J'aime Quebec

Has it really been so long since the last post? My parents were visiting last week & chided me for not posting more recent pictures of their grand-dog. Grand-dog aside, it's been a beautifully full summer: full of time with friends, walks by the lake & continued discovery of this fabulous city. Really, Chicago, could you get any better?

Following the termination of spring quarter (which lasted far too long, in my book) we drove up to Montreal for the Neuromusic conference. The drive was a bit long, but bringing Mollie was well worth the mode of transportation.

Mollie's favorite spot in the car, head nestled between our seats:


The downtown location of our hotel couldn't be beat. While I brained away at the conference, Drew finally had the alone time for studying he'd been longing for. He also spent a fair amount of time at the Montreal dog parks. Believe it or not, Goldendoodles are "the thing" (or should I say "la mode"?) in Montreal--I can't tell you how many times we were stopped by groups on the street to oogle at her... Below is a photo of Drew posing with Mollie atop Mont Royal.


Post Montreal we drove 3 hours north, through Quebec City to an area called "St Anne de Beaupre", named for a gorgeous cathedral nestled in the mountains, overlooking the St. Lawrence river and Ile d'Orleans. We camped for 3 days, made friends with the Quebecois, hiked and practiced our French, hammock-balancing and campfire recipes (smores & weenies, unsophisticated as they may be, earned our profound respect).

Below--the greatest campsite EVER! (really, it was sweet)


exploring the St. Anne de Beaupre cathedral (look it up, interesting place! known for performing miracles--see the photo below with the pillar piled to the top with crutches, walkers & braces!):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupr%C3%A9




with Mollie by the fire (story: Drew almost lit me on fire. my arm hair was completely singed. you must ask me about it next time you see me...):


at the stretching station before hiking Mt. St. Anne:


my mountain man on our hike:


sled dog village atop the mountain (hundreds of dogs, and yes, we got to pet them):


wet dog, but gorgeous view:


I'll post photos of Quebec City later. As my official closing this evening, let me leave you with one of my favorite photos. Study the text carefully & you just might find out why... (it translates "waxing room"==who would have known "to wax" in French is so similar to the word for a grotesque bodily function in English?). My father would be proud.