows — we need help. So “Aust” has already got our plumbing working, patched our roof, removed an old oil furnace, and is re-plumbing our entire house. When we get back in spring we hope he’ll help us fix the roof. He’s amazing.

For now, it’s back to ‘normal’ life. We said goodbye to Ramea, boarded the ferry, survived the Burgeo road, boarded the Big Ferry, and are now back in “Canada.” We’re headed for Ottawa first, but have made a quick stop in Truro to see friends Chet & Margie. We have a full winter of house-sits booked, which we’re both greatly looking forward to. PLUS, there is Zoe Elizabeth to meet!

* As of this date the sale of Pachina Mia appears to be proceeding, but is not yet finalized.

A few days after my big birthday party we launched Pachina Mia. Everything went perfectly — too perfectly. We soon noticed:

Our raw water coolant pump had developed a serious leak. After consulting with Brian, the yard manager, we remove the pump and he took it to his shop where he disassembled it and determined that a back seal had cracked. A new one was ordered, but it would take a week to get the part, so ‘the boys’ moved us over to a temporary nearby slip.

A week later the new part arrived, Brian made the repair, and we reinstalled the pump. And it worked!

While we were waiting in the temporary slip we spent the days getting the boat ready to live in, and eventually to sail away. Cleaning, sorting, rigging, getting the water system running… it all takes time. But one really fun thing we did was go see the local production of Come From Away.

It always takes a lot of work to get the boat ready to live, and then sail away in. But it’s not all toil and trouble. A couple from Rimouski sailed in, and they turned out to be fantastic musicians. What else could we do but hold a Newfoundland Kitchen Party!

They regailed us with beautiful songs, so we had no choice but to join in.

And of course, we had to share some Newfoundland high culture with our new friends:

The days moved on as normal. Work continued on the boat, such as doing the big climb to mount the wind instrument (Ann’s turn). It all felt quite normal… up until our new friends Deirdre (De) and Steve sent us a little notice about a house for sale in, of all places, Ramea. And… we got interested.

Ramea??? Ramea is a small town, on the south shore of Newfoundland. But it’s more than that. It’s on a small island, off the south west side of Newfoundland. It can only be reached by water, or by emergency helicopter. The ferry ride is over an hour. In short, it is a long way from everywhere.

The house on offer was small, inexpensive, and nice. De & Steve, who also own a house on Ramea, invited us to accompany them when they went back in a week. We thought, what the heck. Let’s go look. If nothing else, we’ll see another part of the province. So we went, although before we did, we managed to spend a few days off the dock at a nearby anchorage before heading off. Fellow sailing friends Duncan & Renée joined us for a couple of days.

By the time we were ready to head off to Ramea, we learned the house had sold. So be it… the road trip would be nice, and we’d still get to see a whole new part of the province. And different it was. We saw caribou on the road to the ferry, and then got to ride the little boat to this little island with views of the Atlantic all around.

Ramea itself turned out to be captivating and lovely, in a stark and harsh way. The terrain is devoid of real trees, mostly dominated by rock and scrub. It looks like a northern landscape, above the treeline, and yet it is relatively far south, and the climate is pretty mild.

The town of about 400 people has nearly everything one might need, including two grocery/general stores, an ATM, and one gas pump. There is an operating fish plant, a museum, a decent wharf, and a restaurant (although it was temporarily closed due to an ownership change). The island is ringed by a board walk that is maintained by community volunteers. We walked nearly the diameter of the island with De and her dog Farley, and probably met 1/2 the town-folks.

We spent three days wondering the town and the island, getting to know the area, and some of the people. Then we decided to head back to Lewisporte so we could carry on with our boring lives of sailing Notre Dame Bay. The very next day De emails to say another house has come up for sale. “Are you interested?” I guess we are…

Steve & De kindly volunteer to go look at the place for us. They send us a bunch of pictures, and give us their report. Bottom line is, they think it’s a steal, “and if you don’t buy it, we will,” they say. So we did😳😳😳🤯🙀

So our nice simple life of summer sailing and winter house-sitting has now been thrown into a tizzy. We really don’t know what we’re doing, or how life looks going forward. We definitely did not come to Newfoundland this year with any plan to buy a house. But we do know this seems right for us — at least right now.

What all this will mean, especially for sailing, and Pachina Mia, is up in the air. In fact… there is a possibility we might be selling her back to a previous owner. But as of press time, nothing is certain.

BIG NOTE: While all of our life-changing events were going on, our good friend Mark was solo-sailing the shores of Labrador. He left even before we launched the boat, and has been braving the wonderful and dangerous Big Land all on his own. We’ve stayed in touch, and offered what little assistance we can from afar. It’s a huge achievement, and to do it solo puts Mark in a very small and rarefied group of sailors. Truly impressive, and amazing.

We packed our things, said our goodbyes, and headed east towards that shining city in the clouds — OK, we went back to Ottawa; our warm and legal home. This is our time to spend time with Mom & Sis, to catch up on all those pesky medical appointments, and to cuddle with Hammi.

We arrived a few days ahead of a most auspicious event: Mom’s 80th Birthday!!! Of course, this meant presents, and margaritas, and special outings. This included one incredibly memorable evening at the Oh Canada Eh!? dinner theatre. It features an all-Canadian show of music and cornball skits, all accompanied by a very Canadian meal. Best of all, the servers were the performers, so they would be filling our beer glasses, then running up on stage to do their solo. It was a hoot. And of course, I got used as a small prop in the performance.

It was a great, fun, rollicking show. They even sang Happy Birthday to Mom (and a few others who were also celebrating).

Of course, that was only the beginning of the celebration. Ann made a mountain of much-demanded cookies, I baked a birthday cake that was inspired by Mom’s tradition of using two cake-mix slabs, slapping them together, and covering all the flaws with tons of pre-made icing. And we went out to the pub a couple of times so Kathy could show off her talents doing … well, I’m not sure what.

We also pitched in and gave Mom a high-tech electric poncho. She’s often cold, so we think/hope this will get some good use in the coming winter months … if she can remember to keep the batteries charged.

With all the festivities done we soon packed our bags and headed off to our friends in Truro, NS. We often stop in there on our transit between Ottawa and Lewisporte, but this time we were going to house/cat-sit for a couple of weeks so Chet & Margie could travel to Northern Ontario. We spent a couple of days with them before they packed up, leaving us to look after their lovely home, and their four sweet kitties.

In addition to their four kitties, the house was on the range of some free-range chickens that lived a few houses down. There was a resident groundhog, and we were visited by deer. Plus birds… lots of birds. One of the daily duties was to keep all the feeders stocked. No matter how much seed I put in, it seemed to disappear overnight.

Truro is not far from the Bay of Fundy, the place of the world’s largest tides. This creates a large tidal bore, which is basically the line where the tide water pushes stream. The Salmon River near Truro is a great place to see it, so we went out a couple of times, including once with Kathryn and Harald when they dropped by on their way to Newfoundland.

We had a lovely and relaxing time at Chet & Margie’s place, including spending some days with them, both before and after their trip. As it turned out, their time away was cut short by about a week since Margie was in the midst of buying a new house, and selling this current one. So we moved up our ferry crossing to Newfoundland, and headed off to The Rock a week earlier than expected.

But on the way, we decided to kill some time by going to the Fortress of Louisbourg. It’s a largely reconstructed historic site from the days of French and British colonial struggles. It was built by France, but changed hands a number of times in the winds of war. A section was reconstructed a number of years ago, so visitors can experience a bit of the life back then. Pretty cool.

The ferry crossing went smoothly, as did the drive across the island. We arrived back in Lewisporte by mid afternoon. We checked in on the boat, and she looked good, but was in the typical state of disarray. Happily, Kathryn & Harald had rented a BnB, and they offered to let us spend the first night in their spare bedroom. We had a lovely dinner with them, and Mark who had arrived a couple of weeks earlier.

The next day we moved back onto Pachina Mia, and began the slow process of bringing her back to life. Things were in pretty good shape, which is always nice to find. But it still takes a lot of time and effort to get her back into a livable space.

Arriving a week earlier than expected meant we got a start on things sooner. It also meant we were able to join in on the Start of Season party, including the official raising of the flags.

The days slipped by slowly. We got the cover off the boat, and began sorting, fixing and cleaning. We decided to replace the ageing anchor chain, which was a good thing because after pulling out all the old chain, Ann proceeded to vacuum up three liters worth of metal rust-dust out of the chainlocker and off the deck. Yuck (sorry… no pictures).

Mark had arrived a couple of weeks earlier, so was already in the water and pretty settled. So inbetween all the work, we had a lot of quality Mark Time.

The official start of summer was soon upon us, and with it came a few days of stinky hot weather, and yet another birthday. Party ensued, complete with supper at a local fish&chips place (courtesy of Mark), and birthday cake (courtesy of fellow boater Tammy), and lots of great gifts and well-wishers. In reality, it was just another great excuse to gather and drink, but I felt quite honoured.

Winter relaxed its grip on Alberta long enough for us to make our eastern dash. The drive through the Prairies was uneventful, and kinda boring (as usual 😑). But the weather was cold, but fine for the drive, and we soon found ourselves back in Kenora, ON. That night we checked the weather, and it hinted at snow heading our way, but the prediction was for late the following day, so we didn’t rush…

The next day we took our time taking in the beautiful sights of Northern Ontario towns like Dryden 😂, but the forecast kept getting worse. We made the left turn at Thunder Bay, heading east along the Trans-Canada, and were soon caught in a rapidly intensifying snow storm.

By the time we were past Nipigon, the snow was getting heavy and wet, and roads were becoming treacherous. At one point we ended up being shepherded by a snow plow as it took a long line of vehicles up and over a pass. We pulled into Cathie & Joe’s place near Rossport just as the roads were becoming impassible.

The snow kept coming… We ended up spending the next few days clearing the snow, doing it multiple times because it just kept coming. The forecast called for at least 50cm, but it felt like we got even more.

Despite all the snow, we had a glorious time hanging out with Cathie & Joe and Piper. What a great place to get stuck for a few days!!

All too soon we had to hit the road once again. We had to get to our next farm-sitting gig in southern Ontario, and time was getting a little tight. So we said our goodbyes, and headed off once again. But winter wasn’t done with us yet. We only got as far as Wawa when the snows started in again. Added to that, the highway south was closed for 12 hours due to a nasty crash.

The next day dawned clear and snow-free, and the accident which had closed the highway (pretty much the ONLY highway), had been cleared. We headed south once again, making one more overnight stop in Parry Sound — a pretty little town in Georgian Bay. From there it was a few more hours down to our new temporary home near Chatham, ON.

We arrived Jane & Phil’s place by late afternoon, and within a few hours were feeling very much at home. Their small farm is located a short distance outside of Chatham, on a three-acre slice of land. The space is encompassed by stunning old trees of all sorts, and includes a house, garage, barn, and a few other out-buildings. But best of all, it came with dogs… lots of dogs.

Not only dogs… two small horses, as well as a couple of barn cats.

The number and variety of animals was one big attraction, but each animal has their own unique story. Most of them are “rescues” in some way. From Tiley who lost a leg in a car accident, to Buttercup the blind pony, they had all suffered hardships in the past, and have all found a safe and wonderful home with Phil & Jane. But this meant we had big shoes to fill, which is why we arrived a couple of days early so we could learn the routines.

Jane & Phil actually have four dogs, but the original plan was for us to be foster-parents to only two of them. One of them (Callie) has special medical needs, and Tiley doesn’t easily trust people. She’s a sweetie, but because of her past traumas, doesn’t let many people get close to her. The plan was for her to be housed at Phil & Jane’s daughter’s place, where Tiley had spent time before. But after a couple of days we got a somewhat frantic message saying Tiley wasn’t settling in with Ainsley. She wasn’t eating or drinking, and was generally stressed, so we agreed to try her back.

Happily, she took to Ann right away 😀 — me… not so much ☹️.

We settled in to the daily routine and sorted out the best way to divide all the tasks. As usual, we shared most things, although Ann did the dog-walks, and I did most of the outdoor work; mostly poop-scooping, horse food prep, and lawn mowing.

After about a week, my mom and sis joined us on the farm. We had arranged for them to visit while we were there, so Kathy drove them down from Ottawa to spend the week with us. It was a great visit, including being there for the total solar eclipse. We were right on the edge of ‘totality’, so that gave us about 40 seconds of complete coverage. It was… out of this world.

It was great having Mom & Kathy visit. The two of them did some exploring of the area, and we all ended up in the town of Erieau, on the shore of Lake Erie, for “the world’s best fish & chips.” It was pretty good, although Newfoundland’s versions still win. But mostly we just hung out at the beautiful farm.

After a week Kathy had to get back to work, so she and mom headed for Ottawa, leaving us to settle back into our farm/chore routines. The animal’s constant needs forced a nice rhythm to each day. Mornings involved releasing and feeding the horses (after giving Noah his oral medicine via syringe). The dogs would get their breakfast at the same time. Late morning I would go out to clean the stables, feed the cats , and set up the horses’ food for the evening — always under the watchful eye of Noah .

Ann would usually take Roni for her walk around midday. She even started taking all three on short pre-walks around the yard, which was pretty funny. Sometimes they would visit me while I was mucking the barn. Roni could smell ‘cat’ as she stuck her head through the cat-door.

The days ticked by. We had arrived at the farm at the tail end of winter, but pretty soon the weather turned warm, and sometimes quite wet:

All the warmth and rain also brought the grass to life — and they have a lot of grass! Luckily, they also have a “zero-turn” ride-on lawnmower that made the job a lot easier, and almost fun. But even with this fancy mower, it was a full-day job cutting the acres of grass. Luckily, we only had to do it twice. This left lots of time for just hanging out, and enjoying the wonderful place, and space, and most especially, the dogs, who fell in love with Ann.

They hated when she left, and were always excited when she came back home.

The time seemed to go so fast, and all too soon our homeowners were back, and we were saying our goodbyes. Parting is always such sweet sorrow, but it was tempered by the knowledge that we’ll be back next winter. Until then, we’ll just have pictures to remind us of the place, and all the sweet animals:

We arrived to a warm greeting from Carol and Pete, who live on the outskirts of Cochrane on their small farm. Good thing the greeting was warm, because the temperatures were bone-shattering cold! In fact, they’d been that way for over a week. Records were broken, teeth chattered, and Lil’ Black froze solid — we had to push him into the garage to bring him back to life.

All this brutal temperature made it nearly impossible for our homeowners to get their RV ready, so it took a few extra days before we said our goodbyes, and finally moved in. When we did, it was very much like coming home — this is the fourth time we’ve looked after their place, afterall.

This odd lifestyle of ours has us visiting new places, and living in different spaces, all the time. But it’s always nice to come back to a place we know and love. Most especially, we love all (OK… most) of the animals here — and there are a lot!

The weather started frigidly cold, but soon see-sawed to unusually warm. With the disappearing snows, we got the covers off all the outdoor critters, and contended with a yard that turned increasingly mucky. Lots of mud, mixed with, well… you know 💩.

The inside zoo was full of all the animals we knew and loved. But one change from previous sits was the birds were both free to roam, AND still had their flight feathers intact. This meant they could fly around the house — which they increasingly did. Jade decided he liked me the most, and while Merlin occasionally ended up near me, he (happily) chose Ann to be his new best buddy.

The birds are much happier being free, which means they are a lot less squawky, which means we are much happier. This is definitely better for everyone. But Merlin insisted on being with Ann almost everywhere she went, including in the kitchen. This made for awkward times while trying to do things, like bending over to reach a pot. I came back from barn duties one morning to find all the animals in a kerfuffle, Ann nowhere to be seen, and blood all over the floor.

Merlin had grabbed a hold of Ann’s nose, leaving torn skin, and a bloodbath in his wake.

Merlin wasn’t trying to hurt Ann — if he had wanted to, he could easily bite right through her nose. He was on her shoulder when she bent over, and started to fall. So he just grabbed the biggest thing he could find 🤥. But after this, and following one more incident where Merlin did the same thing with my ear, we decided to block the kitchen so he couldn’t fly in. But he continued to seek out Ann in the living room whenever she was around.

While the indoor adventures kept us busy, the outdoor critters also needed attention. Carol has gained one extra horse since last we’d been there. So this makes for three horses and two donkeys. In reality, the outdoor animals were easy to manage, even with Tucker’s special food/medicine needs (he was on a special diet). What was less easy was the huge temperature swings, along with a few good snowfalls.

When we first arrived, the temperatures were dropping deep into the -30ºC overnight. Then it warmed up with daytime highs into the mid +teens. Then a it went back down into the deep freeze for a week, then back up. Up, down, up, down... All the while dumping snow quite regularly. Welcome to the new normal of weather in a world of a rapidly changing climate.

One of the joys of being at Pete & Carol’s farm is that we are close to Calgary, and can share our temporary home with family and friends. Happily, we had a few visits from ‘the fam’, with Monique, Phil, baby Olivia, and Granny Donna coming out. This was followed by a visit from Peggy & Phil (Sr.). Later on Peggy & Phil came back, bringing grandkids Vida and Theo with them. Cailan made a trek out to see us, and we even hosted a dinner with nearly the whole extended family showing up. It was great.

The days on the farm take on a certain rhythm. We soon established the pattern of Ann doing the morning Tucker feeding, horse releasing, and barn & area clean-up. She would feed the donkeys more straw if needed. I would then go out to clean up the yard, including the donkey area, and make sure they were well stocked with straw for the day. Then I did all the pooper-dumping onto a pile that grew, and Grew, and GREW! The evening ritual saw me bringing in all the horses in from the outer field, feeding Tucker his special slop, forking more straw for the overnight, and generally rearranging the electric fencing to keep them all close to the barn.

Rinse, and repeat… It gave us plenty of time to spend with the outdoor animals, which was really lovely.

The days moved on and all too soon our home-owners were back, and we had to say goodbye to all the critters. It’s always a bit sad in departing, but it’s very likely we’ll be back … someday. For now, we headed to Calgary for what we’d hoped was a quick stop, but due to a snowstorm, turned into a few-day layover. Somehow, Ann got through it, with a ‘little’ help.

We left Calgary in-between snow storms, and we headed east towards our next home/farm sit in southern Ontario. On the way though, we had to stop in on our friends near Rossport. But more on that in the next post.

Our first full day, or rather night, at our Medicine Hat house was spent fending off little ghosts and goblins from the front door. Hallow’s Eve! Ann had fun handing out treats, and avoiding the tricks, while the kitties and I mostly stayed hidden.

Coming back to Gail & Pat’s place was easy and relaxing. The house is lovely and simple to manage. The location is beautiful in that surprising desert kind of way, and the kitties seemed to remember us. Allie, who is the more cautious of the two, warmed up to us right away .

Sasha… well, all you need to do is give her treats, and open the door for her occasionally, and she’s happy. But don’t leave her outside, because she’s kinda wimpy.

While it’s great exploring new locations and visiting new houses, coming back to a place we’ve already been always feels a bit like coming home. It was easy to settle in for our month in The Hat. Ann quickly found her way to the swimming pool, and I got back into river walks, and food dehydration.

Although winter was scheduled to arrive, we never saw much of it. There was the occasional dusting of snow, but mostly the weather was warm and dry. No snow shovelling required. Mostly, we just hung out with the cute kitties, and made sure everyone was warm and happily fed on time.

As usual, the time went by quickly. Too soon, we were saying our goodbyes and heading off for a short stay at Donna & Sam’s place in Calgary. It’s always great to see them, but the major attraction was, of course, the new kiddy OLIVIA! Ann went into serious speech-path mode right away, which is really just about playing, and having fun with little ones.

It was a short stint in Calgary, but long enough to have some fun playing pool , and squeezing in celebrations for the older baby. Happy Birthday Annnneeeeeeeeeeeeee!

After a short week of fun in Cow-town we headed off to our next house-sit, this time in Canmore, AB. The town is nestled in the crook of the Bow River, and surrounded by mountains. Our temporary home was minutes away from the river, with an amazing view of the craggy peaks. But best of all, it came with three adorable kitties.

As is true for all cats, each one had their own unique personality. They all loved to climb, and sleep up in high places . But while Big and Little Cat were a bit cautious, and took a few days to fully trust us, Indie, or as house-owners Andrew & Julie called her: FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), was immediately into everything we owned. She wasn’t shy to take ownership of us right away.

Our time in Canmore was short, but so very wonderful. Our temporary home was incredibly beautiful. It’s a wood home, with a great kitchen, outdoor hot tub, and funky pantry. But the centrepiece of the whole house was a massive fireplace, which we made good use of. The whole house, and the surrounding area, was an absolute delight.

One day during our stay we were visited by some of the Calgary crowd. It was great to see Donna, Sam and Monique. But let’s be honest, the true highlight, without a doubt, was (and always is) little ‘Liv. She fell in love with the monkey table.

Sadly, our time in Canmore went all too fast, but happily, this meant heading back to Calgary. Sam and Donna graciously took in us vagabonds once again, and we got to spend the holiday season hangin’ with the family. Christmas dinner saw Tash home and Peggy and her gang (Marc, Connor, Cailan, including Phil-Senior), come over for some good time and good eats. We all chipped in to make it a relaxing afternoon/evening.

We get to linger here in Calgary, and likely down near Pincher Creek at the Beauvais Lake cottage, while we await our next house-sit over in Cochrane. We are returning to our hobby farm, which we’ve come to know and love. The three horses, two donkeys, two parrots, two cats and one little dog will keep us hoppin’. But that’s always great.

So, it turned out, we could have stayed a couple of extra weeks in Newfoundland. It only took us one day of actual looking, to buy our new (old) car. So we got to spend the next few weeks hanging out in Ottawa, relaxing and easing into our coming fall/winter travels. There was still lots to keep us busy. There were:

The time passed quickly, as it so often does, and we soon found ourselves loading new(old) Fit for our travels north, then west. Having bought pretty much the same vehicle, we knew our life would fit … into the Fit (HA!). So we said our goodbyes to Mom, Hammi and Kathy (aka the bratty sister), and headed off.

Lil’ Black performed perfectly. No issues, and kilometrage seems on par with Lil’ Red. We made it to our first stop in Thessalon, which is a lovely town with a nice motel on the shores of the North Channel. We once sailed past here on our way south, and our friend Chester used to have his summer home in the community RV park. So it always feels right to stop here.

The next day we passed through the Sault, and turned north for the stunning part of the drive along Lake Superior’s shores. The weather was great, so we made quick time, driving past our old haunts near Marathon. This included passing by the Hemlo Gold mine. The operation has shifted largely to an open-pit mine, and the tailing mountain gets bigger and bigger each time we pass by. It’s kinda scary…

Our first house-sit stop of our winter sojourn was to be at Cathie & Joe’s place near Rossport, a village of a few hundred people. Their house is actually in a place called Selim, with a population of perhaps a few dozen, making it the suburbs of Rossport. We often stop here for a few nights as we pass by, but this time we had been asked to stay for nearly two weeks, while Joe & Cathie travelled to Quebec City.

This trip is just the latest in many excursions taken by Cathie and Joe, along with Cathie’s brother Duncan, and sister Margaret. They’ve chartered a canal boat in France, taken a small boat cruise in Norway, and stayed in a village overlooking the Isle of Skye.

Our friends sure know how to live! But so do we, because we got to look after their beautiful home on the shore of Lake Superior, while looking after the cutest dog alive: Piper!

We arrived a couple of days before the gang was to depart on their trip. While we’ve spent time at their Shangri-La house in the past, we were always just guests. Living a life off the beaten path is glorious, but sometimes more challenging. There was plenty to learn about generators and water systems, about maintenance and the garden, about newspaper delivery and garbage day, and most of all, about Piper.

We also got to spend time getting to know Margaret and Duncan. We’d heard so much about them both over the years, so it was great to finally put real faces to all the antics. As expected, both Cathie’s siblings are sweet, incredibly smart, and a joy to be around. We had a grand time just hanging out with them for those couple of days.

We finally saw the gang off, and were left to manage pup and home. Piper was a trooper, and seemed to accept us right away. She kept us busy, with all the walks and regular feedings, and of course daily ball time.

The time passed all too quickly, which happens when you’re constantly busy. In addition to all the Piper walks and plays, we did some minor work around the place. Ann did some cleaning, harvested a bit of the garden and I managed to split a bunch of firewood. We lived well, enjoying the fruits of Cathie & Joe’s gardening labour.

Sadly, our time came to an end all too soon. Cathie, Joe and Duncan returned safe and sound (Margaret flew directly home from Quebec City), with more grand stories to share. We spent one more glorious day hearing about their latest adventure, and then we packed Lil’ Black up, and said our goodbyes. Happily, we know we’ll be back in a few months, so the parting was not so sorrowful.

With some weather coming in, we decided to give ourselves an extra day to do the 2,000km drive. Lil’ Black performed admirably, but with only all-season tires on, we carefully planned our stops to avoid the worst of the wintry weather.

We stopped in places we’d not been before. First Ignace, ON , then Portage La Prairie where we drank some good beer (actually, bought near Kenora) , and met the motel owner: Paul. Turns out Fireball Paul is a local folk singer who gave us an impromptu concert, so we could hear his latest tunes.

On our final day, we stopped for lunch at a Maple Creek Chinese/Canadian eatery. I’m sure the decorations haven’t changed since the 1970s! Food tasted like it was from that era as well. Frozen ripple fries, basic burger, old-style milk shake machine. It was all very good… but felt like a blast from the past.

Our next destination for our house-sitting season had us in Medicine Hat, at a home we had first sat for in the spring. Gail & Pat’s place is nestled on the edge of “The Hat”, not far from the South Saskatchewan River. Their house is located in a quiet community, and is very nice and comfortable. They have two little Morkie dogs, and two cute cats. The dogs went with the ‘parents’, so all we have to do is look after the home, and cuddle with the kitties:

With Ann’s iPhone safely back in hand, we pulled out of the Marina and headed off to join Mark. He had left a few days before, and was tied up at Knight’s Island north, swinging from the club mooring. We tied up beside him and settled in for days of much-needed R&R.

Knights is a lovely, and fairly secluded anchorage. The only negative is that it is close to Exploits Island, with its population of cottagers. This brings a small, but constant, stream of visitors as people motor around in their little boats. Only one stayed a night, and this was a large ketch from some foreign land.

While at Knights we did a little work (fibreglass repair) , and a little play . Ann got out her fancy camera and started taking a lot of Ann-shots : and then she did the dance of the seven (white) veils. . She also pulled out the old tin whistle and serenaded us with her dulcet tunes.

While refugin‘ in Knights, Mark received notice that his boat had a prospective buyer. He had decided to put it up for sale, following his return from his northern excursion. A buyer was on their way from Quebec, so Mark decided to head back into Lewisporte to meet them.

We stayed a couple more nights at Knights before moving on to Fortune Harbour up at the top of the peninsula. This is an anchorage we’ve been to many times, so knew it well. Good thing too, because a nasty squall overtook just as we were getting in. We had barely got the anchor down when we were hit with 30+ knot winds and heavy rains.

Happily, the nasty weather passed quickly, and we were gifted with a beautiful afternoon and evening.

The following day we decided to do some exploring. We got the dinghy out, and hooked up the outboard. We don’t use the engine a lot since we usually row the dinghy, but I do get it running each season. I even changed the oil before we left Lewisporte. It ran great, so it was a little surprising to have it sputter and die just as we motored out of the anchorage.

Luckily we weren’t too far from home, and the winds were light, so we just rowed around, and eventually made it back to the boat. The next day was spent trying to fix the engine. Turns out when I changed the oil, I over-filled it with new stuff. This fouled the spark plug. Ann pulled out the spare spark, and once it was swapped out, the engine ran flawlessly.

The next days we spent exploring the various nearby coves.

After a few days Mark rejoined us in Fortune Harbour. We spent the next few days reading, relaxing, dancing the veil dance, and generally just settling into life afloat.

After about a week we decided to head over to Seal Bay, heading for our favourite anchorage: Gods Pocket. It was one of those windless days, so we ended up motoring the whole way. Mark had left ahead of us, but since we were going to anchor, he let us get ahead of him.

As we headed down the bay we spotted a white dot on the water. It grew as we got closer. Yes indeed, it was an iceberg! We’d seen a few earlier in the season, but that was from land. We’d also seen a couple in the distance when coming into Fortune Harbour, but they were far out to sea. This was our closest ice approach.

We pulled into the very familiar godly anchorage, and went far back to the bottom. Just as we were getting the hook down I looked up and saw…

The bear lingered around the beach as we got the hook planted. It barely took note of us as it groused for mussels, or other critters. It visited us at least once more during our stay.

The following day we pulled out the kayaks and got them all set up for paddling. It’s no small effort to haul the kayaks out from below deck, and then to get them inflated, so we only do it when we know we’re going to stay put for some time. The gods whispered that this was the place, and the time, so out the kayaks came.

And of course, we have to mention Ann’s Sacred Rock:

Being in ‘the pocket’ lends itself to the easy life. The anchorage is incredibly secure, offering good holding, and protection from all winds. It would take a hurricane to affect us in there. So it’s the perfect place to stay, and stay, and stay… So we did.

On one memorable kayaking day we saw a bald eagle, (nearly saw) a seal, whales, and witnessed the collapse of the nearby iceberg. This last one came in the form of thunder. The berg was about 2nm away, but the sound was like a distant thunder clap. Amazing… and very glad we weren’t closer.

After nearly three weeks time was starting to drip away. Mom and Sis were visiting our area of Newfoundland, and we wanted to be back at Lewisporte to connect with them for some of their stay. We also planned to haul our boat out a few weeks earlier than normal so we could get back to Ottawa and begin our new (old) car search. Lil’ (old) Red has been a great car, but had reached its end. We needed the extra time to find a replacement — at least we thought we needed the extra time (spoiler!).

So we packed away our kayaks , offered our blessings to The Pocket , and hauled up anchor so we could begin the journey back to the marina. Our anchor had been holding both boats for the entire time, it was deeply dug into the bottom. It took over an hour to pull it up. And along the way we found a few other critters had started to call our anchor rode home. This included a starfish, and lots of jelly fish tentacles — yuck!

We left on a favourable west wind, which gave us a nice broad reach towards our destination. We were having such a good sail that we bypassed Fortune Harbour, and pushed on into Bay of Exploits. Unfortunately, as we rounded south into the bay, a nasty squall line caught up to us . The skies opened up, the winds piped up and the rains came down.

Luckily we didn’t have to go too far before getting into our anchorage at Samson Island. We grabbed a club mooring and settled in for the night. The next morning Mark headed back to the marina, while we lingered for one more day. Endings are so hard…

The following day was lovely, with a light northerly wind. This gave us an easy sail back home. We lingered for hours, but eventually got going. It was a great way to end the sailing season.

It was a lovely final sail; light steady winds, moving us along at 3-4knots. It was so easy, we let Fred helm for a while 😂. Mark was at the dock, ready to catch our lines. And the expert crew even remembered to put the fenders down this year. A good ending to another fun sailing season.

What was not so good was the state of our car. Old Red started up fine, but the battery was soon dying. No amount of reving helped, as it seemed to in the past. Checking the alternator, I soon figured out it was dead. With the help of Brian at the yard, we soon has a new one on order. And with a little begging, I managed to secure a date for the local garage to install it. We had to wait about a week, but it could have been a lot worse.

Happily, the car was a minor downer. The real fun was not done yet. Mom & Sis had arrived at their nearby BnB a few days earlier, so we planned a little day trip. Kathy drove in and we spent the day motoring (there was no wind) out to Knight’s Island. As an added bonus, on the way back we became peripherally involved in a boat rescue. A small powerboat lost its engine, and had to be towed away from the rocks and back home. We offered to assist, but luckily our help was not needed.

Later, we went over to their BnB to spend a few days being tourists with Mom/Sis. Our car was still on the fritz, awaiting a new alternator, but Mark, ever-the-sweetie, lent us his. What are we going to do if he sells his boat — we’ll be lost!

Sadly, we soon had to get back to boat chores. Haulout was coming soon, as was our already-booked ferry date. And there’s always so much to do to get the boat out of the water, and ready for winter.

Finally all the tasks were done. We headed off in our rattly, noisy little red car. After making an all-too-short stop in Corner Brook to spend time with friends Byron & Paula, we boarded the ferry and sailed back to “Canada.”

It was an easy overnight ferry ride, and I managed to get some sleep. Ann — not so much. Luckily, we had a short drive to our friends Chet & Margie in Truro, NS. Old Red almost made it without mishap, but just as we were getting into the city Ann heard a new, bad sound.

We spent a couple of relaxing nights with C&M and all their many cats . The next day Chet drove another friend to Halifax for a medical appointment, so Margie took us on a short trip down to a park on the Fundy shore. We spent one more night with them before beginning our final push to Ottawa.

Lil’ Red got us back to Ottawa without further… losses. It was great to get back ‘home,’ although it now meant we had to get serious about car shopping. We’d begun the search from Lewisporte, and Ann had already spotted what seemed like the perfect car: A much newer (2013) Honda Fit. Low KMs, and seemingly in good shape. But these kinds of cars don’t last long, so we were surprised to still find it listed by the time we got looking.

Long story short, we looked at three other cars, drove one other, then tested this new (old) Fit. It was the perfect FIT. So we swap Lil’ Red for Lil’ Black.

We arrived back home to Pachina Mia and found she had weathered the latest Newfoundland winter well. Her new winter cover remained intact, and everything seemed pretty good on board. Fred the killer watch dog had done his duty well, so all I had to do was reassemble the electrical system, and we were ready to move on board.

All seemed well… which is always a bad sign in the boating life. And true to superstitious form, we soon noticed a drip coming off the lowest point of our keel. How odd, says we. The boat has been high and dry for months. How could it be dripping?

Turns out our mighty 6-ton keel had somehow taken up a fair bit of water. So now we had two challenges. The first was to get the water out, and the second was to patch the leaking area. Sounds easy right?

Unfortunately, Newfoundland was experiencing the worst Spring on record; cold, rainy and generally crap conditions, making work nearly impossible. Simply put, it’s damn hard to drain a keel in the rain, and you can’t set epoxy and fibreglass when it’s wet, or in the cold.

We had weeks of both, so we spent a lot of time in the clubhouse, staying warm and dry.

But all things must pass, and we eventually got enough semi-dry and semi-warm days to get the job done. This was largely to the great guidance and assistance of fellow boater and good friend Mark, who has earned his doctorate in recreational boating fibreglass by basically building his own sailboat.

Work progressed slowly, but luckily there was plenty to keep us occupied and entertained. We even joined in on various events; some planned and some rather impromptu. There was a big “Welcome Back” dinner put on by the club. And there was great little jam session with two great guitar players: Terry and Eric. Eric, on the right, is a singer song-writer. He has two albums, which he kindly gifted to us. What a lovely gift!

Since Mark was gunning for Labrador this season, he had been working like a press-ganged slave these past few weeks. It’s a long way north, and weather was not cooperating. Undaunted, Mark and his new crew member Michael, shoved off in the cold and rain.

As it turned out, this was not the year to attempt such a journey. There were more icebergs in Newfoundland’s waters than anytime in the past decade (maybe more). Mark made it to nearly the top of the Northern Peninsula and the Straight of Belle Isle, but he wisely turned around at that point. Going further north risked life and vessel.

In the meantime, work progressed on Pachina Mia. We’d get one day of decent weather, and then five more days of crap. But in between all the work, there was this little birthday event. Ann completely surprised me with a delicious chocolate, chocolate, chocolate cheesecake. It was made right under my nose. I was completely oblivious. So much for my dreams of becoming The Great Sailing Detective.

While the icebergs are a serious hazard for us boaters, they are a wonder to see, even from land. Our other new friends, Kathryn & Harald, took us for a road trip to see a couple modest sized bergs that had made their way very close to our marina.

Back on the boat, work progressed slowly, which is pretty much the only way we do any work. Launch day finally came and Pachina Mia went in the water — and she didn’t sink! So then we started into all the other projects needed to get our floating home back in shape. There were lots of jobs, both large and small, including the Big Climb up to the top of the mast. Ann does it in the Spring. I do it in the Fall.

Although it was a bit frustrating to still be at the marina, one of the great benefits of hanging around the clubhouse was all the great people we got to meet. Early in June the club hosted a group of European sailors who were preparing their boat, Que Sera, to go through the Northwest Passage. We also met a couple who were planning to sail back to the UK via Greenland and Iceland. And on the other side of things, we really got to know a few cruisers who have more modest ambitious: Kathryn & Harald, Paula & Craig, Roy & Tammy, to name a few. All sweet and lovely people who have been a joy to now call friends.

Coincidentally, all our boats were dealing with problems, meaning we were all slow to get going. Interestingly, three out of four of us had keel problems. This meant we were all making good use of the club’s galley and dining room. During one of our slightly boozy evenings together, the subject of Kraft Dinner came up. Seems like everyone has a different idea of how to cook it.

Somehow this morphed into the first ever:

Great Lewisporte KD Cook off!

Five chefs, one barkeep, and KD of all varieties. What could be better! The results speak for themselves…

Time marched on. We finally did get out for a sail… on Craig & Paula’s boat. They are both new to the life, and to their boat, so we’ve offered what little wisdom we have. They wanted to get out and do a bit of sailing, and to learn how to anchor, so we agreed to go out with them. It was a fun evening of sailing. Unfortunately, just as we were coming to the anchorage, the engine started to sputter. Seemed like fuel loss, so we turned tail and motored/sailed for home. We just got back to the dock when the engine died completely. Sometimes the gods are gentle in their torments.

During those long days we welcomed Mark back to the dock, and slowly ticked off most of the ‘to-do’ list. Just as we were winding up to leave the dock an unfortunate event set us back: Ann’s new iPhone went for a swim! It must have fallen out of her pocket as she stepped onto the boat.

The odds of finding anything down there in the murky, gunky waters of our marina are slim to none. And even if it is recovered, it’s likely the salt water will have done it in. Que Sera, as they say. I had given up hope, but Ann being Ann, was determined to find it.

And she did! The water nymph actually found it!!

Success came the day after the loss. Ann actually dove on it the first day, wearing only her bathing suit and goggles. But we were facing a rising tide, and with water being only about 9ºC, hypothermia set in quickly.

Ann was hell-bent to give it another try, so we waited for low tide the following day. This time she donned her wetsuit and flippers. Friend Mark, who is a SCUBA diver, gave her some diving weights and an underwater light.

After three dives, and against all odds, she came up screeching in victory!

The phone had been underwater for 22 hours, at depths of around 9 feet, with a water temperature of around 8ºC. Amazingly, it was still on when she pulled it out of the drink. We washed it with fresh water, and Ann took it out of the case. It seemed to be dry inside, so things looked hopeful.

It sat for 24 hrs in rice, and then … The patient lives!

Unfortunately, this little iPhone drama set back our departure by a few days. But we still expect to be off the dock soon … unless Neptune decides to have more fun — at our expense.

We said our goodbyes to Gail & Pat, and the two kitties Sasha & Allie, and once again headed east. The day before we left Medicine Hat the Prairies had been hit with an early Spring winter storm. It dumped a lot of snow, and closed many roads and highways. By the time we got going things had been mostly cleared out, but we saw the after effects, with lots of snow, and more than a few car & truck crashes along the way.

Leaving from Medicine Hat put us out of sync with our normal driving patterns. This meant we stayed at a couple of different places, before making our way to Thunder Bay. Our first rest stop was Moose Jaw, SK. We found a simple, and relatively inexpensive motel in Moosomin, SK. And then we drove to a place in Vermilion Bay, ON, before making the final hop to our friends’ place at the Lakehead.

Paul and Julie once again opened their home and their hearts to us wayward vagabonds — we truly are blessed with such good friends. We got to spend nearly a week, hanging out, talking sailing and boats, and being entertained by their two cats: Kylo and Cedric.

It’s always wonderful to hang out with P&J. We ate and drank, and caught up on their adventures, which usually include doing way more work and projects than we could ever accomplish. But we also discussed their pending visit to the Caribbean, where they had put an offer on a new sailboat! Unfortunately that deal fell through, but as I type, their quest for another boat continues. We shall see…

During our time in Thunder Bay we also managed to connect with our younger friends who live in a rural area north of Kakebeka Falls, ON (which is west of Thunder Bay). These kind folks continue to house our storage trailer that contains the remains of our land life. It also houses our second set of tires (winter or summer, depending on the season), which we were able to swap out, before arriving for a wonderful visit.

Ben & Sherilyn are always fun to visit. They are living off the beaten path, but in a very different way than us, so it’s always great to catch up on how things are going out on ‘the farm.’ But most of all, it’s a great excuse to hang out with their Oh-Too-Cute girls: Olivia & Molly.

After a week of Thunder Bay (and area) visits we loaded up the little car and headed east once again. But we only had to go a few hours before reaching our next stop in Selim (the burbs of Rossport, ON). We always love to visit our dear friends Cathie & Joe. In fact, all this friends and family visiting is one of the great attractions of our current lifestyle. Traversing the country each year means we get to stop in on all these wonderful people!

While Joe & Cathie are the main attraction in Selim, they were somewhat upstaged by the newest member of the family: Piper!!

We spent five days “refugin” in the bosom of C&J’s Lake Superior sanctuary. We spent a little time on chores, and a lot of time eating, drinking, talking, and playing with Piper.

It’s always hard to say goodbye, but the road beckoned, and we know we’ll be back in the Fall (this time, for an extended period), so we packed Lil’ Red and headed off once again. We had a quick overnight in Thessalon , and then we washed up once again to the warm embrace of Mom and Sis in Ottawa.

We spent a few relaxing weeks just hanging out. We did a few odd jobs around the place, including Ann doing some body work — on Kathy’s car, not herself 😄. And I did some bread baking (of course). One night we went to a Jill Barber concert at the National Arts Centre , and we spent a little time with Colleen and Connor, which is always great .

Oh, and Hammi is once again an outdoor cat. He now gets to go outside — under supervision, of course. Apparently he’s become a bit of a demanding monster … good for him, I say 😼👍.

Time ticked away. Various health checks were made, renewed licenses arrived, vaccines were got. So we held our final pub night, and headed off once again. Instead of our normal Edmundston, NB stop, Ann found another even better, and cheaper, place just a little east in the Quebec town of Cabano. It’s a simple little motel, but overlooks Lake Témiscouata. It was great — this is likely our new normal.

Another new normal, at least for this trip, was fixing the car along the way. Sadly, our little car is nearing its end, and is literally falling apart. Before leaving Ottawa, part of the exhaust piping broke apart. I fixed it using the wizardry of scissors and glue (actually it was epoxy putty and high temperature amalgam tape), but we had to keep repairing it all the way along.

One great thing about this vagabond lifestyle is that it lets us visit our far-flung friends all across the country. Chet & Margie are now Nova Scotia folks, so we pulled into their yard to spend a couple more days, relaxing 😁, and fixing the car again ☹️. It was a great time. We stayed at their new house, visited an old grist mill, met all their cute cats.

With our car repaired (once again), we said our goodbyes and headed off towards the ferry. We’d been getting used to the unseasonably hot weather throughout our travels in the Maritimes so far, but this came to a freezing end once we got out of the car at the ferry terminal at the end of the road in Cape Breton. On the plus side, the forest fires that were raging in around Halifax were nowhere to be seen.

So we stopped for supper, boarded the ferry, and went up to our luxury cabin for the overnight crossing. This was the first time we’d taken an actual berth; normally we just stick it out in oversized chairs. But this boat had none of those, so we had to upgrade to a full cabin. It was very nice…

We drove off the boat, into the pouring, cold rain, and headed off towards Corner Brook. A short way down the road, while dodging all the potholes, we were greeted by Newfoundland’s unofficial land ambassador: Moose!

Lewisporte is across the island, on the NE side. But instead of driving directly there, we were warmly greeted by our friends from Corner Brook. Byron and Paula have been grand friends since we met them during our time at the Bay of Islands Marina in Corner Brook. We hadn’t been able to visit them since before pandemic days, so it was great to be back in their company. In so many ways, it felt like no time had passed. The beer and the yarnin’, poured easily. It was so great to catch up on their adventures, and swap stories about all our future plans.

Our final goodbyes given (for this season), we jumped back into our noisy, rattle car, and drove the final few hundred km of the long road, back to our floating home. We found her looking pretty good, with cover fully intact, and Fred and our treasures still guarding Pachina Mia.

So now comes the hard times — on the hard. The cold and damp weather that greeted us in North Sydney has stuck around, making it hard to get a lot of work done. And unfortunately we’ve discovered a keel problem which is taking a bit longer to solve. But we hope to be in the water soon. All we need is a few days of sun and warmth.