Happy Canada Day from Quebec City!

Greetings from Quebec City! I can't think of a better way to celebrate the eve of Canada Day than being in this beautiful city. I am writing this blog from our room at the Chateau Frontenac, in the turret portion of our room. So cool to have this amazing view of the majestic Fleuve St-Laurent, the old harbour and City of Quebec. 

We arrived early Friday afternoon. We've been here so often that we know our way around although it's been about 10 years since our last visit. Not much has changed. It's nice to see that some of our favorite places are still around. We spent a good amount of time on Les Plaines d'Abraham taking in the views. The Chateau Frontenac claims to be the most photographed hotel in the world. Not surprising, the sites of the hotel are amazing no matter where you stand....as you will attest from our photos. 

Last night, we had dinner at our favorite restaurant Le St-Amour. It was delicious! Delicate and refined french cuisine at its best. It was a lovely and romantic evening.

At noon today, we will be going on a cruise that will take us to the starting point of the Transat Quebec St-Malo sailboat race. "It was in 1984, on the occasion of the 450th anniversary of the first voyage of explorer Jacques Cartier to the Gulf of St. Lawrence, that the very first Transat Quebec St-Malo race took place. Since then, the race has brought together, every four years, dozens of the fastest sailboats in the world and hundreds of crew members from all over the planet" (taken from Quebec government page). It is the oldest ocean race from west to east, non-stop and crewed. We are lucky enough to be here for that event so we will watch it from a chartered boat cruise. Very cool!

Despite the weather forecast which was calling for rain all weekend long, we've had good weather except for rain last night. Russell was able to use his drone and take some cool photos. 

We go home tomorrow. The rest of our week will be spent on getting ready for the arrival of Merlot and Sherlock. It's been five months since our Cooper and Spicy left us. They have taught us that we have so much love to give, so that is what we will be doing, always keeping our duo in our hearts.

I leave you with photos from Quebec City and a few throwback pics of Coop and Spicy. Happy Canada Day everyone and have a wonderful week!

Drone photo of the majestic Chateau.

Cooper and Spicy, side by side
July 1, 2022.

Happy Canada Day from Spicy and Cooper
from Edgewater park, July 1, 2023.

Canadian flag proudly flies over  Les
Plaines d'Abraham.

Iconic images of Quebec.

A night scene captured from our room turret.

Nothing better than a selfie on Les Plaines
d'Abraham.

A City full of steeples.

A distant view of the Chateau.

The Chateau dominates the landscape.

Majestic from every point of view.

The boardwalk, cannons, Canadian flag
and the Chateau.

Umbrellas adorn Rue du Cul-de
Sac...quaint perfection.

Hello Summer 2024!

Happy Sunday everyone! We are getting some much needed rain this morning. Our beautiful grass was starting to turn brown, too soon in the season for that to happen. We have a rainfall warning so it will help water everything that needs watering.

This past week was good although very hot, for us and many others. For two days, we stayed in the house. Once in a while, I stepped on the deck only to get right back in the house. We put out many water bowls for the birds and squirrels. They thanked us. Late Thursday afternoon,  the heat broke and we were able to sit out. 

We saw our boys Merlot and Sherlock last weekend at the Brome conformation show. It was so nice to see them again. On Sunday morning, we took them for a walk around the fairgrounds. They get along so well. We are starting to uncover their personality.  They will bring so much joy and laughter into our lives, not to mention love 💕 We bring them home on July 8. We can't wait! 

The end of the hockey season is tomorrow night. The Edmonton Oilers have forced a winner-take-all game. They are one win away from rewriting some NHL history after losing the first three games to the Panthers. With a win, they would join the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs as the only Canadian teams to lose the first three games of the final and go on to win the Stanley Cup. We will be spending our St-Jean-Baptiste night watching a Canadian hockey team possibly win the Stanley Cup!  Can you tell how excited I am? Go Oilers Go!

We're off to Quebec City later this week for a little getaway. We haven't been in years. We look forward to it. We will be staying at Le Chateau Frontenac. Saturday, we will have dinner at our favorite restaurant Le St-Amour. The other nights, we will just wing it. Quebec City doesn't lack restaurants 😋 

I leave you with a few photos from Brome, some cute throwback pics of our Cooper and Spicy and a close up of our basil in the trug. It is magnificent. I also took a photo of a sweet gift that was sent to our boys from Stella the Havanese. Merlot and Sherlock don't know that they already have some friends out there! Doggies can never have enough toys or good friends. Have a great week everyone!

The basil in the VegTrug is looking very 
succulent!

Merlot going through the routine in the breed
showdown at the Brome conformation show.

Sherlock on the grooming table just before his
entry into the ring.

The boys ready to hit the ring and strut their
stuff.

A nice walk on the fairground at the Brome
conformation show....they walk very well
together.

Spicy and Cooper ever alert on the 
deck...August 27, 2021.

Spicy brought her chew everywhere 
August 27, 2021.

Cooper in a moment of reflection
on his chair...June 11, 2023.

Stella generously sent along some special toys
for Sherlock and Merlot...they will have plenty
of toys to keep them busy!

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Sunday everyone! We want to wish all the dads and doggie/pet dads out there a Happy Father's Day! A special loving thought to those dads who are no longer with us. Ours may be gone but they are forever in our hearts. Russell misses sharing this day with Cooper and Spicy. They are also forever in our hearts 💕

This week's edition of my Sunday blog comes directly from Brome, Quebec. This is the last day of the St-Francis Kennel & Obedience Club Conformation show. Of course, we are here to support our boys Merlot & Sherlock. It's been a great weekend and it is so nice to see them again. They are such sweet doggies 💓 Photos to come in next week's blog. Russell and I stayed overnight. Another little getaway in a cute part of Quebec.

This past week was busy and went by too quickly. Our weather was good, a bit on the cool side. A heat wave is on the way for the next few days....highs of 35 on Tuesday!

Russell got a cortisone shot in his left  knee last Wednesday. This is his last shot until knee replacement surgery, still scheduled for between December and March. He has to be four months free of cortisone before surgery.  He is seeing a huge difference already and it will make for some pain-free walks for our upcoming trip to Quebec City, not to mention the many walks that we will take with our pooches in the coming months.

That's my blog for today. We have to get ready for the last show of the day which starts at 10 am. We want to get there early so we can play with our boys first. We should be home mid afternoon. 

I leave you with some throwback photos of Russell, Cooper & Spicy. It is Father's Day after all. To all the dads, may your day be a special one! Have a great week!

Nothing better than some time spent on a stump
with his human Dad, in Huntsville
March 24, 2015

Always a joy to find a park bench with Spicy and 
Cooper at Edgewater Park, December 27, 2020

Happy Father's Day with Russell's posse....
June 17, 2023

Spicy loved keeping an eye on the 
trick or treaters...Halloween
October 31, 2022

Father's Day on the back deck with Cooper
June 17, 2017 (before the Spicy era)

A wintery walk with Spicy and 
Cooper....November 17, 2019

Apple picking time, Spicy and Cooper loved to
romp in the orchard, September 24, 2020

Race Day!

Happy Sunday everyone! Looks like it will be a cloudy day for us. Let's hope the rain holds off until later today. The Formula 1 Grand Prix is scheduled to get under way at 2 pm. Montreal has been buzzing with festivities since Friday. 

This past week was good and busy. Our preparations to welcome Merlot and Sherlock are well under way. We've been shopping for dog stuff! It's very exciting. Just a little over four weeks now.

On Thursday, we went to Montebello and met up with Russell's second cousin Candy and her husband Art.  Russell was 10 when he last saw her.  He found her on Ancestry a few years ago and they have been in touch ever since. Getting together in person was truly wonderful. We had lots to talk about. Candy brought photos of a family get together in Oka in 1993 which included Russell's parents. Such nice memories to have. We stayed at the Chateau Montebello overnight.  It is such a beautiful place with so much history. 

Our garden is growing fast this year. The herbs in the VegTrug are huge. I'm using them in recipes but I can't keep up with the growth. It's crazy. 

This month is going by very quickly. We are quite busy and it seems that there are not enough days to do all the things we want to do. This coming weekend, we will be attending another dog show in Brome. We will get to see our boys in action. Sherlock is 4 points away from his Canadian Championship. Merlot has his. It will be fun to see them again. They are such cuties.

My brother had hernia surgery on Thursday. We visited with him yesterday. He looks good and seems to be recovering nicely. We will have the family over for a barbecue this Summer. They will get to meet our doggies!

It was seventeen weeks ago last Friday that we said goodbye to Cooper and Spicy. Sometimes, it feels like yesterday. We miss them always. We are grateful for all the photos and videos that we took over the years. They make for wonderful memories that we will always cherish 💕

That's my blog for today. Have a great week everyone! We wish the F1 drivers a safe and successful race this afternoon. 

Russell and his cousin Candy.

A group photo with Art, Candy, Russell and me
in front of the massive six sided fireplace.

This six sided fireplace is 80 feet 
tall and very imposing.

The shopping checklist is getting shorter...
name tags and first toy - done!

Spicy and Cooper taking a break at the 
Edgewater Park - August 1, 2017.

The course with cones was all set
for the dynamic duo jumpers, this
moment captured on June 24, 2021.

Just popping up to say 'hi', got any treats for us?
June 8, 2022.

Hello June!

Happy Sunday everyone! Here we are at the start of a brand new month. Next month will bring the arrival of Merlot and Sherlock! 

This past week was good. Russell took advantage of the nice weather to fly his new DJI drone. He sold the old one and replaced it with a much lighter version, weighs only 249 grams, below the limit for requiring a licence to fly it. He's been practicing in our backyard and will take it to the waterfront soon. It takes beautiful photos. 

We went to the old Montreal on Friday for a little overnight getaway. We stayed at the William Gray Hotel. It did not disappoint. Perfectly located, with great views. We had a long leisurely lunch at the roof top restaurant followed by a walk in the Old Port. We then hopped on La Grande Roue for a 30 minute ride and enjoyed the views of the city from 60 meters in the air. It was spectacular! We ended our day by dining at the Modavie restaurant and enjoyed a night of live music. It was a nice getaway and it was fun to play tourists in our own city. We returned home yesterday morning and spent the rest of the day recovering. The joys of getting old 😏

Another busy week on the way. We are going to Montebello later this week to have lunch with Russell's cousin. He hasn't seen her in at least 40 years. It promises to be a fun reunion. We will be staying overnight at the Chateau Montebello and take in the sights of this lovely area of our province. 

That's my blog for today. I leave you with some drone and Montreal photos, and of course, a few throwback pics of Cooper and Spicy 💕

Have a great week everyone!

View from our room on the 8th floor of the 
William Gray Hotel - photo taken by me at
4:30 AM...I'm an early riser 

View from our room, photo taken at 10:30 PM.

Street scene on Rue St. Paul in the 
Old Port of Montreal.

La Grande Roue de Montreal, the 
tallest ferris wheel in Canada opened
September 2017.

A selfie on top of the ferris wheel.

DJI drone first flight.

...looks like a flying bug, with 360 degree
collision avoidance.

Our backyard, drone view from 40 meters
up looking straight down. 

Spicy and Cooper loved to sit on the bench
in the backyard, photo from July 4, 2017.

Russell, Cooper and me as I volunteered
with flower planting in Huntsville,
photo taken June 2, 2015.

The Duo always available as BBQ
taste testers, June 29th, 2019