Greg got home safely after wisely letting the worst of it pass.
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| Newfoundland Gothic |
Left Manhattan for St. John's Newfoundland. Love's a helluva drug.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Wanted: Weather forecaster; St. John's
They missed the boat in predicting this storm. Was only supposed to be 4-5 inches; it's probably twice that. Had high winds, blowing the snow around and creating whiteout conditions. Schools and government offices closed midday. Traffic was snarled on city streets and the TCH.
Greg got home safely after wisely letting the worst of it pass.
Greg got home safely after wisely letting the worst of it pass.
Snow this morning
That's what happened on Saturday - but we're expecting less with this storm...maybe only 4 to 5 inches (10-15cm).
Saturday's storm gave way to a spectacular Sunday. Went for brunch and errands we couldn't do the day before. But it was so gorgeous out (sunny & no wind), we went for a walk in The Battery before heading to Home Depot.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Geographer in the house
Living with a geographer has its pluses. Talk of maps and GPS is something I find intriguing.
Greg recently commented we are located below the 49th Parallel. Trying to give me a point of reference as to how far north we are, he said we're about parallel with Minneapolis. I discovered that was incorrect (bad geographer) when I started looking on the map for where 49th Parallel ran.
St. John's is at 47degrees, 34minutes. Minneapolis is 44degrees, 59minutes.
So we are on a closer parallel with:
Seattle WA: 47d, 36m
Grand Forks ND: 47d, 55m
Duluth MN: 46d, 47m
Caribou ME: 46d, 51m
The affection for this topic also informs some decorating choices - I love our new rug.
We got it at Attica, a home furnishings store that has two locations; here and Halifax.
I want to get this table from Ballard Designs.
It's a compass...and it works!
Greg recently commented we are located below the 49th Parallel. Trying to give me a point of reference as to how far north we are, he said we're about parallel with Minneapolis. I discovered that was incorrect (bad geographer) when I started looking on the map for where 49th Parallel ran.
St. John's is at 47degrees, 34minutes. Minneapolis is 44degrees, 59minutes.
So we are on a closer parallel with:
Seattle WA: 47d, 36m
Grand Forks ND: 47d, 55m
Duluth MN: 46d, 47m
Caribou ME: 46d, 51m
The affection for this topic also informs some decorating choices - I love our new rug.We got it at Attica, a home furnishings store that has two locations; here and Halifax.
I want to get this table from Ballard Designs.
It's a compass...and it works!
Friday, January 27, 2012
Dare alla luce
Welcome Luke and congrats to Steph, Jim & James!
The title references the Italian phrase for giving birth. The literal translation is to "give to the light". Fitting that he's been named Luke, which is derived from the Greek and Italian words for light.
Any connection to light sabers ?
The title references the Italian phrase for giving birth. The literal translation is to "give to the light". Fitting that he's been named Luke, which is derived from the Greek and Italian words for light.
Any connection to light sabers ?
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| source: Wikipedia |
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Accent on Paradise
One of the tag lines connected to St. John's is "A Walker's Paradise" - courtesy of the Grand Concourse Authority. I always thought New York City was a walker's paradise. I certainly walked almost everywhere. I once walked from the Metro North train station in Riverdale to Washington Heights.
The city certainly scores high with WalkScore; my old neighborhood (and pretty much everywhere in Manhattan) scores a 100 out of 100 pts (based on amenities being close enough to walk for daily needs/errands). Our current location gets a 33 (a score that equals "car dependent").
What you don't get in NYC is this, close enough to walk to everyday.
It gives you amnesia about having to shovel.
One of the tag lines connected to St. John's is "A Walker's Paradise" - courtesy of the Grand Concourse Authority. I always thought New York City was a walker's paradise. I certainly walked almost everywhere. I once walked from the Metro North train station in Riverdale to Washington Heights.
The city certainly scores high with WalkScore; my old neighborhood (and pretty much everywhere in Manhattan) scores a 100 out of 100 pts (based on amenities being close enough to walk for daily needs/errands). Our current location gets a 33 (a score that equals "car dependent").
What you don't get in NYC is this, close enough to walk to everyday.
It gives you amnesia about having to shovel.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Send Wheaties!
I figured it would be pointless to shovel yesterday. It was so windy, I imagined I'd be shoveling and 50% of every scoop would be blown back in my face. And since I didn't need to be anywhere until Sunday eve (to pick up Greg at the airport), there was no rush to clear the driveway so I stayed inside with NPR.
Forecast for today was flurries and some wind. But it was still when I got up. So, made some coffee and got out there for about an hour. Ours was the only driveway unshoveled on the street. I felt like such a slacker.
Only took about an hour. Not too bad. Thank goodness we only have a modest amount of black top.
I figured it would be pointless to shovel yesterday. It was so windy, I imagined I'd be shoveling and 50% of every scoop would be blown back in my face. And since I didn't need to be anywhere until Sunday eve (to pick up Greg at the airport), there was no rush to clear the driveway so I stayed inside with NPR.
Forecast for today was flurries and some wind. But it was still when I got up. So, made some coffee and got out there for about an hour. Ours was the only driveway unshoveled on the street. I felt like such a slacker.
Only took about an hour. Not too bad. Thank goodness we only have a modest amount of black top.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Here comes the Snow, doo doo doo doo...
Woke up to several inches already on the ground - hard to tell how much since it's blowing around so much!
Schools cancelled, flights cancelled and provincial government offices closed.
Tucking into my oatmeal with berries and enjoying some good radio programming. Right now, they're discussing historical instances of captains who abandon ship (note to self: look up The Medusa).
It's a nice surprise that berries are pretty reasonably priced here even at this time of the year. If I was back in NYC, I'd look longingly at raspberries at D'Agostino's but the $6-7 price tag on a pint would send me off toward the grapefruits instead. We've been able to enjoy raspberries, blueberries and blackberries at tops $4. Blueberries have been 2 for $5 a few times.
Yum.
Woke up to several inches already on the ground - hard to tell how much since it's blowing around so much!
Schools cancelled, flights cancelled and provincial government offices closed.
It's a nice surprise that berries are pretty reasonably priced here even at this time of the year. If I was back in NYC, I'd look longingly at raspberries at D'Agostino's but the $6-7 price tag on a pint would send me off toward the grapefruits instead. We've been able to enjoy raspberries, blueberries and blackberries at tops $4. Blueberries have been 2 for $5 a few times.
Yum.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Structure Dangereuse
Greg got a barbecue wiener roller among his Christmas gifts. I love how the French translation is rotissoire de saucisses a rouleaux pour le barbecue.
Every product in stores has the French translation on it. I suspect my favorite oatmeal in cans isn't carried here any more because it was too difficult to adapt the package to include the translation. At times, it makes scanning/reading shelves difficult with the packages being a bit cluttered with text.
But it also makes for some fun expressions.
We're expecting a winter storm today/tonight/tomorrow, with accumulations around 15-20cm (6-8"). In anticipation of being snowed in (bloque par le neige) tomorrow, I decided to take a drive today to explore another part of the peninsula.
This is a shot from Pouch Cove; I believe I've heard newscasters pronounce that as "pooch". I wanted to drive out further to the lighthouse but was concerned about getting too far from home, not knowing for sure when the snow was to start. And also wanted to save something for me & Greg to explore another time.
So I'm home again, safe and sound (sain et sauf), waiting for the snow.
Greg got a barbecue wiener roller among his Christmas gifts. I love how the French translation is rotissoire de saucisses a rouleaux pour le barbecue.
Every product in stores has the French translation on it. I suspect my favorite oatmeal in cans isn't carried here any more because it was too difficult to adapt the package to include the translation. At times, it makes scanning/reading shelves difficult with the packages being a bit cluttered with text.
But it also makes for some fun expressions.
We're expecting a winter storm today/tonight/tomorrow, with accumulations around 15-20cm (6-8"). In anticipation of being snowed in (bloque par le neige) tomorrow, I decided to take a drive today to explore another part of the peninsula.
This is a shot from Pouch Cove; I believe I've heard newscasters pronounce that as "pooch". I wanted to drive out further to the lighthouse but was concerned about getting too far from home, not knowing for sure when the snow was to start. And also wanted to save something for me & Greg to explore another time.
So I'm home again, safe and sound (sain et sauf), waiting for the snow.
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Pleasant view of Pleasantville
The US Army entered an agreement with the United Kingdom to build a base in Newfoundland. They selected Pleasantville to build Fort Pepperrell. The base was active from July 1941 to August 1961. Some of the buildings on the former base are being rehabed into condos. I love the candy-color buildings.
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| Snow on Jan 9 |
The US Army entered an agreement with the United Kingdom to build a base in Newfoundland. They selected Pleasantville to build Fort Pepperrell. The base was active from July 1941 to August 1961. Some of the buildings on the former base are being rehabed into condos. I love the candy-color buildings.
136 Days until Spring
Temperatures here today are expected to be -10C to -13C (that's 8F to 14F); it'll be colder with the windchill.
You can check out the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp.) and NTV (Newfoundland TV) webcams of St. John's harbor:
CBC St. John's Webcam
NTV St. John's Webcam
Maybe you'll see the cameras shivering.
Remember, NFLD is 90 minutes ahead of the Eastern time zone. So, be sure to check it before 2:30p ET so you get some daylight.
;-)
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Jan 11, 2011
Ready, Set, Shovel
This is how the day began:
And how it's ending:
Still waiting to see what havoc the snowplow will wreak with the driveway that I shoveled at 1pm.
Hard to say how much we got because it's drifting. I guessed a foot of snow (30 cm) but Greg disagrees with that. Felt like a foot while I was shoveling. ~:o
Ready, Set, Shovel
This is how the day began:
And how it's ending:
Still waiting to see what havoc the snowplow will wreak with the driveway that I shoveled at 1pm.
Hard to say how much we got because it's drifting. I guessed a foot of snow (30 cm) but Greg disagrees with that. Felt like a foot while I was shoveling. ~:o
January 10, 2012
Stranger in a Strange Land?
Greg gave me these magnets in my Christmas stocking; they're standard Newfoundland expressions.
I'm translating them into something more familiar:
Yes Bye = Alright
Whaddayat ? = Howudoin'?
Oh Me Nerves = What the xxxx!
Go way bye, yer cracked! = Get outta here dude, you're crazy!
Shag It! = Fuggedaboutit!
Most talk of the Newfoundland accent applies not to people who live/grew up in St. John's (aka "townies), but the folks further afield, in the outports (aka "bay men"). I have heard some people talking on the streets downtown and couldn't get a word of the conversation. We tend to think New Yorkers talk super fast...well, NL has some really fast talkers.
A good time can be had with the Whaddaya App, available for iPod/iPad/Android. It features a man saying Newfoundland-ese phrases with proper English translation shown on the screen.
And then there's Allan Hawco, star of "Republic of Doyle" (a show filmed here in St. John's), doing a great bit on some NL expressions:
I think it's pretty akin to what you hear from Ireland, and in the same vein as dialog in the old Bowery Boys and Little Rascals movies. It feels familiar - I like it.
Stranger in a Strange Land?
Greg gave me these magnets in my Christmas stocking; they're standard Newfoundland expressions.
I'm translating them into something more familiar:
Whaddayat ? = Howudoin'?
Oh Me Nerves = What the xxxx!
Go way bye, yer cracked! = Get outta here dude, you're crazy!
Shag It! = Fuggedaboutit!
Most talk of the Newfoundland accent applies not to people who live/grew up in St. John's (aka "townies), but the folks further afield, in the outports (aka "bay men"). I have heard some people talking on the streets downtown and couldn't get a word of the conversation. We tend to think New Yorkers talk super fast...well, NL has some really fast talkers.
A good time can be had with the Whaddaya App, available for iPod/iPad/Android. It features a man saying Newfoundland-ese phrases with proper English translation shown on the screen.
And then there's Allan Hawco, star of "Republic of Doyle" (a show filmed here in St. John's), doing a great bit on some NL expressions:
I think it's pretty akin to what you hear from Ireland, and in the same vein as dialog in the old Bowery Boys and Little Rascals movies. It feels familiar - I like it.
January 7, 2012
Me, Blog ?
Since I'm not a big fan of that other social media site and not everyone in the family uses it, I decided I'd try this instead. I'll try to update regularly with photos and posts about our move and transition to life here.
So far, all is good.
The apartment (top floor of a raised ranch) is comfortable. Am getting used to wearing slippers what with the laminate and tile floors being a bit chilly.
Got the bedroom set-up nicely. The living room is nothing to look at now. Need a sofa, chairs, rug etc. We've been around to some of the furniture stores. Sadly there isn't anything like Crate & Barrel or Pottery Barn here.
We have a deck out back that faces south and backs up to a golf course It's very nice to look out to from the window over the kitchen sink. There's also a nature path that runs slightly below grade behind the property. Hoping to get out this week to take a walk along it.
That's all for now!
Me, Blog ?
Since I'm not a big fan of that other social media site and not everyone in the family uses it, I decided I'd try this instead. I'll try to update regularly with photos and posts about our move and transition to life here.
So far, all is good.
The apartment (top floor of a raised ranch) is comfortable. Am getting used to wearing slippers what with the laminate and tile floors being a bit chilly.
Got the bedroom set-up nicely. The living room is nothing to look at now. Need a sofa, chairs, rug etc. We've been around to some of the furniture stores. Sadly there isn't anything like Crate & Barrel or Pottery Barn here.
We have a deck out back that faces south and backs up to a golf course It's very nice to look out to from the window over the kitchen sink. There's also a nature path that runs slightly below grade behind the property. Hoping to get out this week to take a walk along it.
That's all for now!
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