Witless Bay for Paddy's Day
When people in St. John's say they're going down/out the shore, it can only refer to one region of the province. It's a region known by many names, but most commonly as either the Southern Shore or the Irish Loop.
It's demographically unique in Newfoundland. Although St. John's, the capital city, has had a slight Irish Roman Catholic majority for centuries, rural Newfoundland is almost entirely English Anglican. The only exceptions outside of the Irish Loop tend to be in areas first settled by the French, Basque, Spanish, or Portuguese - or in larger communities that happen to have a Roman Catholic church mixed in among a half dozen or more various Protestant ones.
Since rural areas tend to do a better job of preserving cultural traditions unaltered, I was delighted when an ex (who I dated 15 years ago) called me up and asked if I wanted to come down the shore for Paddy's Day Saturday with him and his family.
I reciprocated the offer so he came into the city on Friday night and we unwisely partied downtown until 6 a.m. Then we got up at noon, drove out to his home in Witless Bay, and had a grand old time - despite being hungover. And you get to join in!
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Welcome to Witless Bay!
The view from his front deck is spectacular.
In rural Newfoundland, watching the goings on of ships in the harbour is an actual passtime. You won't find many homes without a set of binoculars on the windowsill.
Although the snow took a cutting in the week leading up to my visit, we still braved a skidoo trip in the woods.
This winter was so unseasonably cold that lakes that NEVER freeze are frozen solid. There is 3.5 feet of ice on this one, which is normally open water all winter.
We happened to run into his uncles and cousins. They were bringing new windows for their cabin in the woods. The lady of the house got them half-way there in a truck, but they needed a skidoo to get them the rest of the way.
After a while, we stopped and lay in the snow for a... beverage... and enjoyed the bright sunshine and beautiful views. The snow cover was thin so the woods were largely empty.
We decided to visit his uncle's shack to see if anyone was home, and sure enough, he was. We stopped for a delicious Caesar, checked the trout lines, and enjoyed the view.
The Whiskey Jacks were on the go.
And soon it was time to start heading back...
There are lots of skidoo campers, shacks, and cabins in the woods. In the winter, you can get to them on skidoo, and in the summer, you can use a boat. This is an obscenely popular passtime in rural Newfoundland. And the odd thing is the deeper into the woods and the farther from any ocean views you can get, the better. "The grass is always greener", as they say.
And then we're back to his sister's commuter suburb, whose skidoo it was we "borrowed".
Then it was time for a nice stroll through the lovely, charming village of Witless Bay.
I prefer our traditional architecture to the new buildings.
Driving around the Southern Shore requires being intimately familiar with exactly how wide your vehicle is and where it can fit.
But there is lots of beauty here too. Some of the only rural Roman Catholic churches on the island.
And, of course, far from the standards of civilization, people enjoy a more libertarian lifestyle. This house has been ruined for a generation, and the local government hasn't made them tear it down.
A famous Canadian celebrity (won't say who, we guard her privacy) owns one of these houses. That's a general cultural rule here. Comedians even make fun of us for it:
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The school in Witless Bay has a playground with quite a view.
And then the sun set on Paddy's Day Saturday and Witless Bay started to come to life.
And then it was off to the Paddy's Day party - with only about 70 of his closest relatives invited, and me. What a time!
The Irish and Newfoundland tunes were blasting...
We all had something green on...
There were lots of snacks and drinks...
And a joyous Paddy's Day was had by all...
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Witless Bay for Paddy's Day: Down the Shore, In the Woods
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