We took the ski lift up mid-mountain and started hiking...and ran into our friend the bear, who was lumbering around sniffing all the wildflowers. He very politely posed for the photo shoot - and then we scampered back up the hill!
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
It was chilly and damp at times, so we relished the cedar driftwood campfires. One day when we were unable to kayak due to weather, we hiked 4 miles across the island forest and 4 miles back just so we could go spend an hour in an old wood fired dry sauna and dry out our clothes. A temporary pleasure, as we were all wet again by the time we got back. But it was fun!!
Paddling on Claquot Sound, near Tofino, British Columbia in Canada. A six day trip, we camped out on sandy beaches. Pretty damp, and we had a true downpour on one day with 30 knot winds. We saw orca fins off in the mist, sea lions and a bald eagle boldly stealing a fish from an osprey. Oh, and wolf tracks in the sand just outside our tent!
The ultimate high tea (ok, outside of England) is at the Fairmont Hot Springs in Banff, Alberta. Check out that view of the Bow Valley!
We have very specific rules for high tea... 1) the pinky finger must be extended at all times while holding the tea cup 2) speaking is not allowed until the other person is finished - no interrupting 3) no talking with even a morsel of food in your mouth
Think it's easy? Try it at your next meal. That's why we only do it for high tea :)
At 7,000 ft, this is the top of Little Behive above the Lake Louise Lodge. You can see the lake below, a silky pale turquoise color from the glacial silt in the runoff that creates the lake. The air was thin, and this hike had a steep incline. Lucky for us, at the top was a little teahouse with no power, but propane stoves to make hot tea and biscuits. What a treat!
As is the tradition at Greek restaurants, we climbed up on a bench, danced to Zorba the Greek and then broke plates on the floor. Hey, we didn't make up the tradition - we just joined in!
In third place, Nancy Nuerenberg, in second place Terry Jones, and in first place Sue Raney!! Note that we all turn 50 this year, and I'm in first place by virtue of being the eldest by a month. Now we're off to Banff, and we'll try to keep the autograph hounds at bay so we can see the sights...
Strap on the helmet and elbow pads and it's a fast slide down the icy chute of TERROR at the former site of the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary, Alberta in Canada!!
We think this photo below might be the mascot for the 2010 Olympic Games to be held in Vancouver, BC. Looks like a Stonehenge stick man - not sure how they sell this as a fuzzy stuffed animal, but I'm sure they'll figure it out.
By the way, we did NOT ski the black diamond (Mike'll save that for the guy trips). Just lots of blues and greens - spring skiing at it's finest.
OK, so we drove up to Canada to go skiing, but because of traffic and road closures it was taking us w-a-y too many hours to drive to the ski resort, so we cut our losses and stopped off here for R&R. (Note that I'm dancing in my hiking boots!!) We danced, soaked in the hot mineral baths and went to the spa. Or should I say spahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?
Here we are in Whistler, BC for some partying to bring in 2006!! The best part about this weekend was Sue conquering the infamous Wishbone run - which took 2 hours, 45 minutes and countless bruises in 2003. This time, I skiied it in 8 minutes without falling. Yee hah!
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. 
