Saturday night hockey

Saturday night hockey
Saturday night hockey

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Leg 3 of the journey

We have successfully finished the third leg of the long trip.  This mainly involved getting out of New Brunswick, which we did with a vengeance today.  We left Nova Scotia on Sunday but travelled only a short distance to New Brunswick.  DD left me at my Aunt Sylvia’s home, then went off to PEI to see her friends there.  I had a lovely 24 plus hours with my aunt, cousin Lee and her husband.  Lots of snow at their house.

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My aunt had just finished transcribing some taped interviews with her sister, my Aunt Cecily, who has been deceased for more than ten years.  It was fun to read her stories and talk with my aunt and cousin about the family.  I discovered that my mother was stationed in Newfoundland during WW II.  She was a nursing sister.  I also found out that my triple great grandfather was lieutenant governor of Van Diemen’s Land from 1843 to 1847.

I went for a few walks down the driveway and had to check out the animals. 

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This cat was a master purrer….

On Monday we moved on to my sister’s house.  Again lots of snow.  This is the view from her house out to the Bay of Fundy.

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I hadn’t been to her place before and we had to stick around for a day to see the sights and visit.  New Brunswick is very picturesque.  This is the land of covered bridges.

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And boats…

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We left early this morning.  A long day of driving took us out of New Brunswick, through Quebec and on to Ottawa, where we are spending the night with another of DD’s friends.  This girl has a lot of friends Smile

I grew up in Quebec and it holds many memories for me, some sweet, others not.  It feels familiar and homelike to me though.  What struck me about Quebec today was the birch trees, brick buildings, tall spires on churches and millions of saint names.  There must be a thousand small towns that are named after saints.  One of the most unique is St.-Louis-du-Ha! Ha!  Wikipedia has this to say about the name.

“The commission de toponymie asserts that the parish's name refers to nearby Lake Témiscouata, the sense of haha here being an archaic French word for an unexpected obstacle or abruptly ending path.[2] The Louis may refer to Louis Marquis, one of the first colonists of the region, or Louis-Antoine Proulx, vicar of Rivière-du-Loup, or perhaps the abbot Louis-Nicolas Bernier.[3]

The exclamation marks were added colloquially and have since gained recognized status among Canadian federal institutions such as Canada Post.”

I love Le Fleuve Saint-Laurent…

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And the Montreal skyline…

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After a fourteen hour day of driving I’m feeling woozy.  I think we’ll have to go a bit slower tomorrow.  There is no one for us to visit, so no rush to be somewhere in time to visit. 

We’ve had sunny days the last two.  The roads today were clear and dry and there is only a little snow in Ottawa.  Tomorrow begins leg 4: the long haul through Ontario.

On the sewing front I’ve got Maria’s goat ready to mail.  I might add another little thing tomorrow morning and I’ll find a post office to mail it from tomorrow. 

 

Janet

7 comments:

  1. Glad you are having fun and relaxing and, of course, enjoying some sun!
    From Ottawa, you can go via the northern route, bypass southern Ontario and end up by North Bay, I think.
    Then, take the northern highway over Lake Superior. The highway along L. Superior is very icy and hilly, and not a good road in the winter they tell me. From Sault Ste Marie to Geralton is a long stretch, take extra food, water, and be sure of a full tank of gas, as not much available along the way, espec in winter, ie no tourist season!
    From SSM you should be able to get to Thunder Bay in about 8 hrs. TBay to Kenora in another 6 hrs. Take the Hwy 11-17 in thru Kenora, ie: past Tim Hortons, hotels, etc.
    I'd suggest staying at the Super 8 in Kenora. You will have to travel past the 1st Tim Hortons, then past Walmart, Canadian Tire, the comfort Inn, the Days Inn, the Travel Lodge, then A&W, then McDonalds. Then a sharp turn to the left at the lights, thru downtown.
    There is a quilt store up town, right before the big right turn, but personally, I wouldn't recommend it.
    As you come thru downtown and stop at the red lights, you will be travelling along the waterfront on your left. Across the bay, you will see the Hospital (with the big H on the roof), the big whitish, beige building. As you pass the hospital, there is a big brown brick building on your left, up on the hill, that is where I work! Then, continue driving up the hill, you will see the GM dealer, then Casey's restaurant, the Super 8 is beside the restaurant. Food is ok. Hotel is good.
    Next morning, I'd suggest breaky a little up the road, at the LakeView CO-OP, great breakfast, easy prices too.
    Oh, I almost forgot, as you go thru town on this same road, you will go over a big bridge, past houseing, then Keewatin Place groceries on your left, then McDairmid Lumber on your right. Go a little farther, then look for the QUILT SHOP sign. Go in and say Hi to Louise! Tell her I sent you. I think the store will be open, I don't think she will be away on vacation..., at least I hope not, or you will miss a great little shop.
    Then on to Winnipeg in about 2 hrs. You will make Brandon in about another 2-2.5 hrs from Winnipeg, depending on the weather.
    In Winnipeg, there is a quilt store on Pembina Hwy. If you travel on the Hwy 101 (Winnipeg Bypass Hwy), you will eventually come to Pembina Hwy, you can turn here, go about 20 mins north, to find it, it is on the left side of the road. Sorry, can't remember it's name, but it will be in the phone book if you stop somewhere. In Brandon, there is another quilt store, but in Mordon, there is the Quilter's Jewel. It's pretty good.
    If you stop at a quilt store, they have the Country REgister, it is a free newspaper with quilt shops, yarn shops, etc. You can easily find some shops with the newspaper.
    Wishing you all the best as you travel around Lake Superior, watch out for moose on the road!
    Have fun, Leslie

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  2. What a fantastic trip... I really enjoy your pictures and especially the covered bridges... so different to anythign I have seen...
    Hugz

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  3. You're bringing back memories of our cross-Canada trip a few years ago - and I want to do it again. Sounds like a fantastic time - and I remember St. Louis du Haha - and laughed right along with the name LOL Take care - drive safe.

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  4. I am so glad you are posting, so I (we) can follow your travels across the country. You made a good decision to do this, didn't you? It makes me want to do the same. :-)
    See you when you get home! Miss you!! Love the parking spot though as it has been bitter cold and windy. Winters--yuck.

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  5. Such a wonderful trip and beautiful places to go!! Enjoy your trip and be careful with all the snow out there!

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  6. It sounds as a wonderful trip and I throughly enjoyed the pics!
    Micki

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  7. You were in my hubbys backyard (almost) in NB. They are getting lotsa snow! Enjoy your journey!

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