A Kid’s Book I’d Like To See

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“Caillou Meets the Berenstain Bears”.a

A Working Dog in Action

The photo doesn’t show it too well.

But what you have here is a Duck-Toller retrieving her ball…while totally ignoring a REAL-LIFE duck just 10 feet away.

Way to go, dog.

Way to do your breed PROUD.  🙂

Great Gardens

Two an a half months ago,  during my last visit to  Le Massif,  I did a side-trip one evening, about 30 km north of Baie St. Paul, to the Parc National des Grands Jardins.

It’s mountainous region, where the elevations get up to ~ 3000 feet.   Not huge by Western standards, but this far north, you’re already starting to push the tree-line.

“Grand Jardins”  translates into “Great Garden”.    And the place truly does look like that in the summer and fall.

The climate here is similar to the taiga found further north in Quebec.    It’s unique enough that it’s been included in UNESCO’s World Biosphere Reserve in Charlevoix.   They even have woodland caribou that were transplanted here from in the 60’s.

All this, just an hour and a half from Quebec City.

This day was a nice early spring day, and the roads were good.   Though I’d hate to imagine driving this in the dead of winter.   The roads are steep and winding and you can drive for miles before there’s a place to pull over or turn around.

Living East of the Rockies,  it’s a novelty for me to see big mountains.    Of course, there are some decent mountain ranges in New England, but nothing really, in Canada.    I was surprised to “discover” these.   It seems very few people outside of Quebec know about them.

While these aren’t exactly the Rockies, they could easily qualify as being the foothills of the Rockies.

And that’s good enough for me.

And will tide me over until the next time I head to BC.

PS.   I’ve included The Bear in one of these photos.   Can you spot him?

Coping Schedule

4:25 PM
Almost quitting time.   Totally fed up with work today.  Meetings from hell.  He-said-she-said Email pissing contests, and everyone sniping at each other.

I swear, on days like this, I almost feel like crying.

5:00 PM
Time to go home.   Tired.  Exhausted.   Head fuzzy.   Almost feel like I have the flu.   Need to lie down.

5:30 PM
Collapse on couch.   Fall asleep to an old M*A*S*H re-run.   Brain turned off.  Unconscious.

6:00 PM
Wake up.  Still tired.  Body still all wound up from work.   Can’t shake this fuzzy feeling in my head.

6:15 PM
Get in truck, drive to ice-cream store, and get a large chocolate-peanut-butter on a waffle cone.

Already the day is starting to look better.

6:30 PM
Continue driving for a while, and then pull into side road off the main highway.

6:32 PM
Turn onto gravel road, avoiding rocks and washouts.

6:35 PM
Arrive at desitnation.  Plop canoe in water.

6:40 PM
Paddle, and try not to re-live the past 12 hours.

6:45 PM
Listen to red-wing blackbirds,  white sparrows and loons.

Laughing at the angry chatter of the asshole-squirrels.

Feeling less anxious.

7:00 PM
Observe Zen-like golden reflections in the mirror-smooth water.   Head slowly emptying.

7:2?   PM
Feel tug on line.   Reel it in, and land a feisty little pike.

A magnificent toothy little bastard.

Remind myself:  “You caught a fish!”

Therefore, today, no matter what has happened, or what will happen, is a GOOD day.

?:?? PM
Enjoy the last few minutes of sunlight.

As the sun sets, see clouds move in.  Hear thunder.

Very faint and distant.   Felt, rather than heard.   Sending shivers up my spine.

???? PM
Load canoe on car.   Drive home in the dark.

Head clear now.

Feeling peaceful.

Content.

And mentally recharged.

z

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