Labour Day Excursion

Today, I am back in the studio, feeling recharged and ready to go for another season of creativity! I spent the last couple of days on a camping road trip with some of my favourite people, and loved it! The resettled community of Round Harbour was the destination on the Dorset Trail, and we spent the night there in tents, but also made quick stops in Fleur de Lys and King’s Point to revisit some places we’d seen before but were so impressed with that we wanted to see again!

The Humpback Whale Pavilion in King’s Point was even more interesting this summer after spending time investigating a beached whale at Lumsden. This skeleton is the largest of its kind in the world at 40 feet. Really put in perspective how little/young our guy was.

Round Harbour: Resettlement is no stranger to us as an idea, living in a place that resettled itself long before government programs became all the rage after confederation with Canada in 1949. And much like all our resettled communities here in Bonavista Bay, there are still people present- summer homes and fishing stations still in use. We were very happy to see a stable wharf in place with deep water all around- future visits with Virtue are already in planning mode!

This is my favourite of the buildings at Round Harbour. It is still in (comparatively) pretty good shape, and has some gorgeous architectural features like this little window- as well as some new historically accurate windows installed- obviously being cared for by people who appreciate it. According to a man I met there, the building started as a Fisherman’s Union building, and was later transformed into a church. The old school-house sits adjacent.

Some buildings have been abandoned, and seeing these gave me a new appreciation for my own shop and home. In 1996, when I was gifted my property, both buildings were moving towards this sort of future. It is highly unlikely that they would have survived had Duke and I not been there at the right time to keep them from this sort of end. Such a treasure, and a warm fuzzy feeling inside to know I’ve done good.

And the Dorset soapstone quarry at Fleur de Lys… just amazing.