I was born in Jamestown, New York and then, when I was only 1 year old, my family moved to Lansing, a village outside of Ithaca. This is where I grew up until I was 13 years old. I attended public school in Lansing, New York and, in summers, swam and played in Cayuga Lake.
My father taught at Cornell University’s College of Agriculture before opening his own meat shop, named Scherer’s Old World Sausage Shop. There were two locations: one in Lansing and the other in downtown Ithaca.
My dad built the meat shop himself, with the help of some very unskilled labor!
I learned early to look busy at work.Whaddaya looking at? We’re busy working!
Once in full operation, my dad had sides of beef delivered to the meat shop and then he’d cut them into cuts of beef. He was well known in the region for his high quality meats.
There was a lot of work to do, so every day after school and during the summers I and my siblings would walk up to the meat shop to “help”. Our walk up to the meat shop was more like a meandering but the way home was non-stop direct!
A ham and some bacon
When we weren’t working as child laborers, we’d go to Stewart Park in Ithaca to play.
It was an idyllic time, growing up in beautiful upstate New York.
Weather on the 1’s, 2’s, 3’s and beyond!
I love the interaction between the land and sea.
I found an amazing spot in St. John’s and feel so happy to be here.
Sweet St John’sThe NarrowsView looking NorthGalley KitchenA winner 🏅
Perched above St. John’s and the North Atlantic Ocean, Signal Hill has significance.
On 12 December 1901, the first transatlantic wireless transmission was received by Guglielmo Marconi here at Signal Hill. The transmission, in Morse code, originated from his Poldhu Wireless Station in Cornwall England.
Evening Timelapse of The Narrows
Such a beautiful day!
Same ship, different day
After strolling around town for a few hours, it was time to catch something to eat. Fish n chips?
Fish n chips with malt vinegarAnd a local beer‘Ello Captain!
I took advantage of a nice weather day, 36 degrees and not snowing, to stroll around St. John’s. It’s a fairly compact, easy walking city.
I walked to Harbour Drive, Water Street, Duckworth and the famous George Street.
Being midday on a Tuesday in mid-March, there weren’t a lot of partiers spilling out into the streets, but I can easily envision it getting wild.
Mural of The Great Fire of 1892
There is a distinct style of buildings in downtown St. John’s that catches your eye.
There were two major fires in St. John’s that destroyed the downtown. The first was in 1846. Then, only 50 years later, The Great Fire of 1892 left 11,000 people homeless.
Following The Great Fire, the city was quickly rebuilt.
From the Heritage article, «Architecture of St. John’s, 1892–1940» (https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/society/architecture-1892-1940.php):
John Thomas Southcott had studied architecture in England and brought the Second Empire style to St. John’s on his return around 1877. Many of the homes rebuilt after the 1892 fire, whether designed by Southcott or not, contained Second Empire design elements.
Second Empire Design Homes on Gower St.
This style was so widely associated with the Southcott firm that it became known locally as the “Southcott Style.” Its distinguishing features are hooded dormer windows, ground floor bay windows and especially the mansard roof.
Southcott or Second Empire Style Homes on Cochrane St.
But why are the buildings so colorful?
There are several different stories to explain the bright, jelly bean colored buildings in Newfoundland.
Legend says that the homes were brightly painted so fishermen, returning from the sea, could find their homes in the often thick fog.
But the reality is less, um colorful. It was in the 1970’s that the colors were adopted as a way of injecting new life in an otherwise declining city. And it caught on so much that it is now a distinctive signature of Newfoundland.
There was an official Jelly Bean Color Palette!
Traditional and Jelly Bean Palettes
While the Southcott style dominated the immediate post-fire period, the Queen Anne Revival style also became common in the early decades of the 20th century.
This style was characterized by turrets, gables, large bay windows and decorative touches that give Queen Anne homes a somewhat “grand” appearance.
Waterford Manor
Homes built in the Queen Anne Revival style were primarily for those of great means.
Winterholme Mansion
The most grand and elaborate house of its time, Winterholme was built during a time when the wealth and power of Newfoundland’s merchants was at its height. At the time it was completed, Winterholme was one of the most expensive private dwellings ever built in Newfoundland, costing an estimated $120,000.
Looks like I just squeaked in to St. John’s between winter storms! Another squall is expected to arrive today and last a few days.
I took a taxi into town and was dropped off at my little Airbnb apartment at 21 Queens Rd.
I took the hotel shuttle back to the Halifax airport at 11:00am with hopes that my flight would finally happen. 😬
And voila! The flight was on!
While waiting to board, I met some friendly Newfoundlanders in the airport and got some more recommendations. They were all surprised that I would be visiting Newfoundland at this time of year, but were impressed with my spirit of adventure.
Then I looked across the lobby. And there was Darryll! He was talking some poor guy’s ear off and was wearing a hoodie that had, “Dildo Brewery” emblazoned in pink on the front.
Yes, there really is a brewery with that name, and it’s located in the town of Dildo, Newfoundland. Of course Darryl knows the owners and does informal marketing for them. In exchange, he gets free beers.
There were several of us who had been stuck in Halifax and we excitedly boarded the little Dash 4-800 at 11:45. It fired up its propellers and we lifted off at 12:30 for St. John’s.
Thankfully I wasn’t seated next to Darryl. 😂
Approaching St. John’s
I had to pinch myself!
Didn’t think I’d spend any real time in NS but here I am, in the land of Trailer Park Boys. Actually, just Halifax and since the Halifax airport is well outside the city I’m just at a generic airport hotel for the night.
I walked to the neighboring hotel which had a bar and restaurant, and enjoyed some beer and fish and chips. The beers and fish and chips were excellent and much needed after a day of sketchy travel.
I met and talked with several people, all entertaining. A handsome man from Prince Edward Island who was headed to Vegas via Calgary. A very kind woman originally from Moncton who now lives in Alberta and is a federal prison manager. And then I met Darryll.
Darryll is from St. John’s Newfoundland and is a character! He wasn’t shy AT ALL and talked to me and Lisa, the woman from Alberta.
Darryll told us stories with gusto while drinking his cocktails. When he learned that I was from NC and will be visiting St. John’s, well let’s just say he had some ideas to share. Which is cool because I want locals’ suggestions. And he sure had’em.
I learned where I can get Screeched-in (more on this later!) and that I need to get to O’Reilly’s Irish Pub before noon on St Patrick’s Day or else it will be too crowded to ever get in.
Darryll works as a sales person for Jeld-Wen, a Charlotte-based company. He said they interviewed him 4x because he was so outspoken and confident in himself and his ability to sell anything.
In one of the interviews they asked how he would handle rejection. He told them he hates rejection! They were surprised by his answer since sales people experience regular rejection. So he explained: he doesn’t experience rejection because he just doesn’t allow anyone to tell him no. He just keeps returning until he breaks them down. Based on his incessant talk, this is something I can easily imagine.
Lisa ate her meal rather quickly (perhaps because Darryll didn’t stop talking) and left me alone with Darryl. Turns out Darryl will be on my same flight to St. John’s tomorrow. 🎉
If Darryll is typical of Newfoundlanders, I’m gonna have one hell of a good time!
