Dream Iceberg
I'm calling this "Dream Iceberg" because it was the one I dreamt about seeing. The story behind it is a good one, if you'll indulge me.
I first saw this iceberg, stuck far out in the Straits between Newfoundland and Labrador, on my drive up to St. Anthony at the northern tip of the island. That was a Thursday. Five days later, I drove back past it. I remember lying in bed the night before, hoping/dreaming that it would still be there and that I might be able to get out and see it. It was pouring with rain, but as I drew closer to Green Island Harbour I could see the iceberg - it was still there and, wonderfully, it was closer to shore. I drove around town, looking for someone, anyone who might be able to take me out to see that iceberg, but in the pouring rain, there was no one around. I eventually stopped at the post office, where the postmistress (Joyce, as I found out) was on the phone. I said, "I'll let you finish your conversation," but she said to just go ahead. I said, "This might be a silly question, but is there anyone you know who would be willing to take me out to the berg?". She laughed and said into the phone, "Do you want to take this lady out to see the iceberg?" and the guy at the other end said yes. He turned out to be Roland, a retired fisherman, and sure enough, in no time flat we were in his small boat, speeding towards the iceberg, with me clutching onto my hood in the wind and rain. We didn't get too close, but we circled around it and I tried, in the pouring rain, wiping my lens constantly, to photograph it. It was SO beautiful - very elegant with a gorgeous arch in the middle. There was a crack forming, we could see, so we didn't get too close. You don't want a piece falling off and capsizing the boat with a big wave! It's hard to describe how amazing it was to see this 10,000 year old beauty close up. A highlight of my trip, for sure, and a probably a highlight of my life.
Roland invited me to his house for coca which, since I was soaked to the skin, was very welcome. We chatted for over an hour about his life and the life of his town. I love those kinds of conversations. Then the phone rang. "Look out the window," said Joyce, the postmistress, and sure enough, when we looked, the iceberg had collapsed. How incredible that I was there at just that moment and found someone kind and generous enough to take me out to see that beauty. The snow that fell in Greenland to form that iceberg fell between 3,000 and 10,000 years ago. The iceberg calved from a glacier in Greenland 2 or 3 years ago and began its journey with 10,000 to 15,000 icebergs, only a few hundred of which make it all the way to Newfoundland. Then it sat in the Straits for nearly a week. It collapsed just an hour after I visited it. How amazing!
I've written a blog post about my Newfoundland trip if you'd like to read it.
If you’d like to see all the Newfoundland images together, I’ve updated my website and you can see them all on the Galleries page.
Dream Iceberg
I'm calling this "Dream Iceberg" because it was the one I dreamt about seeing. The story behind it is a good one, if you'll indulge me.
I first saw this iceberg, stuck far out in the Straits between Newfoundland and Labrador, on my drive up to St. Anthony at the northern tip of the island. That was a Thursday. Five days later, I drove back past it. I remember lying in bed the night before, hoping/dreaming that it would still be there and that I might be able to get out and see it. It was pouring with rain, but as I drew closer to Green Island Harbour I could see the iceberg - it was still there and, wonderfully, it was closer to shore. I drove around town, looking for someone, anyone who might be able to take me out to see that iceberg, but in the pouring rain, there was no one around. I eventually stopped at the post office, where the postmistress (Joyce, as I found out) was on the phone. I said, "I'll let you finish your conversation," but she said to just go ahead. I said, "This might be a silly question, but is there anyone you know who would be willing to take me out to the berg?". She laughed and said into the phone, "Do you want to take this lady out to see the iceberg?" and the guy at the other end said yes. He turned out to be Roland, a retired fisherman, and sure enough, in no time flat we were in his small boat, speeding towards the iceberg, with me clutching onto my hood in the wind and rain. We didn't get too close, but we circled around it and I tried, in the pouring rain, wiping my lens constantly, to photograph it. It was SO beautiful - very elegant with a gorgeous arch in the middle. There was a crack forming, we could see, so we didn't get too close. You don't want a piece falling off and capsizing the boat with a big wave! It's hard to describe how amazing it was to see this 10,000 year old beauty close up. A highlight of my trip, for sure, and a probably a highlight of my life.
Roland invited me to his house for coca which, since I was soaked to the skin, was very welcome. We chatted for over an hour about his life and the life of his town. I love those kinds of conversations. Then the phone rang. "Look out the window," said Joyce, the postmistress, and sure enough, when we looked, the iceberg had collapsed. How incredible that I was there at just that moment and found someone kind and generous enough to take me out to see that beauty. The snow that fell in Greenland to form that iceberg fell between 3,000 and 10,000 years ago. The iceberg calved from a glacier in Greenland 2 or 3 years ago and began its journey with 10,000 to 15,000 icebergs, only a few hundred of which make it all the way to Newfoundland. Then it sat in the Straits for nearly a week. It collapsed just an hour after I visited it. How amazing!
I've written a blog post about my Newfoundland trip if you'd like to read it.
If you’d like to see all the Newfoundland images together, I’ve updated my website and you can see them all on the Galleries page.