It was already getting quite warm as we reached the mine site, spoke with the security guard and proceeded inside.  I was being granted one of the last looks around the Lockerby mine before it is demolished.  I get out of the car, don my work boots, high-viz vest, and hard hat, surveying the buildings around me to figure out how I want to tackle this.  I’m like a kid in a candy store.

We woke up, had breakfast, filled the Rav with gas and headed out to see what adventure the day would bring.  It was a beautiful sunny day in an amazing part of the Province of Newfoundland / Labrador and we were ready to take in the sights.

We first wandered out to a point we had noted earlier, and wanted to see in proper, clear daylight.  A tourbus arrived shortly after us and disgorged its contents all over the road, but I tried to ignore that as much as possible.  I noticed something out near the horizon in the water.  I reached back into the Rav and got the binoculars for confirmation.  Whales.  I could see whales cresting far out in the harbour, and they were blowing spray high up into the air, refracting the sunlight at times into rainbows.

Rostock, Germany, 1923.  Grete, a 6,548-ton cargo ship built by Neptun AG, slips into the water, awaiting service and ready to begin a strange life at sea.  Entering service in July of that year for C Mohlenberg Reederei GmbH, she would sail under a German flag until 1934.  In that year, the 440ft long ship with a beam of 57ft, and a draught of 25ft, 9 inches, was sold to an Italian firm and renamed Gabbiano.

It began innocently enough.  We're driving along, me behind the wheel, my father browsing through a road atlas.  He mentions a road that the map says will be decommissioned soon.  As he traces along the line with his finger, he then mentions a town that the map says will be relocated soon.  I asked the date of the map and realize that “soon” is likely well past.  Immediately, we decide we’re going to take this road.

​ ​I first noticed this property several years back at which time it was, apparently, for sale.  Aside from being close to the highway, it seemed ideal to me.  It was a real handyman's special, of course, but even without going inside, as it was locked tight at that point, you could easily see in your mind's eye what this could become.  A large private home, with an additional guest house?  A rental property?  The possibilities, given the location, seemed endless.