The Trip part one...

Supplemental Blog Entry

7/28/05 Three days into our trip... a few minor injuries and lots of good stuff. We set out for Canada at 8 am on Tuesday, got an hour into the drive north and realized that with all the instruments, etc. I had forgotten the bag with all my clothes. So, we turned around, lost a few hours and got to the Canadian boarder by 4 pm and Orleans by 7. The first night I played some songs for the house, a wonderful BB "Le Tour de L'ile" run by a wonderful fellow Denis Huard - 211 CH Royal, St. Jean Ile D'Orleans P.Q. GOA3WO. His place is on a hill, with a lovely small garden and a Jacuzzi, We had stayed there three years ago and he remembered us. We had a wonderful dinner at Le Moulin - venison with some wonderful sauce.

7\27 The next morning the car battery was dead... had turned the headlights to parking lights in stead of off, I think... Denis charged the batteries, while I continued last night's concert for the other guests... gave them all copies of the rough tracks of the new CD. We had a great talk about US and Canadian politics with Christen and Yvan, to math teachers staying at the B&B.
We spent a while in Quebec city looking for Raymond, a disc jocky on Laval's radio Station, who plays my music, to give him some of the new stuff. Found where to find him... We stopped at our favorite bar in the Frontnac Hotel, a round room in one of the turrets, for a glass of wine before birthday dinner at les Ancient Canadians ( fifty... ouch ). And speaking of ouch, one of the small injuries. I picked up a wine glass and it exploded in my hand, cutting three fingers on my right hand. Great dinner, pheasant in cream of oyster and mushroom sauce with smoked buffalo. It was good enough to forget the painful fingers. It was nice that a lot of folks remember us, from our trips to Quebec every year and remember my music. Tonight, we are staying at our favorite B&B, one we have stayed at for over ten years, almost every year. Rita and Gregoire Roux, who run the Gite du Quai, in St. Jean. 1686 Ch. Royal, St. Jean, I'le d' Orleans, (QC) GOA 3W0 They are right on the town pier, and have humming birds visiting the front porch most mornings. They always have me play for the other guests. Rita Roux makes one of the best breakfasts in Quebec, eggs, fresh fruit, pan cakes, french toast, patte, oatmeal, tomato, and I know I am leaving much out... There were two couples there with us, a retired lawyer and his new wife ( 5 days ) and a woman involved in food science and her husband, a draftsman.

7/28 We drove up to Baie-comeau - stopping at the museum for Goelettes at St. Joseph de le Rive to pick up a book for our dear friend from Orleans Captain Michel Pouliot, a Canadian harbor pilot, many generations of harbor pilots in his family, his brother and kids harbor pilots as well - should do a post about him one day soon...

7/29 Baie-comeau... awoke with the usual pains in the joints, chronic pain in the throat, new pains in the torn up fingers... but happy. Lovely hot shower... watching the news of the raids in London - the news caster in London quotes "the price of freedom is eternal vigilance". What a vile misuse of that quote, which meant, in its day, that we need to be watchful that our government does to take away our hard won rights... they have and we let them do it out of fear.
Wonderful to see the signs saying Kwai on the way into Innu country, and lovely cool weather here.

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