Our Trip to Montreal

We went to Montreal this weekend!  It's starting to become a tradition that every couple of years, we make the drive 5 hours north for a weekend of Quebecois food and fun.  We went for our honeymoon in 2010, for our 2-year anniversary in 2012, and for a bachelor party, also in 2012.  This was the coldest, snowiest trip we've made up there, but still fun.  It was also our "babymoon," i.e. our last planned trip before baby Eleanor joins us.  Here are some of our photos:

Love this huge arched window in our regular suite.

As well as this lovely terrace, overlooking a much snowier Parc la Fontaine than we're used to.

20 degrees and snowy outside meant an afternoon at the Biodome was very welcome.

A marmoset!

A couple of caymans!

Hibernating beaver butts caught on camera!

A huge sturgeon!

Saturday's dinner - the famous poutine at La Banquise.

There were a couple of slightly better post-poutine couple selfies, but I like Justin's face in this one the best.

Parc la Fontaine is lovely, but chilly (about 9 degrees and windy in this photo).

2013, Week #52 (and 1/2)

This is the final week for this project - how exciting!  It actually encompasses a little over a week (December 23-31) in order to finish out the year completely.  Enjoy!

Justin attempting to solve the Christmas rubix cube I got him in his stocking.

Beorn and his rawhide antler.

Reading a new book - a sight to warm his auntie's heart.

And off to Scotland on Boxing Day!  This suitcase epitomizes efficient packing: 7 sweaters, lots of thick socks, jeans, black pants, leggings, underwear, a full toiletry bag, and a bottle of booze - all in a medium-sized suitcase.

Missed this view (Edinburgh Castle from the Grassmarket).

First pub ever visited in Edinburgh, a decade ago (gave it a miss this time).

Justin & Edinburgh Castle - two class acts.

Gorgeous city.

View from balcony cafe at the National Museum (Victorian wing).

Awesome animals at the National Museum.

My favorite carnyx.

Chambers St. is pretty in the rain (good thing).

Favorite present for baby Eleanor from the Edinburgh Christmas market.

A very Happy, Blurry, Sober New Year's from Blackford Hill!

2013, Week #34

Images from the week of August 19-25.

Crazy busy day but this is my lunch view, so that's nice.

Pretty Hartwell Tavern (in Minuteman National Historical Park).

Cool moon(s) over the reservoir.  When we got home, we looked it up and realized it was a blue moon.

Haven't done a hammock shot in awhile.

Using the new grill (with chimney starter) on the new patio - Justin's life is complete. 

Anyone needs a cholera cure?

Desk on the second floor on one of my houses - isn't a lovely spot?

Ship drawing found on the back of an 1843 sermon. Was someone not paying attention in church?

Somebody's a wicked cute puppy with his head on a sheepskin.

Wilderness camping this weekend for a friend's wedding - packing all the essentials.

The view is actually worth the choppy canoe ride.

Gorgeous.

#nofilter on this one (sunset from the beach of our campsite)

Another #nofilter one, if you can believe it.

Elemental (see what I did there?)

Good morning from Students Island #9!

Water taxis to the ceremony site.

The arrival of the bride by seaplane to the ceremony site = coolest thing ever.

Mmmm, dinner.

Patio patterns.

Travelin' (Wo)man

This is a bit random, but I just did the math on how much I drove/how far I traveled last week and had to share.  Normally, I put around 400 miles on my car per week, just for my work commutes.  Last week, though, I added an evening annual meeting in Portsmouth, a weekend trip to the Stoughton IKEA, and a conference in Burlington, VT to my normal schedule.  So, in that one week, I drove 863 miles.  In other words, all the way to our summer home in Canada and part of the way back.

Eeps!  No wonder I "nest" at home so much on the weekends.

City of Contrasts

Photos for August 11th and 12th.  Montreal in clouds & sunshine.

General Check-in

Okay, so here's the thing. In the hectic months leading up to the wedding, I kept saying, "We'll do that after the wedding. We'll have more time then. After the wedding."

Hmmm. Not sure where all that free time I thought I'd have has gotten to! It's life, I guess - there's always something else coming down the pike. However, we are having a particularly busy summer. On our plates at the moment:

• We leave for our annual vacation on Prince Edward Island a week from tomorrow. This is a great thing, of course, but requires planning & packing & taking time off work & such.
• Since we drive up, the trip also requires getting some work done on my car - the brake job my mechanic recommended last summer and possibly something with the suspension, as it's been a very bouncy ride lately.
• We're moving! Since my grandparents' house in Hometown is (regrettably) empty, we're going to move in. This of course requires LOTS of planning & packing & such. We have to get out of our current lease in Portsmouth, clear out our storage unit (this Saturday), and move everything sixty miles south (probably the last weekend in August).
• Since we'll be moving to a house with more room & a yard, we can finally get a dog! We've both wanted one for a very long time, but the timing was never right. Of course, now . . .
• Justin is deploying in September. :( Which means that all of these things - move, dog, etc. - need to take place before he leaves. As does a bunch of military paperwork that proves I'm now his wife. And celebrating his birthday (9 days before his deployment date) and making sure he sees both of our families a bunch before he goes.
• Both Justin's and my best friends are moving to the midwest in August and September, respectively. This doesn't require much work on our parts, but is very sad and prompts us to try to see them as often as humanly possible before they go. Thankfully, my friend will only be out there for a year, but his (our best man) is starting a PhD program, so he won't be back on the East Coast for quite awhile.

There are other things, as well, but these are the major ones. See what I mean?!?

Vacation Countdown

In past years, I've started this countdown far sooner. I think when I worked full-time & disliked my "daily grind," it was more important to keep a close eye on when my vacation started. ;) Now, I like my daily life, so I'm only mentioning my vacation when I'm six days out.

In other words, I leave for my annual vacation to Prince Edward Island on Saturday morning. Those of you who have read the blog for awhile now know all about how much I value my time there. For the newer folks, here's a summary post & a link to all of my posts about PEI.

Yay - I'm so excited!

NYC & DC Photos

I'm proud to present my photos from NYC & DC. They're really not as exciting as that intro made them sound, but oh well. ;)

Belvedere Castle in Central Park

The Hall of Northwest Indians at the Museum of Natural History

The Apple store on 5th avenue

Busy afternoon at the Met

Mosaic from the entrance to a Babylonian temple

The gorgeous ceiling of the Met's main staircase

The Capitol building in sunlight

And moonlight

Carl Yastrzemski's batting helment, circa 1970. On display in the "Treasures of American History" exhibit, now @ the National Air & Space Museum

My best friend's doggie Vixen :)

If you want, you can view the rest here. I spent more than I had hoped, but definitely far less than I could have. In the end, I had a lovely time visiting friends, touring museums, and eating & drinking far too much. :)