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Day 3 (August 8, 2026): Placentia and back to Clarke's Beach

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A leisurely breakfast of French toast started the day in the AirBnB.  Mom and Dad really enjoy the space and relaxed atmosphere that an AirBnB brings, and this one did not disappoint! At 10:30AM, we set out to explore Placentia and its environs.  It was a cloudy and cool start to the day, but the sun came out by noon.  We walked the wonderful boardwalk along Placentia's beach, explored a park in the town, and then we headed to Castle Hill, with its great vistas of Placentia.  From there, we drove to Argentia to see where the ferry to Nova Scotia lands and what is left of the former American base.  Lunch was a picnic overlooking the spectacular Northeast Arm.  Then, we were homeward bound, arriving back in Clarke's Beach just after 2PM -- 47 hours after we had first left Mom and Dad's driveway! I mowed their lawn, and then we explored their prosperous 2026 vegetable garden before heading down to the river that runs along the back of their acre. It was sad to...
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Day 2 (August 7, 2026): The Eastport Peninsula and on to Placentia

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It was a 7AM rise this morning. The fried eggs were on the table by 7:30AM, and Dad and I set out for the river just after 8:00.  While St. John's had been cold, foggy and drizzly, the sun and warmth of Glovertown was a beautiful contrast this morning.  Dad fished a good 1½ hours. He didn't get a salmon, but shortly after his arrival on the river, he did get a 'rise' -- salmon fishing terminology for when a salmon comes to the surface and checks out your hook!  Dad's excitement was palpable at that moment. It choked me to know how much this visit to this river meant to him at age 94.  Although we left the river at 10:30AM without a fish, it had been a thoroughly enjoyable time for him - one that will bring good reflections throughout the winter to come, I am certain. After heading back to Jim's house and packing the car, we took my Aunt Rosemary and Uncle Kevin for a drive around the beautiful Eastport Peninsula.  As a former RCMP officer, Uncle Kevin knows ever...
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Day 1 (August 6, 2026): "Take me to the Terra Nova!"

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I asked Mom and Dad earlier this summer, "Where would you like to go for a road trip?"  King's Point in Green Bay is the only Newfoundland pastoral charge where they served together that to which they have not returned in recent years. So that was tempting!  However, it's a long drive from their home.  So, we decided against it.  Beyond that, Dad didn't have think long before he shared: "I'd like to go back to the Terra Nova River and try to get a fish (salmon)."  That sealed the deal!  We planned on a quick trip to Glovertown, through which the Terra Nova River passes, with an added night at Placentia on the way home. Pam and I flew into St. John's last night. Unfortunately, my suitcase didn't arrive. I waited around until after lunch today to see if it might arrive, but no luck.  I set out from St. John's at 1:30PM -- about five hours later than I had hoped to leave -- and picked up Mom and Dad at 3PM sharp.  We did a picnic at Whitbour...
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