Friendship and Real Estate
Being here is a good opportunity for us to walk - there are many trails but also the shore road brings opportunities to chat with locals and to get the community news. We take the dinghy on Sunday to the old fish plant wharf and tie her up behind Mutiny, dock mates in Lewisporte. They were the sailboat fishing for their supper when we arrived yesterday. Audrey is there but Dean has walked to the “internet cafe” (two old chairs on top of a hill across the bay) to get the latest weather forecast. They will be leaving in the morning so we are glad Dean is there when we return a few hours later.
Our walk takes us back the other direction. We pick raspberries along the cemetery road but are sorry to see a yellow plant has taken over the cemetery - there are very few blueberry bushes remaining.
Back at the boat, Jules comes by in Woodpecker, with its “make or break engine”, to say hello. He says he saw our arrival and was very disappointed in the behaviour of those who made our anchoring so difficult. I tell him perhaps they feel we shouldn’t be here - he claims we have every right they have but that things have been getting a bit out of hand. “Things will be quieter tomorrow.” We did notice many boats packed and headed back to homes and jobs.
I had chicken thawed and ready for the barbecue when someone came by with a fresh cod. Harald cleans it on the foredeck and I store it in the fridge for tomorrow. It is 38’C at 6:00pm. Tonight we will have the chicken and tomorrow, hopefully it is a bit cooler for Salsa Cod in the oven.
Holiday Monday is just as hot as the rest of the weekend but we want to see Rob and Jackie again, with their company gone home, so we pack our little backpack with water and hats and tie the dinghy to Rob’s wharf. He is working on backfilling over the septic bed and Jackie is inside cleaning and doing laundry. They decline our offers of help. Rob is quite excited to tell us about a little cabin for sale across from the green marker, near the narrows. “They only want $12,000 - no lawyer, no realtor - and it is fully furnished. You should have a look at it. We would be neighbours!”
Our interest is peeked. We walk toward the cabin and Mike K tells us more about the place and drives to the other side of the bay to retrieve the key. The cabin is small, just one bedroom, living-room and large eat-in kitchen. The furnishings are more than adequate and the decorating tasteful for a cottage. It is white with a blue roof and the grounds are covered in blueberry bushes. We name it “Blueberry Cottage”.
Mike K has an answer for every one of our concerns and Rob confirms the community just rallies when someone needs something. Jules tells us there is always someone coming or going to town who can deliver what we need. “No need to buy another boat”. The pressure to buy is great. (A couple of days later at the Friendship Centre grand opening, a couple we haven’t met yet say “You’re the couple looking to buy Pete’s cottage”.)
We ponder our options and discuss the concerns, sitting in the silence with our thoughts.
Tammy and Roy have arrived on Sitka so after a short shore walk and conversation with Mike Parsons in the cool of the church, we stop by the wharf for a visit and invitation to join us onboard for supper. Their company is refreshing and takes us from our thoughts of the cottage. We enjoy chilli and “trifle” and Tammy brings us some much needed bread she just picked up on Triton. This should hold us until our next stop.
Rob and Jackie swing by the boat on Wednesday morning as they leave for Deer Lake. They will not return until September after we have left Newfoundland. Of course they ask if we have “bought any houses lately”. We tell them “afraid not”. They appear disappointed but understand, it isn’t about ownership, it’s about making sense for us right now. That chapter has closed for us, knowing we are still welcome to visit by boat and to see the people here we now call friends.
We thank them for their hospitality and promise to stay in touch.
August 7th is our last day for this visit to LBI. We have been invited to the opening of the Friendship Centre so we go to shore at noon for the BBQ lunch, live music and friendly conversation. The deck has been named “Mary’s Deck” in memory of Mike K’s wife who loved LBI, this church and the community. Georgina welcomes all and thanks those who helped with the transformation. The atmosphere is friendly. We feel we are part of this thriving summer community. Maybe nearly buying property has extended our welcome.
My eye is now very annoying so I keep my sunglasses on. Tomorrow we will sail to King’s Point where I am hoping to seek medical attention.
We make the walk up the hill to the pump house for a jug of fresh drinking water. Jules walks with us back to the dinghy. We say our good-byes and wish him a good “rest of summer”. He seems now to understand why we decided not to buy the cabin.
The evening is still warm but we marvel at the clouds that are now moving east, their bottoms pink from the setting sun. This has been an interesting visit - one we will remember fondly in coming days.
