Happy Halloween!

Happy Sunday to all and Happy Halloween tomorrow!  May it be a fun and safe day for all.  This will actually be Cooper's first Halloween where he will experience the sound of the door bell ringing and kids of all ages trick-or-treating.  In Huntsville, we had none of that.  First of all, we had no door bell, second, no kids would ever venture up our private road.  Way too spooky.  We expect a lot of activity based on what we've been told and everyone on our street has decorated their house.  We have enough candies and we have a pumpkin that Russell carved this afternoon.  This is the second pumpkin that we bought.  The first one was eaten by the squirrels.  No joke.  Pretty well every pumpkin on the street has been chewed by squirrels.  We will keep ours in the garage until tomorrow night.  As for the Coop,  we will keep a close eye on him.  We don't want him to get spooked by the kids and we also don't want him to escape through the front door. So, Russell will manage the door and I will manage the Coopster.

This past week was quiet.  I helped my parents take care of the funeral details for my aunt, which will be held this coming Wednesday.  The forecast is looking beautiful for that day.  I find everything is so much better when the sun shines.

I started Obedience training with Cooper yesterday morning.  It was a good class and very good for him to be in that environment.  From past experience, I knew that Cooper wouldn't want to stay still for too long while the instructor explained what to do so my challenge was to tell him to be patient and that he will get to perform soon....he did pretty well. I guess the high value treats helped a lot. We look forward to the next six weeks. Now, we have some homework to do this week.

It's hard to believe that November is just around the corner.  It certainly doesn't feel like it, the weather has been so nice.  Soon, it will be all about Christmas.

In this week's blog, I'm including some photos of Russell taken at the gym, which I think are pretty good.  He is doing really well with his trainer.  He has noticed a big improvement in the joint issues that he's been having and this is all because of his hard work and his trainer Melissa. Good for you Russell.  I'm proud of my hubby.

Have a great week everyone!

Happy Halloween...Cooper hopes everyone
gets lots of treats!

The pumpkin destroying bandit!

Russell and Melissa taking a small
photo-op break.

Back to work...single arm
chest presses on the stability ball
for extra ab work!

A blustery kind of day

Happy Sunday everyone!  We are finally getting some sun after three days of non stop rain but it is windy out there.  The leaves are virtually gone.  I'm glad we went looking for great colours last week, not much left to see now.  Can't complain about the rain though, we've had such a beautiful Summer and Fall.

This past week was good and fairly busy.  Sadly though, Friday morning brought the unexpected passing of my aunt Aline, my mom's older sister.  She was 91 years young.  She had a good long life and she has now rejoined her beloved husband Camille.  My aunt was just about to move to a retirement home where she would have gotten the help and care that she was so longing for. She was barely able to live by herself and each day became a struggle.  Her little heart finally gave out and she is now at peace.  Those are tough times for my mom as she lost her younger sister back in June and one of her best friends in July.  All I can say is that I'm glad that we now live closer to my parents.  It brings them, and me, comfort and that's a good thing.  My mom is grateful that her older sister passed away peacefully.  I am also grateful that I got to see her on August 25. I thought I would include a photo that I took of her that day. I will always have beautiful memories of her.  My brother came over for dinner Friday night and we had a toast to tante Aline.  She will be missed.

Well, it seems that our last connection to Ontario is now gone.  We finally changed the licence plate for Russell's car to a Quebec plate.  We have our health care cards and drivers license.  I guess that now makes us Quebecois?

A friend and former work colleague, Diane, came over for lunch on Wednesday.  It was really nice to see her again.  She brought Cooper a toy that he just loves.  And what is actually quite impressive, is that the toy is still intact!  Coop says thank you.

We now have a snow contract in place for our driveway and walkway.  We were waiting to see what the neighbours would do and it seems that pretty well everyone on our street and in the neighbourhood is using the same company. So we got a quote and and decided to go ahead with them. All that's left to do in preparation for Winter is to get me some snow tires.  In Quebec, snow tires are mandatory.  No choice in the matter.

That's it for my blog today.  It's a quiet Sunday.  Russell is watching football and Cooper is napping/waiting for dinner.  It was a slow week for photos so I include just a few.  Have a great week everyone!

The newly planted Japanese maple is fire red!

Cooper catching 40 winks during all the rain these past
few days.

Diane and Anne pause for a photo opportunity
while catching up.

Tante Aline, a graceful Lady to the end.

A colourful time of year

Happy Sunday everyone!  Not a pretty day, with the rain and even thunder this morning, but the cloudy skies make the leaves look even more colourful.

We just got back from a drive to St-Lazare and Hawkesbury.  We went to St-Lazare to check out the events that were going on at a place called Guides Canins.  The events were hosted by the Lakeshore Dog Training Association for its members and consisted of Fun Matches as well as some various Obedience Trials. We just wanted to see what it was all about since I plan on becoming a member of the Association as soon as I complete the Obedience Training with Cooper.  A huge thank you goes to Lillian, who is a member, for telling me about it and inviting us to go.  It was very good exposure for the Coop, surrounded by all kinds of dogs, all of them perfectly trained (or almost).  We were told by one of the instructors that Cooper was behaving very well in the environment that he was in. We were happy to hear this.

After the trip to St-Lazare, we carried on to Hawkesbury, Ontario, to pick up some wine that we had ordered....and to gas up (45 minutes from home).  Yep, wine and gas are much cheaper in Ontario. Back to this colourful time of year.  Despite the rain, at times quite heavy, we noticed how brilliant the colours were along the highway.  Such a beautiful time of year.

On that note, we spent most of our week checking out the colours.  On Tuesday, we discovered a park close to home, Bois de l'Ile Bizard, which is a nature park.  It has lots of trails, all year long. We plan on getting a Winter pass.  A nice place for walking and the leaves were at their peak, although mostly yellow in colour.

On Wednesday, we went to Mont-Tremblant.  Another beautiful drive and the colours were at their peak also.  We found out that dogs are not allowed on the Mont Tremblant provincial park trails, which is a real shame, but dogs are allowed in the Tremblant Village.  So, we walked in the village and had fun just the same.  I have to say that, aside from the picturesque village, Cooper was quite the attraction...so many people wanted to pat him and feel him out.  Three lovely Japanese women even asked for a photo of Cooper with the three of them.  Of course, Coop was more than happy to oblige! It was a great day and I'm glad that we went when we did.  With the rain today, and more this week, the leaves are just about ready to drop.

It was a good week all in all, and the weather couldn't have been better.  We finally found the patio heater that we were looking for so we have been enjoying longer times on the deck.  Not ready to give up deck time yet.

That does it for my blog this week.  Another busy week on the horizon for us but it's all good.  A friend and former colleague is coming for lunch on Wednesday.  I look forward to it and Coop cannot wait to meet Diane!  I wish you all a great week.  Enjoy this beautiful Fall that we are having.

Fall colour in Mt Tremblant village.

Anne and Cooper taking a little break.

The gondola going up Mt Tremblant...dogs not allowed..we tried

Find the chalet tucked away amongst the trees.

A panorama of the Mt Tremblant village.

Bois de l"Ile Bizard,
wonderful colours and blue sky.

Thanksgiving wishes!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  Our weather is nice, a little on the cool side, but a beautiful Fall day just the same.  There is no denying it, the colder air is on its way.  We have a frost advisory in effect for tonight. Yikes, I think I'm still in denial when it comes to Summer being over.  Here I am, sitting on our deck, writing my blog with my Uggs on and a thick fleece.  A nice roaring fire would be nice just about now....that is one of the many things that we miss from our former home in Huntsville.  Sigh.

All is good with us.  We got back home from our New York trip on Monday afternoon with the Coop in tow.  It's always good to get away but always so nice to come back home.  The weather last week was just spectacular and we took advantage of it by going for nice walks, trying to find Fall colours in the neighbourhood.  The Fall colour report now shows that the leaves are almost at peak in the Laurentians and Mont Tremblant.  We plan on going this week.

Our landscaping was completed on Tuesday.  We planted a few new shrubs and put down some sod in some areas where the grass was damaged.  We will leave the perennial planting for next year. We are happy with what we've done.  I will take some photos this week.

We had my parents over for lunch on Friday.  The weather was so nice and warm that we ate outside. It was a nice get together.  We will see them tomorrow.  Today, Russell, Cooper and I are enjoying a little celebration of our own.  I just put a small turkey in the oven.  The Coop is not far from the kitchen and will be ready for a little taste at dinner.

Not much else is going on.  Now that our landscaping is done, we don't have anything else to do to the house except install the shutters which should come in the next couple of weeks.  Then we will start thinking about Christmas.....this is the last long weekend before the big day!

I leave you with some photos that Russell took at the 9/11 Memorial.  The ones with the roses by the Reflecting Pools are very symbolic: a rose is placed next to the name of each victim on their birthday. On that particular day, we saw a volunteer doing just that, then he took a photo which is included in the National 9/11 Memorial blog.  Very touching.   I also include a few photos that we took while walking on the L'Escapade trail in Rigaud.

That's it for this week's blog.  Enjoy the day and have a great week!

One of the twin Reflecting pools at the 9/11 Memorial.

A 9/11 volunteer places a rose at the name of a victim to
mark their birthday.

A solemn moment.

Momentos of significance adorn the parapet at the name
places of victims.

The Foundation Hall,
7 stories below ground level.

One of the steel pillars salvaged from a
Tower in the Foundation Hall. 

The slurry retaining wall which still holds back the Hudson
River from entering the Foundation Hall.

Fall colour, or lack of,  as seen from Mt. Rigaud.

Cooper wishing for his dreams to come true on the dream
catchers on L'Escapade trail with Anne.

Cooper and Russell hugging a tree on the trail in Rigaud.

Fall colour in Hudson!

Back on Canadian soil

Hello everyone!  A quick blog today. We flew back from NYC at noon and have been busy ever since.  In a little while, we are off to Oakville to have dinner with our good friends the Lulhams. Looking forward to another great evening!

Russell and I had a great mini vacation in New York, the city that truly never sleeps.  Case in point, the Apple Store is open 24/7... no, we didn't go there in the middle of the night but I would love to know who shops or window shops at the Apple Store during the night. What a vibrant city it is!

We had a wonderful getaway.  Great food, great wines and great times.  The highlight of our trip was truly the visit to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.  It was simply overwhelming so words cannot really describe our emotions during the visit.  We will post photos in next week's blogs and I will write more about it.

Our next highlight was to indulge in some Oreo Beignets at Rue 57 Bistro, one of our favorite restaurants for lunch.  Yum, they were decadent.

That is it for this week's blog.  More next week about our trip and photos.  Tomorrow morning, we pick up our pooch and then drive back to Montreal.  We missed Cooper a whole lot, as always, but we followed his antics through Darlah's blog so we know he was also having a great time.  Have a great week everyone!

Deep fried Oero's anyone....yummy chez Rue 57!

Here is looking at you....in the Big Apple!