Sept 18, 2019
The Newfoundlanders call this a mausey day. There is a heavy misty rain driven by an easterly wind. Our plan for today is to explore the lower city in the legendary Water St. and George St. districts. Debbie had found a quilt shop in that area that she wanted to see. I was interested in the activities that were happening on the docks.
Before we are going there we wanted to visit the Memorial of the Cougar Flight 491. This memorial was erected to remember the 17 victims who had died in the helicopter crash on March 12, 2009. This day is important to us as our daughter Myra was flying for Cougar Helicopters at the time but was not working that day. This is also the day that our first granddaughter was born to our other daughter Rina. The memorial is built on the side of the Quidi Vidi Lake. It is in the shaped of stainless steel spiral that is similar to the drawings done by Leonardo Di Vinci when he developed the first helicopter. The names of the victims are engraved in the steel plates. They also include the names of the victims of a similar crash in 1985. At night the center pole illuminates a light into the sky to show the way home.
We then drove to the tiny hamlet of Quidi Vidi. This tiny fishing village is tucked into the end of Quidi Vidi bay. In the war of 1812, it was a battery placement and in World War 2 it was also an air force base. The largest Newfoundland brewery is built on the banks of the bay. We stopped in at the Quidi Vidi Brewery and tried out several of their beers. Debbie then visited a local craft shop nearby and then met me at the Mallard Cottage.
Mallard Cottage is one of the oldest wood structures in North America. It is now designated a National Historic Site. The cottage has been renovated and maintained in its original architecture. It is now a small restaurant and hosts traditional activities. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch there.
The weather did not clear up so we went downtown. Debbie went out to look for her quilt shop and I walked the docks. I had seen the ship Polar Prince berthed there, and I hoped to get a tour of it.
The Polar Prince was once a Canadian Coast Guard Ice breaker until it was sold to a private firm three years ago. It was renamed Canada C3 to commemorate the Canada 150 celebrations and was used to do a North West Passage tour. Canadians could apply to travel on the ship on one of the 23 legs of the journey. After the trip was over it was renamed as the Polar Prince. I spoke to a watchman on the gangway to request a tour, however, he refused and told me that they don’t allow tours any longer.
I was wet and cold and tracked Debbie down on Water St. She was also looking for the quilt shop that had now moved to a different address. We walked together in the rain to the new location and as she was going in, I spotted a Starbucks! Perfect, I could warm up as she shopped. Debbie met me with a smile on her face, after buying some more material. We enjoyed a coffee and a hot chocolate and then decided to go back to the trailer, as we were both wet and cold. We came back and relaxed, I caught up on the blogs and then watched a movie with Debbie. Hopefully tomorrow we will have nicer weather.
Quilting in a Kayak 