John and Cathy in Newfoundland 2013: Little Bay Island

July 9

After an unexpected start to our morning we left Twillingate at 8:00 am to reach Pilley's Island in order to catch the 1:15 ferry to Little Bay Islands.

Our landlords at the Rum Runners B&B had arranged for us to have breakfast at 8:00 o'clock. When Cathy awoke at 6:30, she discovered that the electricity was off. If it were to be off for an extended time, the arrangements for our departure would have to change. We decided to get up and get ready--warm water emerged from the taps. Without electricity, a cooked breakfast was out of the question, so we thought we'd simply leave and get something to eat on the road. Heiko said the power would be off for maintenance until at least 9:00. His wife Ruth, in the meantime phoned the electricity company and gave them a piece of her mind. By 7:30 the power was on--whether through Cindy's harangue or things unravelling as they should we'll never know. In any case, we had a lovely breakfast, including wholewheat toast that, in Cindy's timeless words, "will make sure you poop!" We chatted with with an elderly couple who from Goderich, Ontario, who are on their sixth trip to Newfoundland with their aged Labrador retriever. They are even dottier about their dog than we are about Quinton, so that gives you an accurate picture of the degree of their eccentricity.

We had been advised that it would take us four hours to reach the ferry terminal near Robert's Arm. In fact, it took closer to three--which left us plenty of time to visit nearby Triton and to manoeuvre our car into position to back onto the ferry. Yes, back on! Down a steep and narrow ramp and with a sharp turn to the right at the bottom. John still has a crick in his neck. The explanation is two-fold, depending on whom you speak to. Version 1 (from the Ferry personnel): there is a temporary problem with the front ramp which will be remedied in a day or two; Version 2 (from the locals): the $27 million ferry is only a year old and the lazy buggers who run it are too lazy to do a simple repair, although they have part of one day each week for routine maintenance. In any case, it only added to the adventure, although I don't think Budget would see it that way if I had ripped the side door off the Ford Escape backing down the ramp.

Little Bay Islands, which is about a 30 minute ferry ride, is a gem. There are only about 60 full-time residents (many of whom are seniors) and 30 or 40 Americans--mostly from the New England States--who come here to their summer residences. Like so many outport villages over the years, Little Bay Islands has suffered a crippling exodus of young people. A large crab processing plant closed its doors permanently about a three years ago. It employed over 200 workers, although the work was seasonal. When cutbacks were necessary, locals could not put in enough hours to qualify for UI in the winter. The Government of Newfoundland runs a ferry to Little Bay Islands five times a day, which is clearly excessive because sometimes it runs empty. Naturally, this costs a great deal of money. Additionally, there is the cost of infrastructure (roads, water, electricity, etc.). A solution that has been used since the days of Joey Smallwood is for the government to pay people to move away. This Spring the government made an offer of $250,000 per household if residents of Little Bay Islands would relocate to the mainland. Ninety percent of residents had to vote in favour; 89.75% did. Now a tedious process is underway to collect data from every household to determine who is a permanent resident vs who is part-time, etc. It may be a couple of years before anything happens and people begin to move. Those who choose to stay will be without ferry service, electricity, water and sewage. Talking to local people, we have discovered that the issue has caused rifts within the community. We feel fortunate to have visited this beautiful community before it becomes history.

Aunt Edna's B&B is a charming place. It takes its name from Edna Oxford who lived in the house for 45 years. She never had children (well, actually,she had one out of wedlock) and was famous in the community for her dislike of kids. Locals remember her screeching at them as children, which of course became a game--they found inventive ways to annoy her and she reciprocated in kind.

Charlene Hinz, our host, bought the house six years ago. She has worked very hard--and spent a lot of money along the way--to create a charming and welcoming house that has many Victorian features. It is filled with antiques and curiosities. She can tell stories about the community and its people, even though she has only been here six years. She has also worked hard to obtain grants and funding to improve the lives of seniors. She's also a very good cook, as the baked salmon dinner she made for us proved.

The community is totally without services--not even a gas station. People take the ferry to Springdale to shop, bank, visit the doctor and so on. It's far from ideal, but people are used to the inconvenience, and many prefer it to the prospect of relocation.

We went for a long walk this afternoon when we arrived. The door of the local school, where there is presently only one student, was open, so we went in. What else would you expect from teachers? It turns out that the Wednesday Afternoon Circle of Friends (all women except one man, the retired school principal) was meeting to quilt, embroider, hook rugs--and socialize. A friendly woman, Cavelle, noticed us, came over and welcomed us. We were introduced to virtually everyone in the room. Doris Tucker, whom we would visit in her home after supper, was born in the community and has strong opinions on the relocation issue.

It has been a very good day. We are starting to get a feel for the real character of this fascinating province.