fall | Change Is Hard

Wordless Wednesday

October 7, 2015 by dawnkinster 12 Comments

.
.

October 2, 2015
by dawnkinster 8 Comments

Play date!

Peep and me meeting this morning at the park.

Katie here! Guess what? Remember when I told you that my mama was gone all the time, and then she took me to the kennel and left me there? I was thinking maybe she didn’t love me anymore or something. But today she proved she loved me cause she took me for a long walk in the woods. And even better we got to do it with my friend Peep and her mom!

Peep and I had so much fun! We especially liked foiling all our mamas’ attempts to get cute pictures of the two of us together. We talked about it before we set out on the trail and decided one or the other of us would always turn away when either of them pointed a camera at us.

Got our plan down. Onward!

It worked great.

They hardly got any good pictures of us together while we went on our long walk. After awhile they just gave up. Score one for the dogs!

What’s over there?

We got to walk through the beautiful woods on a very pretty day. And it was cooler too, only in the 50s (10s in Celsius) which I like a whole lot better than the hot summer days when my coat is just so hot!

Want to come to the park with me next time?

Most of the time I got to be off leash, though when we got near a road my mama put my leash back on cause you know I like to chase cars. There wasn’t anyone else out there though, it was wonderful. The whole place was just for us!

This is my good friend Peep!

Peep and I decided that once we got back to the beach we’d let the moms take pictures of us sitting together, as long as they didn’t make us sit too close.

We did this for the moms.

We like each other and all, but we still like our own personal space, you know?

So then after we posed for them my mama was talking to Peep’s mom about calling us so she could get pictures of us running to her, and I heard her say ‘call’ and figured that was good enough, so I took off for her, leaving poor Peep in the dust.

Coming mama!

Peep says the only reason I got ahead of her was because I cheated. I think it’s my due as a princess.

Either way we had a wonderful time out there in the park for a couple of hours. When we got home mama had to comb out my furs to get all the bits of leaves and stickers out of me. I was sort of a mess. But I’m a good girl and stood quietly on my table till she was done cleaning out my armpits.

Then I took a nap. Cause that’s what a princess does after a big day. I heard mama and Peep’s mom talking about when we can go again before hunting season. I’m pretty sure we’re going to get one more long walk together soon.

Wait up!

I hope so. Cause Peep and I are champion walkers in the woods kind of dogs. Plus we look good doing it.

Don’t you agree?

Yep. Will pose for food.

September 26, 2015
by dawnkinster 6 Comments

WordPress Photo Challenge: Change

Inevitable.

You can see other responses to this challenge at the original post. Or check out a few of my favorites so far here, here and here.

September 24, 2015
by dawnkinster 7 Comments

Back in the USA – Fort Ticonderoga

It’s a beautiful fort.

On Monday we were back in the United States. In New York State to be exact, and we had a plan. We were going to visit a fort and a set of waterfalls. We figured we could do both in one day. After all, we were becoming experts on forts this trip.

We figured wrong.

We spent the entire day at Fort Ticonderoga. We were there shortly after they opened, and we attended the last talk of the afternoon. The fort is now part of a nonprofit, with an educational mission statement. Each year they present the fort as it might have been in a particular year in history. We saw it as it was in 1755.

Our guide, as a resident of the fort in the mid 1700s.

The stone fort sits on a peninsula of land in Lake Champlain, near the border to Vermont. It was built to control river traffic and it was held by the French first.

Watching over the lake.

Most of the talks we heard were about the French and Indian War which started in 1754. Our guide said that it was actually a war between the British and the French…but since the British won they got to name it, and they named it the French and Indian War, though there were Native Americans fighting on both sides.

There were over 100 cannons in the fort in the mid 1700s. Over the years the fort fell into disrepair and most of it was destroyed during many conquests and losses. Today the cannons on the outside were purchased during the reconstruction of the fort in the 1950s. The blue ones are actually brass and were purchased from a Spanish fort. They are very ornate.

Beautiful cannon handles.

There are only two cannons at the fort today that are original. They are in the center of the fort and seem quite small compared to the cannons out along the edges of the fort.

At home where they should be.

Another interesting thing we learned is that the people providing the information dressed in period costumes live the 1700s soldier life at the fort. Beyond dressing and talking about the period they also eat the food of the period. That can get pretty boring.

Making bread in ovens dug into the clay.

Cooking in ovens dug into the clay.

Apparently the most common food stuffs sent to the fort back then were dried peas, salt pork and wheat for bread. The young man making bread told us he was on week 21 of eating pea soup every day.

There is also a full time shoemaker at the fort. He said he learned the craft through apprenticeship. He makes all the shoes for everyone at the fort, and repairs old shoes.

Making 18th century shoes.

Every soldier would get new clothes once a year. There would not necessarily be a shoemaker at the fort, most soldiers repaired their own clothes.

We also got to watch and learn about different battle techniques.

Ready, set, FIRE!

Then we went on a tour of the fort gardens. The area is located in very fertile farmland, so the fort had a 6 acre farm growing vegetables to augment that pea soup diet.

Beautiful gardens.

Today there is a small vegetable garden growing crops that would have been grown back in the 1700s.

Our garden expert.

Everything that is harvested there is used in the fort restaurant.

In the early 1900s the fort and most of the peninsula was purchased by the Pell family. (Yes the Pell grant family.) They built a summer home near the gardens and began to restore the fort which was in ruins.

Over the years different members of the Pell family worked on the restoration and lived summers on the beautiful land. There was a house garden full of flowers inside a walled garden that is still maintained today.

Pretty inside the walled garden.

The house is falling into disrepair, and the park is working to find funding to preserve it as well.

Fixer-upper.

The last talk of the day wasn’t held in the fort. It was across the lake, up on top of Mount Defiance. During one of the skirmishes someone took two cannons up to the top of that mountain to threaten the fort. It didn’t work…but the mountain was named at least in part because of that act.

The fort stands strong.

The view from the top of the mountain is stunning. You get a birds eye view of the fort and the surrounding country which is filled with rolling hills and farms.

Farmland for as far as you can see.

The talk on top of the mountain was about a specific battle between the British who had 3x as many troops as the French who were defending the fort. The British felt so sure that they could take the fort they had the local Indian chiefs sit up where we sat that day, to watch the battle. It didn’t turn out well for the British, but it’s a long story. I guess you’re just going to have to go visit the fort for yourself. I promise you won’t regret the time spent. I bet you’ll find yourself just like us, lingering, learning, listening.

And imagining.

The view from inside.

September 22, 2015
by dawnkinster 6 Comments

Quebec Province trois

After a day of walking (over 9 miles, 23,000+ steps, 80+ flights of stairs) we decided we needed to do something that did not involve so much activity.

So we drove northeast to the small town of Les Eboulements and stayed at a bed and breakfast. We’ve never stayed at a B&B before, and I felt like I was a visitor in someone’s home. Which I guess we were.

Our B&B, breakfast was fabulous.

In the morning we left after a home cooked breakfast served on the screened porch. We headed up and over the mountains on roads like this:

Roller coaster roads.

We saw many signs warning us of steep downhills. They even gave us the percentage of the grade. The steepest we had was 18%.

Slow down! Put the car in a lower gear! Do not panic!

And though this is moose and whale country, the only moose we saw were these….

There was also a sign that said if a moose destroyed your car, call 511.

…and the only whale was this one at a park in Saguenay which was the furthest north we got.

Whale of a fountain.

We also saw a lot of this….

Stop!

…and had to follow a few of these through road construction sites:

Follow me!

But we also got to see a lot of this…

So peaceful.

…and this…

Covered bridge over Ha! Ha! river.

…and this…

You can’t see me. Right?

…and especially this:

Saguenay’s fiord.

We wished we had time to go further north, it just kept getting prettier. But it was a long day in the car and we were glad to get back to our B&B.

Because in the morning it was time to head south for more adventures.

Stay tuned!

We even got our gas pumped for us!

September 21, 2015
by dawnkinster 11 Comments

Quebec Province deux

When I left you last we were walking around old city Quebec. We had walked to the top a long hill and done a walking tour of the fort. We planned on participating in a walking tour of the city itself, but we were tired. So we walked to the tourist information building and asked the woman what we could do or see that would not involve any more walking.

She looked confused.

Why would we be in Quebec City and not want to walk. She suggested a couple of musee (museums) where we could sit in ‘conditioned air.’ We suggested maybe a boat tour and she perked up saying that was a good idea. So we walked to the boat tour place only to find out the last tour for the day was already headed out.

We really wanted to be in town for dinner and the evening lights. But it was only 2 in the afternoon. We sat in a square for awhile but it felt like we were just sitting to while away the time.

So we decided to drive to some waterfalls we had heard about, even though that would mean giving up our valuable parking spot in town. The falls were only a few miles out of town and we figured the drive would be nice, we could rest, restore, and then come back to town for dinner.

This is what they looked like:

Montmorecy Falls

Yes, you see correctly. Those are stairs to the right headed up to a bridge at the top. You know us right? How many of you think we walked up there even though we had, only an hour before, been looking for something to do that did not involve walking?

A better look at the stairs.

You would be correct. Because if there’s something to do that gets us higher, gets us a view, challenges us….well…

Part of the way to the top.

…then you’ll see us there. Though we did say in 10 years when we are 70 we might just look at it from down below.

Good place to rest.

Maybe. But I wouldn’t count on it.

At the top of the stairs you walk along a long path and finally you get to the bridge.

This thing sways a bit.

Which of course you must walk across. And stop in the middle and stare down at the water rushing past.

And try not to think about it.

On the other side are more stairs to get you closer to the water.

Not doing the zip line. Nope. Nadda. No way.

Yes, that’s a zip line. Lucky for me they closed it for the season at the beginning of September.

By now it was getting late so we went back across the bridge and back down the stairs to the car. Where we came upon a large number of people walking toward the stairs wearing orange hard hats and repelling like gear. A special event of sorts was going on..they were going to use the zip line.

Lucky them.

Gonna walk up a gazillion stairs to fling themselves across a waterfall.

September 20, 2015
by dawnkinster 11 Comments

Quebec City and the Citadelle of Quebec

Le Chateau Frontenac

I promised you a bit of Quebec Province. Let’s start with Quebec City because that’s where everyone starts…oui? (Click on any photo to enlarge it and see more detail.) It’s a romantic city, especially when wandered at night while street artists are singing old tunes, the crowd softly singing along, and couples are dancing nearby. Turns out John Denver’s “City of New Orleans” is so much sweeter when sung in French on a warm fall evening.

Dinner and dancing on a warm fall night.

In the center of the old city is the LaChateau Frontenac hotel, build in 1892-1893. It’s huge, looks like a castle and it looms over the waterfront of the city.

Overwhelming

It’s impressive, but I was more drawn to the simple stone and brick family homes.

Someone lives here.

They all look so warm and inviting and I like to imagine what it must be like to live there in a property so old, in a culture so unlike my own.

I also like the busy commercial streets full of tourists. The row upon row of shops and restaurants each offering something unique or fun or both intrigue people from all over the world.

Busy with tourists.

At one end of town, high up on a hill is a fort. It’s the Citadelle de Quebec, and of course we walked way up there and took the tour. This is our guide.

He spoke fluent French and very good English and knew everything about the fort.

I took this picture because it shows the tour group in his sunglasses. The tour was an hour and a half, and we learned much about the life of the soldiers that lived here, before, during, and after the war of 1812. It’s still an active military base today.

Old and older.

In the above photo you can see the oldest building that survives, built in the 1700s out of field stone, sitting (in this shot) in front of a building made of cut stone built in the 1800s. The older building was the powder magazine, and the outcroppings were there so that if the building exploded the explosion would be absorbed and not injure people in the fort.

Built to protect, even in the 1700s.

From the fort you got a terrific view of the city.

The old city has a boardwalk that runs along the front of it overlooking the water.

Also in town are many churches, two of which are called Notre Dame. We found this small older version on our last night as we were heading for the car.

Beautiful.

It sits in a perfect little square of very old buildings, all lit up at night. That evening, even though we were headed to the car after a very long day having walked over 9 miles and up the equivalent of 80 flights of stairs, (the header photo of this blog is one of the many hills we climbed.) we sat down and just soaked it all in for a bit.

We had already visited the larger version of Notre Dame closer to the center of town.

Statley.

This church is beautiful inside in a way that is different than the Notre Dame church we saw in Montreal.

Reverent.

So there’s a little bit about Quebec City. There’s a whole lot more to see and do in the city. We walked a lot the one full day we had in Quebec. But it wasn’t all in the city. Oh no indeed. I have much more to show you, but it’s time for sleep tonight.

You’ll have to wait for Quebec Part II. I think you’ll be surprised.

The blue house.

September 20, 2015
by dawnkinster 8 Comments

Ouvert

Open

Bonjour,

Fall blew through our open Bed & Breakfast window last night. It’s now a chilly 7.77C (46F).

We are leaving Quebec Province this morning. There is much more to this place than just Quebec City, beautiful as that is. Depending on how late we arrive at our next adventure I will post pictures from the city. And later I will find time to show you around other beautiful places here .

Promise.

On the way to Somewhere Else.

September 18, 2015
by dawnkinster 1 Comment

WordPress Photo Challenge: Grid

Evening in an office building near old town Montreal.

Surrounded by structures built in the 1800s this window stood out one evening.

You can see many other interpretations at the original post. Or check out a few of my favorites (so far anyway) here, here and here.

And don’t miss this one, it’s a little different!

You have until next Friday to show us the grids near and dear to your heart. I’d love to see what you come up with!

Card catalog at the Parliamentary library in Ottawa Ontario.

September 17, 2015
by dawnkinster 21 Comments

A little Montreal

Old City Montreal.

I’m getting behind again, I can just feel it. So many photos, so little time. Let me try to give you the abbreviated version of what we saw in Montreal. You already saw two places in yesterday’s Wordless Wednesday; the Notre Dame church and the City Hall, both lit up during the night.

We enjoyed walking around the old city in the lovely warm night air, listening to musicians singing and playing instruments, the notes echoing from the beautiful buildings up into the starlit night.

As we wandered the narrow streets many restaurant and bar windows were open, the customers turning into advertisements for the fare inside.

Waiting for a table or just enjoying a drink?

Evening darkened the square in front of Notre Dame; a horse and buggy team stopped for a rest and a chat.

Break time.

We had a wonderful dinner at this restaurant and I loved how the lights were glowing as we walked back out into the street.

Warm light on a warm evening.

Then we wandered down by the river, enjoying the lit buildings as we people watched the other tourists.

More lights.

In the morning we walked one last time through the narrow streets. There weren’t so many people out and about as the night before.

Out for a morning stroll…or on their way to work?

We stopped to see the inside of the Notre Dame Church. It’s spectacular.

Awe inspiring.

Then we headed over to the Biospehere, the old Expo 67 United States Pavalion which is now a museum discussing how humans have changed the world’s ecosystem.

Memories of 1967

It wasn’t all good news. There are several exhibits including one that snows and rains on you. Another one has designer clothes made out of material that had been headed for a landfill.

Wonder what’s in that purse?

For all my dog friends, this dress was made out of what appear to be doggie bags…and not the kind you get at a restaurant. If you know what I mean.

But the best part about visiting the Biosphere was sitting out on the deck up top and looking at the Montreal skyline through the structure of the sphere.

There’s a nice cool breeze up here.

The skyline was pretty….but soon enough we had to move on.

Quite the view.

Gotta get some sleep. Tomorrow is Quebec.

Change Is Hard

…but change is certain.

Tag Archives: fall