This Island That We Cling To…

 

Back in early July I took a little trip to Toronto to see Shania Twain in concert. Margie, Katelyn and I left quite early on a Thursday morning and in the blink of an eye…three days later…we were back on the rock again. It was a whirlwind trip that consisted of lots of shopping, food, more shopping and of course the highlight was seeing the queen in all her majesty in concert. It was such an amazing experience. I’ve always been a huge Shania fan ever since my good friend Tammy introduced me to “Dance with the One That Brought You” back in the early 90’s. I’m not gonna lie, I cried a little when the show began and she walked out through the audience and up to the stage! We sang to the top of our lungs every single song she played. What a night. The last time I felt like that was when Streetheart played at the Bay Arena in Bay Roberts a number of years back. Don’t even get me started on that one!

Here’s a few snaps of our excursion. The photos were taken with my iPhone with the exception of a couple that Katelyn took. Like I said, there was lots of food and shopping, not much sightseeing. We did visit a church that was across from the Starbucks we stopped at every morning so Margie could get her coffee fix! Of course no visit to Yorkdale Mall is complete without a trip to the Cheesecake Factory, where a piece of cheesecake will last you about 3 days. The pic of the CN Tower was taken in the car on our way to the airport.

 

 

Anyhoo, we had a fantastic trip, something we will never forget! I remember driving home in the cab from the airport on Sunday night and thinking to myself how peaceful it was. Not much traffic and no people swarming around; keeping in mind I wasn’t gone long enough for a 2 litre milk to spoil! But I did realize how much I LOVE living here in Newfoundland. When the weather turns cold and crappy we often joke about moving away to some warm locale, but I’ve come to realize that I wouldn’t leave this place “for a farm out west”. I know there are some people reading this and shaking their heads and thinking they’d leave tomorrow if they could; it certainly isn’t easy staying here especially with the high cost of living and hydro rates set to soar in the next few years. But Wayne Chaulk of Buddy Wasisname and the Other Fellers said it best when he wrote Saltwater Joys:

“This island that we cling to has been handed down with pride
By folks that fought to live here, taking hardships all in stride
So I’ll compliment her beauty, hold on to my goodbyes
And I’ll stay and take my chances with those saltwater joys.”

 

Here are a few pictures of things I love about this place, hope you enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So this is how I saw the world these past few months! Hope you enjoyed my snaps. Get out and enjoy whats left of the warm weather, there’s still plenty to see and do around here. We have been fortunate enough to have a pretty decent summer, hopefully the weather gods will provide an equally amazing fall and winter. And remember, there’s no place like home!

 

Until Next Time,

Andrea