Richard and his new girl Nancie flew in from Toronto this month for a three day visit with us. It was our first time meeting her and she was all that my brother had said she was - a beautiful, kind and smart lady! I drove to Montreal and picked them up early at Trudeau, driving back home by the early afternoon. On our way back we stopped for poutine in Bromont at
La Fromagerie, the place to go for this typical Quebec treat. Both agreed it was the best poutine they had ever eaten. Richard is still suffering from knee pain and is scheduled to have his right knee replaced but we still managed to spend a lot of time walking about the Domaine, to the lake and back and up the back roads. Nancie and I got to know each other better when we went together for a long walk around our mountain, up La Libertie and down a rough trail to the main road, stopping to rest along the way at two of the small lakes. That night and the next we built a fire down by the cabin, watching the stars and enjoying the peace and quiet. The last day we went into Lac Megantic along highway 263 through Piopolis, stopping at the local yacht basin to look at the boats tied up there. In town I wanted to show Nancie the changes since the tragedy of 2013. We strolled along the boardwalk to view the many sculptures erected in the past 5 years then visited the church and the plaque outside honoring the victims. We also had a chance to walk down to the beach at Baie des Sables where we had spent the previous week with the Penagos, taking pictures and enjoying the beautiful weather. We ate at one of our favourite restaurants in town - "Mange Ta Main" - amazing food! before returning home, following highway 161 south along the opposite side of the lake.
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| Nancie walking up La Libertie, the Saddle and the USA in the background |
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| Nancie at Lac Benoit, Domaine des Appalaches |
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| Nancie and Richard, Piopolis and Lac Magentic |
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| yacht basin, Piopolis |
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| Lac Megantic |
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| sculpture for abused women, outside Mange Ta Main restaurant |
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| Eglise Sainte-Agnes, Lac Megantic |
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| along the boardwalk, Lac Megantic |
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| two of the many sculptures throughout the town erected since the tragedy of July 2013 |
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| viewing tower - Nancie and Lac Megantic |
We were up early the next day to return to Montreal. Richard had reservations at a downtown hotel for the night, planning to return to Toronto the following morning, so we were able to spend the afternoon exploring the old port. The 2018 ITU World Triathlon was taking place when we were there and the streets were blocked off in places but we had a chance to see the women competitors ride by. The girl from Great Britain, Vicky Holland, a former bronze medalist at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, finished first. At the Vieux Port we walked down the Jacques-Cartier Quay past La Grande Roue, the newly erected 60 meter wheel then followed the river to the Clock Tower, built to commemorate the the sailors from the merchant navy lost at sea during World War 1. It was a long and hot walk back to the hotel, the temperature over 30 degrees, stopping for ice cream along the way before saying goodbye, Richard and Nancie promising to return in the fall. We were so glad they were able to visit, even if it was for a short time but hopefully we made a good impression on Nancie. From the hotel it was a short drive back to see the grandkids where we spent the night before returning home the next morning. We will be going back to babysit on the long weekend as Phil and Fer are flying off to Mexico for four days. Should be fun!
gws
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| Monument to Canadians who fell during the South African War |
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| Richard and Nancie wolfing down at Dunns Smoked Meat restaurant |
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| Chinatown, Montreal |
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| the ITU World Triathlon, Montreal |
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| they got you bro! |
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| La Grande Roue de Montreal |
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| Nancie, Plage de L'Horloge (Clock Tower Beach) |
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| Ben and William, Montreal |
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| our beautiful Amy |
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