Summer Solstice = maximum daylight to play golf! Over 2 1/2 days, we played 90 holes of golf and walked 30 miles. (Hey if you play twice in one day, you get a discount!) Bandon Dunes has 3 courses, all of which are in the top 15 courses in the US. The #1 course in the US is Pacific Dunes (my favorite). It's on the bluffs overlooking the ocean, where the salt breezes can provide many credible excuses for why your ball didn't go where you thought it should go.
Bandon is golf as it was meant to be originally - like the original Scottish course. No power carts, no asphalt, no drink carts. Paths are cobblestone or railroad ties. It's really ZEN golf. Benny Moore was our ace caddy - what a great help he was with trick shots, reading greens and mediating bets!
They grow up fast, don't they? That's grandbaby Madeline on the left and Alana on the right. Our high activity adventure this weekend was the teeter totter (it's been a few years!)
This is the room that John Lennon and Yoko Ono stayed in on their honeymoon, where they had their "bed-in" and recorded "Give Peace a Chance". Apparently they wrote lyrics and taped them to the walls. Lots of people came to visit them in the room, including Tommy Smothers, who was sent to find a guitar. Ever notice how the acoustics in that song are kind of odd? That's because it was actually recorded in this hotel room #1742. It's now the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel.
Notre Dame de Quebec parish is the OLDEST parish in North America. Even though the cathedral has twice been destroyed by fire over the centuries, it has always been reconstructed on the site of the original church, which was built in 1647. And thank goodness they saved the lamps that were a gift from Louis XIV!
French really is the official language here, but we were able to get by with my high school French, smiling and pointing. There is a beautiful stone wall surrounding "Old Quebec" that you can walk on. These ramparts are the only remaining fortified city walls in the Americas north of Mexico, and were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985 as the "Historic District of Old Quebec".
The wall was originally built by the French to keep out the British. The British did not set out, however, to persecute Quebec's native French population. The Quebec Act, (1774) allowed the Québécois to have religious freedom. The French-Canadians were therefore not unhappy enough with British rule to choose to participate in the American Revolution. Without Canadian cooperation against the British, the thirteen colonies instead attempted to invade Canada. The city was therefore once again under siege during the Battle of Quebec (1775). The initial attack was a failure due to American inexperience with the extremely cold December temperatures. Benedict Arnold refused to accept the defeat in the Battle of Quebec and a siege against the city continued until 1776 when the American army finally retreated.
Visiting Anne of Green Gables, Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is a lovely spot between Nova Scotia and Quebec, either chock full of summer vacationers or snow depending on the time of year. It was also the turn of the century home of Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of the beloved Anne of Green Gables (1908). Anne of Green gables is one of the most lovable characters in English fiction, who grew up fully enjoying life on Prince Edward Island. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_of_Green_Gables The character of Anne was known for her spunky independence, a radical departure from the sweet and submissive girls found in turn of the century fiction. Apparently young Japanese women come and visit here in droves as a right of passage to independent adulthood.
The Citadel in Halifax is a military fortress hidden in a smooth grassy hill inside the city. The British established it to fend off the French, who were seen as a threat to the New England colonies. No longer in active military use, they do have military guards in 1870 period uniforms patrolling the grounds, firing cannons and drilling people like us on how to MARCH and fire RIFLES. Macho tasks indeed. Did you ever think you'd see Mike wearing a kilt??
Question: What do you wear under a kilt? Answer: Shoes
OK, so the correct pronunciation is driving your CAH to eat LOBSTAH in BAH HAHBAH. What a treat - we ate out on the coast at a picnic table with the butter running down our chins. They fish over 60 million pounds of Maine lobster annually and the critters are still going strong. Let's hope the cows can keep up with the butter.
The Freedom Trail is 2.5 miles of trail over cobblestones and brick in downtown Boston, leading to 16 historical sites, including Paul Revere's house and the Bunker Hill monument. Yes, we climbed up all 291 steps to the top!
rince Edward Island is a lovely spot between Nova Scotia and Quebec, either chock full of summer vacationers or snow depending on the time of year. It was also the turn of the century home of Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of the beloved Anne of Green Gables (1908). Anne of Green gables is one of the most lovable characters in English fiction, who grew up fully enjoying life on Prince Edward Island. 
