Quebec | dymoonblog

A fine WordPress.com site

Posts tagged ‘Quebec’

The good the bad and the ugly

Beautiful isn’t it, the Laurentian Mountains, Quebec, Canada. The National Geographic posted this picture of the Laurentian Mountains, you can read more about this cottage mecca on travel.nationalgeographic.com. This is where the family cottage is, so this was our destination yesterday. We looked forward to the trip, it had been awhile since we had made the journey even though it is only about a 2 hour drive from where we live.

This is the kind of view that we have from the deck of the cottage, however, there is no other cottage in front of us, it is a drop over a cliff to the water’s edge. The only way to the cottage is to boat across or to walk around the bay. The car has to be parked along a road that soon will be barred from any vehicles, and then one crosses over and enters dense bush and forested area where a trail has been made over the years that is really only a foot path. A footpath that has eroded over time leaving pockets of mud, wet slippery rocks, and the need for a rope to help guide you up the steep incline of the mountain that has over the years, become less stable, and requires a mountain goat’s instinct to maneuver.

This looks more appealing, at least there are no bugs in your face, no tree branches hitting you, or mud pockets that will suck your shoes off if you land in one. I should mention, that some kind person had laid down the odd 2×4 to use, a la tight rope walking so you could move balancing one foot in front of the other, as you move across some of the very wet areas.

The rope was kind of like this one, except there was no one to guide or help you if you slipped. The actual rope that was there, my husband later informed me that when it had initially appeared, they had to use gloves to haul themselves up on it. No I had not been prepared for this, I had to use my bare hands.

Ok so I have exaggerated somewhat, maybe more than a bit, but to me that 10- 15 minutes in the bush, was not my cup of tea. the drive up was super fantastic, the visit with “family” at the cottage was excellent. The fresh air and the quiet exhilarating. Seeing little chipmunks up close and hearing the loons, loved it., My thoughtful sister in law rowing me back across the river with one of the dogs, a god’send. Got to experience it all.. the good, the bad and the ugly.. Quebec is a beautiful Province. I loved the adventure, I slept like a baby!

Namaste – Oyashikiri

Category:

Uncategorized

Tagged with:

ole’ Mac…had a farm, e -i- e- i -O

Ever have a conversation with a cow. If the cow is at all interested in what you have to say, it can be very rewarding, you get their full attention, and maybe just maybe they will nod or moo to acknowledge they’ve heard what you’ve had to say. Often they will simply flick their tail and walk away, never-the -less, it will be an honest reaction to you and or your words. Nor will you give much thought to how much you said they understood, nor will you really care. You met you exchanged a brief connection and you then both went on your way, having enjoyed that moment, but life moves on. no more.. no less.

You love to fish, swim, isn’t this dock and the setting a beckoning sight. I could place a deck chair right smack in the middle there and just sit and drink in the moment. The photographer when they took this picture I’m sure heard crickets, frogs and skeeters. Even the gentle plop of a fish breaking surface, see the small ripples.

My biking friends will enjoy seeing this old classic by photographer Gordon Calder of a Triumph T20 Tiger Cub. If you have ever ridden a motorbike through the back roads in the hills of Tennessee or the hills and valleys of the Gatineau Hills. You will appreciate how valuable a well tuned engine is. Gordon Calder has taken a series of pictures of motors, if you like this picture, you will enjoy his other beauties. (Flickr)

Most of us, know or remember the Old MacDonald had a farm song. For me it reminds me of a time of innocence and playtime. No other association comes to mind. But, other songs, and music can elicit other emotions and feelings from me. Bob Marley said “one good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain”…. in one sense. … music when you are tuned in, and it connects, it does so in a way that can be heart wrenching or joyful, and true we can drown in the moment and resurface without pain, but we do feel it.

Whatever is happening in our world today, thanks for stopping by and sharing this moment with me. This last photograph was posted by Celia M. Paulo it was taken in Vietnam, posted on Pinterest. I wanted to show you another side of Vietnam, one that the is rarely shown on the news and in newspapers. Vietnam is a place of beauty. There is undiscovered beauty in all of us. Oyashikiri

Category:

Uncategorized

Tagged with:

Change of plans

Thanks to my sister, I had a great walk on the Quebec side of the river today, Yes it rained off and on, but it didn’t deter us from our mission. For her it was “must” stop at Tim Horton’s for toast and coffee. When you drive everywhere, it was a nice change to do this little “hike” from my Mother’s to the Timmy’s down the way. Walking I found that there was a little creek that runs along the sidewalk. AND, that we were actually walking uphill and that by car, it is much easier =^_^=.

The first part of our walk had us in a big box store shopping center. However the walk home was through one of the trails in the Gatineau Parkway. The Gatineau Park lands extend for miles and miles, it was nice to see so many runners, walkers, and bikers out enjoying the day. For me I was thrilled at being in the woodlands, hearing last year’s fallen leaves crunch under foot when I trekked off trail to inspect a tree that caught my fancy. Seeing my first butterfly of the season!

In the summer once the leaves are full, and the ground cover has risen to its full height, many of the treasures being discovered today will be hidden from view. The skies were mostly overcast, so the pictures are showing you the day as it was. It was beautiful, quiet,the earth had just enough moisture in it to give us that earthy smell that can be so intoxicating.

I could spend hours marveling at the way the decay in this tree is unfolding into a work of natural beauty. The insects, bugs,birds,worms, and of course the elements all have had a go at putting their imprint on the tree.

These ducks were swimming about in the pond till we came along. I stopped to take pictures and the casually swam towards us and walked up to the walk where we were standing.

How cool was that. The whole day was perfect…. I got to spent time with my sister who is here for a visit.. walking, talking and just enjoying the day. Something we have not done in years. It didn’t matter the forecast was for cloudy skies and rain, being together was sunshine and the rainbow in my day. I hope you all had a great day too.

photographs -Q

Hull,Quebec (Gatineau)

Category:

Uncategorized

Tagged with:

Buenos dias, bonjour, c’est jeudi matin!

Thursday and the start of the spring season. LOL Mother Nature is still not decided in our neck of the woods. We are going to have a mixed bag of weather. No matter, I’m sure there will be a lot for us to enjoy and friends to greet, new places to explore. What is on your agenda today?

I just heard a car drive by, it sounds wet out there, the snow must have turned to rain, just like it was predicted. The drive to work today could be very sloppy, not to mention slippery in places. Today’s lesson in Pl is about how we do things, how we use materials and events to express ourselves. What value to we put on things and money. Hmmm, I confess to being someone who is not necessarily money driven, my creative side leans more towards activity and productivity. On a day like today, I would get up earlier so that I could miss the other commuters and if I was walking enjoy the walk through whatever weather was being offered up on that day, of drive through the silent streets towards my destination. I would enjoy the pelting rain, or freezing ice for what it was, an expression of Mother Natures many forms of artistic displays.

The other day, a friend told me he’d gone snowshoeing in the woodlands behind his home. It had been a day of clear blue skies, and fresh fallen snow. His little adventure had sounded so peaceful. This morning when I heard that car drive by, I was taken back to the days I would walk several miles from my home into the office through the downtown of one city, (Hull,Quebec) in one Province over a bridge past E.B.Eddy ( an operating paper mill, with frozen water along one wall, which tempted me to do some ice climbing.(which I never followed through on). My feet would make crunching sounds in the snow, since I was early and most others who would walk this way, had yet to make their way across into Ottawa. Other days it was like walking over shards of ice some parts of the journey required ice cleats, or the really wet days when you walked through big wet puddles) =^_^=.

In this same location there is the sound of rushing water where the rapids churn and gurgle over the rocks. It is a beautiful spot at any time of year. When you got over the bridge, you were in Ontario, and in Ottawa (Canada’s capital). The trek led me across open fields where buildings that had been, were now long gone, and the buildings that were to come, were still ideas on some drafting table. On the left there was a hidden gorge, where below the rapids provided a training ground for kayak enthusiast. If time permitted, I would stop to watch the activities.

There was/is a definite difference in the two cities, yet in their differences they merged into one giving this area a diversity that is both charming and inviting. Sophisticated,yet in many ways, so “down home”. Those walks were peaceful for me, they allowed me time to commune with nature and my thoughts .. by the time I walked through the now busier downtown core of the waking city, and got to the office, I was ready for my day. How do you prepare for your day? Whatever you do, remember to practice using full Makoto (sincere effort).

Hey, wow, I enjoyed my walk down memory lane with you this morning, but of course, I enjoy all my time with you. smiles at you and offers up these pretty flowers to brighten your day. Blessings.. today, tomorrow and always… Oyashikiri

Category:

Uncategorized

Tagged with:

Image

Learning is a Lifelong Process

“No matter your age, there is something to be learned and there is always room for improvement. Always remember that there is wisdom to be gained from any situation.”

The day I had today, had me coming home and digging through my PL teachings, till I found the above lesson. Life doesn’t always provide me with a clear picture. I have to come home and process the feelings and emotions I picked up along my journey (running errands)

I just finished reading Louise Penny’s the Beautiful Mystery. the story line takes place in a remote part of Quebec in a monastery where two dozen cloistered monks live in peace and prayer. By suppertime today I was ready to transport myself to the serenity of the chapel or one of the cells. Where I could sit/lie down and turn the “chaos” of the world out.. .. simply take, long deep breaths in gathering in the calm, then holding the quiet before letting out the pollution
of the city.

I will visualize the chapel in the Peace Tower in the Holy Land and recall the tranquility I found there.

Closing my eyes, I allow the moment to wash over me…..
Aaahhhh my smile is starting, yes, I feel now that it will be a happy sleep. good night dear reader….

May you too be blessed with the comfort of a loving heart.

photo – Virtual landscape from SL -by Q