Over the past few years, I have done quite a bit of journeying and am about to begin another.
In September 2010, I was standing on the deck at the bow of the MV Caribou watching Port aux Basques, N.L.’s lights twinkle in the distance as the vessel approached what would be my home.
A year later, I wrote a goodbye piece much like this one, and on Oct. 1, 2011, I crossed the Gulf again.
This time, my journey brought me to a small community on Nova Scotia’s southwest coast. The day I saw Liverpool for my first time, the rain was unrelenting, and my mother and I had to haul boxes up the three flights of stairs to my apartment in the Mersey House. Soon though, the rain stopped and the autumn light shone through the leaves.
My days in Liverpool have allowed me to meet wonderful people, hear fantastic stories and see beautiful landscapes. My sometimes-troubled car has taken me to Carter’s, Summerville, White Point, Caledonia, Kejimkujik and many other places that have made living here so memorable. A photo of these spots is etched in my mind.
I’m looking forward to reading The Queens County Advance and continuing to learn about a group of people who is adamant about making their communities the places to visit and live.
When I left Port aux Basques, I wrote, “I will miss this rocky land where the ocean meets the mountains, the mountains meet the sky and the wind whistles its story to curious listeners.”
It’s hard to describe Newfoundland in a sentence, and it’s equally difficult to describe Queens County in a sentence.
I will miss the view of the sun making its slow descent upon the Mersey River, watching the waves shower the rocks at Western Head and feeling the sand under my feet at Carter’s Beach.
Of course, there’s much more I’ll miss, but Dr. Seuss made a good point.
“So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.”
