Well, vacation is over and it is time to face the real world again. Sigh. I spent my time off with my husband and girls, visiting my wonderful in-laws in Twillingate, Newfoundland and Labrador. Well, technically we were in the community of Durrell, which is on Twillingate Island and part of the larger almagamated community. We spend time every summer soaking in the salt air, the cooler temperatures and the warmth and love of our huge extended family. This beautiful town and its people have found a place in my heart and soul, and every year I look forward to "going home".
There is no place in the world like Twillingate, or Newfoundland in general, for that matter. In some ways it feels like you are stepping back in time. While there are plenty of modern amenities, many of the residents still adhere to their strong values and traditions. These include catching cod, gutting and cleaning them on their stages and then drying the filets on racks, catching capelin with a cast net, baking homemade bread on a regular basis, keeping a family vegetable garden and putting clothes out on the line to dry in the salt breeze.
It gives me such a nostalgic feeling seeing clothes hanging out on the line. It is a rare sight here in suburban Ontario, and it reminds me of helping my grandmother pin clothes to her line. In Twillingate, nearly every home has a long, sturdy clothesline out back, weighed down on sunny days with all the family's laundry.
I love the simple life.
Mandy
