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Newfoundland 2005

Saturday, July 2nd

Jim christened this a �Gypsy Day,� a day for doing anything you want and not being required to do anything on a schedule. It began as a sleep-in day for us all. I was up first and made a quick trip to the gas station and a much-needed trip to the Laundromat up the hill. Had an interesting conversation with a gentleman at the Laundromat about changing careers in middle age, as he had gone from being a cook to being a tailor. Big change!

When I got back home Jim and Lillian had been up and we listened to old demo and rehearsal tapes for a while. It was fun to hear a very young Jim as well as young Alan, Darrell and Sean from GBS in songs recorded 10 years or more ago. Then Jim worked at cleaning up his hard drive. I didn�t envy him that job and went out back to enjoy the sunny day doing my puzzle book on the patio table. I had been working for about 30 minutes when I was greeted by Jim�s next door neighbor, Rose.

�You�ve visited enough.Time to get your own place up here.�

I whipped my head around to find Rose across the fence, a paintbrush in her hand. "Well, that might not be as far off as you think," I laughed. "I have the NFLD Real Estate website in my Favorites on the computer." She and I chatted for a while across the fence and then she came over and we continued face-to-face across the table. She was delightful to chat with and we had a wonderful time talking about everything and anything. We even shared gallbladder stories and surgery scars. LOL! At some point in the conversation, I noticed Gypsy up on the roof above the patio. I went in to get my camera and Rose kept him occupied so he wouldn't come down. Here's the photos of the funny cat.

For supper, we were in gypsy mode and decided to travel to a new Newfoundland territory for me. We�d go to Long Pond, where Jim grew up. But first, we were going in search of �the best chicken and chips in NFLD� according to Jim. We ended up in Kelligrews at Denver�s and Jim was right. The food was great. We ate in the car where we could take in the fresh air. While Jim and Lillian were inside waiting for he food, I went out into the parking lot and checked out a teeny Yorkie on the lap of a van driver there. I love dogs so I asked to pet him and chatted with the owners. He was originally from Newfoundland, now working and living in Georgia with his American wife. They bought a cabin nearby and spend a few weeks at a time there every year. He was surprised to find out I had driven solo from Philadelphia. We talked about traveling by plane versus car and the hazards and challenges about traveling with pets. We figured out that flying was best for them since they only had two weeks at a time for vacation. And yes, I will admit, it was the best chicken and chips I had ever tasted. Remember - Denver�s in Kelligrews.

This is the face that sent me scrambling for the camera

He is trying to ignore Rose and I at the table.

I couldn't see how he didn't fall off here when he was napping!

He looks like he's talking here, but I caught him mid-yawn

Rose's fence got finished despite our visiting for an hour or so. Gypsy says "Hi" to one of the people on the street who give him treats.

After being petted by Rose, he curled up in the backyard in his "nest." I think it's there to lure birds. LOL!

View from Long Pond