Monday, December 26, 2011

Christmas 2011





Christmas at our home this year was a fairly quiet affair - dinner downstairs with Phil and Fer (she cooked a 20lb turkey to glorious perfection) accompanied by Lara and Jessie. Christina stayed back in Ontario as one of Patrick's kids had pneumonia and thought it best to stay home - we plan to drop by for New Years. We ate late and didn't start opening gifts until after midnight, Christmas morning, turning in long after 3am! We slept in late Christmas Day and later managed to call most of the family scattered here and there. Boxing Day, as the 26th is known here in the civilized world, was spent in visiting the L'Oratoire Saint-Joseph du Mont-Royal where we received a blessing for the family and lit a candle for Patrick in the votive chapel where hundreds of pilgrims pray and light candles every day. Here is enshrined Saint André from Montreal who is revered, not only across Canada, but around the world. Pilgrims travel thousands of miles to visit, what many would consider one of his biggest accomplishments, the erection of the magnificent Saint Joseph's Oratory. Today we drove up to Mont Royal Cemetery to spend a few moments with Patrick, our little angel who we think about always. And now,as the year comes to a close, we take time to reflect on what has passed the past 12 months and all the wonderful days yet to come. From our family here in Quebec, to yours wherever you may be, we wish you love, peace, health and happiness in this season and the coming year. Come back and visit again! gws


Lara, Roxie and Marie

Fernanda, Phil and Marie

Lara and Jess
Oratory in snow covering


Marie at tomb of Frere André

candles
Saint Joseph, patron saint of families
Phil and Fer at the Oratory, the city spread out behind them
Marie lighting a candle

Montreal from the Oratory terrace

Marie and Saint André

Phil and Fer in votive chapel

Gary, Mont Royal cemetery


Fer and Phil at Patrick's niche

At Mont Royal Cemetery, Dec 27, 2011


Saturday, December 17, 2011

Day Trip to Cabin

This week Marie and I took a day trip out to the cabin to pick up a few things we had left there, including retrieving two months worth of mail, and to check that everything was okay. It was a fairly warm morning when we left Montreal ( 6 C ) but as we went further east and into the higher elevations the temperatures dropped to around 1 degree C and snow, though not in any great amounts, covered the ground. It has been a very mild month so far and with little precipitation other than rain we might not have a white Christmas this year. There was only a few inches of the white stuff  at the property and, as it was raining when we left, it will probably be gone by now. We had  no problem whatever getting up our driveway and further up to the clearing in our truck - haven't really had the chance to try its 4-wheel capabilities out but as this is Canada it won't be long before I will be able to test it! Damp and chilly was the order of the day so we didn't hang around after lunch but headed back to the city. We will go back sometime in the new year - it won't be long till spring as the days are simply flying by. It has been over two weeks since our return from the cruise and we are already losing our tans! Excitement is mounting around here now as Amy's due date approaches and Christmas just around the corner! gws

view from the clearing, looking east


our driveway

new Bridgestone Blizzak snow tires!
Happy Holidays to all!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Friday, December 9, 2011

Marie's Retirement Cruise Review Nov 26-Dec 4,2011



There is nothing, absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats...




































































gws