Me, My Car, My Travel Mug - A Trip Report
I'm back in the hot, humid city after a few glorious days of cool fresh air along the east coast of New Brunswick and the St. Lawrence. There's so much to report! Here are some of the highlights (be warned, it's a bit long) ...
Savoie Family Reunion
Although the weather didn't cooperate much, we got just enough clear skies to stargaze and walk on the beach. When it rained, we simply made due by dancing in the garage, hopping from one trailer awning to another (a.k.a. awning-hopping), sipping coffee inside the campers, looking at old pictures and storytelling. Each year I discover something new about my relatives ... this year I found out that a few of them recorded an LP for $3 way back when. Who knew!
Miscou Island, NB
This is a little piece of Heaven. Here's a map of the northeastern tip of NB. The reunion was in Tabusintac, about halfway between Miramichi and Tracadie-Sheila. On my way back to Ottawa, I drove all the way up the coast to the very tip of Miscou Island, at the end of road #113. The unspoiled beach, the sound of the waves rolling in and the salty air were intoxicating. I spent almost two hours there; I didn't want to leave.
Note: if you scroll down the map just a little below Miramichi, you'll see Saint-Louis-de-Kent. That's where I grew up. :)
Ferry to Quebec's North Shore and Charlevoix Region, QC
On Day 2 of my return trip, on a whim, I decided to take the ferry that crosses the St. Lawrence from Rivière-du-Loup on Quebec's south shore, to St-Siméon on the north shore, located in the Charlevoix region. What a treat. During the 65-minute ferry ride I saw seabirds, Charlevoix's rugged coastline, and I even saw some whales! The drive through the Charlevoix region was just as stunning. I can't wait to go back. Maybe in the fall, or maybe even sooner ...
These are just a few honourable mentions from the past week. A solo trip has its challenges, but it also has its perks. I chose to follow my intuition where it wanted to take me, and there's something to be said about experiencing that type of freedom. For those few days it was just me, my car, and my travel mug.
Crying Towels?
"Our towels and washcloths have a very close relationship with one another. When one disappears the others are all very sad. Since you want drying towels instead of crying towels, please do not depress our towels and washcloths by taking one."
This was written on a card in my room at the Atlantic Host Hotel. It just cracked me up so much I had to share.
Odds & Ends III
Bluesfest Comes To An End
Bluesfest is over. I had a blast. During 10 gorgeous consecutive summer evenings, with a few sunny afternoons thrown in, I caught over 30 live acts. My favourite things? The music, the dancing, and the proximity to my home. My favourite acts? Too many to list. Do I plan to do it again next year? You betcha!
An Interesting Evening Of Discussion
The people: 4 food-loving, conversation-hungry individuals
The place: The Black Cat Café. Eclectic, exquisite, expensive. They have TVs built into their washroom floors.The food: Cucumber gazpacho with grated Granny Smith apple; Buffalo mozzarella on sourdough with sun-dried tomato vinaigrette, black olive purée and pine nuts; Vanilla-cinnamon ice cream experience for dessert.
The subject: Society and the Civil Space
The outcome: Piqued interest in the concept of rationalizing individual freedoms with the constraints of social responsibility; a potential read called The Dialectic of Freedom, by Maxine Greene; the discovery of a new fruit: lichee.
Me, My Car, My Travel MugI'm making the trek to New Brunswick for a weekend family reunion full of music, merrymaking, and lots & lots of love. I can't wait to see everyone. While I'm down there, I might take a few detours to relax, explore new places and get my fix of salty sea air. I'm looking forward to it. I'll tell you all about it when I get back. Right now I have to go pack! :)
Bluesfest: Highlights and Regrets So Far
Street Parking Blues
During the past few months, I've been getting used to the perils of street parking: a ding here, a scratch there. Heck I've even come to accept it as part of the urban living experience. However, this last one has me reeling. Someone decided to pry off the letters spelling out the word CIVIC, on the back of my car. That ain't no accident, it's just vandalism, and it's intentional. Not cool. It has me singin' the Street Parking Blues.
Bluesfest Going Green
Given the subject of my previous post, I want to point out an initiative that's doing good things for our planet. Bluesfest has decided to go green this year and I'm liking it. Two things have really impressed me: - the use of compostable beer cups made from corn, that are disposed of in tube-shaped contraptions called cupsuckers hooked onto regular trash cans, and
- the use of Biodiesel to run the festival's on-site generators.
That's a lot of beer cups, and a lot of generated power! Kudos to them.
An Inconvenient Truth
If you haven't seen Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth yet and it's playing at a theatre near you, go see it. It's an engaging documentary that's informative, scary, funny, and serves as a much needed reminder to stop taking our planet for granted, if not for us, for our children, our nieces, our nephews, and humanity. It's an eye-opener that left me hopeful but slightly overwhelmed. I need time to process it and see what comes. The least I can do is tell people about it. Go see it.
Post-Canada Day Post
A friend pointed out to me that I hadn't posted anything about my first Canada Day experience as an urban dweller. Hm. I guess I was so enthralled with Sunday's Jamie Cullum concert that I jumped right into that. :)
Canada Day was good, but ironically, a little more quiet than I would've preferred. I spent most of the day on my own, strolling between the Byward Market and Major's Hill Park where I got to see some really good Canadian talent:
Buck 65
K'naan (my second time seeing him - really like his stuff!)
Joël Fafard
Stephen Fearing
Blackie & the Rodeo Kings
La Volée d'CastorsI also got introduced to the Six String Nation guitar. Check it out!I enjoyed my solo time, but despite being surrounded by thousands of people, I still felt lonely at times. So happily, later that evening, Sis was game enough to brave the crowds and venture downtown to watch the fireworks. YAY!
I feel fortunate to live in the nation's capital and have the biggest Canada Day party at my doorstep. It shouldn't be taken for granted. All & all, even if a little tamer than hoped for, my first Canada Day as an urban dweller gets two thumbs up.
Shhhhh...
It's unusually quiet out there today. Maybe the city's taking a nap after its weekend of Canada Day partying. The only sound I hear is the whirring of a lawn mower. I feel like I'm back in the suburbs. Feels weird. Restful, but weird.
Jazzfest Ends On A High
Tonight I caught the last, and what I deem one of the best, headliner concerts in this year's Jazz Festival lineup. Jamie Cullum is amazing. He sings a song like no other (including an abbreviated rendition of Pussycat Dolls' Don't Cha - acappella) and he entertains the crowd with an infinite energy that's simply contagious. If ever you get a chance to see this guy in person, my goodness fork over the money and go!
For over two hours, he had us mesmerized. During slow smoky jazzy ballads we were so silent you could've heard a pin drop. During high-tempo chaotic Latin grooves, he had us on our feet, jumping up & down. I'm hooked. I'll be buying his CD.Out of all the concerts I've enjoyed during the festival, this one tops my list. Maybe it was the ambience created by the stars and the moon above, maybe it was Cullum's smooth voice and messy hair, or maybe it's how he jumped up on his baby grand and belted out the tunes ... Whatever it was, in my books, Jazzfest definitely ended on a high.
Happy Canada Day Eh?
Happy Canada Day!I'm slowly waking up and getting ready to enjoy my first Canada Day in the Nation's Capital as an urban dweller. What convenience to have one's apartment as a home base in the midst of all the festivities! I'm still not sure what I feel like doing, but knowing I'm a short walk from it all makes it a lot easier to play everything by ear. I figure my first stop will be coffee. :)
