Gary Collins - A Day on the Ridge

Praise for Gary Collins

Cabot Island

Collins focus on an ordinary event taking place under extraordinary circumstances sheds a tender, respectful light on how strength of character can be forged at the anguished intersection of isolation and bereavement. Downhome

The story is intriguing...

The Chronicle Herald

The Last Farewell

The writing here is at its best when the danger and beauty of the sea is subtly described. Atlantic Books Today

The Last Farewell tells a true story, but Collins vivid description and well-realized characters make it read like a novel. The Chronicle Herald

Read The Last Farewell not only because it is a moving historical tale of needless tragedy but also because its a book enriched with abundant details of Newfoundland life not so widespread anymore. The Pilot

[The Last Farewell:] The Loss of the Collett is informative and intriguing, and not merely for experienced sailors or Newfoundlanders. The Northern Mariner

What Colour is the Ocean?

Delightful rhyming story.

Resource Links

Scott Keatings illustrations are an asset to the book. The double page illustrations revealing the colour of the ocean are particularly successful in conveying the moods of the ocean and the land. CM: Canadian Review of Materials

This tale, set by the sea in Newfoundland, is told in a simple repetitive refrain that will capture the imagination of young readers.... Illustrations by Scott Keating, award-winning artist and illustrator, capture the beauty of Newfoundland and the many seasons and moods of the ocean. Atlantic Books TodaY

Soulis Joes Lost Mine

There is a magic in the interior of this island that few will write about or speak of to othersan endless fascination with the land. Gary Collins is entranced in the same way that the allure of rock, tree, and bog seized the indomitable Allan Keats, and before him, his ancestor, the Mikmaq Soulis Joe. This book gives voice not only to these men but to the great and wonderful wilderness of Newfoundland. Read it and be prepared for the wonder and love of the wild places. It will grab and hold on to you, too. J.A. Ricketts, Author of The Badger Confession

Soulis Joes Lost Mine is a number of stories in one: its a great mystery-adventure; its a fascinating look at prospecting for precious metals; and its a heart-warming story about the importance of family pride. The Chronicle Herald

This tale also serves to cement Collins status as one of the regions better storytellers; he has a journalists eye for detail, his writing is crisp and lean and the narrative arc runs smooth and seamless and is well-peppered with shakes of home-spun humour. Atlantic Books Today

Where Eagles Lie Fallen

Some truly breathtaking stories of tragedy...

The Northeast Avalon Times

A gripping story,

which cuts to the true heart of tragedy.

Downhome

Mattie Mitchell:

Newfoundlands Greatest Frontiersman

[Gary Collins] weaves the various threads of the story into a marvellous yarnall the more marvellous because it is true.

The Northeast Avalon Times

Also by Gary Collins

Cabot Island

The Last Farewell

Soulis Joes Lost Mine

What Colour is the Ocean?

Where Eagles Lie Fallen

Mattie Mitchell: Newfoundlands Greatest Frontiersman

Copyright

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Collins, Gary, 1949-

Cataloguing information is available from the National Archives of Canada.

Also issued in print format.

ISBN 978-1-77117-040-6 (print) 978-1-77117-041- 3 (epub)

2012 by Gary Collins

All rights reserved. No part of the work covered by the copyright hereon may be reproduced or used in any form or by any meansgraphic, electronic or mechanicalwithout the written permission of the publisher. Any request for photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems of any part of this book shall be directed to Access Copyright, The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency, 1 Yonge Street, Suite 800, Toronto, ON M5E 1E5. This applies to classroom use as well.

Printed in Canada

Cover Design: Adam Freake

Illustrated by Clint Collins

Flanker Press Ltd.

PO Box 2522, Station C

St. Johns, NL

Canada

Telephone: (709) 739-4477 Fax: (709) 739-4420 Toll-free: 1-866-739-4420

www.flankerpress.com

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We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP) for our publishing activities; the Canada Council for the Arts which last year invested $24.3 million in writing and publishing throughout Canada; the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation.

For Uncle Louis

Contents

Preface

Before I began this collection of stories, I first wondered if my readers would be at all interested in my life, one that centred on the logging industry in Newfoundland. After all, most of us dont really think the day-to-day of our lives is interesting to ourselves, let alone to anybody else. We just go about our routine, which for many of us is filled with the demands that come with raising families. Sadly, the myriad of tasks that comes with such commonplace duties will remain, for the most part, mere lines on untold pages.

Looking back, I was amazed at the clarity with which I could relive those events that were integral to shaping me into who I am today. I was aided greatly in this venture by the scribbles I had entered into a daily journal for more than forty years. For the most part they are only hastily written lines: who died in our town and when; how the weather wasincluding the temperatures; where I was on that particular day; what I was doing; and where I was. The scant earlier entries, though, when read years later, opened up chapters of memories for me.

For example, my entry for January 23, 1973, says,... 23 degrees (we were still with the Fahrenheit system then) winds southeast and mild. Enoch finished building his barn this evening and tonight I played my first game of penny-ante poker. We used matches in lieu of money. That simple record triggered what became the story Enochs Arse.

December 21, 1976: Setting otter traps on Powderhorn Brook I fell through thin ice and damn near drowned. Got back to the camp, dried off and went back to work. From that brief description I wrote A Taste of the Trap.

Or this one:... minus 39 degrees. A burning wind out of the east. Left a sleeping Tuk under a ribbon of Northern lights at 3:00 a.m. Hauling a load of water to Tarsuit. Brutally cold. At the entrance to the Mackenzie Delta I drove by the tractor-trailer that went through the ice yesterday. It is not a pretty sight. The driver escaped, though.

I wrote it in the hamlet of Tuktoyuktuk, Northwest Territories, where I worked as an ice road trucker. But that memory is not in keeping with a day on the ridge and is maybe another tale to be told on a different page.