The 2010 Summer Holiday Really Began In Montreal

Ben, my daughter Madeline's dearest friend, loaned me his apartment for the duration of my stay. What a great guy! Montreal apartments can be tiny but are definitely charming. At least the apartments where Madeline stays are always in older character buildings. Ben's apartment is in a building right next to Madeline's so we were always together even while separate.

This is Madeline in her apartment. While I slept in Ben's apartment, I ate my meals in Madeline's. Both apartments had books, so I was happy. Madeline's apartment has lots of colour while Ben's is the classic white and wood tones. Madeline's apartment is definitely bigger...

...important since it is here that she both lives and does her art: two glimpses of her studio.

And here is the neioghbourhood where they live...

Madeline and Ben walking to work, while I trail behind briefly then say goodbye at Central Stamp. While they earn their bread and butter, I wend my independent way. Madeline took her holidays while I was there to help me find my way around. Such fun!

My Summer 2010 Holiday In Montreal Part II

There are so many things I love about Montreal, two of them are that there are parks everywhere and that I can walk just about everywhere. Here am I walking through a park very close to Madeline's apartment! Life could hardly be better!

While I was in Montreal Madeline talked through a Grant Proposal she was planning to make. While she talked I took notes, then in this cafe we sat together to organize the details. Lots of fun for me. After I left she did the hard part: putting it together. She is now awaiting the results!

Another thing I love about Montreal is the Italian Market. This is too far away to walk to so at least once a visit Madeline and I take public transport here. We walk for hours first sampling the fruit that is placed for just that purpose, then return to the kiosk that had the best of whatever. We have a...

... coffee there then lunch then wend our way homeward. Madeline leading the way above and getting the cafecitos while I hold the table.

My visit ended with parties; this one was at Isabel and Enrique's house. That is their son Quique helping Ben put a puzzle together. Sacha, the owner of Central Stamp, was there too.
From here I flew to Washington State to see Megan and Keith, Richard and Arlene.

Saturday Market in Mexico City

Near San Angel Restaurant is a park that becomes an art exhibit on Saturday. WOW. Can't wait to show Madeline this when she visits for Christmas.

Every inch of the park is used...

The Virgen of Guadalupe protects the artists and all who wander therein...

and surrounding the park are artesans selling their crafts along the walkways.

Even leaving the market is charming. I left Mexico City late June for Montreal. The next posting will focus on that leg of the summer journey.

Summer 2010 Started in Mexico, Checking Out the New School

I was in Mexico City for 5 days. First came work: meeting with Jutty, my boss and director of the school. Here she is with Bill aka Guillermo, at dinner. She hosted me in her apartment. What you see next are views from her apartment, which by the by is my apartment block as well.

The Block is call La Triada and I live in Tower B, Jutty lives in Tower C. What you see is the center, common area...

and a view across this little part of the city. The Peterson School is just around the corner.

On Saturday we played. First to dinner at a fancy restaurant called San Angel, right across from Diego Rivera´s house and Frida Kahlo's blue house. The houses are linked on the roof so Diego could visit Frida when he chose. While we could go on the roof, the pass was blocked and guards
made sure we honored the restraints.

The restaurant was once a monestery.

The Last Days in El Salvador Were Fine

Here am I drinking cold coconut water from it's source. There were two beaches I learned to enjoy. One was here where I went with Carol who has a membership at this exclusive Club Salvadoreña and the other was the following photo....

... also a club but its membership is the school's, the American School of El Salvador. I like the second because of the wonderful saltwater pools, and the first because of the...

friendship with Carol. Both beaches are very dangerous for swimming in the surf, hence the saltwater pools of the second. Carol and I didn't swim, we walked the beaches. Once, when the surf looked mild we attempted a swim but after being buffetted about, we went in for a coconut.

A friendship is also what made this jaunt possible. Sam´s half-sister´s half-brother, Kenton by name, came to do some work with a Coop the Canadian Government has been sponsoring and called me. He was in desperate need of books to read and I was in need of a companion with whom I could explore. One of the first places we went was to the Mayan ruins: Joya de Ceren.

The last year in El Salvador, the seniors asked me to be one of their sponsors. This involved meetings and monitoring their plans, including designs on their tee-shirts as well as various other things. One bonus was being able to travel with them. here we are taking a party boat across a lake near Suchitoto.

Relaxing.... Farm Style

Keith found the perfect place to hang the hammock!

I spend the heat of the day here reading or just....

drifting off into the tree tops or

drifting in the river below.... It's lovely.

He also placed a rope for me to help my decent to my favorite spot on the river...

sitting under the bridge - I get to pretend I'm a troll!

Sitting in the chairs you get a nice view of the hammock above...

Soon the river will be low enough that I can "swim" in it.

The dogs love to play in it when I come down.

Two weekends ago our friend Anne-Renee came for a visit.
We did something I have been wanting to since we moved here.
We took the canoe down to the mouth of the river,where the Entiat meets the Columbia . We saw eagles, great blue herons, king fishers, a doe and her two spotted fawns, it was very relaxing and beautiful.
I didn't even have to paddle, I just got to be The Princess while Keith & A-R paddled!

We didn't get any photos so I took this shot yesterday of the canoe....

More veggies are ripening - green beans, beets, zucchini, carrots, cucumbers, no tomatoes yet, still very green.

Cheers!
Hoping that all of you are having a relaxing summer.
We hope your travels brings you to our door.

The Browns Visit the The Farm

A farm visit begins with a cocktail - friends usually arrive in the afternoon and it seems the best welcome after a long hot, beautiful drive through the mountains to our place by a little river.

There are lots of conversations and stories being read.

Of course it isn't all play, we put all our visitors to work - kids included!

Lucy and Jasper have become great helpers - they know how to feed the chickens and Ducky,

and to collect the eggs that I sell from our house,

and now they are learning how to be one with the Flock.

April made friends with Jack & Jill,

and Fred & Ollie, the Tom Turkeys.

"Gobble, gobble, gobble"!

When the chores were finished we did let the kids play in the hay!

Meanwhile, the Men were busy working in the vineyard, finishing putting the last of the trellis poles in the hard, rocky ground.

Thanks Rob!!!

All these photos were taken by Rob and April, and they were so kind to share them with us.
There were so many beautiful shots it was hard to pick which ones to post.
I will close with these two that shows off the farm and the great weather we had during their visit.

We hope The Browns visit again soon!!!