As a youth of five years, living with maternal grandparent's and paternal grandparent's as next door neighbor's, and relative's in every other seaside village household was my first recollection of Bacon Cove, Conception Bay, Newfoundland in 1948. A British flag flew over the land, as a separate country from either the United States of America or the Dominion of Canada. Life of that time is now history today, of a bygone era. A heritage of a free and independent people of a far different culture from the rest of continental North America. A civilization of English speaking people first to settle the New World. The culture, basic Celtic, half Gaelic, half Anglo speaking Irish with Channel Islanders as its rootstock, today called "Anglo-Irish".

With the sea at every turn, Newfoundlander's have one eye upon what one's doing, while the other fixed upon the weather. For it can change without warning from summer to winter, calm to storm, hot to cold and dry to wet. Its been said, as a joke, but, does seem somewhat true of the year 1948........Newfoundlander's were born standing upright in a dory. The Isle of Newfoundland is....truly of the sea, by the sea, and against the sea! This hardy environment of sea and weather sets Newfoundlander's apart from others, as a distinct and different culture from the rest of a North American population.

Typical village occupation's were fishing, farming and forestry, as we know trades today. Farming included all agriculture and related crops to feed a family in a cool climate plus livestock. It was not uncommon to see horse, cow, goat, sheep, pig, goose, chicken, dog, cat and seagull all within the same view and on a few days iceberg, whale, caplin, squid and cod schools swamming along the rocky shoreline. Other vista's included open hay field and fir and spruce forests and of course bedrock and boulders on the hills both far and near.

A few youthful events are recalled by village resident's even today, since I did, as a youth, leave a lasting impression upon many. Terms such as "He's a Div'il" are still remembered by area elders for miles around. Today my first cousin Eleanor (Dalton) Costello has a son Kevin, who is called "a Div'il" and thoughts of, at his age, there was I, let loose upon an unprotected and defenseless Village. Bacon Cove, Newfoundland is recalled with fondness today.

One can recall only so much at age 5 or 6. Events seen through a child's eyes are simplistic and wonderful!...full of adventure, and dangers unknown!

Today, the historic villages of Mystic Seaport in Connecticut, Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts and King's Landing in New Brunswick are each what Bacon Cove, Newfoundland was in 1948.