Month: March 2018

I drove down to Worsley Park today to see if there was anybody sea trouting. The tide is out so I would imagine that there will be some folks here when the tide rises. This area brings back a flood of memories. The photo shows the lower end of Squires pond, Manuel’s Head, the gut and Kelly’s Island in the background.

I recall one afternoon, back in the 1960’s, and the ice was in with a Northerly wind. Four or five of us had walked, on the ice, down to the beach. We went down to the ice flows and crawled upon one.  It was very slippery and I started to slide into the water under another pan of ice. I grabbed hold to one of my cousin’s legs and pulled myself up. He got a little mad because he didn’t realize the danger I was in and thought I was going to pull him in.  It was a frightening experience.

In the winter, we would play hockey. I’ve played many games here. I recall one spring Sunday afternoon when the temperature was around 4 degrees and we were playing in slush. There were a few holes in the ice and we would have to jump out onto the ice. We were very fortunate that nobody fell through the ice.

When my wife and I were courting, we would walk down around Manuel’s River, The Flats, Squire’s Pond and up the beach. There were times that we were able to cross the gut and then climb up Manuel’s Head. Our walk would take us up the opposite shore of Squire’s Pond or we would walk up the bank to Cherry Lane and then back to my parents home.

I’ve done some fishing for sea trout but did not catch any of the bigger ones. I did see some big sea trout that were caught here and some of them were entered into contests and won. Not sure if people still trout here.

My wife and I come down here during the summer for a picnic. Well, not really a picnic, we pick up a fish n chips and come here to eat it. We usually stay in the car, however; there are picnic tables scattered throughout the park.

The area from where this picture is taken is now a town park. The Worsley Center Link

This is the rock we used to sit on to put on our skates or just to relax during our walks.

I have lived in Conception Bay South for over fifty years, My parents moved from Creston South, on The Burin Peninsula, in 1958 and except for eight years, have lived in CBS. There were a few times, in the winter, that I considered moving to St.John’s. Many of us can remember the stress of driving Topsail Highway during those winter storms. During most of those storms I would arrive at work, in the east end of St John’s, before my fellow employees who lived in the city.

I like CBS. I enjoy the weather, the friends that we have here, the country feel, the bay, Manuel’s River and the many sports that I participated in over the years. Thinking back, I was always proud to say that I was from Conception Bay South. This is my home.

I have asked a number of people why they moved here and they say, it’s close to the city, the weather is better here and we just feel good living here.

When we first moved here, there was no council. Each town had it’s individual identity and we knew many of the family names that lived in each community, Most of us would have attended the old Queen Elizabeth Regional High School. Each town had their own hockey, softball, or soccer team. I was fortunate to have played on many of the Manuel’s teams and we did win a few championships, especially when Ford Metcalfe played hockey and softball with us. Also, I was thankful to have played on the all star soccer and softball teams. Those were happy competitive days.

As mentioned above, we moved away from CBS for eight years. Those eight years were spent in The Ottawa area. We moved there because our oldest daughter had twin boys born premature at 26 weeks. Her and our son-in-law needed help so we moved there to help them with the boys. We missed CBS and looked forward to moving back. It took eight years but when we felt that the boys would be ok, we moved home.

Why are you living in Conception Bay South?

 

I took a short today on the trailway in Kelligrews. The winds were extremely high and as you can see, by the photos and the video, the waves were pounding on the beach. I enjoy the sound of the water beating against the beach rocks and dragging some of the smaller rocks down the beach.

I went for  short walk, on the trailway, this afternoon. Only met one couple and as we were passing, I commented on how sloppy the trail was. The other gentleman responded..”I was going to say the same thing.” Today I walked from Anchorage Rd. to Kitty Ades turn. I decided to walk back on the sidewalk. Great afternoon for a walk. Just a few photos today.

Looking back towards Anchorage Rd

Ducks at Conways Brook