Day 35 Last day in LA > home

Woke at 5:00 am! Still coughing, but after a good night’s sleep. Read one of my new my E- books. The print was so small, I had to bump it up to largest possible font and still struggled. It has been put into a format where the entire page is one page from the book, creating a very long width of text.  So I almost needed a finger to try to track while reading. It is written by one of my favourite authors, but even the story line is a bit of a struggle. It might end up returned unfinished.

Usual routine in the morning, except this time I changed the sheets, washed, dried and remade the bed. Packed my bags after breakfast. Always a challenge, except this time I had two to use. My carry on is the lightest it has ever been. The small one, left here from the wedding, got all the heavy things and the big one has tons of space. By 11 it was time for a cuppa.

Unlike previous days it was overcast, with a cool wind, so no sitting outside. Started on today’s diary and had time to sew. The trip has been so busy, there wasn’t much time to do any along the way, but it has been good to sit in the shade and sew over the last few days. Given that this is a night flight, I won’t be doing any on the way home. Churro sat with me while I sewed – quality checker? Not much quality sewing, when she thought she should be resting on the sewing. She was fast asleep when I went to the toilet and came back to find her shredding the tissues that had been on the couch. More quality control.

Teagan came home, so we took Churro for a walk around the block. We met Troy on his way home. Susan came home. It had rained on the way down to work and there had been a burning truck to cause traffic chaos. We took some family photos.

At 5:30 we all got in the car and made our way to the airport. Good run until the last section, when it was bumper to bumper but moving. The return side of the road was stop/ start!  Sorry about that Susan.

Arrived just after half past 6 and the kids helped me take my bags up to the check-in. Bonus No one in the queue! AND (fingers crossed) the Qantas check-in man said I have no one next to me –Well that didn’t happen!

Through security fairly quickly, but only one set of scanning machines working- good luck to any crowds later on. Got a tea on the way to the gate 152, found a seat next to a power point, but problems logging onto free WiFi. Once again a security issue. We boarded on time but sat on the tarmac for a while and didn’t take off until 11pm. (3/4 hour late) Good flight, GF meals for me- but no snacks, lucky I had my own. The most remarkable thing about this flight was that I actually slept for about 4 hours. Due I am certain to taking a phenergan tablet for my hacking cough/ phlegm. I watched a few movies- The Man who knew Infinity, All the way, Ratchet and Clank and  Angry Birds and got up to get many cups of tea.

We landed 30 minutes late and I was off the plane and through immigration very quickly only to stand at the baggage carrousel for 45 minutes waiting for my bags. Then I joined the hundreds lining up for customs. 3 international planes landed within a short time of each other. Despite my concerns about the dream catcher, there was no issue with it and I went through. Cranky to find that they have effectively blocked access to the quick pick up spot and you have to walk all the way down to Domestic to cross the road. It was freezing cold.

As I waited for Heather to pick me up, I got my jacket out of my bag. The roads were clogged with traffic because of all the road works. I arrive home at 11 to a soggy spring garden. The house was cold, so the heater went on quickly as did another thicker jumper. I unpacked and went shopping. Grabbing lunch on my return to go out again to the masseur. Lots of sore places. I returned home to open mail and tidy things away. Dinner of sausages and vegies. After that I sat in my recliner and dozed until falling asleep. I woke up at 12:30 am with a stiff neck and trundled off to bed.

Woke up at 6 am. The end of another wonderful trip. 

Day 34 Another “huge” day of relaxing in LA

Woke at 4:30 am! What? So I finished my E-book and chose some more from the E-Library. Kids off to school. Susan working at home. Washed my hair, breakfast, then walked Churro, followed by washing. Had to hand wash one thing that was new and I was rightly concerned about it bleeding. Solved that issue and hung it on the back of a chair outside. Quite gusty today.

Headed off at 9:45 for the shops. First one I wanted – not open, even if it was after 10. Bought my 3 nectarines at Vons. The older man in front of me at the checkout let me in, then told me I should get a Vons card. I would have saved at least a dime! (Must investigate that?) But there was an issue at the next checkout –and that just happened to be Justin (Susan’s friend) which made the small purchase last much longer. Off down the hill to Michels where I found one thing on my list and not another. The checkout girl tried to get me to be a member there too. I did tell her visiting once a year possibly didn’t warrant a card. Off to Marshalls for runners. No Sketchers worth buying but I did get a pair of lightweight Nike- extra wide. Must have known I was coming?

Only in
America?

Home again via the school bridge, just in time to put the washing in the drier (it is not only windy it is at least 27 C.  Let’s not forget about the stupidity of HOA’s in this area and their “no clothes line“ policy. )

Sitting outside in the shade on a glorious day in shorts and T-shirt. Drinking a cup of tea. Blue sky above. Watching Churro investigate the grass and thinking it is time for my lunch.

After lunch I continued to sew in the shade for the rest of the afternoon. When Troy came home we walked Churro around the block. Susan and the kids went to the shops for supplies for a specific recipe. But Jay came around to talk with Troy and Susan, Susan had the recipe with her. So I just made a stir fry instead of the special recipe. The Jasmine rice was far too wet, but everyone ate their dinner.

Dishes, and typing for me, while Oscar was looking at old Photos albums with the kids explaining his childhood to them. The kids were busy prevaricating. Anything to delay the inevitable bed time. I’m trying to stay up till 10 pm tonight.

Day 33 LA - The Movies

Woke up after another great sleep at 5:30. Spent some time on the computer before having breakfast.

After breakfast I went with Susan and Troy to buy him some new clothes. His current growing spurt has meant only one pair of pants fitted. We got what we needed at Walmart. I found some wool to fix a cardigan of Susan’s. 

Slight issue with the language. I asked an assistant for the wool section and got a very blank stare. “I’m not familiar with this section” was his response and then as we walked up the aisles and he went straight passed the wool, I remembered at that point it is called “yarn” over here. So I explained it to him and got what I wanted.

Back home I spent the next few hours mending the holes in the cardigan outside in the shade, then got onto some stitching. It was a lovey day.

At 12:45 we left for the mall to have lunch with friends at "Chipotle"- Mexican type food. With the exception of the cilantro/ coriander, the meal was really nice, but the restaurant was so cold I had to put on my cardigan.

We left there to go to the movies to see “Kubo and the Two Strings”  a 2016 American 3D stop-motion fantasy action adventure film. Great film. Good mix of scary, some humour, fantastic mix of puppetry and other effects. Brilliant use of origami. Well worth a look. Might be a bit too scary for little kids? Or me at times. I needed a tissue at the end.

After the movie we came back home. Susan went to the gym, Troy was back on his online game, Oscar and I on computers and Teagan at a friend’s house. Too nice to be inside I’m about to take Churro for a walk.

After the walk Susan returned with a new scout vest for Teagan that needed the addition of a few badges. Had to be ironed on and because it is me I tried to stitch just in the corners to be sure. Lucky I had mt thimble. Definitely NOT made for stitching these days. We had leftovers for dinner, dishes done and computer for me to read more of my E-book. Lovely balmy night. Crickets blasting away outside.

And No photos today!!!

Day 32 LA- Eaton Falls

I woke at 5:30am, LA time or 9:30 Quebec time, after a good sleep. When I got back from the toilet, I could hear that I now had company of one of the cats- Shadow. I looked at my computer for a while to discover my nephew Daniel was now Australia’s youngest number 1 champion Enduro motorbike champion. Nan would have been so proud.

The cats swapped duty and Harley was now on my bed. Finally I could hear Oscar downstairs, so I had breakfast and took a tablet for my allergy/cold. I am still having bouts of non-stop coughing and lots of phlegm but it is improving. I put on a load of washing and had a cat nap- tablet. Worked on the computer and folded the washing. 

It is a hot day here. Susan and Oscar asked if I would like to go for a walk to the Eaton Falls. Teagan wanted to take Churro, which meant no stopping at a restaurant. I made my lunch and Susan ordered theirs on line. We left at 11 am, picked up their lunches and headed down the 5 to our destination.

I don’t think I have ever seen this part of LA look so dry. No wonder they are having fires. We drove passed one section where there were new homes- all exactly the same and not one tree. I thought it was a new estate, but it had been burnt down in fires two years ago and been rebuilt. It was barely on the edge of the suburbs. We arrived at our destination and rather than carry it all in, we sat down, on the gutter, in the shade, and ate our sandwiches.

Then a short walk down the road to the park gate. Once you were on the track, the temperature rose considerably. It was surprising to see green trees growing in the creek bed when all around was just parched and dry. But as we made our way up the canyon floor, we found a few puddles of water and finally the tiny waterfall and pool below. A much smaller version than the last time Susan and Oscar came here. Troy and Teagan had a play in the shallow pool.

Churro wasn’t too keen about the water, she was too busy making dog friends. Churro was very good when she met the other dogs and at one stage showed us her “scaling mountain” skills. We stopped several times to have a drink. It was surprising to see how many families were walking in the park/ canyon, especially with small children. Many were the entire extended family, and some single hikers. At one stage we were passed by a man dragging musical instruments over the rocks to be seen later on stacking rocks. I was sure he was heading up to the falls to busk up there, but apparently not.

We walked back again and it was very hot, especially in the open. At one point Churro just lay down, as if to say, “That’s it. I’ve had enough”.

Susan was holding onto Churro’s lead and was jerked as she was crossing some loose rocks, causing her to fall and graze her knees. We continued back to the car turned on the air con and drove home. The back seat was soon asleep. When we arrived home the kids washed Churro and we put her outside to finish drying. Everyone had a shower, another load of washing and settled down for the rest of the afternoon. I was organising photos then typing. Troy was consumed in his online game, Oscar asleep on the couch, Teagan on her iPad, Susan reading and Churro asleep in her basket.

Later Teagan and Susan went to the shop for some supplies for our pasta dinner. I made a salad put the water on for the pasta. Susan bought back some GF gnocchi for me which were delicious. By the end of dinner, 8 pm, I was nodding off. Determined to last until at least 9 I played a few games of solitaire nodding off during each game, but at 9 went up and was asleep at 9:30.

Day 31 Quebec to LA

Lachie had another unsettled night, but this time I fell asleep telling him a story. In the morning he got quite a surprise when he put out his hand and felt grandma’s cheek. But at least Sarah got a full night’s sleep. I packed up the last of my things, stripped the bed and began the washing machine while I ate breakfast. Made my lunch- just as well. Tim was watching the last of the AFL footy game, between Geelong and Hawthorn which was very close.

Sarah drove me via the Patisserie, so I could take some walnut bread with me. We arrived at the airport at 10:10 after a quick stop at the ATM. Because I wanted a change of seat allocation for the second leg, I went into the inquiries queue (of none) compared to the busy other lines of Canada Air. The lovely man at the desk was able to change the seat and ticketed my bag for the whole journey. Upstairs to the security check. Hmmm….Only one security system working to process the customers? They only let a few people into the room at a time. Sarah and Lachie went to watch the planes for a while. Finally processed and through to the other side. I walked to the café for a cuppa- couldn’t see the hot water/ tea section and the lady was kind enough to come over and show me. Then walked down to the furtherest gate to wait for the plane. (A promise of things to come)

It was a twin propeller “Dash 8 100” Fitting slightly more than 8 on board, but only just. It had the back row seat like a bus and because I was sitting in the back row you could hear the luggage being thrown in, as if it were a car. One family with small children had been split, so a bit of swapping seats went on until they were together. The flight was 38 minutes in duration so we were served one fast drink. We had minor turbulence as we went through the clouds to come into Montreal.

We landed at the very end of the “domestic” terminal and walked across the tarmac. And then I walked, and walked and kept on walking, thankful that I was only lugging my backpack and camera bag and not my suitcase. My next gate was 85 and I was at 1.

As soon as I found a Canadian Air desk, I broke my walking to ask directions and was given fairly confusing instructions. I had to follow the signs that said “ American connections”. So I followed all the signs that said “connections”. I walked through the under tarmac tunnel that connects the two buildings. Then I kept walking through the international terminal. Stopping to ask a saleslady when I got to a duty free section. She had no idea where gate 85 was, so I kept walking. When I got to the end of the terminal at gate 65 I was totally confused? I had to ask another man. He said that the American sign could be confusing. Sign? THE sign. WHAT?????? Wait till you see the photo. I should not have stood right in front and got a close up. I should have taken it from the point where you were walking past. Who thought that was a self-explanatory sign?

From this sign you should just know to turn here? 

What sign?  So I tagged along beside him and had to retrace my steps back to gate 50 to

You have to swap out of the Canadian international terminal to the American international terminal and this sign is the point of the swap. Anyway off I trudged up even more corridors till I came to the security stop. And yes everything we had seen the night before on tv was true. They will only process a few people at a time in the security room. So you have to wait until it is your turn. The man behind me was livid and complained nonstop about the delays at each point. I could feel his anger and frustration  coming through me.

Next you get to put your bags on the screening conveyor belt- shoes off. Again they only had one station working to process everyone! Finally you go up to immigration and get processed. The inland security man I had was lovely. We had a chat while he was processing me about the purpose of my holiday and how one guy tried to get in by changing his fingerprints!

Then the last of the long walks to the gate. Yes I was in the last gate in the place. It had taken one hour to enter the first building to get to the final gate! And I walked VERY fast for every section. Even accounting for being lost, it is one of those airport connections where a turnaround time of two hours was cutting it very close. I was very lucky that there were comparatively speaking fewer passengers to process. A large plane would have been an anxious nightmare. Finally I went to the nearby toilet, got a cup of tea, filled up my water bottle and sat down to eat my lunch. I had exactly 40 minutes before they called the flight so I sent off a very fast email to Sarah and the crew.  (You only got 15 minutes free WiFi?)But I didn’t have to collect baggage, or buy my lunch and I could walk fast or I might have been just like the man in the processing hall.

Boarded on time and found that I was sitting with a spare seat between me and a non English/French speaking grandmother with a small child. Thankfully she was travelling with many other family members, so they ended up moving an older son to that spot and the grandmother and child went further back (Lucky, because the child screamed nonstop for hours and would not sit down.)

I watched two movies, but the selection was limited. Luckily I had my own head phones because the steward bought them around (to buy) an hour after take off. Drinks were free, but the food had to be bought with a credit card. Nothing GF. No surprises there. When I was getting to the “how much longer stage”, I was very perturbed to find that according to the flight map we were travelling over Calgary? To get to LA?  Apparently we just flew around Calgary for the whole trip. I’m glad the captain wasn’t following that map.

Luckily the captain had a different map.

It was fairly rough at times as we flew around a few storms.The flight lasts 6 hours, but you gain 3 hours in timezone changes, so it was 5:30 pm LA time when we landed,but my body was still on Quebec time (8:30pm)

What a wonderful surprise at the end. Because we had cleared immigration in Montreal,  you came off the plane and down the steps to the baggage hall. YIPPEE. I arrived at the baggage section at the same time as Susan and Teagan and even better my case was not last off! Grabbed a cuppa before heading off. Disastrous traffic out there, with a combination of peak hour, plus the visit of the Vice President in LA. Road closures everywhere. It took more than two hours to get home via some back roads, at one point we went past Arlington Cemetery filled with row after row of white head stones. Poor Susan had to deal with terrible traffic in both directions to pick me up.

When we got home both Troy and Oscar were already there. Susan made a quick stir fry for dinner – now 11pm Quebec time, then went for a run. I did the dishes, shower and a welcome bed. Sleeping in till 5:30 new time, 8:30 Q time. Overhead fan all night and only one sheet. Back to hot.

Day 30 A rainy last day in Quebec

After coughing during the night from a phlegm overload, I woke up to a rainy morning. Lachie> Sarah had also had an interrupted sleep. Then he woke at 6:15!

After breakfast, we took Tim to work and Lachie to Day Care. It was very wet on the roads. We saw several teams of bike riders on our way. We had a morning of browsing/shopping. It was definitely an inside day. The tourist hoards were all huddled under umbrellas or plastic ponchos. What a miserable way to see wonderful Quebec.

At the Port Market, we finally found a good type of apple. One stall had a great poster of the various apples grown in the region. Sarah made her choice based on the poster and it was a “sunrise” apple-delicious.

Then we went onto the mall “Plus Sainte-Foy”, got a cuppa and wandered through “Simons” where I was looking for a lightweight jacket. Eventually we found some. My colour blue, but the wrong size. There was the right size in a red that matched my rain jacket, which would have been ok if there was nothing else. So I asked the assistant and she did the computer check before ringing another store. Then two of them started checking every jacket on the racks. Even with the language problem we could tell that there must have been that size somewhere.(because the computer said so) Just as they were checking each label, a shopper came and put one back on the rack. Quick as a flash, the shop assistant had it in her hand. Right colour right size. Not sure what the other shopper thought. Hope she didn’t change her mind?

Next to the supermarket for milk. Very big issues trying to get around Quebec today with so many roads being blocked for the bike race. We did quite a few long distance detours. Finally arriving home for lunch and medication for the cough that was attacking me every now and then.

After lunch I checked in for my flights tomorrow. Air Canada has given me two window seats. Rats! The first will be ok because it is such a short flight. I’m going to try to change the second. One of the issues I have found over here is the issue with trying to change seats online. Much easier with Qantas. I did have a laugh at the fine print on the baggage allowance. Not sure how you would wrap antlers?

While Sarah went out to pick up Lachie and Tim, she was gone for more than an hour. Terrible traffic snarls everywhere. I spent the time packing my case. Well that took 15 minutes. Lots of space now on the return trip and I’m leaving some of my winter clothes behind. Definitely didn’t need them for this trip, but next time I’ll need everything I own that is warm.

After dinner and the dishes, I got to bath Lachie tonight. Only took two weeks! Diary time and fingers crossed an early night with drugs to help the cough. Much less coughing, after the first lot and my throat no longer feels sore.

Day 29 Montmorency Falls and Quebec getting ready for the Grand Prix Cycliste de Quebec on Friday.

Lachie had another section at 1 am of restlessness, which required a lot of storytelling, but eventually he fell asleep. By the morning my throat felt like it was lined with razor blades, so lots of throat medicine required and at lunchtime I took a Phenergan tablet to try to dry up the phlegm.

Tim rode his bike to work and we drove Lachie to day-care. He was in the car for less than 5 minutes when he accidentally made himself vomit. Naturally we were in traffic and had to wait until we could pull over and clean him up. In the meantime he is calling out “Help” on a continual loop. Sarah cleaned him up and I did some of the freshly washed car. Because we had used his spare clothes, we had to return home and pick up a fresh set, throwing the others in the washing machine. While we waited downstairs I kept him entertained by taking photos of his donkey-trying to get Donkey to smile. We set off once again and this time no mishaps.

After dropping off Lachie, we drove to Montmorency Falls, 12 kms from Quebec city. The falls are 84 metres high (30 metres higher than Niagara Falls) and 46 metres wide. At the base the water is 17 m deep. Discovered by Champlain in 1613. It is also has the remains of a fort constructed in 1759. You can reach the summit by a cable car (funitel) or a steep staircase. At the top there is a suspension bridge and a 300 m double zip line. I did walk over the bridge but not the zip line. Great views especially on our way up and the ones taken before the wind came up and rippled the still reflections. In winter the falls are equally spectacular, the falls forming a cone of ice called “the Sugar Loaf”. Lots of photos up down and in between. Luckily we had arrived early and avoided the crowds of tourists and the clouds that were building.

The mansion/ restaurant at the top is a restoration to replace the original destroyed by fire in 1992. The original home was Governor Haldimand’s summer residence, which was built in 1780-81.

Unfortunately the restaurant was not open until 11:30, so we left to come back via the Patisserie to pick up some morning tea supplies and some fresh bread. Sandwiches and pastries at home, then we walked down to the Hotel Frontenac via some quiet side roads.

The Grand Allee was in the process of being transformed for the big bike road race on Friday. All the bollards had been removed from the middle of the road, which allows for more area of outdoor dining in summer. Crews of people were frantically putting up the start/ finish area, the dais, spectator seating, fencing etc.

We went into the hotel and got tickets for the Picasso/ Dali exhibition, which was actually limited prints of famous works for sale. A small exhibition, but interesting. While in the foyer of the hotel, it too had been transformed for the bike race. Signs everywhere regarding the press meeting. Several bike race members chatting to each other and one man holding onto his bike (in the foyer?) Glad I had taken photos previously.

We came home via a shop selling coats and other expensive winter clothing. I bought a long fine wool beanie. By now it was quite hot and we tried to return in the shade as much as possible. Cup of tea time. Then time to pick up Lachie. While Sarah was gone, I began to process today’s film and diary.

At dinner Lachie ate baked beans, then drank them. But he really enjoyed the pastries we had for dessert. Apricot pastries were his favourite. When I gave him a T-shirt, it was difficult to get it off him for his bath.

Finished typing and processing photos. Might be an early night? (8:45)

Day 28 A quiet day

After Lachie’s restless night and our long hike, I think we all woke up wishing there were more sleep hours to go. I woke up with a slightly sore throat, which got worse as the day wore on. Sarah had a slightly sore throat too. After breakfast we drove Tim to work, then we headed to the Metro supermarket to replenish supplies. Home to put them away and then we packed up and headed up to the park.

Lachie spent a few hours up there alternating between the swings, playing with his truck and the water spouts/ water play/ splash pad for kids. It was a lovely warm day with a slight breeze blowing in the park.

When it was time to come home, we went via the deli for Sarah and the small supermarket for me. Lachie was fast asleep in the pram. This time I found five different kinds of LF cheese! This place is definitely a wonderful place for the GF and LF.

Home for lunch on the deck. Sarah read after lunch and I hand stitched for a while, till she went to have a nap and someone close by was cutting metal. The noise was ear shattering and definitely not conducive to relaxing on the deck.  Time to go inside and type up the news so far and have a very short cat nap.

When Lachie woke up, I did some washing. I only had one pair of shorts with me and Quebec is having an unusually warm/ hot summer. Because of yesterday’s hike, they needed a wash, but I had to wear them to the park or be very hot. While Sarah took Lachie to pick up Tim, I prepared the dinner, where I had a slight issue with the oven. Fahrenheit or Celsius?  When the temperature was met very quickly I thought it might be the former, but so just sued a lower temp rather than frazzle the shepherd’s pie. When Sarah returned I turned the temperature up. It cooked well. Then I scrounged through my bag to find the sore throat remedies, finding my missing hair brush in the process.

Sarah, Tim and Lachie returned and I worked on my computer until it was dinner time. Delicious dinner, dishes, folded the washing and sat to reply to some emails. Lachie went down and Tim went to wash the car.

Day27 Jacques Cartier National Park

Lachie woke once in the night, requiring the story of The Three Pigs and then he was asleep. Luckily he then slept until 7 am. We ate breakfast, packed our snacks and lunch and set off for the Jacques Cartier National Park.

It is only 50 kms from Quebec, but our car GPS took us to a dead end road near Tewkesbury? Tim used his phone to get another map and we went back onto the freeway and arrived at the NP along with many other cars. This is obviously a very popular park with everyone especially canoeists, canoes and equipment rented out by the NP service. They are also trialing allowing dogs on leads on some of the tracks. Because it was a public holiday, they wanted us to park our car and take the bus to the base of the track, we were going to hike. “Les Loups” 447 M high. 5 km return trip to the first observation deck.

When we were dropped off by the bus, we walked to the river first and 200 m walk. Stunningly beautiful views of the Jacques Cartier River. Then we crossed over the road, changed Lachie’s pants and set off up the hill. I don't think Sarah and Tim read the tiny print that said it was classified as "A” = advanced. Very uneven ground, covered in rocks at times, or loose gravel and quite steep in places. Going up was hard in places, coming down was torture on the knees and leg muscles. Lachie was amazing. He walked at least 2 kms of it. It really is a most beautiful walk, and very popular.

We were passed by many people of all ages going up or down. The aspens were turning yellow. There were lots of things for me to photograph. I did miss taking a photo of a mystery animal- looked like a small brown fox, several squirrels and a few birds. When we finally reached the viewpoint – the view was most incredible. After the photos it was time for lunch before we set off for the return trip, with Tim carrying Lachie over the loose rocks in the back pack.

At the bottom we caught the bus again and headed back to the Discovery Centre for well-earned icy-poles and soft drinks. We sat on the lawn and watched the canoeists and people in the water. We walked over to the bridge so Lachie could throw rocks off into the river below. The bridge was really smelly of some kind of protective paint. Back in the car and we set off for home.

It was a good trip back. We stopped at Chez Victor by the Port, for hamburgers, GF for me.  Lachie ate more than he has for days. After satisfying ourselves with food we came home for a well-deserved shower.

Photo processing for me followed by typing.

Day 26 Wendake (reservation)

Another good night’s sleep, but an early morning at 6 am with Lachie. We ate breakfast and Tim had a chat with his parents online. Lachie was a bit cranky by then, wanting to go outside, so his greetings to his grandparents were short. Father’s Day in Australia (if it was Sunday and not Monday)

Sarah packed some snacks for Lachie and we drove to Wendake, which is a reservation for the Nation of Huonne Wendat. (natives)  Eventually we found the “fort”, paid the entrance fee for the tour and went to the shop, while we were waiting for the guide. Lots to see and buy in there. You could even buy furs. Beaver fur was so thick and a lovely colour, any wonder it was so prized in the early days of the fur traders. Rock and wood carvings, dream catchers and all other kinds of artisan works.

Our tour began at 11:30 with Pierre. The tour began with a traditional welcoming dance and then he led us into the long house.  The long house was quite surprising. Long, high, spacious. Lined with shelving, small gaps in the top to allow the smoke to dissipate. Three families of about 30 people would have lived in a house as big as this one. This tribe did not use wigwams because they were a settled agricultural group raising corn, beans and squash. It was a matriarchal society and while the women controlled everything that happened inside the fort, the men went out hunting/ fishing and chose the chief to lead them. Food was preserved under the snow or smoked then dried. Like most indigenous groups they were self- sufficient and moved when the soil was depleted.

This group of natives of about 30,000 occupied a vast area of Canada and America when the first white people arrived in 1634, but by 1650 had been decimated to just 300 by disease and the Iroquois tribes as they were pushed out of traditional lands. Some settled in the Quebec area and eventually on this Reservation in 1697.

Reservations are independent. They have their own flag, Police force, elected leaders, primary education, and they don’t pay taxes unless they work off the reservation. I was pleasantly surprised to see their homes were just like most parts of Quebec. There was no big fence around their land and the only distinguishing feature was basically the street signs in both languages- French and native. 

We came home for a 1 o’clock lunch and the plan for Lachie to have a sleep did not eventuate. Sarah had a cat nap, Tim eventually went shopping and I read/ typed. Sarah and Lachie made some granola.

Late afternoon they took Lachie to the park with his bike. I stayed at home and continued to read my E-book, which finished soon after they got home at 7:30. It had been a great read. The King’s Curse by Philippa Gregory.

Lachie was soon in bed after his bath, and once he was asleep we organised a simple dinner instead of the one we had planned. The original Willie Wonka was on TV.

Day 25 Tadoussac

After a good night’s sleep, we ate breakfast, made lunch and set off for Tadoussac (about 2 1/2 hours away) 215 kms  north of Quebec on the west side of the St Lawrence River. It is a long weekend here. The 138 Highway was amazing. Lots of traffic, including an incredible number of motor bikes, and a significant number of these were three wheeled bikes, a few trucks, but it all flowed really well.

At Baie-Sainte-Paul, we took the inland road. There were some incredibly steep ascents/ descents of up to 17 %. 

Steep gradients on the road

You knew the really bad ones when you saw the brake check places at the top and run off ramps down the hills. Some run off ramps ended up with some kind of compression material after the gravel pits.
Sarah was very disappointed we didn’t see any moose on the journey. However we did see lots of small and larger lakes on both sections of the road. A few lucky people had houses right on the water’s edge. Along the river bank there was the usual range of stunning to ordinary homes. Again most people had well maintained grounds and each town had baskets/ pots of flowers to brighten the area.

We crossed the Saguenay River by ferry.

The Saguenay is actually a fjord, 105 kms long and between 2 and 4 kms wide, but an average depth of 210 M> 270 M at its deepest. Typically of most fjords the sides are very steep. Tadoussac was inhabited by natives for over 8,000 years. Jacques Cartier arrived in 1535, followed by many other explorers. In 1600 it became a fur trade settlement, then they logged all the white pine, followed by tourism including currently whale watching. It would be a great place for a long weekend.

Tadoussac Hotel

Lots of places to walk, or to “do coffee” and relax. We did a short walk. The two huge hotels were so beautiful- reminiscent of early 1900’s. We even saw a wedding on the beach. But it was much cooler up there 15C compared to the low 20’s when we left Quebec. I had packed my jumper, the others hadn’t. It tried to rain a few times, but was basically just gloomy up there.

The Saint Lawrence River was so wide up there. 5 kms at its widest point. It was hard to believe it was a river. It is tidal but there were no waves. Large tankers and cruise ships go up and down the river and require pilots to guide the ships, because of the shifting sand bars.

The St Lawrence River is tidal

We set off for the return journey at about 3:30, but this time we used the coast road. Once again some incredible scenery. The aspens were already yellow in many places, with just a tinge of red on other trees. Of course most towns had their own church with the usual spire. Lachie was so good on such a long journey, spending many hours in the car, with only a few chances to get out and run. We drove the last part of the journey with the sun setting, stopping to buy some take away and get a few groceries before heading off for the last few minutes to home, just after 8.

A few hours of working on my photos. It was disappointing to see the ones on the return journey where the light was getting so poor, but the rest were fine, despite most being taken from the car at high speed. Another late night for all.

Day 24 Home and Parc duBois-de-Coulonge

Lachie had another night requiring some early morning story telling from grandma. The Three Pigs was his favourite, but repeating it so many times at what was possibly 2am- not my favourite time. The consolation was that he slept in until 6:45 am. 

After breakfast Sarah drove Tim to work early and Lachie stayed with me. But it was when Sarah returned that he turned his drawing activity into a running over the paper with his truck and disaster. He crashed onto the floor and truck cutting his upper lip on the inside. An icy pole helped, but it took most of the day for it to improve.

We left about 10 to drive to yet another gorgeous park. This one was Quebec's Government House, known as Spencer Wood. Built in 1854 and purchased in 1870 by the Quebec government. It was the residence of Quebec's lieutenant- governor until 1966, when it was destroyed by fire. Even in the "off season" it was beautiful. Spring and autumn must be amazing.

The views over the St Lawrence River were lovely. I wasn’t too certain about the efficacy of their programme to control bugs on their apple trees?  Red “apple like” shapes, covered with some kind of sticky substance to trap bugs, that hung from the apple trees. Lachie had a lovely time in the playground, while I wandered around taking photos. The squirrels were rushing around picking up acorns. With Lachie asleep in the pusher, we stopped to have a cup of tea in the little park café. Despite asking for English Breakfast tea, I got Earl Grey. Once again we were entertained by a small red squirrel.

The gate house cafe

Then we drove along Chemin Saint- Louis to Cap Rouge looking at the variety of houses along both sides of the road. Soon after we began the drive my camera battery died. (I hadn't bought the spare on this trip.) What is amazing here is the huge number of people who are out walking/ running during their lunch hour. Another surprise is that school children will often go home for lunch, so there are crossing guards on the crossings. Cars and vans were already crowding onto the freeways for the long weekend. We drove back along Boulevard Laurier, which turns into Grande - Allee. (Sarah’s street)

One of the homes along the road

When we arrived back home we had a late lunch. I had a cat nap while Lachie was watching the Minion movie. Sarah and Lachie went to pick up Tim early, while I downloaded photos and typed up the day’s diary. Andrew and the girls were online with us for a long time just before dinner. Ella read me her latest take home book from school.

After dinner I read my E-book and Sarah and Tim watched a movie.

Day 23 More museums

Lachie only woke very briefly last night, so he was up at 6:15 (et al) Breakfast and then the drop offs. Tim first, then Lachie. Sarah and I stopped at the GF LF Patisserie on the way home. Disaster. No power there. Luckily they had done the baking. So we got two delicious apricot Danish and a loaf of walnut bread for me. (They couldn’t slice it) We had to find the exact money because she couldn’t even use the till.

GF LF Walnut bread

Plains of Abraham

Home to do the weekly housework. The place was spotless by the time we finished and of course our reward was the Danish. SOOO good. After a short rest, we made our lunch and walked via the St Joan of Arc Park, through the Plains of Abraham to the city.

Our first stop was the Tourist Information centre, where Sarah picked up a small map of the town for me and I picked the brains of the guy behind the counter re other places to visit.

We went up to the Dufferin Terrace and paid our $3.90 for a ticket to explore the old fort and Governor’s house. The ruins were covered over by the terrace, when the original buildings burnt down. They had an excellent display and information about the ruins down there. My favourite section was the old ice house. A deep pit, which was lined with straw and filled with ice in winter and covered over to keep everything above cool in summer. Each Governor added onto his house until it became a very impressive building.

We went upstairs and ate our lunch on the deck. Then walked to the Musee De L’Amerique Francophone to complete our Three Museum Pass. The Museum Chapel was quite a surprise in its ornate decoration and stain glass windows. Built in 1898 to resemble a church in Paris, replacing an earlier chapel built in 1750, destroyed by fire in 1888. It also houses the largest collection of relics in Canada – 600. It is now used for concerts, and conferences.

An “interesting way” of accessing the actual Museum via a lift and walkway. We were advised to start on the third floor for the introductory movie tracing the steps of the first Francophones and why they settled here. Down to the second floor for a series of auditory posts to describe the immigrants and the early life here. One section reminded me that Francis the 1^st was on the throne at the time of settlement. The video on the top floor was good, but the rest was a different way of telling the story. i.e not a lot to look at.

Window of St Cecilia in museum chapel 

Our next stop was the Musee of the Ursuline nuns. (We also found what was purported to be the house with the smallest frontage in North America on the way? Not sure about that claim.) A good museum if you are interested in convent life/ education. $10 entry, BUT no photos allowed and the five post cards for sale were useless. The nuns were famous for their needlework and the work on the small display featured both petite point and stump work. Lots of gold, silver, copper and silk thread. Incredible needlework, which were not photographed well for the postcards. They need to rethink their whole postcard selection.

We continued up the hill past the caleches (Carriage) horses resting, the avenue of poets,

Rebuilding the Armory 

through the wall and back to the unit. Time to get a quick snack and head off to get both Lachie and Tim. Back home where Tim had to take a series of conference calls and Lachie was happy to play with his trucks.

Dinner was left over roast and just as delicious.