This morning we all carpooled, with Stoney and Claudia riding with me and Carol Ann, out to Long Point, just a mile or so beyond where we attended the "no-talent show" last night. The brick lighthouse and the two and a half-story wood frame light keeper's house at Long Point were built in 1876. An earthquake in 1929 caused cracks in the lighthouse so it was encased in one foot of concrete to protect it from further damage. It is located on a prominent headland at the entrance to Notre Dame Bay so that the light is over 300 feet above sea level. Inside the first floor of the old light keeper's house is a display that tells the story of the Titanic in about 35 or so large placards that are arranged on the walls in chronological order. Starting with the conception of the idea for the Titanic, it covers the story of the sinking, rescue, and recovery of bodies in a very thorough and interesting manner. It includes old photographs and newspaper stories, which make it much more humanistic and personal than just reading about it in a history book.
I walked around Long Point and its high cliffs and took more photos of the land meeting the ocean. As usual, the scenery was spectacular. It rained last night and the sky was overcast. However, in a certain way the overcast adds something to the wildness of the ocean.
We left Long Point a little after 11:00AM and drove back through Twillingate to the Auk-Island Winery where we had a light lunch and browsed the gift shop. While we were eating, the rain returned and continued off and on for most of the afternoon. Our entire group was scheduled to meet there at 2:00PM for a tour and tasting but Paul and Donna Mae, our Wagon Masters, showed up at 1:00PM with John and Lynn to check on preparations so they let the six of us do the tour and tasting early.
We are going to give the Twillingate entertainment community another chance tonight by attending a "kitchen party". The kitchen party is a part of Newfoundland culture and got its name long ago when drinkers, carousers, musicians, and dancers would get together in someone's kitchen (the warmest room in the house) to have fun. The tradition has continued but the party is not always in a kitchen because they have become very popular and require a larger space. Tonight's kitchen party is at Orange Hall and will feature a musical group called The Split Peas. The group is composed of seven women and has been performing in Twillingate for 20 years. The group has been featured in several CBC TV shows and in a relatively recent movie, The Shipping News. They have to be better than the show we saw last night! I will continue this later tonight and let you know.
It's 9:30PM and we just got back to the RV park. The kitchen party was really a lot of fun and the music was great. Orange Lodge is a historic building (built in 1907) that was rescued with money from performances by The Split Peas, who now call it Touton House. There were also a few other couples from our group at the performance and everyone had a good time. The Split Peas played and sang on a professional level. One of their members is a singer-songwriter and wrote several of the songs performed by the group. It was obvious to all that they genuinely enjoyed what they were doing. Throughout the entire show they smiled, laughed, and moved with the music. Best of all, they made the audience smile, laugh, and move with them (lots of clapping and singing along). Their harmony was right on and the sound system and acoustics were much better than those of last night. As a matter of fact, everything was better than last night. Admission was only $10, much of which goes to community projects and charity. There was no dinner included, but that didn't matter. Last night's dinner was nothing special. At the break, toutons, a traditional fried dough favorite, and tea were sold. I would recommend to anyone attempting to make a choice of entertainment in Twillingate to make certain that The Split Peas are at the top of the list. I wouldn't put last night's entertainment on that same list.
Tomorrow is a free day and good weather is predicted. Maybe we will go down to Dildo Run Provincial Park. Don't ask me how it got its name. I heard someone say that it was an old Indian Name. We may also go see Nanny's Hole. I'll let you know.
I walked around Long Point and its high cliffs and took more photos of the land meeting the ocean. As usual, the scenery was spectacular. It rained last night and the sky was overcast. However, in a certain way the overcast adds something to the wildness of the ocean.
It's 9:30PM and we just got back to the RV park. The kitchen party was really a lot of fun and the music was great. Orange Lodge is a historic building (built in 1907) that was rescued with money from performances by The Split Peas, who now call it Touton House. There were also a few other couples from our group at the performance and everyone had a good time. The Split Peas played and sang on a professional level. One of their members is a singer-songwriter and wrote several of the songs performed by the group. It was obvious to all that they genuinely enjoyed what they were doing. Throughout the entire show they smiled, laughed, and moved with the music. Best of all, they made the audience smile, laugh, and move with them (lots of clapping and singing along). Their harmony was right on and the sound system and acoustics were much better than those of last night. As a matter of fact, everything was better than last night. Admission was only $10, much of which goes to community projects and charity. There was no dinner included, but that didn't matter. Last night's dinner was nothing special. At the break, toutons, a traditional fried dough favorite, and tea were sold. I would recommend to anyone attempting to make a choice of entertainment in Twillingate to make certain that The Split Peas are at the top of the list. I wouldn't put last night's entertainment on that same list.
Tomorrow is a free day and good weather is predicted. Maybe we will go down to Dildo Run Provincial Park. Don't ask me how it got its name. I heard someone say that it was an old Indian Name. We may also go see Nanny's Hole. I'll let you know.
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