North to Newfoundland

Eddie's Cove II / 10x10 THE AMAZING PAINTING DAY continues. I drive a few miles down the coastal road and come upon this building, perched near the water. It calls out to me, the way so many of these landscapes do - the solitary house, or the two or three homes close together, at the edge of the Strait of Belle Isle.                                                                                                                      There's Eddie's Cove East, where I believe I am when I am painting this, and Eddie's Cove West, which I will hit tomorrow. Eddie's Cove East was settled by Philip Coates and his wife Sarah Duncan, says Wikipedia. The first census - 10 people - was in 1869....

Witless Bay / 16x16 EVER SINCE I read "The Bird Artist," by Howard Norman , I've wanted to visit Witless Bay - if only to enjoy saying the name, and knowing that I am, indeed, in the town of Witless Bay. I think "witless" is one of the great words in the English language. Sadly, to my twisted mind, the town is not named for the intellectual capacity of its current inhabitants, or for a group of would-be settlers eaten by bears. Its name derivation, according to Wikipedia, probably came from Captain Whittle, the English explorer who found and founded it. Over time - maybe after he died? - the name transmuted to "Witless." It is a traditional Newfoundland town, a fishing community of about 1,500. There are whale-watching and puffin-watching boats, as well. While I am painting this, Dan Pearson, above, walks up from his home across the street. He is a retiree who now is an artist. Witless Bay has become somewhat of a retirement commun...

Gros Morne ALL ALONG, one of our aims has been to see a moose, and people tell us, again and again, go to Gros Morne, that's where the moose are.  So we go. It is beautiful. Breath-taking. Grand. Spectacular, even. But in all honesty, Carol and I suspect we are missing most of it, even missing the best of it, because we are not hiking, climbing, foraging along the trails. It is not that kind of trip, this trip, and we have to be OK with that. And we are.  All that being said, there's a big part of me that admires Canada for leaving this park - and UNESCO World Heritage site - relatively unmarked by roads. If you really want to see most of the great stuff, you have to get out and hike. It is not instantly, easily available by car as many American parks are.  So we drive, we walk a little, we see some amazing sights, and I paint.  While I'm working, a couple drives up. Carl and his daughter Abbie. In one of those amazing twists of fate, it turns...