Last Day

 

Gananoque (gan-a-knock-quay), Ontario, is where we stayed the night and spent the day. It’s located on the St. Lawrence and is a lovely town geared up for summer residents and tourists and a few geese (Canada geese of course.) On our morning stroll through one of the parks we snapped this photo of the mothers teaching the young ones how to poop where people walk. So thoughtful!

Double checking our shoes, we headed to the historical museum. GREAT exhibits and a must see if you’re up this way.

John asked I send this photo to all you bicyclists. It’s a bicycle “station”, the first we’d ever taken note of, complete with an assortment of tools attached to long cords (so you don’t forget and take one with you) and “air” for filling tires. It is available 24/7, free of charge, outside the information center.

The bicycle station is also just a block away from the Pump Station, an ice cream shop with homemade ice cream & gelato. We called it lunch. Yum!

The real reason we were in Gananoque was to go to the Thosand Island Playhouse to see “Baskerville”, a Sherlock Holmes play. So much fun! If you’re in this area in June…

So what does the play have to do with the boat in the photo? One of the great things about the Playhouse (the building used to belong to the local canoe club) are the docks off their “back deck”. If you call ahead you can make a reservation to come to the theater by boat and park it there while you see the play. Believe me, that’s sometimes easier than finding a parking space for a car. I thought this boat called Sweet Dreams was really cute.

And what Canada trip would be complete without a stop at the duty free. An easy way to liberate any Canadian money you’ve ended up with.

Tonight we’re back in the USA. Lucky for us Terry has a beautiful camp not too far from the border. Even luckier still, he and Missy know how to cook. A perfect way to end our little trip. 

Until next time… Patty & John

Westward Ho!

We were sorry to leave the Eastern Provinces of Quebec where the people are so friendly, villages look like villages, and the storefronts are all full of thriving small businesses. Could this be because of franchise restrictions? Even a Tim Horton’s was nowhere in sight but there were plenty of busy small coffee shops. Before leaving this morning we stopped at one of the best bakeries I’ve ever been to (Boulangerie Pâtisserie Canaël in Bromont, Quebec in case you’re ever up that way) for coffee & a treat. It’s probably a good thing thing we drove away before I had a chance to get seconds and maybe even thirds.

Tonight we’re back in Ontario where there are lots of franchises which we almost never support. However, when we stopped for gas this afternoon we decided to treat ourselves to an A&W root beer float. It sounded so good and we are on vacation after all. Unbelievably, John was told they no longer make them. Really??!! A&W not making root beer floats?! We left empty handed but perhaps our waistlines were better off.

Today the one thing on our agenda, other than getting to tonight’s B&B, was to stop at John & John’s favorite store, Lee Valley Tools. What did they buy? Shackles and walrus oil. I leave you to wonder why.

Finally at our B&B a photo worth sharing. It’s the first time we’ve ever stayed at a B&B with a pool table outside our bedroom door. Judy is the judge. John is winning. John is loosing. Lucky for the pool table, no damage was done.

PS - that pool table is on the second floor and must weigh a ton. I feel sorry for the movers who had to get it up the stairs!

A Great LP Day

Today was the day to complete visiting the sites on L. Penny’s Inspiration Map. First up was the truly beautiful Abbaye St-Benoit-Du-Lac where we silently (well almost silently) wandered around inside. John, ahead of  “his pack”, caught the last of the Gregorian chants sung by 5 of the monks. Other than that we saw no monks. They were probably busy making the tons of award winning cheeses they sell to help support themselves. Needless to say we supported their efforts.

Next up, but not on LP’s map, was the Knowlton Pubic Library. It was built in the 1890s, gifted to the town by Narcissa Pettes (let’s hear for women!), and was Quebec’s first public library. We noted that LP is a major financial donor to the library. Good for her!

With books still on the mind, it seemed the perfect time to visit Brome Lake Books. LP mentions it in all her newsletters and it truly is worth a visit. (If you’re missing any of LP’s books, they seem to have them all available for purchase.) I did end up with a book, just not one of LP’s.

Having bought cheese at the Abbey, acquiring a baguette was definitely in order. Wouldn’t you know it? LP was kind enough to have La Rumeur Affamée on her map. Note the John cousins on the porch showing off their recently acquired baguette. Just down the lane to the left in the photo was another boulangerie. Now we have 2 loaves for the cheese.

The Innkeeper suggested we have lunch at Vitalité

Sureau/Elderberry. This is the largest elderberry farm in Canada. 20,000 bushes! (Can’t imagine how they pick all those elderberries.) The food was absolutely delicious, so delicious we all forgot to take photos! They told us a LP Three Pines tour bus stops there at least once a week. She’s done a lot for tourism in this area, that’s for sure!

Our final stop from the map was the Brome County Historical Society Museum, home to a lot of “old stuff”. It is housed in a series of buildings on the site of what was the Knowlton Distributing Home that operated from 1873 to 1915 and was one of many sites that participated in the British Home Child program. Over the years the program sent 100,000 kids to Canada and Australia. The kids, mostly orphans or from very poor families, were “farmed” out to families across Canada. Almost 5,000 went through Knowlton. It’s estimated that 10% of Canadians are descended from Home Children.

And one last photo. Do you remember when cities had artists “decorate” fiberglass cows for display in public places in some of our major cities? Well Knowlton seems to have had a similar idea plus a surplus of store mannequins because there are dozens of “creative” mannequins or “parts of” displayed along the street. Some say they’re spooky or creepy or funky of just plain fun but they are certainly generating a lot of discussion and photo taking.  Each mannequin has a description attached on the back telling who designed it and a bit about the artist. Judy’s favorite is this garden fairy. A group of local 6th graders created it saying they were inspired by their school garden. If you’re coming this way, we’re told they’re hoping to leave them up until the first of December.

Until tomorrow…

Hello Canada!

Sometimes on road trips you spot things you just have to turn around and go back to take a closer look. Such was the case when we spotted these sculptures outside Steve Myott’s studio in northern Vermont. Everything is created from “found” materials that can be recycled. 

All the sculptures have feet with rollers to move them easily.

After that excitement it was on to Canada. For my fellow Louise Penny novel fans who have seen the map she provided in her latest newsletter, we are attempting to visit all those sites.

Believe it or not this is Hovey Manor located near North Hatley, itself a beautiful village on a lake. Unfortunately we picked a day when the Manor was closed to visitors because a company had booked the entire facility. Also unfortunately, it’s being renovated and an adjacent spa is being built so this shot was the closest we could get. Normally one can not only stay there but also come for lunch or dinner. Maybe another time.

Next on the list was St. George’s Church in Georgeville. The inside had just the look and feel I’d imagined when Gamache went to church. If you go, don’t be afraid to try the front door as they leave it unlocked to welcome visitors. I noted the last folks (all women) to visit were from the Albany area. I’m betting they all belong to the same book group.

The last Penny stop of the day was the Old Manor House. I was told by one of the guests staying there it’s owned by a women who rents it out in the summer. There is no sign so am not quite sure how one would do that. If you go it’s just up the hill on the road in back of the church. It’s easy to miss so go slow.

When I was asking some locals (everyone here is very friendly!) directions to the Manor they suggested we also take the first road to the left after the manor. (Dirt but well maintained.) They said to start looking near the end of the road for life size sculptures in the fields and woods. This was one of them in front of one of the buildings. We probably missed some but we did see sculptures of turkeys, pigs, a herd of bison, a moose, a flock of geese suspended over a pond, Native Americans. Pretty incredible. The people who told me about them didn’t know who the sculptor was or who owned the property.

Then it was on to the Auberge Lakeview Inn in Knowlton where we’re staying for a couple of nights. The rooms are old, charming and comfortable and the Innkeepers are lovely. It was easy to see why Hillary and her Secret Service might have enjoyed staying here when she worked with Penny on their joint novel. The Inn is totally unpretentious which was probably a pleasant change from many other places Hillary has stayed. Gee, I’m now wondering if John & I are sleeping in the bed she slept in and imagining a little brass plaque… 

       Hillary Slept Here

John & Patty also Slept Here

A Rainy Day in Vermont

First - a correction from yesterday… the covered bridge is the longest double span bridge in the world which means it has one stone support in the middle. Yikes! Just knowing it was wide enough for 2 vehicles was enough for me.

Second - everyone wants to know about the smoke pollution where we are which is Jeffersonville, Vermont. The AirNow app reports only “moderate” for here whereas at home at 6 p.m. it was reported as “hazardous” although it’s been upgraded to “unhealthy”. Guess we were lucky to have left when we did.

Now back to the blog news… 

This first photo is near where we’re staying. Some talented artist has painted circular murals on the sides of two old barn silos. Although not in the photo, John is somewhere off in the field pointing at this one. He thinks the Zahns should take note and get some art on their old silos.

From there it was shopping - woolen mill, artist coop, cookware store and a bit of food and music in Burlington which was having a jazz fest.

Having already been to the Shelburne Museum, we opted to visit the 1,400 acre Shelburne Farms which was the agricultural estate of Lila Vanderbilt and William Seward Webb in the late 1800s. Olmsted was hired to landscape the farm and Robertson hired to design the buildings.

This magnificent building, believe it or not is the barn. At the time it was built it was the largest barn in the U.S. Although it still has a few animals living there, it now also houses a cheese making operation, a bakery/cafe, a woodworking shop, and educational space. The general public is not allowed to drive there so you can either walk the 3/4 mile or ride in a wagon pulled by a tractor. (We rode. It was raining after all!.)

This was the Webb’s home which has now been converted to an inn with 24 guest rooms. It overlooks beautiful formal gardens (one reason I wanted to visit) and both the Inn and gardens overlook Lake Champlain. The inside is just as beautiful and, although the guest rooms aren’t open for general viewing, we were encouraged to look at them online on a big screen rather than a phone. Eighty percent of the furnishings are original to the house. Hopefully this means the mattresses have indeed been replaced somewhere along the line!

Heading into Canada & Louise Penny sites tomorrow!

News of the Day

On our Canada trip last fall we went north of the Eastern Provinces of Quebec. On this trip we’re off to see the area that inspired Louise Penny to write her mystery novels. Be forewarned Louise! We’ll soon be in your nick of the woods. (we being John, Judy, John & me AKA Patty). But first a couple of days “doing” some stuff in Vermont.

First destination, the American Precision Museum in Windsor, someplace Bruce has been promoting for years. To be honest we found the exhibits a bit scattered and some of us (do I dare say the female contingent?) found them a bit boring as well. However, the exhibits are soon being completely redesigned so improvements are on the way. I don’t envy anyone who has to move those heavy machines even an inch. My personal favorite, definitely not heavy, was this typewriter.

In addition to the museum, Windsor is home to a covered bridge, the longest in the U.S., and also the longest two lane covered bridge in the world. Let’s hear it for Windsor! We drove across it in John & Judy’s big, heavy suburban, met traffic in the bridge, and made it across without incident.

As for other touristy things we stopped at today….  the Vermont Country Store; the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream factory (where do they get the cream - in all of Vermont, we’ve only spotted 4 cows!); the King Arthur Flour store where we got, you guessed it, some flour. (We haven’t seen any wheat fields either!) The day by taking the road north past the Stowe ski area and through Smugglers Notch on this insane, twisty, steep, uphill, downhill, almost one lane road. No wonder the tavern in the Inn where we’re staying at the north end of that road is so popular. Making it up that road alive is definitely a cause for celebration!