St John's, Newfoundland May 17-24, 2006
One of the 'perks' of
working with Wendy Howard of Winterholme Shih Tzu
is that we had an excellent 'excuse' to fly to the
beautiful province of Newfoundland on Canada's most
eastern coast. We needed to grade and make decisions
concerning two litters of "Jack" Am Col
Ch. Hallmark Jolei Jacks R'Better puppies and decided
to visit the weekend of the local All Breed shows
sponsored by the Avalon Kennel Club. With Jenny in
tow we were off with "Remi" BIS Am Can Col
Ch. Wenrick's Affair To Remembre and "Melody"
owned by Kai of Hearty Shih Tzu in Thailand. Jenny
also brought along her Pug special "Max".
We arrived at dinner time
and apart from what 'could have been a disastrous'
mistake by Jenny, all went well. Jenny had managed
to forget her purse on the baggage cart and did not
notice until we arrived at Wendy's home. It was a
mad dash back to the airport and a happy ending when
the purse was in 'lost and found' safe and sound....a
great testament to the friendly people of this majestic
island province. After a great dinner of spaghetti
with 'Wendy's famous homemade' sauce accompanied by
a potent caesar salad and toooo much wine we watched
the puppies romp around the kitchen and caught up
on 'news'. Richard was arriving on a 'red eye' flight
in the wee hours of the morning and appreciated the
personal service afforded him by Wendy who had insisted
on picking him up at the airport in person in true
'Newfoundland' hospitality.
The morning started off
in a 'lazy fashion' as we had a leisurely breakfast
and chatted and joked. Wendy H. gave Jenny a treat
of a new set of nails, a new side career she had recently
embarked on. After a power lunch of various deli meats
and cheeses accompanied with condiments, wine and
an assortment of Italian breads freshly baked that
morning, we then left to do a little sight-seeing
which started off at the Marine Science Center which
had harp seals for exhibition in an outdoor facility.
It was then on to the small fishing village of Quidi
Vidi and their local brewery where Jenny picked up
a variety of their specialty beers for her father.
f 
Historic Signal
Hill was next but unfortunately mother nature didn't
cooperate and it was blanketed with fog which obstructed
the view of the expansive Atlantic Ocean. We ventured
to the next 'must see' of the Lower Battery which
was built during WWII to protect the Narrows at the
entrance to St John's harbour. Jenny and Wendy had
fun horsing around on the cannon which hovered over
the cliff. Down in the downtown section of town, two
of Canada's native breeds, the Newfoundland Dog and
the Labrador Retriever were part of a historical park
display.
We returned home for
a a quick change and check of the dogs and headed
back downtown for an evening of 'fun and frolic' in
one of the most concentrated 'Pub and Hot Spot districts'
in Canada known as 'George's Street". We started
at a traditional Irish pub 'Bridie Molloys" for
a delicious meal which included fresh bacon-wrapped
scallops, hot wings, Irish stew, chicken florentine
and shrimp stir fry. This was all enjoyed while live
music was supplied by a local Newfoundland Irish band.
Next was an infamous
bar, Trapper John's where Jenny would partake in becoming
an honorary Newfoundlander with the ceremonial 'Screeching
In'. The initiation included the speaking of 'Newfinese'.
When asked "Is ye a Newfoundlander?", to
which she would reply "Indeed, I is, me old cock,
and long may your big jib draw". Meaning "Yes,
I am my good friend and may your sails always be filled
with wind." A wish for good fortune. This is
followed with a shot of Newfoundland's rum, Screech
and the kissing of a puffin arse. Jenny was a great
sport about it and was given a certificate attesting
she was indeed an honorary 'Newfoundlander'.
The Martini bar across
the street was the next stop on our 'bar slumming'
adventure and we enjoyed many rounds of different
drinks in our impossible quest to try out each one.
This was in a popular and crowded venue which featured
a 'live band' and dancing. Jenny had an opportunity
to meet Jason Greeley a 'Top 3' contestant in the
2004 'Canadian Idol' show who chatted her up. It was
getting to be the wee hours of the morning and we
taxied to another St John's favorite, Ches's Fish
and Chips restaurant to refuel our beverage soaked
bodies with some solid food. We enjoyed some authentic
Atlantic 'fish and chips' to appease our ravenous
appetites before heading home to bed after a tremendously
enjoyable evening. Wendy Howard had outdone herself
in the 'hospitality department' as she promised several
more days of 'let your hair down' activity in the
days to come.
The rather
seasonably cold weather improved considerable for
our next day of sightseeing. After a wholesome breakfast
prepared by Wendy H. we were off to Cape Spear.....where
the oldest surviving lighthouse in Newfoundland is
located at the most easterly point of land in North
America. It has been restored to its 1839 appearance
and shows how a lightkeeper and his family might have
lived in the mid-19th century. The Visitor Centre
contains exhibits on the history of lighthouses and
the tradition of lightkeeping. The site is surrounded
by spectacular scenery and wildlife such as whales,
seabirds and icebergs in season. We enjoyed wandering
around for hours basking in the beautiful sunny day
partaking of the spectacular vistas and history.
It was then
off to the tiny fishing village of Bay Bulls to 'O'Brien's
Restaurant' for some additional seafood delicacies
including a robust seafood chowder, caesar salad,
pan seared salmon in the restaurant overlooking the
bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Much to our surprise we
met another couple from Alberta who were here for
a convention, but shared another commonality with
us. What are the odds of meeting someone, in a restaurant,
in Canada's island province who not only were thinking
of attending the local dog show the next day, but
had Shih Tzu also and their dog was sired by one of
our dogs. The couple was Kathy & Larry Thomson
and we invited them to join us for lunch and talk
about our favorite topic "The Shih Tzu'.
It was then
back home to do some work and Jenny and Wendy P. bathed
out Remi, Melody and Max for the dog show the next
day. Wendy H. was busy preparing a gourmet dinner
while 'the old man' Richard had a nap in the family
room. Dinner started with a 'baked brie' delight with
a medley of Italian breads. Next was a gigantic garden
salad with fresh fruit and raspberry vinaigrette served
in the main dining room with relaxing instrumental
piano music of Jim Brinkman in the background. This
was followed by a delicious dinner of marinated 'Caribbean
Jerk" shrimp skewered and done on the barbeque
and a mouthwatering 'filet mignon' steak accompanied
by oven roasted red potatoes and assorted vegetables.
Of course this was accompanied by a selection of red
wines. We were pleased to have Wendy's husband Jeff
able to join us for this gastronomical delight.
We took a brief respite from eating
to exercise the dogs and puppies but returned to the
table to sample the variety of specialty cheesecakes
that Wendy H. had served with fresh coffee and aperitifs.Sleep
came easy after a very enjoyable feast.
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