3 week RockBlog

Looking towards Fort Amherst and The Cabot tower

2007-01-15T14:56:00.000-08:00

From near to Blackhead the coastline is dramatically rocky with the Cabot Tower just visible through the haze.

Into the woods

2007-01-15T14:50:00.000-08:00

After half a kilometre or so the path enters the woods. In places the path has stones that appear to have been selected and placed a very long time ago - was this once a pack horse trail?

Tuckamoor and Empetrum heath

2007-01-15T13:53:00.000-08:00

The path begins in old fields and then cliff top open heath with some areas of Tuckamoor - the view is magnificent.

Blackhead Path

2007-01-15T13:51:00.000-08:00

Part of the East Coast trail the walk begins at the Blackhead Car Park right alongside the beach of massive pebbles.

The 'Rooms' from the south.

2007-01-15T13:28:00.000-08:00

A long lens view of the 'Rooms' taken from a viewpoint on the south of the harbour. They certainly stand out from the surrounding architecture - they are growing on me, I almost like them.

Flatrock

2007-01-07T11:12:00.000-08:00

Looking toward Red Head

Piccos Brook

2007-01-07T11:10:00.000-08:00

The tumbling waters of Piccos Brook - Flatrock

Piccos Brook

2007-01-07T10:47:00.000-08:00

Sue, Tom and Seth by the falls at Piccos brook, Flatrock.

St. Johns looking towards the harbour.

2007-01-06T14:27:00.000-08:00

In the very far distance you can see some of the houses below the Battery

St. Johns - Downtown houses

2007-01-06T14:25:00.000-08:00

St. Johns city is a fascinating blend of old and new.

The Rooms

2007-01-06T13:23:00.000-08:00

High on the Fort Townsend site in the centre of St. Johns are 'The Rooms'.
Stacks of info about NFLD and Canada and some great open air veiws of the city, harbour and 'narrows'.

Garden Cove landing stages

2007-01-05T18:20:00.000-08:00

Grub Store

2007-01-05T18:03:00.000-08:00

Fishermans Grub Store at Garden Cove. This shed on legs was used to store bulk foods like Flour and Salt Meats.

On a Rock

2007-01-05T17:42:00.000-08:00

Cape Spear lighthouse on solid rock.

Cape Spear - artistic treatment

2007-01-05T12:42:00.000-08:00

Old style woodcut/painting effect.

Cape Spear - Old lighthouse

2007-01-05T12:37:00.000-08:00

You can see the new lighthouse peeping from the left hand side.

Cape Spear - new lighthouse

2007-01-05T12:34:00.000-08:00

The Cape Spear light and ancillary buildings

Swift Current jetty

2007-01-04T18:40:00.000-08:00

Swift Current

2007-01-04T18:34:00.000-08:00

Old stages and all kinds of small craft along the shore of this inlet that resembles a Scottish sea-loch.

Swift Current

2007-01-04T17:41:00.000-08:00

Pouch Cove

2007-01-04T17:39:00.000-08:00

The north landing stage at Pouch Cove - nice murals on the rocks and building at the top.

Stages at Garden Cove

2007-01-04T17:31:00.000-08:00

Old style fishing stages at Garden Cove, a little outport that still has an active Cod fishery.

Come by Chance Oil refinery

2007-01-04T17:11:00.000-08:00

Photographically a great subject but environmentally suspect.

Unprocessed version of the image below

2007-01-01T06:01:00.000-08:00

For comparision here's an straight version of Seth emerging from the root cellar

The root cellar - artistic treatment

2007-01-01T05:48:00.000-08:00

A view down into the CBS root cellar

Looking into the shed above the cellar

2006-12-31T13:46:00.000-08:00

See the hatchway in the light from the open door

Leaving the cellar

2006-12-31T13:44:00.000-08:00

The hatch down to the cellar clearly seen here

Into the cellar

2006-12-31T13:43:00.000-08:00

Acces to the root cellar is through a hatchway and down a metal ladder. These days the Vegetables are stored in plastic crates but not so long ago there were bays made of wood to keep the veggies separate.

CBS Root cellar -the quest continues

2006-12-31T13:38:00.000-08:00

We were fortunate to be able to investigate this Root Cellar at Conception Bay South. This one is a more traditional cellar style being a hole in the ground with a shingle clad shed over it. The cellar was nicely walled in local stone and still in use.

SS Kyle

2006-12-31T05:46:00.000-08:00

The Kyle has been stuck in Harbour Grace for several decades - she was used as a sealing vessel back in the 1960's. I believe she has had a lick of paint in recent years to make her less of an eyesore.

Igloo style root cellar

2006-12-30T16:14:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure about this one - it looks like a cross between an Igloo and a makeshift fallout shelter.

Root cellar - East Freshwater

2006-12-30T16:10:00.000-08:00

I like this one because of it's setting - I wonder if it was asscoiated with a house now gone?

Root cellar quest

2006-12-30T14:04:00.000-08:00

Root cellars seem like a good thing - Elliston has made them famous. We won't make it as far out as Elliston so a quest has begun to find root cellars nearer to St. Johns. We have found some, maybe not as elegant as the Elliston ones but interesting all the same. This one was in Freshwater just north of Carbonear. I like the way it's positioned near the back door for ease of access during nasty weather.

Signal Hill at sunrise

2006-12-30T05:19:00.000-08:00

View from Dublin Rd. The Cabot tower seen with the sun just about to break through behind it.

Bauline

2006-12-30T04:09:00.000-08:00

Small boats pulled up on the landing stage at Bauline

Dereliction

2006-12-30T02:28:00.000-08:00

Inside the generator room of the old comms complex at Red Cliff

Looking out to the Atlantic

2006-12-29T14:35:00.000-08:00

The view through one of the windows in an old comms. building.

Cold path

2006-12-29T14:33:00.000-08:00

Middle Cove way we followed this path out to some derelict communications installations.

Battery dwellings

2006-12-29T07:09:00.000-08:00

The Battery

2006-12-29T07:07:00.000-08:00

Utility cables (seen in the background) are another feature of the Battery, they fly off in all directions from poles inventively secured to the bare rock.

The Battery

2006-12-29T06:19:00.000-08:00

On the north side of St. Johns harbour is a collection of houses clinging to the steep rocky cliffs. This is the 'Battery'. The houses here are of all shapes and sizes moulded to the unforgiving terrain. For all the problems of parking, sewage, steepness and congestion the residents have the benefit of fantastic views of a bustling harbour. A pedestrian trail runs through the area and leads out onto the cliff below signal hill.

Ancient rocks make hard cliffs

2006-12-29T06:11:00.000-08:00

The geology in the area is one of hard, resistant rocks that erode slowly even in the jaws of the raging Atlantic. The cliffs are near vertical and routes down to the shore are hard to find.

Spruce cling to the cliff tops

2006-12-29T06:07:00.000-08:00

As the cliff slowly recede tough little Spruce trees find themselves perched precariously on the edge.

Turbulent sea

2006-12-29T06:04:00.000-08:00

The Atlantic swell is broken by rocks just of shore.

Avalon coastline

2006-12-29T05:48:00.000-08:00

Turbulent sea, craggy cliffs and spruce trees in precarious positions epitomise the coastline of the Avalon peninsula.
This was about 50 metres north of Stiles cove.

Carex on the beamer

2006-12-26T15:47:00.000-08:00

Windblown Carex tussocks

The beamer

2006-12-26T15:45:00.000-08:00

Erratic blocks and a veiw over to Red Head.

Lichens on rocks

2006-12-26T14:36:00.000-08:00

Super-clean air means that lichens grown everywhere - these fine specimens were ar Motion Point

Glacial scratches

2006-12-26T14:23:00.000-08:00

Flatrock has some fine examples of grooves caused by glaciation.

Looking out to something or other head

2006-12-26T14:19:00.000-08:00

Still on the beamer - more sedges with Empetrum heath and spruce.

Flat Rock boulder

2006-12-26T14:12:00.000-08:00

There's a lot of geology out at Flatrock - this is one of the boulders along the top of the beamer.

Cliff icicles

2006-12-24T15:27:00.000-08:00

On the RHS at Middle cove the icicles were especially large - although rapidly thawing.

Shiny Middle cove pebbles

2006-12-24T15:23:00.000-08:00

Newfoundland has good reason to be called 'The Rock' - the geology is fascinating and the rocks colourful. These pebbles are on the beach at Middle cove.

Does size matter?

2006-12-24T15:20:00.000-08:00

My brother showing off the biggest of his Parsnip crop after hunting around for them in the snow.

Middle Cove in B&W

2006-12-24T13:46:00.000-08:00

A monochrome version of another Middle cove shot.

Middle cove - artistic rendition

2006-12-24T12:06:00.000-08:00

Middle cove always has something to offer. The sea is impressive and the rocks shine even on the dullest day. This is an image that has been tweaked to create a more painterly impression than a straight photo.

The perfect tree

2006-12-24T09:15:00.000-08:00

In the most perfect snow imaginable we selected an excellent tree from an environmentally friendly location.

Real people - real food.

2006-12-24T09:11:00.000-08:00

Mixed bags of healthy veggies meeting a good trade in chilly weather at Churchill park just before Christmas.

Local Cabbages

2006-12-24T07:33:00.000-08:00

Tasty white cabbage at Churchill Park farmers market.

Salted Meats

2006-12-24T07:23:00.000-08:00

Salted meats at Churchill Park - don't look too appetising but I'm sure they'll be great when cooked.

Preserves at Churchill Park

2006-12-24T04:55:00.000-08:00

The Farmer's market at Churchill park seemed to be doing well with some great local veg. and home preserves.

2006-12-24T04:31:00.000-08:00

Locals call these Turnips but in the UK they are Swedes - in the States they are Rutabagas!

2006-12-24T04:25:00.000-08:00

Dramatic cliff geology near Quid Vidi Harbour.

2006-12-24T04:24:00.000-08:00

Quidi Vidi harbor on a December day.

2006-12-24T04:22:00.000-08:00

Dramatic sky view from Signal Hill

2006-12-24T04:20:00.000-08:00

Dramatic view from Signal Hill.

2006-12-24T04:18:00.000-08:00

The iconic Cabot tower on signal hill overlooking St. Johns and the narrows.

2006-12-24T04:07:00.000-08:00

Snow blowing down at Quid Vidi harbour.

2006-12-24T04:06:00.000-08:00

Eric's Red - from the Quidi Vidi brewery.

2006-12-24T03:59:00.000-08:00

Straw man burning well.

2006-12-24T03:57:00.000-08:00

Our shortest day celebration - burning a straw man.

2006-12-23T14:22:00.000-08:00

This little guy was doing a great job of protecting the family property down at Petty Harvbour.

2006-12-23T14:15:00.000-08:00

The traps are all pulled in for winter - here's a Lobster condo.

2006-12-23T14:13:00.000-08:00

Each time we come to Petty Harbour this group has to be photographed - it gets more ricketty as the years go by.

2006-12-23T14:10:00.000-08:00

On watch duty - this little terrier/beagle was very possesive of his property at Petty Harbour.

2006-12-23T06:40:00.000-08:00

As well as traditional decorations in the gardens there are many strange forms created by hessian (burlap) wrapped trees and shrubs.

2006-12-23T06:30:00.000-08:00

Blue skies and a wide angle at Petty Harbour - but what happened to the flea-market!