Grandma Donna in Montreal

Last week was great. On Saturday morning, three really nice people showed up. I recognized one of the voices from the computer (Skype or something). They tell me, she is my grandma. Boy, I liked her.


One day, we went hiking at Parc Régional des Chutes Monte-à-Peine-et-des-Dalles. You've never seen so much water. Speaking of water, I got to swim in the pool at Grandma's hotel. Maybe she'll send some photos!


On the way home from our hike. We saw a different kind of car ... being pulled by big puppies or something. Everybody kept saying they wished Aunt Debbie was there to see that.


We went out to dinner at Aux Vivres. I had carrots, and, since we forgot my sippy cup, I got to drink out of a straw. Grandma showed Mommy how to hold the water in the straw and release it into my mouth. Grandmas are really smart.


Mommy took Grandma and the two crazy ladies, who everybody kept referring to as my aunts, to Juste Pour Rire. They had a good time ...


... until Aunt Lisa showed up and stole the stage.


Aunt Linda had enough, so left with an alien astronaut. Everyone thinks she was impressed with his bike.


We took a boat tour of the St. Lawrence Seaway on Le Bateau-Mouche.


Then Aunt Linda decided she was so impressed with the alien astronaut's bike, that she would go for a ride. So, she rented a bixi bike and rode it just like alien astronauts do.


I hope they come back soon and visit again!

The Best Rest Area in the World...

Where would the best rest area in the world be located? In the best state in the world, you say? Why yes!

We hung out in the hand-made rocking chair

Scoped out the local sights

















Drank free coffee and hung out in the botanical gardenLearned why they had an indoor botanical garden (it's a toilet water recycling system!)
and saw the recycled toilet water
This is the kind of fun you can only have in Vermont.

What we weren't going to do

Camp: From an undisclosed location

We spent the fourth of July weekend in a cottage with B&J. We had a lovely time - H showed off and made a new best dog friend, learned to eat from a booster seat and played with toys during entire meals! She even hung out with B&J while we got to go on a canoe trip.

In the end, we enjoyed the cottage the way people have been for 70 years

Tony Sharpens Our Utensils

Since we moved here, we've heard about Tony - the friendly neighborhood knife man, who can make all your chopping troubles disappear. We never even saw the truck until earlier this week. And then on Wednesday the telltale bell rang on our street and we were able to hail him, our elven-year old neighbor helping us run out with knives...


Not only did he sharpen our knives - but he let us take pictures! Normally, the photos that you see here are taken by means of deception, slyness or great hurry - but Tony was happy to let us take his picture.(sadly, S was working, so you are left with my photographic skills to commemorate the event. But you get the gist).

Happy Inflammatory Chair Day!

We have this chair
Last week was la Fête nationale du Québec and I had the foresight to remove the chair from the front of our apartment for the day. I figured that the chair wasn't the most polite thing we could display on Quebec's national holiday. I mentioned my good sense to a student who came over. He confirmed this suspicion - mentioning that the chair itself is more of a backyard chair, was slightly inflammatory, and perhaps was not something we should own.

So it's funny - to us, the chair is a symbol of how happy we are to be in Canada. Before we moved here, Canadian flag festooned items represented a nice, wholesome Canadian image. I wonder what the chair means elsewhere in Canada? Because - if they had one at Canadian Tire that day - we would own a fleur de lis chair, too. We're happy to be here, and continually a bit befuddled by the language/cultural politics that make life a little tougher, more interesting and cooler than any place I've ever lived.

An Amy Stephen Kind Of Day

Some days, you get ready to go out ... to cruise around town. You're happy. It's a nice day. You feel coordinated.


But then someone points out, that while your socks are both white, they don't really match (take a close look).


It's clear, you are having an Amy Stephen kind of day! Maybe Amy McCormick's socks match.

Shelburne Farms

Last fall, we visited Shelburne Farms. It's a working farm, education center, and national historic landmark outside of Burlington, VT. On Friday, we got to visit the farm with H. She is quite into animals - probably because of the three we have at home (we are convinced her first word will be "kitty"). So, she found this to be a very nice way to spend the afternoon.

No picnic

Today we did not go to a picnic. It was scheduled for 11:00 AM, so we arrived fashionably at 3:00 PM. We saw a couple who looked like they had been at the picnic (not that you can tell by looking) and they confirmed that it was almost over. They pointed us in the direction of the picnic - to no avail. Lots of picnics, but none were our picnic.

So, we sat at a table and enjoyed our non-picnic.
As we sat, we saw a couple and two boys who looked like they had been at our picnic. Too bad we weren't at the picnic, we sighed. Another couple walked by with a baby, also looking suspiciously like they could have been at our picnic. A little while later, a little boy came along followed by his moms. Maybe the picnic was still going on? We went looking.

And we found - our picnic! H was able to pull up grass and sample dog hair - both for the first time! By the time we got our camera out, Manu, Cécile and Charles were the only ones left!


But it was a lovely non-picnic.

Aquarium du Quebec

We went to the Aquarium du Quebec on Thursday. It's in Quebec city, which is a bit of a jaunt with a baby, but it was worth it.

You may be wondering why Montreal doesn't have it's own aquarium. It's a sad story that you'd probably rather not hear involving striking workers, dead dolphins and roadside attractions. So, the drive to the whale-less, dolphin-less, as-far-as-we-know-scandal-free aquarium seemed OK.

H, blissfully unaware of potential ethical issues raised by her entertainment, loved the aquarium. And in particular, turtles. She kept grabbing at the glass, convinced that she might get one (and presumably, eat it.)

The turtle pictures didn't turn out, and for some reason I chose not to document her laughter at the walruses flopping in and out of the water. But she did enjoy the river fish.


And the car ride had an added benefit - two naps over an hour!

Good Book!

Who is this Stephanie Schmlloyd?

Yesterday, a package came in the mail ... a "for girls by girls" package. Nice packaging.


Who was it for? Of course, Stephanie Schmlloyd.


What did she receive? Feminine hygiene products of course.


Stephanie Schmlloyd. Makes one wonder if this "Schmlloyd" thing has gone too far.

Forward facing

H can now ride in the mama kangaroo facing forward. It's rocking her world.

Loyalist Lodge

On our epic drive to Pittsburgh via the Canadian Consulate in Detroit (where we turned in our work permits for permanent residency), we stumbled upon loyalists ...

A loyalist parkway -

(photo borrowed ...
we have learned - don't stop the car to take a photo when the baby is sleeping)

A section of highway maintained by loyalists - no photo.

And, a loyalist lodge -


At first we believed this to be the Canadian equivalent of the VFW... but it's not. Just a hotel chain that serves as a proud reminder of an important group of colonists to Canada. A group which we have official joined. Sort of gives one pause...