Uncategorized – Page 7

Haunted House and Time to Leave.

Today is Saturday at camp happy, first ones have left, Robbie flew home in the depth of the night, (maybe). Sasha and Tim drove of into the sunset last night , sad to see them go, but great to have had a wonderful time with them, get to know Tim a bit more and seeing they are happy with their lives is great for parents. Today is our turn to start the big diesel and head south, it is getting cold here and a hint of snow is in the air. The geese have already begin packing and are making test flights. soon they will join us in sunny Florida.

We have lots of plastic brothers waiting for them in the ponds and artificial lakes, we like plastic birds, owls as well!

So I was haunted by this house, stopping on the road to the Little Point of Roche Cemetery , I spotted this striking house, red brick walls with a single window, porch with planks sticking up and weeds trying to overtake the buildings in back . Coming closer I had the distinct feeling of being watched and not by a pleasant spirit. A small bowl with dried fruit in the window was enough to make me shoot at an even higher shutter speed and make my way back to the car. In my mind I saw a dried wrinkled face pop out of the dark and haunt my remaining days.

Guess I have a guilty imagination.

Lots of tears and goodbyes today and lots of driving the next 3 days , next stop ,Suwannee River in North Florida for three days, getting used to the nice enveloping sticky warmth of our home.

talk soon

Camp day 5 28909 (1) — Before it is Lace.

Camp day 5 28895 (1) — The haunted House

Camp day 5 28893 (1) — Red is the color of….

Camp day 5 28888 (1) — the weeds are coming

Camp day 5 28870 (1) — Couples treatment

Camp day 5 28900 (1) — Bye Point of Roche,

Fossiles,Chinese and the line up!

Mema and I took a morning trip back in time. Breakfast first, finally my first slice of bacon, this guys are seriously harding the pig. Smoothie with mango and carrot, and 1 hour trip to Isle La Motte, seems so close we could touch it from Marine village , but about an hour by car , we saw Canada, still there!, and a really big man sitting on a porch with an old rusted 50’s Chevy.

Camp day 5 28882 (1) — great signage and explanations ( if you studied at Harvard for 12 years!)

Camp day 5 28877 (1) — Looks can be deceiving, Poison Ivy hiding!

Camp day 5 28862 (1) — 400 million year old footprint from early settlers.

Camp day 5 28858 (1) — Sole is starting to wear on the front left!, see a doctor!

Camp day 5 28864 (1) — Producer of fossil footprints to be

Camp day 5 28861 (1) — Fossil congregation.

Camp day 5 28855 (1) — the lost right ear earring

Camp day 5 28859 (1) — The path we nearly lost

Camp day 5 28879 (1) — fossil in-front of House

This island has huge fossils fields which are super old, even from before Mema and Papa were born, go figure!. We walked the wonderfully preserved area for an hour, thought we got lost but ended up at a wonderful Spa were we had a green algae treatment, not cheap but worth it! Then off to one of six old Quarries where they got a bunch of stone to build their statehouse in earlier days . Very enjoyable day with some history, biology, science and 400 Million year old shells. My fault , I did go out with a teacher, should have known I would learn something.

Camp day 5 28898 (1) — Dont disturb the Corn

Camp day 5 28899 (1) — Silo’s on rocket rd.

Camp day 5 28907 (1) — Thyme with Butterfly

The afternoon was for “Cooking with Kelly”, she bribed a bunch of minors to do the hard work and supervised, she has talent! Then we lined up the kids and shot their backs, with the camera, pilled them up in a great big pile and send fireworks to the sky.

Great day

Camp day 5 28855 — Yeah Chinese Homemade

Camp day 5 28871 — trying not to look beautiful, didn’t work

Camp day 5 28885 — Here’s another Cousin

Camp day 5 28905 — thats the pointing finger ok!

And to finish the day , here are the superstars of this week.

Mellow, Sailing and Pizza party.

Today was one of those nice , mellow days that set the tone for the week, quick trip into town, good coffee, Pizza at night, bit of sailing with two captains. and a first mate. The weather held and the ladies got to use their raft, floating on the middle of Lake Sammy, they were rescued by a dashing Italian wooden boat steering stud muffin. While they could have been rescued by us! go figure. The week is slowly coming to an end. The chemistry is right on and it feels good being together.The departures are looming though and soon it will be a fond memory. Time moves too fast.

Here are some pictures by Cayman and Myself,
enjoy.

Camp day 4 28379 — Rick , Eva and Gianna

Here are some shots by Cayman, favorite playmate of the cousins .

Best Smile

Ready for some sailing with the two captains !

and the ladies on the raft.

Photoshoot and more kids!!

Great sunny day after a rainy night, three of the girls were ready for their annual Photoshoot, starting of with Wardrobe, into make up and finally location. As always the girls pick the locations and I just push the buttons. They pose like pro’s and are tiredless and extremely dedicated to their art.

Camp day 3 27218 — definition of a serious Knight

Camp day 3 28115 — ha, not me , I was born loose…

Camp day 3 28198 — Ice Cream, substitute

Camp day 3 28222 — here Mam picked just for you!

Camp day 3 28230 — Children of lake Champlain.

Camp day 3 28245 — Dropped a little one.

Camp day 3 28274 (1) — Next year again!!!

The day started with another great breakfast, now I normally have my shake and thats it, but if it is prepared and served there is no stopping the weight gain !All the food is just excellent, yesterdays smoked pork loin done many different ways, just delicious and plentiful . We snuck into our trusted Lady Cayenne last night as our bodies are not used to the torture chamber of Champlain. Might have been good enough for Samuel it is not for us spoiled RV Glampers. So I laid some 50 feet off Cable from the cabin to the Lady and got some basic electric into her. Fridge, lights, batteries and fan all worked of a measly 15 amp , but we will suffer through it.

Cayman and Sasha went to town to get some new shoes and spend some sibling time together, Jayme’s parents arrived for some food and sailing, everyone is nice and mellow waiting for the seafood onslaught tonight. More to follow tomorrow.

Enjoy.

Oh Yeah , more kids!!

Camp day 3 28128 — hiding behind the ball

Camp day 3 28105 — yeah , my shark tooth!!!

Camp day 3 28099 — Nights on their horses

Camp day 3 27260 — after the gazelle run.

Camp day 3 27241 — many faces of Gianna and Eva

Marine Village and 50 great kids!

Early morning folded up of the wagon and on our way to the family, we are: mema, Papa,Deidre,Richard,Jonathan,Robert and David and all that comes with them.

Lots of crazily happy kids , love to see each other for a week of playing eating cooking talking, frisbeeing and of course Tennis, the great divider or the passion that runs in the family. First two days are a bit rainy but we make up with good food and delicious Sangria. Our Cuban feast was pulled off without a hitch, Ha. Food was plentiful, authentic and loved by all. Second day lunch we had beautiful wraps with the same stuffing and cheese. stuffed or full as a tick!

Still a bit rainy , picked up the rental car some supplies and back at the Cabin on the lake., Deidre is asleep, Cayman Kayaking , Tim and Sasha playing cards. ♥️

Life is Good!

I might go out and take some rainy day pictures .

See you tomorrow.

Camp day 2 27192 — Huuske, New York style

Camp day 1 26898 — Reunited…..for 5 minutes at a time!

Camp day 1 26913 — world turned upside down

Camp day 1 26901 — Gimme more then 5 minutes….please

Next day , great faceprinting by Kelly, Breakfast by Mema and papa 👴 ,and lots of kids and more great kids , love them all.

Breakfast set-up

Kids waiting for breakfast

More???

A man’s job.

Scarlett

my girl with her man

More Scarlett

Boys in a barrel

Cayman’s shot of his beloved sister

And some more Scarlett

yeah , I win

Boys gone wild

movement by Cayman.

girls

Girls and cruz

ahhhh

Miss Gianna

Belle

Cruzer

red lipstick

cruz paint

reflections

Beauty

Grrrrrrr

Gimme the bottle

Yowser

Hmmm what age again?

MY Sharktooth.

Goodbye Quebec……Hello Clan !!!!

you think you had it bad visiting my beloved Blog with all those waterfall ,rock ,plant,veggie and other nature stuff pictures. Just you wait, the next week I will be fully dedicated to sharing with you my crazy family….. from Deidre’s side of course. There will be tennis playing uncles, breakfast cooking papa’s and mema’s, small and large dogs , children of all ages playing , posing and being kids all day. There will be food feasts , cuban cigars, take out pizza, lobsters and floating misseses on rafts with grain alcool. (as we say here in mon Quebec) and good times to be had, enjoy the next week and share in the joy that true family brings with them. I never had a family like this, good one sure but not with the kind of spirit and camaraderie these folks have. Hope we are still standing after 7 days . So back to nature and gators in 7 days , enjoy being a part of my great adopted family for the next week .

Bye Quebec you’re OK!

The waterfalls 26532 — wow ,….Cauliflower???

Quebec day 5 26772 — just a little place on the river

Quebec day 5 26786 — snacker serving fish soup with lobster..

Quebec day 5 26801 — House of Parliament

Quebec day 5 26829 — Flowers rule in Quebec

Quebec day 5 26818

The Falls and Fresh Veggies.

Another great early morning, out by 6:30, nice quick drive to the famous falls, 30 meters higher then Niagara, but slightly smaller. Still very impressive how it is developed, let nature be and work around it. Thats what it feels like, Cable cart to get to the top, or walk the 400 steps along the steep rock face, or both!. So many great looks at the falls, don’t know when to stop shooting. I wont bore you guys with 40 different waterfall pics but you got to sit thru 30 though! Compromise compromise! after that a visit to the old market and the traveling art exposition. deidre had a nice day at the traveling office,

( really, we have internet, computers, workstations and a printer)! she called me at 1 and we decided to Barbecue some fresh veggies and sausages from the farmers market. Great meal , 2 packages with summer corn and one with Potatoes, Carrots and Garlic. Also free range chicken and farm made sausages ! delicious and nutritious … so here is todays harvest, enjoy and comment on what you like and don’t like.

Enjoy , before you will be overwhelmed with family pictures at the lakeside reunion!

The waterfalls 26457 — view from the top

The waterfalls 26575 — flowers with waterfall

Mam 26765 — Yves St Laurent in early Star Wars

It’s Blueberry time in the North, Maine, New Brunswick, OEI and Quebec, blueberries are everywhere. As always when you are having a good time you love all the things you would normally never look twice at. We stuffed our “full size fridge” with blueberries for the family and our stomachs with Blueberry pie and fish berries Jam and something else that has less sugar, forgot the name. Here are a few market impressions.

The waterfalls 26531 — radish get together

The waterfalls 26518 — little overpriced Parisian cookies, what they called again?

The waterfalls 26508 — Butter beans, I think

The waterfalls 26502 — Yam dried rotting meat , nothing better

The waterfalls 26526 — Yeah they are the cities signature, amazing

The waterfalls 26529 — jam and something less sugary

The waterfalls 26540 — Floating over the water1

Early Morning with the Big Ass Castle.

Weather forecast wasn’t very good, no sunshine and 57% chance of rain. I did want a sunrise picture lighting the Big Ass Castle. If not today I would have two more days to try. Up at 4:30 and parked next to the B.A.C at 5:25. Sunrise was gonna be at 5:30, Eerie feeling being all alone in a big city in the shadow of the B.A.C. 5:35 no Sun but pretty light, I was welcomed by a lonely Marmote on the promenade, not afraid for a second . As if he owned the place. 5:55 still no sun , but he tried to peak around the clouds and there seemed to be a short opening coming up . 6:15 after a quick Starbucks coffee and chat with Jacques, a pins sweater wrapped around his shoulders, could have been my nemesis from Provincetown, ………….Ralph Lauren! He’s in one of the pictures , see if you can find him. So long story short , the sun came out, I got my shot and a ton more, walked the whole old city three times now and like it a lot. Worth going to !

Enjoy the pics.

Old Town 26135 — St Laurent Flauve, or like that

Old Town 26177 — Medieval Midevil as we say

Some great shops and streets down hill from the B.A C.

There she is….BAC

Deidre’s Back!

It’s not the same without the mama of my children, After an emotional week back home, out family is back together for a relaxing four days in Quebec. Last night I went after a waterfall I spotted in my rearview mirror upon arrival. That was a trip, climbed down a bunch of stairways to find the entrance to the bottom of the falls gated and locked. Not to worry, I climbed the fence and found a buried sign saying that IF the horn sounded I had 30 minutes to get to higher ground as the valley floor would flood!. Looked like an old sign so not to worry. Climbed over rocks , debris, tree trunks, logs , huge boulders and sharp slate mixed with real hard granite . After 20 minutes I found my spot at the bottom of the falls , was it ever worth it, I had my tripod to take some long exposures and to use as a cane to keep my balance, well this didn’t work once and I fell in freezing water, fortunately my Camera was saved and the horn was still quiet. After an hour and a half I had what I came for and returned in pitch black. Not smart , but trusted iPhone flashlight to the rescue!. Made it dirty but happy, here are some of the results.

Quebec City day 1 25859 — Sunset behind the hanging bridge

Quebec City day 1 25833 — layers of slate and Granite

Quebec City day 1 25882 — Near dark, 30 second exposure

Quebec City day 1 25841 — Did I say Cold water?

Quebec City day 1 25873 — 1 minute exposure

Quebec City day 1 25864 — Moon rise over” Les Chuttes”

So after this nightly adventure, the next day we did some chores , like washing the stinky dog ,walking the dog, washing the comforter and finally it was time to take my best friend and spouse unit to town, we enjoyed a leisurely lunch of fruit and cheeses, capped off with some fried cheese and tomato soup. 2 different wines and we had a great time sitting in the window like Dutch Prostitutes! Quick walk thru a few streets in old town , quick rinse of our sins in the cathedral and back home for a rest. Temperature was in the 80’s and tourists were out and about. Did a quick scouting trip for sunrise pictures from across the river and found the spot. so more to come tomorrow.

Quebec City day 1 25756 — old man eating

Quebec City day 1 25804 — playing accordion

Quebec City day 1 25720 — Dali….Dali…..DALI!!!!!

Quebec day 2 25980 — Maple syrup Taffy yam but too sweeeeet

Quebec City day 1 25711 — My new roof color!

Here are a few scouting pictures of the Big Ass castle on the hill, also called the The big Ass castle ! Frontenac, now it comes to me, impressive , big , its a hotel and only a few years old , kinda like Disney land but even more expensive. It towers over the city like an eagle over its nest.

Old Town from Levis 26032 — Perfect in B&W

Old Town from Levis 26038 — with orange flowers

Old Town from Levis 26052 — dwarfs everything

Old Town from Levis 26064 — Italian Scape

Old Town from Levis 26035 — Big Ass castle.

Splish, Splash and first Impression of Quebec

After a long drive yesterday, took a quick stroll thru the old city to get an idea if it was all it was cracked up to be. As we are going to be here 5 days I wanted to keep the best for Deidre and I together. First impression was great , bit touristy but lots of photogenic spots and people, Got lucky with some kids playing in the fountain and tourists eating in the windows. Picked up Deidre from the airport today, very happy to have her back . Tomorrow first real sightseeing day! Enjoy a first taste of “LA QUEBEC” he!