What Could Be Better?

It's my birthday, number 47. I am at my brother and sister in law's home in New Hampshire, and upon awakening this morning my niece and nephew came in my room, wished me a happy borthday, and gave me several cards they had made themselves. The best presents an aunt could wish for! And my uncle and an aunt sent me e cards. Life is good!

Resting with Family

Today is a quiet day--at least now that the kids are off to camp/school for the day! I'm doing laundry (a necessary task at this point in my travels), and later my sister-in-law and I will go shopping at the LLBean outlet store--a ritual we do every time I visit. This store is better than the original one in Maine.

Daisy is at the vet hotel; I'll pick her up at 9 am Friday for the next part of our journey. Meanwhile, here's another picture of her enjoying PEI.

Dog Mountain

Daisy had a blast today on Dog Mountain. After we walked through Dog Chapel, she made a beeline for one of the ponds. The artist who created Dog Mountain and the Chapel, Stephen Huneck, was in the gallery and said hello to us. I've been collecting his art for a long time..check out http://www.dogmt.com/. Later in the morning we drove south to my brother's house where I'll be for a few days. Daisy is at a doggy hotel while we are in New Hampshire.

Prince Edward Island--wow!

Pictures: top: garden at site of Lucy M M's house; next is Green gables, 3rd is TWMSD on teh sand flats, and last is the tractor (see notes bleow for more details)

As expected, I could not blog from the Island. Anyway, we were too busy having fun with friends and family. The cottage where we stayed is a short walk from the beach. At high tide there is no beach but at low tide you can walk far out onto the sand bars. Daisy had a BLAST running and running, chasing birds and squirrels and whatewver else she saw.

The Island is very green everywhere and like the rest of Canada I saw, quite clean and neat--no litter, all fields and lawns trimmed, and flowers and gardens everywhere! It's very hilly in the interior. There are 3 counties on PEI and we were only in the middle one--Queens. Next summer Daisy and are going to come back for a much longer visit so we can explore the entire island--and Nova Scotia, to which we did not go at all this year.

These days, you usually arrive on the Island via a 9-mile bridge called the Confederation Bridge. It's a miracle of planning and construction, and I met one of the engineers who helped build it. Prior to its completion in the late 1990s, the only access was via boat. I am told they had ferries so big that entire trains got on the ferries--they had tracks for the trains that connected on both sides.

One of the most famous people from PEI is Anne of Green gables. She of course is the figment of the imagination of Lucy Maud Montgomery. In Cavendish (in northern Queens county) you can see the site of Lucy's childhood home as well as the actual house that was the model for Green Gables. My cousin and I spent a couple of hours at these sites.

I got to the Island on Friday just in time for the Crapaud annual Christmas in July parade and Exhibition. Some of the people I visited who live year-round on the Island entered their 61-year-old family farm tractor, and another cousin rode it in the parade. Unfortunately it was raining so we watched the parade from inside the car. The Exhibition the next day (think county fair) would have been nicer but for the inches of mud we had to wade through to get there.

We left Monday about 5:45 am (Atlantic time) and got to Vermont about 5 pm (Eastern time). It was a long frive--lots of road construction. I keep forgetting that up North there are only 3 seasons: winter, mud, and road construction. We're having a quiet early morning befgore going to Dog Mountain.

Multicultural Canada

Daisy and I are in a nice hotel room in Edmundston. We crossed into Atlantic time zone when we left Quebec, so it's an hour later now than back home in Durham. We're both tired and I have to get some laundry done before we get to PEI tomorrow, so no pics today.
However, I do have a few words about multiculturalism (which as many of you know is an area of interest for me). Canada is considered to be a very multicultural nation, and Canada is bilingual--French and English. I often use this as an example of what the US could/should do with English and Spanish. (There are of course many other languages spoken here, including those of many First nation tribes).
But there is one province in Canada that is monolingual: Quebec, and of course their language is French. Let me tell you, driving hundreds of kilometres through a place where there is no information in English is daunting. My French is rudimentary at best...for example, it was at least 5 construction zones before I figured out that the orange sign stating "travaux" meant there was a work zone ahead (think "travails" not "travel" as a sort of similar word).
I had to buy gas (at a whopping CAN$109/litre) and my credit card would not work at the pump. The very nice attendant inside spoke no English, but we managed to figure out that my US card would not work at the pump, although it worked inside. I breathed a sigh of relief when we got to New Brunswick and signs once again appeared in both languages.
Don't get me wrong--I respect that both French and English are official languages in Canada; I just think that shoudl apply to all provinces.
One more word on the diversity of Canada. I have now driven thru' parts of 3 provinces and already seen great dversity of countryside, industry, and architecture. Once I finally got out of the big cities (that is, today once I finally got northeast of Quebec) the countryside turned completely pastoral with beautifully kept fields, farm buildings, and homes. And everywhere I saw NO litter--it seems Canadians are far more caring of their lands than many Americans.
Tomorrow we drive across New Brunswick--I plan to make a couple of quick stops on the way to PEI, but I know everyone else is already there so I am trying to get there close to lunchtime. I do not know about interet availability there, so if I don't post for a few days, you'll know why. Lots of pictures to come as well!

Travels through Canada

Well not much to post and no pictures. Yesterday we said goodbye to the Falls and drove to Ottawa. The weather and traffic made this a much longer drive than anticipated, and once we got here the rain prevented us from seeing anything. It's 5:15 am now and we are going to get an early start toward Edmundston so we can see countryside along the way, and (I hope) get a couple of long walks in for Daisy. She has travelled well; is walking a little better (not pulling so much). And on a day like yesterday did not complain about short walks. I'll be back tonight, and I hope with some pics.

Niagara Falls, part 4

I tried to post this last night but the Internet Goblins got it. TWMSD and I drove around the Niagara region for about 5 hours yesterday and then due to rain stayed in the hotel room most of the rest of the day. This is a 10-second video of the American Falls taken out my open window--I hope you can hear the roar of the Falls.

Niagara Falls, part 3: The Locks

If you've been following along, you know that Daisy (TWMSD) and I got up ridiculously early this morning. After our pre-dawn walk, I tried for more sleep--to no avail. So at 8 am, Daisy and I set out to explore the Niagara peninsula. We went over to Niagara on the lake and then followed the Welland Canal from Lake Ontario (low point) to Lake Erie (high point). There are numerous locks along the way to raise the ships (heading to Erie; or lower them if heading to Ontario). The attached pictures are from Lock 3 of a ship called the Canadian Enterprise as it rises from the bottom to the top of the lock. It was fascinating to watch--if it hadn't started raining I could have stayed all day wathcing the ships.

Niagara Falls, part 2

It's 4 am, and Daisy has had me up for an hour. She is finally asleep in her crate (she entered it voluntarily), and I am listening to the roar of the Falls through my open window. Now that the tourists are all in bed (except me), I can hear the falls and the sound is beautiful and peaceful. I could go back to sleep but I think I'll take Daisy for a walk while there is no one else out and about.

The pictures in this post are from last night--Daisy in our room and ipctures of the Falls through our window as sunset approaches.

This blog is called Travels with Daisy so I should say a few words about traveling with her. For the most part she has been very good, barking only at sudden noises in hotel roomo (e.g., doors slamming in hallway) and at any motorcycle she hears (not sure why she hates them so much0. Despite her utter lack of training (yes, I know that is my fault), she has walked fairly well...until last night. We went out just after 7, and there were still a lot of people out and about. But that wasn't the problem. The pigeons and squirrels completely distracted her and she pulled the entire 45 minutes we were out. I couldn't get her attention even with a treat! Clearly we need to work on this, and we shall.

After our early morning walk, I plan a nap then a drive to Niagara on the Lake and other places in the area. We'll come back mid afternoon for another nap (I hope!) before another long walk along the Falls in this area. Till then, enjoy the pics!

Niagara falls, part 1.5

As I was trying to post pictures to last blog, I created a blank one. So I guess this short blog will be about my lack of computer skills! But as I have finally learned how to post pictures--sort of--here are 2 of Daisy (the world's most spoiled dog) looking out our hotel window at the Falls.

By the way did you notice the rainbow in one of the pictures pisted in the last blog a few minutes ago?

Niagara Falls, part 1

I don't know how many parts there will be to this Niagara Falls series of posts--at least 2! Today Daisy and I traveled from Pittsburgh to Niagara Falls. We traveled thru' some pretty towns in NY before we got here as I had to get off the highway for a while. One little town, Brockton, had US flags on almost every house and street light--very refreshing!

We went all the way to the American Falls on NY side of things and got there a bit before noon. We walked for over an hour, and I took lots of pictures, some of which I will post. In some of the pictures you can see the Sheraton hotel across the way, which is where we are now. The view of the falls from here is also incredible; pictures on that tomorrow!

You'll also see in the pictures the first one of Daisy (the world's most spoiled dog) in Canada--having an ice cream outside a McDonald's. She was really well behaved on our long walk around Niagara Falls--there were lots of people and she allowed a lot of children to pet her. She was also quite calm when we crossed into Canada--that may have something to do with the hour+ walk and the Benadryl I gave her when we left for the border! Crossing was easy--just showed my passport and Daisy's rabies vaccination certificate and declared I had nothing to declare. We didn't even get out of the car!

The Falls are truly impressive, but so is the number of tourists and touristy things to do and places to go. We're only doing the stuff that Daisy can do, as I am not allowed to leave her alone in the room for even a minute. So right now we are relaxing in the room--she with a few treats, me with a glass of wine. I'm told the crowds thin out about 7 pm, so I'll feed her then take her for a long walk then. More pictures!

Lots more to come on the Falls and traveling with daisy. For now here are some pictures.

First Day

Daisy and I made it to Pittsburgh about an hour ago. It was a long day--about 9 hours. Of course I have no Internet connectivity in my room so I have to come to the lobby to get on line--with Daisy. So this will be a short blog! She travelled very well today--having the folded crate block her access from back seat to front has worked out great! We stopped at several nice rest areas and took 2 good walks. We're starting to wind down so we can get an early start tomorrow. Plan to see NY side of Niagara Falls before crossing the border to Canada. I hope to post cool pictures tomorrow night!

Packing

Today we finished packing and started loading the car. Rather, I did all that and Daisy (the world's most spoiled dog) sat in the car and watched. She is making sure she is not left behind.

Getting Ready

I'm back from Austin, TX, and what Daisy expects to be my last trip EVER without her. Well, I would be fairly happy never to see an airplane again, but I expect over the coming years I'll have to take a FEW trips on a plane, which means without Daisy.

But for now we are getting ready for our first adventure. We leave Sunday, July 19, for points North. We'll be at Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, side for 2 nights--July 20 and 21. I'll post some pictures from there. Then we'll head East to Prince Edward Island--land of Anne of Green Gables.

Stay tuned...more to come!

What am I thinking?

Daisy and I leave July 19 for points North. But first I am going to see family in Austin. As i write this--at 6 am--it is 65 degrees in Durham and already 81 in Austin. Meanwhile it's 39 degrees on Prince Edward Island. I hope the "fam" in TX realize how much I love them by heading to the inferno to see them!

Happy Birthday USA

Saisy and I will start our travels soon. Before then I am flying to Texas to see "unc" and his family. Unc proudy served our country for 22 years in the Navy and always reminds us to honor our flag and those who serve today and everyday. So as you prepare for your holiday picnic or beach trip or whatever, take a minute to thank all who made and make it possible!