Our grandson Jon trained as a paramedic in Ontario but his first job offer was a position in Corner Brook, Newfoundland. When my wife and I made our first trip to visit him, we found the people there the friendliest and warmest we had ever met. We were welcomed into the homes of his co-workers, and treated to great food and music. Jon and I shared a memorable day when we went zip lining on Marble Mountain. We also took the time to tour St. John's and learn a little of the history of Newfoundland. We also met a young woman named Christa that would later become Jon's wife and mother to two wonderful children that we are proud to call [great] grandchildren. Shortly after we returned to Ontario, my cousin sent me a letter that her mother had given her a few years before she passed away. In it was a lot of details about my grandmother that I had either forgotten about or had not heard. It turns out that she was not born in Boston as I had always thought. Growing up, she told me stories about her time as a waitress in one of the large restaurants in Boston and had left when her father Peter Morrissey and her brother William had both been killed in an explosion while blasting rock for the railroad around Perry Sound in 1906. It turns out my grandmother was not an American as I had always thought, but she was not a Canadian either. She was one of nine children born in Holyrood in 1884, long before Newfoundland became a part of Canada. Our first trip to Newfoundland was more than a visit to see Jon, although I was not aware at the time, we were going home... and meeting some great people. A few years later, Jon joined the RCMP and his first posting was to Bonavista, so we had a second chance to go visit and meet more of those great people, and even get "Screeched In" at O'Reilly's in St. John's. I also found many of the gravestones of my family. One of my ancestors was Thomas Furey. He and his sons ran fishing boats, so he was the original "Captain Furey." Jon recently moved to St. Anthony. That means another trip next year, another chance to enjoy the warmth and hospitality of Newfoundland, and this time we are bringing several members of the family who have not had the pleasant experience of "the Rock." Really looking forward to our third trip. Jon gave us a subscription to Downhome a few years ago and we look forward to receiving it for the many interesting stories and photos. Fred Smith Smithville, ON   Submitted By: NULL