| Islands of Song Gala continued |
| Jim was on top of the world. The Gala went well and even though only 500 people came, everyone enjoyed the show, everyone went home happy, a lot of people went home with a new CD! We picked up the goodies we needed for the after-party and arrived at a packed Erin�s Pub. I couldn�t believe how crowded it was! Everyone in the show, band and dancers included came to celebrate a successful show, a job well done! Lillian and I put the snacks out on the table as people chatted about the week behind and the week to come. Niall, Mick and Ron were leaving in the early morning � Niall to Montreal, Ron to Halifax, and Mick to New York City. Niall is becoming quite the world traveler! We had seen him just two weeks before in New York City and then he had a show in Rochester. Ron was performing at Stanfest tomorrow and Mick was hoping to strike it big in New York City, the next Bob Dylan. But the airport isn�t open till 5:30 AM so they all joined us at Erin�s till the wee hours.
Lillian walked around armed with the mic to interview people for Jim�s podcast as I made sure the plates stayed full. Darrell tried to get a session going and Kathy (Hugh�s wife) urged me to �take a photo, this is the opportunity of a lifetime!� So I did! But the session went nowhere after a couple songs because it was just too noisy in the bar. Guitars were put away and moments together were celebrated. Niall really didn�t want to leave and I don�t think anyone there wanted him to leave either. I wish he could have stayed till the Canada Day party ay Wayne and Sheila�s tomorrow. It�s supposed to be a blast. The funniest thing that happened in those early morning hours was trying to get Ger out to the cab. I think Ger must have spoken with every single person in the bar that night. By the time the cab came to take the troupe back to the hotel, Ger was still deep in conversation. They had to come in three times to get him, the last time literally dragging him out the door by the arm. We sadly bid goodbye to Niall and Mick and went back to nurse our drinks till 4 AM or so. Jim worried about what he was going to do now that it was all over. �Sleep� said Lillian. And we did. Friday, July 1st Canada Day dawned for us in the afternoon, as we caught up on lost sleep. Lillian volunteered to make breakfast sandwiches if I went for some missing ingredients. You know, not much is open on Canada Day. But I managed to find Stockwell�s Bakery after some street name changes I wasn�t aware of. I have a big complaint about St. John�s streets. First of all, they go every which way, seemingly without plan. Secondly, and the most annoying for CFAs I guess is the streets which change names two or three times within the city. Mayor Ave. changes three times in a mile, Cashin Ave. changes at least once. It�s enough to make a person crazy when a local gives you directions and tells you to look for the name the street has at the top of the hill when you are at the bottom and it�s named differently there. Argh! But I finally found the bakery, made some purchases and made it back in less than an hour. Lillian made a most delicious breakfast. We just lazed around the rest of the day until evening when we had been invited to Wayne and Sheila�s for a Canada Day BBQ on very steep Victoria Street. I parked on Duckworth and hiked my way up the steps and hill to the house not far up the street from the LSPU Hall. The sounds of singing hit me as I walked around the corner of the house to the backyard. I said hello, found a seat and enjoyed listening to the young Irish musicians singing or murdering each other�s songs. It was too funny! I ended up sitting next to Kathy, Hugh Scott�s wife, for a good portion of the evening. Angela was there and Ford Elms, Dave Panting, Hugh and Kathy, Jim and Lillian, Dermot and Anne O�Reilly, Clare O�Mahony, Mark Greville, Martin Finn, Ken Cotter and wife Val, Moray Bresnihan, Ger Wolfe, and a few other people whose names I forget. The food was out of this world as well as the hospitality of Wayne and Sheila, making sure everyone was fed and happy. The guitar was passed around and anyone who wanted to, sang whatever they wanted. Some a capella songs were sung but the most magical moment of the evening was when someone handed the guitar to Dermot O�Reilly. Dermot had recently had a quadruple or quintuple bypass and was just getting back in the swing of things. Tonight�s songs were his first public singing appearance since the operation. What an honor! I think the Irish musicians were surprised when every Newfoundlander (and some who were not) sang West Country Lady along with him. Putting a guitar in his hand was a dangerous thing this evening as he sang several more songs before he passed it along � Candlelight and Wine, Heave Away and Black Velvet Band. It was great to hear him again and to see him taking such delight in singing for us. 9 PM came too soon and the Irish musicians had to leave for the airport. Two cabs came to pick them and their guitars up at the Cooke�s house. The goodbyes were heartfelt and almost tearful as both groups of musicians had to part for a while. We were all surprised later when the taxi pulled up looking for Ger�s bag of souvenirs for his kids. We found them and I�m assuming they made their way to Ireland. I had picked Ger up downtown one day after he had bought the toys for his kids. He said he spent the afternoon playing with them at the store and the clerk was playing as well. He went back later and bought more stuff after he played with it. Men and their toys! After the Irish contingent left on their way home, the party continued with much singing. Ford brought out his bodhran and banged along to some of Dave and Dermot�s guitar and bouzouki playing. Anyone who knew the words was encouraged to sing along, melody or harmony. I ended up having a really nice chat with Anne O�Reilly, Dermot�s wife, who had been to the Philadelphia area last year. She was delightful to chat with. When it got chilly, Jim, Lillian and I went to Erin�s to get warmed up (wink, wink). Pieces of Brothers in Stereo were there - Andrew and Barry - along with Mike Hanrahan. We had missed the trad session beforehand. Melissa had told me she'd be there this evening but I had forgotten and passed right by her on the way in. I did a doubletake when I caught sight of her and Emma and their friend. I enjoyed the Andrew and Barry LeDrew set - they had Everly Brothers harmonies going on and seemed friendly. Melissa stayed for a bit and went up the street after their set was done. Lisa from the mainland, whom I met last night, strolled in and had a conversation with Jim She had gone to see the fireworks and came afterwards. She ended up staying till closing with us and I drove her back to the Wit's Inn before we went home to sleep. The next day she was scheduled to take off for dive school. 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. I took some funny photos of him on the roof. 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. After supper, Jim directed me to the place where he grew up � Long Pond at the bottom of Conception Bay. I was amazed that he described the streets and landmarks to look for with such accuracy. He�d say, �By now you should be seeing�� and sure enough, it�d be there! At this point I should explain something if you are not familiar with Jim Fidler. He�s been blind since age 9 and was still able to take me to the exact spot his house once stood, 31 years later. We drove down the narrow street to the gravel road, past the spot where the slaughterhouse used to be and took the left fork and stopped. There in front of us was one of the prettiest scenes in Newfoundland! Jim pointed out Bell Island, Little Bell Island and Kelly�s Island, the yacht club and its access canal. |