Back to the Grindstone.

The dry grinding wheel still works fine.

I broke my grindstone.  I spent the morning working on an book review that I'd planned to wrap up in December and then in the afternoon I moved into the workshop to tackle a few copper pressure flakers for a friend in New York.  Of course, just as I was about to finish up in the workshop I broke a gear in my wet/dry grinder because I tried to rush thawing the block of ice in the wet grinder reservoir to get the wheel spinning again.  Now it looks like it won't ever spin again.

There's still lots of snow in
the yard, even after the rain
and warm temperatures
yesterday.

There is a nylon gear inside the grinder that runs the wet wheel and it is designed to fail in order to save the motor from burning out when there is too much resistance on the grinding wheel.  Its like blowing a fuse.  Unfortunately the machine is over 15 years old and apparently that replacement part is no longer produced, so it looks like I'm in the market for a new wet grinder.  I spent the last half of the afternoon looking around St. John's for a new one, but aside from some much smaller wet/dry grinders at Canadian Tire, I haven't had any luck finding a replacement, yet.  Even online it looks like it could be a challenge finding an upgrade.  I'll keep hunting.

The pressure flakers turned out fine.  I should be able to get the kits assembled and ready to ship tomorrow.

Photo Credits: Tim Rast

Snowshoeing #DarkNL

Snowshoeing the East Coast Trail
is a little tricky with a metre of
powdery snow on the ground.

Newfoundland is still in the midst of coping with a major winter storm, pre-preemptive closures, rolling blackouts and and unexpected Island-wide power failures.  The Premier and Newfoundland Power officials are warning us that this could be the new normal.  If and when the power grid becomes stable, we may be asked to conserve power for another month or two, and the dim light at the end of the tunnel that the Premier is offering us is a new power generation station in Labrador allegedly coming online in 2017.

Snow-B-Que!

Which means its going to be a great time for star-gazing, mid-winter barbeques, and winter sports.  We've got the grill set up again on the back deck, which we shovel out now before we work on the car and the front of the house.  On Sunday morning, Lori and I headed out to Cape Spear with a couple friends to snowshoe the Black Head Path. We only made it a kilometre or so along the trail before the deep powder turned us back, but it was still a great time and the Fish and Chips and pints at The Duke helped a lot.

The start of the hike had blue skies and huge waves.

The snow on the barrens leading to the foot of Black Head was easy to cross, but the drift in the trees were another story.  

We didn't make it anywhere near the top of Black Head, but we were well prepared for the mid-way break.  If this is going to be the new normal, I want snowshoe poles and a hip flask for Scotch, too.

The grey clouds and a dusting of snow had started by the time we made our way back to the car.  The waves were still impressive.

Cape Spear, Newfoundland and Labrador.  The Easternmost point in North America.

Cape Spear Light House.

Sausage, Tea, Coffee and booze to raise our spirits after an aborted attempt to cross Black Head.

A couple hours struggling through deep snow feels like a couple hours on a stair master.

There are so many great trails, I'm torn between returning to this trail and trying to finish it, or moving on to a new spot next time.

 Photo Credits: Lori White and Tim Rast

Daytime Havana

Christmas Eve 2013 in Havana

St. John's is not making it easy to adjust back to winter.  This time last week we were in Cuba and we visited Havana in shorts and t-shirts on Christmas Eve.  Today, in St. John's, we already have more than a metre of snow and because its the coldest winter in two and a half decades, most of it is still on the ground.  We're having rolling power outages across the Province because everyone has their heat cranked.  On top of that we are on a blizzard watch and will most likely be getting another 25-40cm of snow in the next 24 hours.  I am looking forward to some excellent snowshoeing on Sunday, but forgive me if I spend my computer's battery life reminiscing about warmer days while waiting out the second blackout to hit our street since breakfast.  

Looking up in La Plaza Vieja

Havana has 500 years of history, not including the indigenous people who lived in Cuba for thousands of years before the Spanish arrived.

Much of Havana is showing its age.  Businesses and public buildings are being renovated and restored, but residences don't enjoy the same treatment.  Makeshift scaffolds and supports keep the ornate exteriors from crumbling onto the streets below.

Museums, shops, restaurants, and tourist attractions are enjoying the effects of revitalization and Old Havana is becoming a colourful, vibrant destination.

Aside from a few decorations in the hotels, Christmas really isn't noticeable in Cuba.  The season coincides with the sugarcane harvest and the holiday has only been observed for the past decade or so.  We stopped for Mojitos in the Ambos Mundos Hotel, where Hemingway lived, drank, and wrote for several months.

One of the large government buildings surrounding Revolution Square.

Areas of the city are being revitalized, in part through UNESCO funding.  This sculpture by Roberto Fabelo was installed in the newly renovated La Plaza Vieja in 2012.  

The older stone architecture had a very European feel to it and the Spanish influences can be seen everywhere in the older part of the city.

Another view from La Plaza Vieja

More than 2 million people live in Havana, not counting the Canadian, British, and German tourists.  The streets are full day and night, which, again gives the feeling that you've been transported to Spain.

The house on the hill overlooking the harbour was the residence of Ernesto "Che" Guevara while he lived in Havana. 

The restaurant we had lunch in had an eclectic style.  No restaurant is too small to have a live band, and at this particular spot Peacocks and chickens roamed under the tables and lounged around the walls and fountains.  Not sure what the noose was for.

The view of the city from the lighthouse.  I don't know what I was expecting Havana to be like, but I had no idea it would be so beautiful.

A large church across the street from the City's indoor market.

The market has an overwhelming array of art.  Its the perfect place to get an inexpensive original painting of classic cars, Havana streets, and naked ladies.  The handful of artists producing original designs stand out.  We bought several pieces from this vendor.

Every mode of transportation imaginable can be found on the streets of Havana from horse drawn carriages and classic cars to scooters, buses, and rickshaws.

The ubiquitous turkey vultures make Havana their home, too. 

Statue of John Lennon in John Lennon Park.  Apparently the former Beatle never actually visited Havana, but he inspired the people enough that they built a park in his honour.  The glasses really make the statue.  The glasses have been stolen and broken on several occasions, so now their is an elderly custodian who is their caretaker.  He keeps them safe in his pocket, but will bring them out and put them on Mr. Lennon for photos.

More Spanish architecture.  More Peacocks.  

We only had one day and one night in Havana.  Some day we'll return for a longer visit.

Street musicians, buskers, peanut salesmen, and all manner of hawkers and performers punctuated the streets and intersections of Old Havana.

A famous Havana citizen, who roamed the streets during the 20th century has been immortalized in bronze.

Its easy to see how the streets of Havana could inspire generations of poets, painters, travelers, and writers.

Photo Credits: Lori White and Tim Rast

Rural Cuba at Jibacoa

Lori feeding sugarcane to a pig. Cuban
pork is the best fed pork in the world.

While in Cuba, we stayed at a resort near Jibacoa, about an hour east of Havana.  It was my first time in Cuba and my first time staying at an all-inclusive resort, so I don't have much to compare it to, but I was surprised by how remote the resort felt.  The resort faced the water, but was backed by a big forested hill.  We spent a bit of time hiking around the hill on guided and solo treks and got to know the farms and people in the area.

This is the view of the resort from the top of the hill.  We certainly weren't wanting for anything, but the lush, hilly countryside made us feel like we were all in the jungle and not crowded in to a tourist strip.

A half hour hike over the top of the hill took us into open fields and farm land.  The horse or cattle drawn cart is for hauling sugarcane.  

On the guided hikes, the farmers met us with sugarcane and fresh coconuts.

Lori was an old pro with coconut water, but it was my first time.

Once drained, the coconuts were split with a machete and we could scrape the white meat out to eat.

Cuban Farmhouse.

I think he sees a lot of tourists in a year.

One of the buildings on the farm is a barbershop under the veranda.  

On Boxing Day, I went back for a cut.

At some point peacocks were introduced to Cuba.  They seem to hang around anywhere that people live.  We saw them on the farms, but also throughout Havana.

By far, the most common bird we saw were the large turkey vultures that always seemed to be visible somewhere in the sky.  I don't think there was ever a moment when they weren't in sight, circling overhead or off in the distance.

One of my favourite souvenirs from the trip is this hat.  According to our tour guide, these are the type of palms used to make the hats.

This is the husband and wife team who made the hat.  He's lost his sight, but continues to braid the long strands of leaves and she sews them together.  Each hat is made as a single spiral starting at the centre and looping round and round towards the brim.

Photo Credits: Tim Rast