By Pam Pardy On the night of January 7, two commercial flights bound for St. John’s were forced to divert to Gander when icy runway conditions made landing impossible. For the more than 200 weary passengers onboard, it was an unexpected stop, one that brought frustration, uncertainty, and the familiar fatigue of air travel. What…
Historically, in Newfoundland and Labrador, cod is king. From the arrival of Europeans at the dawn of the sixteenth century all the way through to the time you’re reading this, the cod fish has been seen as the backbone of the Newfoundland diet since records have been kept and practices passed down. And while the…
By Bobbi Pike As I sit tucked in my new home in Alberta, I can’t help but think about all the changes and adventures we have experienced in the past year or so. A little over a year ago, we packed ourselves and our three pups into our SUV and, following the footsteps of many…
By Kim Ploughman Brad and Anita Squires were in the throes of early romance when they picnicked on Bell Island on September 14, 2012. With love and laughter as witnesses, Brad cast their empty wine bottle into Conception Bay. Sealed inside was a handwritten message: “Anita and Brad’s day trip to Bell Island. Today,…
by Todd Hollett For us humans, wooing our partners generally comes with little personal risk, but for some other species, the stakes are far greater. Some males perform showy displays that attract the attention of their intended partner, and also of predators. Fights with rivals may lead to injury or death, and in some instances,…
By Nicola Ryan It’s blowing a gale on Signal Hill. Clouds scuttle across the sunny November sky. It’s windy enough to wrench the door off the car, to blow the hat off your head. It churns whitecaps in George’s Pond. Folks pass by in winter coats and hats, and I’m in a bathing suit. I’m…
By Pam Pardy When Harbour Mille, Fortune Bay’s Lucas Pike decided to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, it wasn’t for adventure or recognition. It was for love and to honour his mother, Joan Pike, who passed away in July 2021 following a battle with brain cancer. “I knew that climbing Mount Kilimanjaro would challenge me in many…
By Gord Follett Never have I put as much pre-season scouting and effort into a moose hunt as I did for the 2025 season. Each holding an either-sex licence for MMA (Moose Management Area) 35 – St. John’s – Tony Vinnicombe and I began mid-July – in between salmon fishing trips – hiking to…
By Dennis Flynn Linda White, of the Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador Archives and Special Collections, displays the first issue of “The Greenspond Letter,” next to the most recent edition. The gap between the two entails colourful characters, remarkable reminiscences, phenomenal photographs, and spectacular stories covering more than 30 years. “It’s been only me…
We may not be the North Pole, but we here at Downhome like to think we have a link to the big guy in the red suit. Earlier this fall, our team called on kids and kids-at-heart to submit their letters to Santa, and boy, did you deliver! Our mailbags were overflowing! This is final…
