HOT, HOT, HOT

It's Sunday.  The hottest day yet.  My phone tells me it's 30 degrees.  But as Canadians, we know that what gets us here 
in Montreal is the humidity, which my phone also tells me 
is at 35%.  Really?  It feels like about 90%.  I think living 
on the West Coast has lowered my tolerance.  But, 
somehow, I am revelling in it.  It is a part of being here.  
Along with the Jazz Festival, which started last Thursday…
I have been down to the Quartier de Spectacles twice, 
and am going back again tonight….there's something about 
sitting outside with a cold beer and a thousand other people listening to good music that is beyond compare.  My 
sister and I saw Daniel Lanois the other night, with 
guests Trixie Whitley and Emmy Lou Harris, and a 
FABULOUS drummer - Brian Blade.  I thought of my 
son Luke the whole time - starting his musical journey 
of study as a drummer.  Celia and I will go and see 
another show on Tuesday.  Right now it smells like 
barbecues, and the fan is going, and the sun is down 
in the western sky.  
This time in Montreal has been just right.  Visits with dear 
old friends, and time with family, and feeling unhurried 
and free of anything that inhibits me being HERE.  The 
next 4 days will go by so quickly, and then I will be flying 
across the great wide ocean to Ireland, to begin the next stage.  
More photos next time…...

Old Friends

I have been wanting to post this photo since we 
had it taken just after I arrived in Montreal. 

These are two old friends from high school days and 
after - we had a great meal out, and remembered 
(or didn't!) times we had spent together and adventures 
we had had.  

It was a really good way to begin

my "day by day" journey.

Toronto, Stratford, the Farm

Here is my niece 
Pappy and her 
funny little dog, 
Rufus. I stayed 
with them, and 
with Russell, the 
Original Dog, on 
my way to 
Stratford.  It was 
a short and sweet 
time together. The 
fire alarm going 
off at 6 a.m. was…
alarming.  
I thought I heard
fire trucks, and keep meaning to ask Pappy 
if the fire department had to come and shut 
it off.  It went on and on and on…..

This is City Hall in Stratford.  It is a stunning old

building, and like all the other tourists, I had

to take a photo!

Riding on the train is a lovely way to travel.  Calm
and slow, with lots of time to look out the window.
I took pictures of the countryside, and of a few
houses that I thought were typically Eastern Canada.

Stratford

This is the Avon River, in Stratford.  I spent 

four wonderful days there with my good 

friend Ann.  I think we spent the first  three 

days talking!  We saw two shows, Lear and 

Dream, both of which I really enjoyed.  We

walked and ate lovely food and after so many

years of trying to snatch an hour or two, we

could just relax into one another's company.

The swans were fiercely proud of their babies, meaning

we didn't want to get too close!

Here's Ann, on the steps of the gorgeous old school

where classes are offered for the actors. 

 It was great to see Josue there, and to meet

One of the guest movement teachers, 

Frank Bach.

This dog stands like this for a lot of the day,

apparently.  If you say hello, he won't bark, but 

If you try to ignore him, he barks until you do.

Today with Celia and Casey

I got to spend time with my two beautiful girls today

in the park in Outremont.  We ate mango and oranges,

and visited, and I was happy.  

I am happy.

One Week Later….

Here's proof that I am truly here.  Celia took this photo after a long walk up the mountain yesterday.  It was a hot and brilliant day, with lots of other people out and about.  Kids, dogs, ice cream vendors,
tourists and locals, cyclists, runners and sloggers like us.

In Montreal, there are 
pianos placed randomly 
here and there, available
to anyone who can play, 
or who wants to play 
whether they know how 
or not.
This particular piano is 
at the lookout on top of 
Mt. Royal, and while 
we were there, there 
were 3 different people
who sat down to play. 
People are free to listen 
or not, for as long as 
they want.  Celia and I 
ate popsicles, and my sister sat with us in the sunshine.

Here is the red door to the apartment where I 
am staying with my friend Linda, in Mile End.
It is a beautiful place, light and spacious, with
art and objets d'art placed with care and love
throughout.  We are on the third floor of a 
typical Montreal walk-up, and the 'hood is 
dynamic and lively, with lots of restaurants,
cafes, and a fabulous yoga studio nearby.
Best is that my sister is around the corner,
and my daughter just a short bus ride away.








Everyone is riding bicycles, usually without helmets, and on these crazy
busy streets - I don't get it.  Bicycle theft is very common, and people
find different ways to keep their bikes safe.

I can't imagine
carrying my bike
up two flights
of stairs, though 
I did it when I 
lived here 24 
years ago, without
a second thought.






One of my favourite cafes          

is the Navarino Bakery on
Park Avenue.  It's been 
there a long time and has
gone through a few 
changes.  Celia and I had 
coffee there the other 
day; my sister and I had 
stopped by a few days
earlier.  The pastries are 
good, the clientele are 
interesting, and the coffee is strong.




I love Montreal.  I feel connected to this city in a way that I think must be related 
to birthplace.  I am comfortable in my own skin here.  I feel at home.  Something 
that is very different from Vancouver is that people here truly look at one another.  
There is a kind of wonderful curiosity in this looking, as though they are interested 
in you, in each other.  It is a mirroring, and I can feel all through my body as I walk 
down the street "HERE I AM!!"

                               Old Montreal, just after a thunderstorm.

                                 
                               The antique shop in St. Henri.

                     Another piano, in the Gay Village.  The guy standing
                     up on the left was singing along - an impromptu version
                     of a Beatles song - and I loved the coming together of
                     street people, youth, father and son, and the police.  On
                     bicycles.
                           

Arrived in Montreal!!

My sister picked me 
up at the airport,
and there was the 
usual mad traffic
and the sweetly 
familiar sound of 
french, and of horns 
honking.  After
I got settled in and 
we ate something,
I went for a walk 
around the neighbourhood, 
and took these photos.






It is hot here, and so alive 
with people out walking and
eating in outdoor terraces, 
and shopping and hanging 
out on front porches.






Even though it was 11:00 pm, the 
bagel place was still open!

My Last Evening in Vancouver.

The night before I left, Celia and Luke cooked a great meal.

Cara came over to say goodbye, and took a photo of the three of us.

Here we are, posing in the backyard, while dinner was cooking.  My precious children.  I'll see Celia in just a few days, but I won't seen Luke for months.  It was a bittersweet evening, containing the pleasure of being together, the sadness of parting, and the stress and excitement of the unknowns of the next several months.  By the way, the meal was extremely tasty! - a simple pasta with complex and subtle flavours.

And here is Julia with Luke - sweet and

beautiful girl.  I love you, too!  

Thank you for helping me set up this blog.

               

 Maya and Celia at the left, old

friends.  
Cara and I at the right. 

Although there were many of my dear old friends at the house the night before, I didn't take a single photo.  Now I'm wishing I had, to include you here, too: Do and David, Jennifer and Michael, Linda and Tom, Caroline and Glen, Henriette, Debra, Surinder, and Sybille who wasn't feeling well enough to join us, but came over the next day for a brief visit.  I've said it before, and I say it again: I am so thankful to have had you in my life over these many, many years.