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!