Quebec!

One thing that I love about Quebec City is that it doesn't overwhelm you (except with its charm). Go ahead and guess its population! Give up? Just a tad over half a million. Bringing that home -- it's twice the size of Madison and exactly the size of Milwaukee. Long time ago, when I was still undecided where to make my home, I wildly considered living in Quebec. More than any other non-European city, it reminds me of... Europe. It's full of history -- a mix of indigenous people's first habitations, through French exploration and settlement, British architectural expansion, and a return to a French quest fro self-determination. Yet it's modest too. Unpretentious. And it's embedded in its landscape. You cannot think of this place without feeling awed by the great river that runs through it, or the forested mountains just to the north and west. You're never far from nature.

(sunrise over the St. Lawrence)

It's going to be a beautiful day here in Quebec Province of Canada.

(when I get up, the sun is shining brightly high up over the river)

I have a very leisurely morning. The young family is catching up on sleep. I'm up earlier. Ready for a hotel breakfast.

(...which is too big, but hey -- whether you eat a croissant, or poached eggs with smoked salmon and a heaping bowl of berries, you're going to pay the same price...)

And then I take a stroll. At this early hour (just after 9), the town feels sleepy still. (I always get the impression that tourists hate mornings). I walk up, all the way up.

It's this unique topography, where the old port is below and the citadel is high up above it all, that gave Quebec City its strategic advantage when it was first settled. 

In modern times, on the clifftops, a boardwalk stretches from the Chateau Frontenac to the Citadel. I walk along its beautiful expanse...

And take in the river views.

There are countless steps going up and of course then countless steps going down. Steps are not easy for me. The muscles around my new knee are not yet conditioned to do the job, so it's always a bit of an effort to navigate inclines, but I surely have the energy for it!

By 11, I head down to meet the young family for a brunch. Or lunch. Call it a midday meal! (At the Buffet de l'Anitquaire.)

(here they come...)

And now for some Quebec tourism: to the port!

(stunning public spaces...)

(happiness is...)

And to the Museum of Civilization, where we check out the energy exhibit, the indigenous settlements displays, and a whole exposition on the life of Quebec's past premier Rene Levesque (he was the first to push for Quebec's independence).

Perhaps the finest moment for the younger kids came when they were set free in the children's play area downstairs. It's magnificent and gives them the freedom to explore without adult supervision. Sandpiper liked everything, including cabinets that he could for once open without restraint.

The museum is just across the street from my hotel and Sparrow really wanted to see my room! 

(on my lovely terrace)

From there we walk up, up, up the city streets. And down the steps. Phew! Surely it's time for an ice cream treat.

It's when we got in line to take the funicular back up the steep hill that Sparrow noticed he was missing his favorite stuffy. The one he cannot live without. The one that accompanies him everywhere. 

The search is on! 

From the boardwalk...

... down again, with Snowdrop returning with me to the hotel to look there, and the dad checking out the ice cream store and the museum, and the mom waiting with the boys for the big denouement: will the little koala, without which life cannot go on, be found??

Lucky break! He is found. In the museum. Tragedy averted. Much relief for everyone!

At this point Snowdrop and her dad rejoin with the rest up the hill, but I opt for a break. I've done my climbing and descending (equally hard!) for the day. I pause for an hour in my room, fortified by a gift from the hotel of the most perfect afternoon treats!

And then I am again at the young family's place, getting ready for my second night with the awesome threesome.

(I challenge Sparrow to a checker game. He's good but very king oriented. Still, with my best efforts to effectuate this, I manage to get us to a draw!)

I search online, trying to find take-out that is something other than pizza but fail miserably. Faced with the possibility of not finding any deliveries within the hour, I default to pizza. It's fine and indeed, my mushroom pie is quite exquisite, but Sandpiper, napless once again, turns up his nose at any piece of any slice.

Does it matter? Not at all. Milk is nutritious! Sandpiper never says no to milk. With that, he crashes, happily falling asleep immediately after. The big two choose a movie once again and once again they are captivated by the big screen as mom and dad return.

I walk back on a beautiful late summer evening. People are out and about and it feels good to feel safe even late(-ish) at night in a city that is kind to its visitors, even those who forget that it's not l'addition s'il vous plait (the check please), but la facture s'il vous plait (the bill please) and those who look puzzled when a cafe au lait (milky coffee) is brought for them in a bowl instead of a cup, to say nothing of those who think diner is dinner and not lunch and who, when handed a menu for dejeuner wonder why it's full of egg dishes because isn't dejeuner lunch? (No, it's breakfast here.)

A splendid day in Quebec City. Truly splendid!

to Quebec City

So now you know: I'm meeting up with the young family, arriving a day later, but still, joining up for a handful of days in Quebec City.

It wasn't my decision to come here -- I'm the invited tag-along -- but I'm sure happy they chose this town for their family trip, because it really is one of my very favorite cities on this side of the ocean. Compact, beautiful, walkable, with great food, fresh breezes, and wonderful Quebecois speaking people. So, French, but with a few choice words flipped around to confuse you.

I'd been here twice with Ed (and several times before Ed) and I'd always hoped he'd want to return, but of course, once I said no to camping in the wild, he said no to travel, so I have only my memories of our trek through the Canadian section of the Appalachian Trail and an end-of-hike stop over in the city (12 years ago), and, too, memories of our February visit here (17 years ago) when everything was snow covered and beautiful!  [My trips before him were equally memorable: the first was when I was just a student: a road adventure with friend toward whom I had a surge of romantic feelings all during our meandering drive up and down the St Lawrence River. I shlepped us around in my very first car -- a very ancient and not very reliable Volvo that occasionally leaked oil. The second trip was with my older daughter and her dad. The girl was not even a year old and suddenly ready to walk. We had to get her Quebecois baby shoes.]

My flight out of Madison is an early one, but I do still take the time to feed the animals and survey the garden...

(my hollyhock decided to start its blooming period just now! I'd say that's a good two month delay!)

A quick breakfast, with an Ed stumbling over to join me, and I'm off. 

I had to stray from my usual connecting cities. American Airlines offered the best fare and the best routing, so against my better instincts, I fly through Chicago. Impressively, there are no delays. From there, straight to Quebec City.

(Approaching Quebec: Oh, forested Canada!)

(Quebec City)

I'm staying at the Auberge Saint-Antoine -- a lovely old hotel in Vieux Quebec. (The young family is in an Airbnb just a ten minute walk from here.)

My room, with a view...

(the view is over the St Lawrence)

No lingering allowed though! I promised the young couple two adult nights out while I kept an eye on the kids. Sandpiper is not easy to keep still at the dinner table. Better to feed him at home at least some of the evenings we're here. 

Off I go to meet up with everyone!

(a walk through Old Quebec)

(saving the upper town for tomorrow; it's a climb!)

The older kids are excited to show me their sleeping arrangements!

For a long while, they amuse themselves playing checkers on the checker table, until Snowdrop wins for the tenth time over. Not fair indeed!

Sparrow retreats to doing some logic puzzles I'd brought with me.

And now the pizza is here. Theirs is plain, but mine has seafood on it. Very delicious. The two big kids each want to sit at the head of the table. So they do.

(Dad left some pastries, but the kids are suspicious, opting in the end for the more familiar macarons...)

And then it's surely bedtime, though only Sandpier, tired from not having had a nap since Friday, in Madison, acquiesces. Us older guys watch a movie. Oh-oh! Kids are still up and parents are back! It's the time difference! Yeah, that's it! I would have had them in bed (maybe) but for the time difference! 

I leave them to their evening in this lovely place and walk home in the gentle evening light of Old Quebec. 

Yes, it's good to be here!

still summer

I see by the Facebook photos that many kids have returned to school: this week, last week even -- back they go. Not Wisconsin kids. Indeed, my grand threesome is out until after Labor Day. I believe it has to do with living in a summer destination state. We need to keep those high schoolers in their jobs as life guards and candy sellers. So, our kids are on vacation and summer is still with us.

The day is quiet. Continuing to be buggy as hell, but decidedly cooler. With clouds and the occasional breeze. I have my hoodie over my usual summer t-shirt and shorts. The goal is to water every pot with growing things thoroughly, to do some small errands for my daughter (who got caught in a time crunch), and to pick up a cinnamon roll at Madison Sourdough for breakfast. All this fills up the morning.

(yep, eyes closed -- a reflexive reaction to the camera)

And then I pack. I'm leaving early tomorrow. Not far and not for long, but still, it's a trip and it requires bringing up a carryon and filling it with life's necessities. I've been told to pack my talents (if I have such talents, which some may nod their heads vigorously in the affirmative and others may dispute) for creating fun. 

It's interesting to sometimes step back and review your contributions to the enterprise of family life. As a parent of young children you are indeed the ringleader of their fun. Dinnertime silliness can be fun. Outdoor adventures can be fun. Turning on the hose can be fun. Opening the freezer to nonstop hot day popsicles van be fun. Letting them make messes and take risks can be fun. For a grandparent, the requirements change I think. Since you are no longer the person who writes the rules, nor the one who needs to keep the ship afloat, your participation becomes much more subtle. You are the listener. The one who never gets angry, no matter how many times they've said poop or wiped their cherry stained fingers on the once-off-white, now really off-any-semblance-of-white couch. The one who doesn't complain about an absence of sleep or a busted knee. The one can smile through anything. Genuinely. Anyone can spot a fake smile from a mile. A fun grandparent doesn't do fake smiles. 

So yes, my suitcase is packed with all that I need for a short trip during which I will happily be a fun grandmother.

In the late afternoon, Ed and I bike over to our favorite park. Everything smells of transitioning seasons and feels very much like we are about to take a leap into fall. But not yet. Not today, not this week.

Right now, it's still summer. 

(Here's a pleasant surprise: the new bed of shade plants that I put in by the front entrance -- the entrance only the Amazon driver ever uses -- is doing very well, despite the drought and my inattention to it. There are three plant groups -- one that puts out flowers in spring, one that does so in early summer and one that sprouts small, beautiful orchid like blooms in early fall. Here are the first flowers from this last group! Lovely, aren't they?)

with love...

oops

Well, it was bound to happen. I had had several close calls and luck was going to run out. The stones between levels of flower fields are uneven and slippery. The weeds have covered the places of secure foothold. So in navigating a bug infested overgrown lily field and in trying to step down to a lower level, I slipped and fell. A cat came over and meowed next to me in sympathy. Me, I just wondered if I'd bumped my camera (I did not) and if I wrecked my fake knee.

Here's an interesting fact about having a fake knee -- you don't necessarily feel damage in the same way. I mean, if I banged the metal or plastic parts, it's not as if I would feel the cracks. The proof is in the use afterwards, no? So I got up, bent it some, found it to be weird but working and moved on.

But I gave up on flower care for today. A few photos of an end of summer garden...

(the endless theme of a chicken crossing a street...)

(blushing late bloomers)

(summer's end...)

And now I am happy to be inside where there are no mosquitoes and where the air is delightfully less humid.

Ed is asking for a hair cut, I then fix breakfast. Everything seems normal. So maybe it is?

Breakfast, on the porch.

And now Snowdrop arrives.

It's not hot today but I do offer her a chance for one last swim at the Goodman community pool. It'll be closing this weekend, so it's today or never! She's thrilled with the idea. She has discovered the slides and she is drawn to their fast, splashy descent like a magnet.

(but first, some books, and some horse play at the farmhouse; it's not possible to get them to stop their shenanigans, nor would I want to...)

(at the pool: loves those slides...)

(happiness is...)

But we can't linger too long because I have to get her to a scheduled meeting with her new third grade teacher. 

She and her sibs are so lucky! I've seen or met all their teachers now and they are dedicated, caring educators. How can you go wrong in a setting like that?

Evening at home.

Ed works on breaking up a wasp nest building around the doorway. Me, I just enjoy that beautiful light that comes in the hour before dusk. Even an early fall garden looks sublime then. And yes, we're moving into early fall territory!

with love...