Trinity for 3 days

What a lovely, typical quiet little village.  We start to draw our breath in as we navigate the rough, potty road (at the moment not knowing why)  - hard to keep your eyes on the road and the unbelievable scenery.  What are all those big plastic pots doing floating in the bay - lobster traps?  a course of some kind?  Winding our way through the coves and inlets we come round a bend and there below is the picture perfect Newfoundland village we have been seeing in all the ads.  We arrive at the Maidment B & B nestled down in the middle, welcomed by Karen, Eric and baby Benjamin.

  Oh, BTW, the roads have been repaired after Igor roared through last September.  The rains devastated many of the roads and several of the houses in the surrounding villages.  We see the new culverts, the new roadbeds, the new gravelled shoulders.  Trinity, Dunfield and Trouty were especially hit hard in the area.  Stories abound:   Several families lost everything - house, land, all of it.  One fellow found his deck across the bay with the BBQ still on it - he remarked "I tied the BBQ down - forgot to tie down the house".  Neighbour helping neighbour - where there were trees blocking the road a relay system was put in place - you would drive your car to the next downed tree, leave the keys in it for the next person - hop the tree - get in the next car where keys were waiting - and so on down the road - over one downed tree to another.

 "What are the pots in the bay" we ask.  Karen's quick reply "It's a cemetery - the blue ones are boys....."  - just kidding.  It is a mussel farm.

Meet Karen, Eric, Benjamin, Tony (Opa), and Fred:

It is Sept. 12, 2001 - remember that date?  Karen and Eric meet in the village.  But, let me go back a bit.  Karen grew up in London, ON.  Karen is working for a Canadian Airline.  Remember the turmoil in the airline industry - Canadian, Air Canada, etc. etc.  Karen's father has a friend that runs a B & B in Trinity.  Karen has a stopover in St. John's and comes to Trinity for a visit.  She is frustrated with the uncertainty of her career.  She falls in love with the village and dreams of coming here to run a B & B.  Over the next while she opts for St. John's when she has a choice of routes. 

Eric, a tall, quiet spoken, and gentle, intelligent man is running his own business renovating old homes,  building new homes that fit the village design, including the most beautifully designed moldings and framing.  We saw examples of his workmanship in the renovations of their home and B & B.     He has a commercial logging permit and spends his winters, among other things,  harvesting the wood for his sawmill and home building business.  Later, Karen is there working alongside him - before Benjamin. 

Karen has decided to take a leave from the stresses of the airline business for a few months in the summer and return to Trinity to work in her Dad's friend's B & B.  Eric wants to meet this beautiful young woman new to the village.  It is Sept. 12, 2001 and he figures the world as we know it could be ending and what the heck, he has nothing to lose.  He comes aknocking at the door and the rest, as they say........is history.

Karen and Eric have a 5 month old son called Benjamin and run one of the best B & B's we've been to.  If you want to feel completely at home, relax in the living room, linger over delicious breakfast, chitchat with the family, then this is the place for you.  Fred is retired from the mainland to island ferries after 37 years.  His last 18 years on the ferry was in the galley.   With a 5 month old son, Karen needs help for breakfasts and we find Fred here every morning at 7 preparing gourmet breakfasts for the guests.  We are well taken care of.  Fred works efficiently and quickly in the kitchen preparing this morning's breakfast, all the while making me feel at home as I hunt out another cup of tea.  Opa is Karen's Dad Tony- he comes every summer and has a house here.  He spends alot of time with Benjamin - they go for coffee every morning together.  If not out socializing with Opa, Benjamin hangs out in the sling around Mom or doing the 'guy' thing with Dad.  He and Mom went to the opera in Bonaventure yesterday.  Ah, life is good here in the village.   Karen is managing a very successful B & B, retains her affiliation with her career in the airline industry while on maternity leave, and shows a warmth, love and understanding for her family and guests.  Another very remarkable Newfoundland woman.

Fred, Karen, Benjamin, and Eric - Feel the Joy?

Fred - Best B & B Gourmet Breakfast

Maidment B & B, Trinity, Newfoundland

We have had 2 full days here.  Day 1 we head up to Elliston to see the puffins - thousands of puffins right up close - we don't need the binocs.  And the root cellars are dotted all over - it is the root cellar capital of the world.  On to Bonaventure and touring of the Ryan Premises and the Matthew exhibit of the John Cabot landing.  Day 2 and the SUN shines beautifully.  We did the Skerwink Trail - I can't find the words to describe the vistas and lookouts without sounding mellowdramatic.  Blue still seas, capelin in shore, Minke whales surfacing after the capelin, birds singing, lookouts that take you to the brink of the cliffs.  We took 4 hours to do a 2 hour hike - 5.3 km.  Thanks to Joy for suggesting it.

Quote of the day:  The cafe in Bonaventure across from the Visitor Centre - can't remember the name.  When ordering we ask "How's your chowder?"  Response from the waitress, making a face:  "Don't know, I don't like it - ugh - all that milk and fish".  We don't have a warm fussy about the coming chowder - turns out it is delicious - would rate it an 8 (thick with fish not sauce, tasty, filling, homemade) as we continue our chowder rating across the province.  Will publish our chowder ratings later. 

Thanks to Karen for suggesting that day 1 be spent in and out of exhibits north of us and saving the Skerwink for the sunny day.  After the hike, had an excellent wholesome lunch at 2 Whales in Port Rexton and then down south to New Bonaventure for a tour of the Random Passage re-created fishing village where the mini-series was filmed.  The story was brought to life very well by Dora, a woman that lives a few minutes up the road.  Dora is a tour guide in the summer, chainsaws her own wood and snowmobiles in the winter, works a fishing boat and is just an all round capable Newfoundler woman. 

Skerwink Trail - Trinity East



Skerwink Trail - Sunshine - No coats - Yea!



Pink Ladyslippers on Skerwink Trail

 Today, June 26 we are headed to St. John's to see 'the city'.  More later.