It seems that I have been very inconsistent with my blog in the last month. For that I apologize to my regular followers. I hope to do better in 2024. Here is a quick review of my highlights in 2023.
January to March 2023
To be continued…..
…November 11th was always a difficult time for my Dad
I found that as Dad got older he became more sentimental. As the years passed he found Remembrance Day especially difficult as he remembered his friends and comrades who died in World War II. He always felt that he couldn’t mourn publicly because he served on the wrong side and this often led to periods of depression come November. For a man who was usually so chipper and positive this was difficult to watch. Dad passed away three years ago. Today I honour his memory and all the young men and women who have died in war, regardless of what side they served on. I know that this may not be a popular stance to take in light of the current upheaval in Ukraine and Gaza but I ask that you respect my choice to remember in my own way.
…day 8 was Winnie’s birthday
After a full day, celebrating Winnie’s birthday (breakfast at Steve’s Diner, a trip to the Green Pig and a party with a piñata, sushi for dinner and birthday cupcakes) we packed our bags and bid farewell to Moncton and New Brunswick.
Our next destination was Halifax, Nova Scotia. In comparison to Moncton, Halifax had a much bigger city feel and was very hilly. Our hotel was right downtown near the water’s edge but navigating the hills and the construction aggravated the sciatic that I developed that morning when packing and moving my luggage.
I knew that I needed Naproxen but I only had Tylenol with me. Unfortunately the drug store right by the hotel was closed on the weekend so I made due with what I had. Not wanting to miss out on exploring the area close to the hotel I ventured out with Kevin. We headed over to Durty Nellie’s for an early dinner and to catch the World Rugby match between Ireland and New Zealand.
The food and drink were very good, the game was exciting but heartbreaking ( Ireland lost by one point) and the company was excellent.
I thought that the Guinness might have helped ease the pain in my back and legs but it became very evident on the walk back to the hotel that my condition was worsening.
In that short walk to and from the hotel I did manage to capture some of the interesting architecture.
Day10….relief (continued)
….after 6 days of driving we decided to take it easy and explore Moncton and shop for birthday presents
We also decided to forgo the hotel breakfast and drove to a bakery that Gaelan introduced me to on my first visit to Moncton. At Copain we ordered coffee and some of the best croissants we’ve ever had.
Then we drove to Michael’s and bought two frames for art that we had gifted to Gaelan and Winnie and some art supplies for Winnie’s birthday.
After shopping I dropped Kevin back at the hotel and I went to Gaelan’s house to do some laundry. When Winnie came home from school we drove to Bulk Barn and picked up some candy and a piñata for her birthday.
That evening Kevin and I had a date night and went into downtown Moncton for a great meal. We went to the Tide and Boar where we shared a plate or Smokey wings. They were so delicious and so big that I had second thoughts about what I wanted for my main course. Our waitress suggested that we share the plate of seafood pasta, a T&B salad and the dessert. It was perfect.
The restaurant is actually a brew pub and the dessert we had was a deconstructed ‘beeramisu’. The topping was made with a reduced stout. Surprisingly delicious!
…my sweet little girl is 8 today
Our trip to the east coast has fallen on three days of celebration, Thanksgiving, Winnie’s birthday and her father’s birthday.
We started today with a special breakfast at Steve’s Diner in Riverview.
After breakfast we drove to The Green Pig to walk through the corn maze.
Later in the day we continued the birthday celebration with breaking a piñata, a sushi dinner (Winnie’s favourite food), opening presents and birthday cupcakes.
…Bangor, Maine to Moncton, New Brunswick
After leaving Sherbrooke we crossed the border to Maine. It was one of the easiest and most pleasant border crossings we’ve ever made.
The scenery was breathtaking. The road curved its way through forests of yellow and red and passed fast flowing rivers and glistening lakes.
The downside of crossing the border was losing our internet connection and not being able to use our GPS. As we got closer to Bangor we weren’t sure how close we were to our hotel until we passed it and the exit off the the freeway. We took the next exit but got so disoriented we had to stop and ask directions. It turned out that we were very close.
Right next to the hotel was a truck stop with a large diner and bakery. Not only is Dysart’s popular with truckers, the locals and tourists flock to it to enjoy the hot sandwiches, pot pies and homemade rolls and pies. We had our dinner there and thoroughly enjoyed the chicken pot pie and the personal attention that our grandmotherly waitress doted upon us. We were afraid that if we didn’t clean our plates she would have been personally offended. A flash from the past…..
The next day before we headed to New Brunswick we drove into Bangor to visit Stephen King’s home. This old Victorian home is fun to look at from the outside.
….arriving from London, England
On Thursday of last week, our son and his family flew in from London, England for a two week visit. It was a rocky start because Kevin and I were in the Emergency department of the hospital when Brendan’s flight arrived and we weren’t able to pick them up.
Luckily Kevin is okay but we felt we had to have him checked out after he had a nasty fall at home. After six hours of tests and waiting we were relieved to find out that there were no broken bones or internal injuries, just a nasty bruise, swelling and considerable pain.
Brendan’s flight wasn’t without complications either. In Montreal they had to change planes and just before take-off a truck hit the plane so there was a delay to make sure that there was no damage to the plane.
On Friday, we spent most of the day at home so that the family could recover from jet lag and Kevin could get some much needed rest. Andrea and Josie came over later to visit with the family and we had a very relaxed dinner in the backyard. I took Sevin to the garden and had her help me with harvesting some of the tomatoes and a squash. She was delighted.
On Saturday, another special visitor came to stay for a week from the east coast. More about that tomorrow.
…road trip to Banff
The morning started off cool and rainy. My brother-in-law lent us his old pickup truck which he affectionately calls Lucille, and we drove through the foothills of Alberta towards the Rocky Mountains.
As we got closer to Banff we started to see some of the mountains through the clouds but it wasn’t until we returned later that evening that we realized how much of the scenery had been obscured by the clouds. We were in awe.
As we approached Banff:
Throughout the day the weather constantly changed but towards late afternoon the sun started to peak though the clouds.
Not wanting to drive back to Calgary in the dark we left Banff around 7:00. This is when we realized how much of the Rockies we didn’t see in the morning.
…thanks to Sue W and GC for hosting weekly prompts https://weeklyprompts.com/2023/06/14/weekly-prompts-wednesday-challenge-nostalgia-2/
As I get older I become more and more nostalgic. All kinds of things remind me of my past. Baking bread at the inn reminds me of our first trip to San Francisco where I first tasted sourdough white bread and my box of buttons reminds me of my mom and her button box. I even created a series of paintings called Needle and Thread that brought back memories of my childhood.
…48 years ago we bought each other a framed Coca-Cola mirror as a wedding gift to ourselves
The Aberfoyle Market holds many found memories for us. Over the years we have shared this wonderful place with our children and now our grandchildren. On our most recent trip we found some very interesting and fun artefacts. This time we just browsed through the antiques but we also had some very interesting conversations with some of the vendors.
The Aberfoyle Antique Market is located about one hour west of Toronto and is just down the road from the city of Guelph.
Mama Cormier 