Hat tip to Renee Gosse who defined May Challenge earlier this month.

I started the month with a sense of panic. Iceberg season was generous but medical appointments were messing up consecutive days for a decent travel stint. I have both Red Bay and St. Anthony high on my list. As far as I can manage reasonably with ferry bookings almost non existent to drive further.

But it wasn’t looking promising. Obligations on my calendar were overwhelming me and weather on our days off was not the kind one wants to travel.

I booked a night on May 7 at Salty Seas Cottages in Ochre Pit Cove with a plan to drive home on the 8th in the rain. The cottage was so nice we extended to a second night and just had a quiet day to hang out and suddenly, May was looking okay.

That break in routine and new location did us both good. We felt like we got somewhere other than St. John’s, which has been looking good on my Facebook but a lot of medical appointments for me for the past 13 months.

I got my iceberg fix from Cupids to Bay de Verde and we came home refreshed.

May 12 and 13 were bloodwork and immunotherapy for kidney cancer treatment. Trying to slow it down. So far, so good. Then May 19 was a post surgery check in Town and so far, no return of melanoma.

May challenges.

The forecast was not great to drive on the 18th so we decided to go to Town on the 17th. Forecast changed and we had a good drive and a fair day off. A lovely room in our preferred hotel, the JAG, and I slept 9.5 hours.

I’ve been administrating Newfoundland and Labrador Iceberg Reports Facebook group for 11 years. I occasionally got offers of boat trips with tour companies but wasn’t often able to avail. Iceberg Quest had recently reached out and I suddenly found myself in St. John’s when they had a tourable iceberg.

I’m not an asker by nature and often don’t accept kindnesses offered but the idea of going through the Narrows was so appealing. I knew I would have regrets if I didn’t check with them, at least.

Their site indicated that the 11:00 sailing was fully booked. I was disappointed, but we walked along the harbour to enjoy the day. I checked at the wicket and they were now accepting more passengers.

Owner Carol Anne Hayes was aboard and when she came off the vessel I asked if she had room for NL Iceberg Reports. “Diane Davis! Of course!” And we were all set.

Leo’s sailed in and out of St. John’s Harbour many times. This was my first time and except for the crew, probably the first time for 60 more.

I quickly exchanged pleasantries with Lisa, a first time visitor from Ottawa. She got a bit more chatty once we broke through the Narrows and felt the “Rollin’ of the Sea” as the music was singing.

I was content to stay in the large, warm cabin rather than being soaked by waves on deck. As we eventually approached the iceberg everyone made efforts to get their best shots from a pretty active boat. I just sat and tried my shots through the windows as we bobbed up and down. It’s the experience for me. The energy. A picture could never capture how an iceberg makes me feel.

It was a beautiful iceberg. Lots of textures and presenting a completely different shape from each angle. We did lots of time around it to allow for photos and had a smoother ride home.

Contact info exchanged with Lisa we set off to find a good lunch. An easy task in downtown St. John’s. Blue on Water has been a consistent favourite for years. We split an order of mussels and I headed back to the hotel while Leo went for his walk.

We had supper booked for the One Eared Goat later and just needed a snack to get us through.

We both enjoy good food. I find that some nice restaurant meals inspire my cooking and give us new ideas. The One Eared Goat has been One of our regular stops since last year. Even on a bad news day, we have had good food and comfort there. The food is Basques cuisine and we usually have tapas. We did a tapas board and shared the lamb stew this time. Leo suprised me by wanting a dessert to share, too.

Who am I to deny him?

The Montreal Canadians kept us up well past our bedtime so we were tired getting ready for my 8:30 appointment. All is well according to my plastic surgeon with no visible signs of melanoma on my scalp. I’ll see Dermatologist in a few months and surgeon again in November.

People who’ve been through it or are going through it know the stress around these appointments and the wave of relief when something works out. We went back to the JAG for breakfast and I went off to visit some art galleries.

I haven’t been able to do this for a while but I made a plan for 3, the last being next to our hotel and a gallery I frequent often.

I was on the doorstep waiting for the open sign to flip at the Peter Lewis Gallery.

I talked the ear off Peter’s lovely wife. (Post medical appointment energy on bust.) And loved the works by artists new and familiar. Landscapes of familiar places like Crowhead and Trinty. Icebergs drawing me across the room to see Merritt’s Harbour through someone else’s eyes.

The artist arrived and we had a nice chat too and I dragged myself away.

It was fun seeing the Narrows having sailed through the day previous.

One if my picks was not open but I stumbled on a print maker and liked his iceberg tshirt enough to treat myself. It’s a lovely shop on Water Street, I think.

Unplanned, I found the Titanic museum. I was getting hungry and tired so did a short visit but it’s worth more time. The sweet girl working recognized me, kind of. She wondered if I was Bonnie Harris from Come From Away. She got almost giddy when I told her she was close and introduced myself. We had a lovely chat and had to take a selfie for her mom and her Nan.

It’s an uplifting thing when people are this excited to see you. I still feel undeserving but know and enjoy how to make them happy.

Leaving, I met a couple from the town that the Titanic sailed from. Talk to strangers.

By now I was hungry and we met up at the JAG for mussels and a Caesar salad.

I went next door to the Emma Butler gallery to see art by two friends.

Ting Ting Chen is an award winning photographer and someone I met a few years ago. She’s featured in a National Film Board documentary called The Muse. Take 18 minutes to view it. It just won a 2026 Canadian Screen Award. There is usually one of her photo portraits in this gallery.

Marc Fiset is a Fogo Island friend. With Fogo Island Metalworks in Shoal Bay as his studio he creates elaborate metal sculpture and also decorative household items. I have a great cod fish clothes rack with hooks from his shop.

We’d stayed overnight after my appointment so Leo could do an audiology appt the next day. Often as we talked and then drove home we talked about what a good time we had, especially on Monday to do a boat tour and just enjoy the city. Medical stuff forgotten for now.

I’d booked concert tickets for May 23 long before Christmas. So we drove home on Wednesday and back again Saturday.

This was our third concert at the JAG Soundhouse. The band was from Ireland and called The Whistin Donkeys. But the opening act was just as good.

Kevin Evans and D’Arcy Broderick are called Black Gold. We’ve known them from Evans and Doherty and Irish Decendants for decades. But we hadn’t heard them play in almost a decade, I think.

Both men are excellent guitarists. I had forgotten just how good. I didn’t sneak any video. See them at Brodericks on George sometime.

I did try to catch D’Arcy’s smile as the whole audience jumped in on choruses.

The Irish band was top notch. But I said after they are as good as our top NL bands in their heyday. I love that they sang an Alan Doyle song, three Great Big Sea numbers and, of course, Sonny’s Dream by Ron Hynes.

May’s sounding pretty good now. We got home to two consecutive birthdays, the second of which was Leo’s.

I got inspired to cook and even got to meet some new folks to listen to 9/11 response stories.

It’s about 3⁰C but hasn’t snowed in a couple days. I cut tulips to bring in some spring and May is done.

Renee’s May challenge was that she “May give a f*ck or she May not”. That girl has way more on her plate than anyone should. Say a prayer for her. But she inspired me.

Mine was that I may get to go back to some normal travel unless medical interfers.

I’m learning to manage around it and appreciate anything good that may come my way.

Bring on June.