Our Time in the East

August 31^st we flew from Calgary to Montreal. September 28th we flew back to Calgary. It is truly amazing how much water is down there! Lakes everywhere! We had our eyes glued to the windows! This trip was all about the people! So without further adooo …..

Shawn, James & David Kennedy – Roofers!  Our first day, September 1^st, we spent with my cousin, Diane, who picked us up and took us to visit Lise, her sister, and family. We discovered “Road Construction” in Quebec. Enough said! The boys were roofing that day.

Lise, Alexandra, Jackie, Ashley & Diane – While the men were on the roof, we females spent some time bonding around the first GrandDaughter.

Later, after a very good pizza, Rene and John bonded (without very many words) around their Bonne Feu.

Jackie and Diane spent some quality time relaxing by the fire. All too soon we put our borrowed wheels in gear and headed back home to
Mike and Lisa’s. Oh! The stars!

Sunday the 2^nd found members of all four Marie & Edouard Blanchard families sharing an afternoon, re-acquainting ourselves, and telling stories. Uncle Bern and Aunt Lorraine welcomed us with open arms into their home: Famous French Canadian Hospitality and lots of Duff.
How does Neil do that Panorama thing with his camera???

Neil and GrandPa – Neil looks like he isn’t believing GrandPa’s SDV. (Story of Dubious Veracity) ….. Or maybe he’s being lectured on the finer points of wearing a tie? ….. Or maybe they are plotting on how to kill the invading wasps?

Finally a restful day! Laundry and visiting with Mike and Lisa. Next day, we drove out to visit Dad (Larry Blanchard) in Hudson. We met his bridge partner, Heather, and walked over to the Restaurant Sauve to sample some real Quebecois Poutine.
We took the scenic route home across the Oka-Hudson Ferry (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UoKv8QhKeg), visited a roadside fruit stand for fresh tomatoes and apples and stopped at La Marmite du Terroir - an Apple Orchard’s Roadside stand where we sampled Spruce Beer!
We also stopped at l’Abbaye d’Oka (Monastery)  (http://www.abbayevalnotredame.ca/sejour-monastere/index.aspx) to buy some Original Oka Cheese. Yummm! But still not as powerfully odoriferous as it used to be!

Wednesday found us taking our first of three trips up to Vars, Ontario to visit my Isodynamic Practioner, Martin Skody. Ahhh…! Maybe we convinced him to come to Kona as a Mission Builder for a few months???
My friend, Heide, from way back in College, had us over for supper. We enjoyed and are so thankful for … Lasagna and cheesecake with rhubarb sauce, a new roof rack on Heide’s car, admiring the new solar array on her roof and generally having a lovely visit. It was a treat that Olivia was home to share the time with us too.

Heide and Jackie – Long Time Friends!

Next day we took care of a cooling system problem on the car. A lovely Greek dinner at Marathon Restaurant with our hosts, Mike & Lisa ended the day well. A restful relaxing time!
Friday, the 7^th, we headed over to Terrebonne to visit Suzanne and help prepare for her Big 50^th Birthday Party. John and I chopped vegetables and we spent the day laughing and talking with my precious baby sister.

Suzanne's 50^th Birthday Party:

1 - Lise L'Heureux, Brian Smith, Jackie Blanchard, Suzanne Drolet: Cousins reunited!

2 - Suzanne + Carolyn: Carolyn and Brian came up from Massachusetts to help Suzanne celebrate her special day! What a SURPRISE!

3 - "Chez Suzanne": Suzanne successfully and skillfully turned her Living Room into an intimate 4 star Dining Room. No worry about putting the furniture back. She sold the house and is moving out in two weeks.

~~~~~

Sunday the 9^th, we were invited for a special time. Uncle Charlie (who is 92!) regaled us with a few old time songs on the piano; asked us to solve the stick puzzle he always carries in his pocket to enchant the children and he listened with great interest to our stories of farming and living in Hawaii. Danielle & Pierre + Catherine served a wonderful brunch whose most intriguing item was the eggs scrambled in maple syrup. We are taking a few cans of Maple Syrup home with us and you can be sure we will be calling Danielle to find out how she makes that delicious treat. More catching up with family news and renewing family ties!

No trip to Montreal would be complete without an afternoon with Jackie’s son, Neil. John was introduced to Neil’s apartment (Mom, Mike and Lisa worked on it a few years ago). We Fixed a Thing or Two and then …

… went to the famous (http://www.schwartzsdeli.com/index_eng.html) on St-Laurent St.  Who put that creamerie across the street anyway?!?! Yumm!

Neil took us on a wild walk over to Mount Royal Park. We experienced the wild and crazy TamTam players and dancers, an “unknown monument” photo opportunity and some strange looking people.

There’s a long story here … Janette's stone got delivered all the way from Port Alberni into Neil’s hand. Odd! He did not remember it! You’ll need to ask Janette the details; we do start some crazy traditions in this family!
By the Way; Who has “The Board”???

September 10^th; Suzanne’s actual birthday. In this family, September birthdays get celebrated more than once! Here, Suzanne and Dad are determining who gets to blow out the pink candles and whom the blue candles.
Note to Zak (Dad’s grandson in Saskatoon) … Did you get your birthday card we made that day?

Another trip up to Vars and a “let’s explore” wander over to the #50 highway through Mirabel  and down through St-Eustache.
All too soon, it's time to head back to Calgary.
Here is a view of a September 12th Sunrise over La Riviere des Milles-Iles and a close look at “the Zipper meridian mover” (well, I might of missed it!)
on the way to PE Trudeau Airport.