"Holyrood, Newfoundland"

Holyrood was once known as Holyrode in 1689. Hollyrode has been interpreted by historians as an old English name for "Holy Cross" from the ancient Anglo Saxon word "rode" meaning staff or cross. Many early settlers of Holyrood were of Irish Catholic descent. It is believed that many settlers relocated from Ireland during high immigration in the 1800's. Sir Albert Walsh, was the son of William P. and Sophia Butler Walsh, both of Holyrood. Sir Albert Walsh became the first Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland on April 1, 1949.

In 1969 the Town of Holyrood incorporated.

It was a nice place to paddle today in calm waters and a low wind. The water was 1 degree celsius and the air was about zero. A great paddle with my friend Tony on a Sunday morning. As David Francey says in one of his songs, "Way off in the distance there rang a bell and it rang for the Saints and the Sinners as well..."

"Frozen Steer head?"

Well that is what this frozen icicle looked like to me. You know those skeletal cow heads you see in the western movies next to rolling sage brush. At anyrate the image was as frozen in my mind as it was on this rock.

"The Very Rare.....The Ivory Gull"

On our paddle today we ran into a Biologist on a boat photographing what we thought was just another gull. Not so as it turns out. This gull was an Ivory Gull, very rare and perhaps blown of course by a storm the biologist thought. Pagophila eburnea, is the only all white gull with "black legs". The gull is pigeon sized with a dove like head; wings long and flight Tern like. The bill is black with a yellow tip. The range of this bird is the High Arctic; circumpolar. Breeds locally on Arctic islands of northernmost Canada (NWT). Winters from pack ice south of to Gulf of St. Lawrence and Newfoundland. So we were fortunate enough to witness this little fellow as he played along the shore and in no obvious hurry to continue on his journey.

"Milions and Millions and Millions...."

When you paddle with Tony you can be treated to his wisdom of rocks. Being a Geologist I can sometimes get cool info on the formation of some of the scenery we sometimes inadvertently glide past. Realizing that we are paddling where volcanoes once erupted and where they were feed by granite rock and spouted their molten regurgitation's millions and millions of years ago seems to echo our geologic past that we are dust and to dust we shall return!

"Chapel Cove"

 As good a place as any for a bite to eat and a bit of relief. Looking NE into Conception Bay Chapel Cove just below Hickey's Mountain.

"Show Me The Way"

 Returning from the days paddle we were treated to some sun poking through. Joy's Point in the distance was indicating our near completion of the trip as we headed for the South Arm near Maloney's Beach for our take-out. A great day, a great paddle.