Another beautiful cemetery

This one is in Elliston.

Sunday bird blogging

A few more puffins -- two of them peering out of their burrows, while a third attempts to demonstrate that he can too fly.

More houses in Elliston

These houses were near the cliff trail out to the puffins.

Bonus bird blogging

One of the Elliston puffins.

We probably got closer to them in Witless Bay, but this time the sun was out. And I wasn't holding on for dear life on slippery decks in rough waters.

Cliff walk in Elliston

More pictures from the walk. Out at the far end of the cliffs, there was an island with -- puffins!

And yet more beautiful coastline

Also in Elliston.

Yesterday when I was out doing errands it was sunny and warm, but just breezy enough to be on that cusp between enjoying the air on my bare arms and thinking that a sweater might be nice. Fall is coming.

And a year ago, I was in the cardiac unit at Mount Sinai with my African mystery illness. I am still not 100%, maybe never will be, but considering how long it took me to work up to being able to walk around the block, I'm very grateful to be able to travel again.

I wouldn't have wanted to miss hiking along these cliffs.

The Root Cellar Capital of the World

Yes, there is such a thing and I have been there! Elliston has 135 documented root cellars, some of which are almost 200 years old. In a region where growing anything was hard, root cellars allowed the precious crops to be stored through the long winters.

The two root cellars above are in Elliston, but my favorite is the one on the left, in Twillingate. It looks like a hobbit hole.

Have I mentioned the scenery?

Here's a sample -- this view, near Elliston, is typical of the rocky eastern coast.

I'm on the west coast now after a long drive across the island today. We're staying in a town with the improbable name of Cow Head, in Gros Morne National Park. It rained all afternoon, so all I've seen of the park so far is shadowy gray mountains fading into the distance on one side of the road and gray ocean on the other.

Fun facts about Newfoundland

I have probably taken a hundred pictures of the houses here. This one from yesterday was near Elliston, where we stopped to see more puffins.

I will write about my adventures in detail when I get home; the history we're learning and the culture we're experiencing deserves more time than I have right now. Last night I kissed a cod, and did the Mexican hat dance in a community center; obviously my wild Newfoundland social life is going to take priority.

So here's a fun fact: Newfoundland didn't become part of Canada until 1949. Before that it was a British colony. Labrador, the non-island part of the province, didn't get name recognition until 2001, when the province name was changed from Newfoundland to Newfoundland and Labrador.