Visit of Dee, Isaiah and Andrew - Pt 2 (Notre-Dame-des-Bois)

 The next morning, after a night of on and off rain, the clouds departed and for the most part the skies remained clear and sunny for the rest of the week. First order of the morning was to haul the kayaks to the lake and then cool off swimming in the nearby pond. Isaiah became the official "driver" for the week, handling the old Dodge Dakota between the lake and home like a pro. Andrew loved to wade out to the weeds in the shallows and soon became an expert frog hunter - we lost count of how many he ran over to us with, clenched securely in his fist. He proudly displaced three bleeding holes in his leg from leeches but he didn't let this deter him from the hunt for more green and spotted frogs. The next day we all went to Lac Megantic to visit the site of the tragedy of July, 2013, explaining beforehand to the boys what had happened and what the town looked like four years later.

Ben in the old Dakota

Isaiah and Andrew, Lac de la Passe

 We stopped on the way to gaze out over Lake Megantic from the viewing tower on the outskirts of town before parking next to the Catholic church and walking along the newly constructed boardwalk across from the point the train derailed, reading the memorial to the 47 killed and answering any questions the boys had about that awful day. After lunch at McDonald's (we took a vote) we went with Andrew and Isaiah to the town beach and park where we spent the next three hours running around, swimming and generally having a lot of fun. On the way home we stopped off in Piopolis for ice cream and then it was marshmallows around the firepit later that evening. For the next three days we basically drove back and forth to the lake catching frogs and snakes, kayaking and swimming and home, with a few stops at our friends homes (where Andrew and Isaiah got to hold baby ducks, chickens and rabbits) and a visit to another pond - what Andrew called "frog Paradise" where he ended up catching the grandaddy of frogs that day. Before we knew it it was Friday and we were packing for the next adventure - two days in Quebec City!  gws

Andrew, Lac Megantic

at plaque commemorating the victims

Marie explaining what happened the night of July 6, 2013

fun at the park, Lac Megantic

Piopolis

me and Dee