The Labrador Visitors' Guide to a Very Good Time

I've been calling what my friend K. did on her recent trip here a 'trifecta' but that is just plain wrong. A trifecta is when you successfully choose the first, second and third place winners in a horse race. Not at all what I had in mind. It could be a triathlon but it isn't quite an endurance test (some aspects perhaps) and it isn't a hat trick which is three accomplishments in one game (like three goals in hockey for one player). So what is it? Beats me but I'm going to say how it has worked with us as hosts.

I'm new here to Labrador - sum experience was one trip of about four days six years ago and then, in October, I flew in and started living here! Kazow! Since September we've had visitors every month - family and friends both. We are getting better at visitors than when we started I think - only natural. Our first visitor was a pal I'll call Wren. She was an ideal first visitor - appreciative, kind, and knew I wanted to play four thousand games of gin-rummy and several zillion games of scrabble. It wasn't too awfully cold (though I think Wren wouldn't agree) and we could greet the glorious sun rises each day with a stroll down the beach which was just starting to freeze. With Wren we discovered two good things to do - go to the North West River Museum and make red berry (partridgeberry ) jam. We did them both! I'd never made jam so having my maiden voyage with Wren was super good. I also realized that the beach was where we had to go each and every day. Wren helped me host a rummoli game too - lots of fun.  Here's a photo of Wren on the beach during a very spectacular sunrise.

Next up was a lot of family and I'm not going to include them in this because they aren't really visitors but ...well...you know - family! Though I'd call Wren family too so what does it even mean? We did take the kids to the museum and they appeared to like it. 

In January my writing pal Gwen came. We wrote every single day. We also went to the museum so we established that as a pretty good thing to do. We had lunch at Robins and we went to the tent! The tent wasn't up when Wren was here so couldn't have gone to it. Here's Gwen at the tent - 

Next up were Julia and Mike - here for a short but intense time. Couldn't get them to the museum as we had a big snow and it couldn't be cleared in time (all volunteers) but Julia and I went out to the tent twice and we went dog-sledding! Below is us dog-sledding (me and Julia while Ron and Mike were on the skidoo) and below that Julia entering the tent and then taking a business call on the trail back from the tent!!!

This month my dearest pal K arrived. She was here for ten whole days and we did everything you could do - we went to the museum, the art gallery in town, dog-sledding, out to the tent, made red berry jam, played scrabble, and on and on. Here are some highlights of the visit.

selfie +1 in tent

 how to practice your scales ...

We have one more set of visitors before I head out to Ottawa to wait for the newest grandchild. They come this Thursday and are here for only a short time. We can't, alas, take them dog-sledding as Scott (who has the dogs) is going on a long trip with them to the coast. We will try and get to the museum of course and the tent - especially now that I've made a fire and tea in it. And Ron will take them to The Birches Gallery (spectacular aboriginal art) the day he takes me to the airport (I travel a day before them). We'll give them a good taste of Labrador life I hope. And then they'll come back and won't that be fun!!

We love our visitors - each and every one has been a delight as we get to turn people on to this amazing place while getting a much needed hit of home at the same time.