6) Summer Vacation (Part 2), the honeymoon continues...

 (Picture taken on our private balcony during breakfast at l'auberge des nuits de rêves in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, July 2015.)

Summer vacation (July 2015) - Part 2

The "honeymoon" continues...

A memoir by Chantal Bellehumeur

(This memoir was used to write part of the novella ''Harmony'', published in 2016.)

 

Jeff and I left Chateau Vaudreuil, where we had our delayed honeymoon.

 

We had already claimed that this Monday (July 20) was the best one we ever had, having made love upon waking up and not having to go to work, and it continued to be a good day.

 

On the highway heading back home, I suggested we stop in the Point-Claire village because we would be passing by it.  Jeff thought it was a good idea and decided to take the scenic route there.  

 

He drove to Saint Anne de Bellevue, a quaint little village with beautiful houses, and stopped near the marina beside the Baie D'Urfe yatch club.  The fenced lot with boats inside was private propriety, but there was a public park surrounded by many tall trees by lac Saint-Louis (St-Louis Lake) so we started walking there.

 

A few dogs were running around in the grass and one of them came towards us.  The owner did not seem bothered so Jeff and I were not scared.  We pet the large brown dog and walked with it until we were near the water.  It practically guided us there.  Although we could not actually go down to the lake because of the large rocks, bushes, and trees, it was still nice to see.  The bright sun made the lake sparkle.    

 

Jeff and I walked near the calm lake for a few minutes, watching far away boats as well as a few swimmers off a small island with high grass.  The loose dogs continued running around in the open grassy area.

 

I noticed that there were a few wooden picnic tables on the grass, and in the distance on the opposite side of the lake there were several structures that looked like they were meant for exercising.  A woman in sporty clothes confirmed my theory by going to each one and making use of them.  It was like an outdoor gym.  

 

When we got back to the car, I proposed that Jeff call Communauto to see if we could have our rented vehicle longer.  I didn't think it would be possible because the car service was really busy during the summer, but figured it was worth finding out anyways.

  

After about five minutes of being on hold, Jeff gave me his cell so I could take over and he started driving.

 

We passed by another marina with several sail boats in the water and I wanted to stop there.

 

Jeff parked the car beside the Baie D'Urfe town hall, which I discovered used to be an old farm house called Maison St-Denis (St-Denis house).  There was a small pond beside it with a pebble path.  I took a closer look at it while Jeff resumed trying to get a hold of somebody at Communauto. 

 

Finally somebody picked up and Jeff was told that we could have the car longer.  He gave me the good news and extended his rental time until six.  I was really happy and think I may have jumped up and down like a child.

 

After hanging up, Jeff walked with me on the grass near the lake, shaded by some tall tress, and passed by a private propriety.  We noticed that all the sail boats we had seen earlier were tied up in the lake. 

 

There was a man peacefully fishing on a wooden dock.

 

We saw some geese in the water further up and walked all the way to them, passing by a woman and a big black dog, and then headed back towards our car. 

 

The black dog took a quick swim in the pond.  The woman who was talking him for a walk, presumably his owner, told us he never went in the lake.  I can't say that I blamed the animal.  The lake water wasn't exactly the cleanest whereas the pond water looked crystal clear.

 

Jeff and I got back to the car and took a few side streets to check out the nice houses with well kept lawns, saying we should buy one of the smaller ones with a large balcony by the water when we retired.

 

Jeff drove into Beaconsfiled and we passed by a strip of stores as well as an art studio and gallery. 

 

We wanted to check out the gallery so Jeff found a place to park.  We crossed the street and walked to the gallery but it turned out to be closed.  There were some artwork on display in a window outside though so we took a look at all the nice drawings, paintings and handmade cards from art students.

 

When we returned to the car, we put on some sunscreen and got back in the hot vehicle.  We had to keep the windows open to let the breeze in because there was no air conditioning.

 

Jeff drove away from Beaconsfield and we soon arrived where we wanted to be.  My husband drove right through the Pointe-Claire village and found a place to park close to another marina.

 

We started our walk on the sidewalk of the main street, Lakeshore, and saw a sign for a local market so we turned in the direction the arrow on the sign was pointing.  The market came into sight and we crossed the street to get tot it.

 

There were several types of flowers and plants for sale as well as fruits and vegetables plus canned jams and honey.

 

The closer we got to the centre of the small market, the more we could smell strawberries.  Small baskets of various fruits were sold at a reasonable price so we bought some strawberries as well as cherries.

 

Jeff and I were quite happy with our selection since the fruits ended up being very tasty. We ate a few of our strawberries and cherries as we walked back towards the main street and started looking for a place to buy a cold drink.  Jeff really wanted an iced coffee.  We found a cafe right away, but they only had hot coffees or cold bottled drinks so we decided to continue our walk.

 

We were about to go into a little boutique but the woman working there was locking the door.  When she saw us, she told us we could go in while she got an iced coffee next door.  She jokingly told us she was putting us in charge of security and let us stay inside unsupervised for a few minutes.  Something like that would have never happened in Montreal.

 

Jeff and I looked at all the handmade crafts and other items for sale.  There were rows of bottled hot sauces and I ended up buying a bottle for Aidan.  I also purchased a small tabasco chocolate for him.  Those would be for his Christmas stocking.

 

The woman from the store highly recommended we get an ice coffee next door, saying they were the best because they put a ball of ice cream in them.

 

As recommended, we went to Cafe Bilboquet and Jeff ordered an iced coffee with ice cream in it. I asked for a mango smoothie but had a sip of my husband's iced coffee just to taste it.  Both drinks were really good.

 

We sat outside in the shade on a wooden bench in front of the cafe rather than at one of their small white metallic tables, which were all in the sun, and drank our beverages while eating some more strawberries and cherries. Many people came and left the cafe so it was obviously very popular.

 

When we were done our drinks, Jeff and I went into a few more shops and continued walking on Lakeshore until we reached a residential area.  At this point, we crossed the street to explore the other side, and found a stone road that lead to the water.  It was between some private properties with huge fenced backyards.  One of them had an in ground pool. I imagined residents mainly bought the places for the views of the lake, not to go swimming in it.

 

Jeff and I weren't sure if we were even allowed to be standing where we were so we asked a woman much older than us who was looking out at the lake.  She didn't know either since she was visiting like us and we ended up chatting with her for a little bit about the surroundings.  The bells from a church we could see in the distance struck three as we talked.

 

In the lake, several people were kite surfing.  It looked pretty hard and we wondered how the kites did not tangle up together.  Some of the kites fell in the water, making a loud sound.  There was a bit of a delay between the time the kite hit the water and the moment we heard it smack hard.

 

A few of the kite surfers were able to fly up in the air on their boards for a few seconds before falling in the water.  I imagined it was cold.  They were all wearing wet suits.  I could not get to the water to confirm because it was too risky.  I might have scraped my legs on the ruff plants or fallen in the muck at the start of the lake.

 

A young couple was sitting on a white broken log close to some bushes and weeds. When they left we took their spot.  By then, the woman whom we acquainted ourselves with had left too. There were a few grasshoppers and other bugs around but I didn't care aside from the spider web I saw.  I simply made sure that it was abandoned before sitting down.

 

Jeff and I continued to look at the kite surfers as well as a lonely kayaker and started eating more cherries.  We ended up finishing them, during which we had a pit spitting competition.  It was my unladylike suggestion to try and get the pits as far as possible.  Jeff won.  

 

When we had enough of sitting on the uneven log, we continued our walk going in and out of boutiques.  We found that most of the merchants in the Pointe-Claire village were very friendly and chatty.

 

In one of the stores, where I tried on some clothes, a local woman told us that there was a windmill representative of the town right by the water beside an old convent that was about to be sold and most likely turned into condos.  She said we should go check it out so we did. 

 

We passed by a big church on the way to our recommended attractions and the bell struck four, which startled us since we were not expecting the loud sound.  

 

After taking a quick look at the convent and windmill, which were both on private propriety, Jeff and I went back to the first cafe we had walked into because Jeff really wanted hot coffee now.  We both also ordered some apple crumbles and sat indoors to eat our snacks.  The cafe was filled with portraits of France, mainly of Paris.

 

We visited one last store, where I suddenly needed to rush to a bathroom.  My colitis symptoms often manifested themselves when I was due for a Remicade treatment, which I did every six weeks. 

 

Jeff remained calm with me and did not make a big deal out of it, which helped with my stress level. 

 

The fact that my husband never acts like my issues related to my digestive illness are a nuisance to him or like he is embarrassed to be with me during my uncomfortable moments is proof of how much he loves me in my opinion.  Although I have never been  in a full flareup or had to go to an emergency clinic while we have been together, Jeff has seen me suffer and knew what he was getting into from the start.  He's accompanied me to a colonoscopy appointment, been to a seminar with me about the illness as well as two walkathons, which he volunteered at, to help find a cure. 

 

When I had my urgency in the store, we calmly walked out together.  I knew there was a bathroom in the cafe we had just gone to so we headed there right away.  A woman was patiently waiting for her turn to use the facility but after taking one good look at me she said I looked like I needed to use the bathroom more than her so kindly let me go ahead of her.

 

Jeff waited for me, still acting casual.  He took my hand when we left the cafe and reminded me that he loved me.

 

After I returned to the store to make a purchase, we headed back home like nothing unfortunate had happened previously. Jeff didn't fuss or even sigh in disappointment when I told him I would not be able to eat pizza for dinner as originally planned.  He said we would both eat whatever I could handle.

 

I told my husband, and perhaps myself, that I should be able to enjoy food again after my Remicade treatment.  I was actually really looking forward to it.

 

Jeff dropped me off at our apartment and helped me bring our luggage inside.

 

On his way back from bringing back the car, he picked up a BBQ chicken from the grocery store.  We ate chicken breasts with white rice and boiled baby carrots for supper.

 

After our meal, we were going to relax together in the living room.

 

The phone rang so I answered it.  The back up nurse at my Remicade clinic was in the ER because she had sprained her ankle and was calling to let me know the infusion treatment I was supposed to have the next morning had to be cancelled.  She said I would have to call on Thursday when the regular nurse was back from her vacation to make a new appointment.

 

Although I was understanding towards the nurse, inside I was crying.  I was afraid of what might happen if I waited too long for a treatment, especially with my Colitis symptoms being more present than usual. I wanted to be able to enjoy the rest of my summer vacation.

 

Aidan called from Ottawa before I had time to worry too much and told me all about his trip to New Brunswick.  He had a lot of fun with his cousins as well as the new friends he made in St-Andrews.  This news made me happy.

 

I told Aidan about my trip with Jeff, leaving the romantic details out.  I also refrained from telling him how ill I had been feeling because I did not want him to worry.

 

The next morning, I was woken up by the sound of the phone ringing shortly passed eight.  I did not get to the portable phone in the hallway on time and heard an unfamiliar woman leaving me a message when I picked up.  She was saying that she found a nurse to come into the clinic and do my Remicade treatment.

 

I had to make Jeff listen to the recorded message to make sure I had not dreamed it and he confirmed that my appointment was reset.  That was very good news.

 

An hour and a half later, I left for the infusion clinic which was located downtown near Guy-Concordia metro.  I met Jeff at the Van Houte cafe in Place des Arts afterwards even though I was tired.  He was just finishing a cup of coffee when I arrived so I sat down with him and drank an oasis meal replacement drink, which tasted like tropical juice.  I had eaten a plain chicken sandwich at the clinic before falling asleep on my comfortable leather reclining chair so didn't need lunch.

 

When we were both done our drinks, Jeff and I remained indoors and headed to the Complexe Desjardins, where we did a bit of shopping together.

 

We first entered a small chocolate shop, which smelled sweet, and were offered a sample of dark chocolate with dried cranberries inside.  It was delicious.

 

The woman who had offered us the samples informed us that the people behind the counter were making candy apples.  I had never been a big fan on them, yet was tempted to buy one just because of how good they smelled.  I considered buying one for Aidan but remembered his braces. 

 

I looked around at the nicely decorated chocolates, fudge, and other sweets for sale but walked out of the store without buying anything.  I then noticed the biggest chocolate bar I had ever seen in the display window.  It was being sold for $100!

 

Next, I was drawn into Ardene by a misleading $1 sale and ended up buying a pyjama I found cute as well as a single pair of socks at regular price.  I didn't really need any of those items and I forgot to hand in my VIP card to get my usual 10% off.  I am usually so good about taking advantage of good deals and once I realized I had paid more than necessary I was bummed; but only for a moment. 

 

I told myself that the leopard print pyjama shorts had been free since I had been mainly interested in the black tank with the words "Do Not Disturb" written in white.  I decided it would be my writing shirt and that, as a rule, neither Jeff or Aidan could talk to me when I wore it.  I wasn't really sure when I would wear the socks with x-rayed feet printed on them, or that they would ever be seen by anyone other than myself, but I just thought they looked cool. 

 

Jeff wanted to buy some pants but did not find any he liked in any of the mall's men's clothing stores.  He ended up buying a nice dark grey hooded sweater at Le Chateau, having gone inside the store because of sale signs as well.  I laughed at the fact that after my husband asked the saleswoman if the shirt could go in the dryer she answered him but was looking at me as though I was the one doing his laundry.

 

We walked out of the store through the main entrance, which led directly outside as opposed to the mall, intending on walking down St-Catherine street but it had started to rain so we headed back inside.

 

We both started being hungry so we shared a burger with no onions from A & W, eating our cut halves inside a large gazebo by the food court in the mall.  I was happy that my Remicade treatment had already taken effect and that I had no digestive issues after eating.

 

In addition to the shopping and snacking, we went to the Museum of contemporary art while it rained to see an exhibit called Flux by David Altmejd.  His work was very strange but original.  One of his sculpted pieces was a story board that started off with a pair of hands picking up dirt and then transforming it into a ball which then became a coconut.  The coconut morphed into a head which became human and started crystallizing.  The human head turned into a wolf's head.

 

A little girl made us laugh when she bluntly exclaimed "Somebody forgot to tell us this exhibit was inappropriate for children..."

 

Our visit lead us strait to another exhibit inspired by violent video games.  It also had sexual content.  We found a parental warning at the beginning of that exhibit, but we had already passed everything and wondered what the little girl's reaction would have been, or better yet, her parents.

 

Jeff and I visited the rest of the museum as well, but I was not all that impressed.

 

There was a hallway filled with different types of framed artwork from top to bottom of the two walls which were nice, but then we entered a huge room with barely anything in it.  There was a long table with various sculptures on it, a few framed artwork on the walls, and a lonely cubic room with nothing in it but white walls.  I figured it might represent insanity as standing in the room for too long would have certainly driven me crazy, but there was no explanation.

 

The next room of the museum was just as big as the previous one with very little inside it too.

 

A separate section of the museum had sound art, which was new to me, and a few walls in the hallways held framed drawings and paintings of different styles. 

 

It all made me wonder why some artists were chosen to be exposed and others no.

 

If I can say so myself, I once had a burst of great inspiration which resulted in a nice piece of original artwork.  I took a medium sized canvas, striped naked, then posed between a light and the canvas so that my shadow could be seen on the canvas, and asked my husband to trace the outline of the silhouette.  I reworked the drawing of myself sitting sideways and painted it completely black. 

 

From what I have seen in the museum, my imperfect art might of been considered a masterpiece if I had tried to expose it elsewhere than on one of my bedroom wall.

 

Also, In my opinion Jeff's artwork too had more of a wow factor than a framed ripped piece of golden tissue paper or a thick painted black line even though he was out of practise.

 

I know I should not criticize.  Art can be interpreted in many ways and I have personally done abstract art, but it sill makes me question the value of certain pieces I see in museums, galleries or art books compared to others.        

 

It was still raining when we finished our odd visit so we took a quick look in the museum's boutique. 

 

The sun came out just on time for us to head over to St-Catherine street to find a store called Neon, where Jeff finally found a pair of beige pants he liked. I tried on a nice long summer dress while I was waiting for Jeff, but it was too big even though it was an extra small.  It was probably for the best since it was expensive.

 

That concluded our shopping for the day.

 

Back home I made some chicken pasta with some of the leftover chicken and we ate by candle light while drinking some chilled white wine.

 

For dessert, I put some individually packaged mille-feuilles on small plates along with two strawberries to try and be as fancy as Chateau Vaudreuil, but my husband and I got distracted by each other and only ate the sweets after making love.

 

The following day we decided to just relax at home, although we also ran necessary errands together close to home. 

 

Jeff and I talked about other things we might like to do during our staycation.  My husband said he wouldn't mind going to Mount Tremblant and I thought it would be fun to stay in a medieval style hotel at some point.  We accidentally found a way to kind of do both.

 

As we were browsing for medieval hotels in the province of Quebec, we found a small hotel in Saint-Agathe-des-Monts which was about thirty minutes away from the Tremblant village.  It had seven themed rooms;  Adam and Eve, Tarzan and Jane, Cleopatra and Cezar, Eros and Psyche, Neptune and Venus, Napoleon and Josephine, plus Romeo and Juliet.

 

The one that interested me the most was Romeo and Juliet.  I could see from the website pictures that it had a renaissance look to it which I loved.  I called the hotel to see if that room was available sometime the following week.  A woman answered from her cell phone and said she was just getting home so I had to be patient while she opened up her computer to check. As luck would have it, the room was free on two dates.  Jeff made sure we could reserve a car with communauto before I booked the room for one night.  We now had another romantic getaway to look forward to. 

 

Jeff and I left the apartment for a planned outing right after I excitedly made the hotel reservation.

 

We had picked up some sandwiches at the grocery store earlier so we could have them for dinner later and ended up eating them in the old Montreal across the Notre-Dame basilica while watching numerous tourists take pictures, some using the popular selfie sticks, of the old building as well as a large historical statue in the middle of a fountain. 

 

Horse drawn carriages went by on the cobble stone streets.  I longed to take a ride in one even though I had done it before in several cities I visited in the past.  I had even gone on a carriage ride in the old Montreal more than once.  I knew it had gotten a lot more expensive to take a thirty to sixty minute ride and that it didn't interest Jeff all that much so I didn't push the matter.  I did point out a carriage every single time I saw one though; not just that night, but every time we were in the old Montreal.

 

That evening, we were in Old Montreal for a ghost walk.  I had reserved two tickets over the phone in the morning and we picked them up at an office, which had an old twirling wooden staircase inside.  A young man dressed in a brown hooded cloak gave us instructions after confirming our purchase and giving us our tickets, which were really stickers we had to wear on our shirts.

 

The walk started before sunset at Place Royal.  As we ventured into the old streets and alleys while the sky slowly got darker, we were told many true stories of tortures, fires, and murders that occurred in the area many years ago as well as supposed ghost sightings and strange occurrences that happened afterwards. 

 

Our male guide was very good at telling the spooky stories as well as staying in character. Everyone gave him a tip after his last tale, which was told near the Bonsecours Market.  The historical place is called a market because there used to be one on that land, but a two story building was constructed there in 1847 and became the City hall until 1878.  It now has several unique stores inside.  Sometimes, events or banquets take place there.  Jeff and I have witnessed some food and alcohol vendors displaying their merchandise outside once, and discovered some good apple cider which we purchased after a tasting.

 

Being by the Bonsecours market and hearing a tale involving people drinking whiskey reminded me that we still had the two bottles of alcoholic cider we had purchased the previous summer.

 

I would like to say that the story inspired me to go have a drink at home, but it ended in murder.  We were told that the ghost of Mary Gallagher still haunted the area. Apparently, every seven years she makes an appearance exactly where we were being told about her tragic death.

 

Jeff and I planned on going to see the Lotto Quebec fireworks after the ghost walk because we thought they were every Saturday and Wednesday of the the summer, but there was no show this Wednesday for some reason. 

 

Instead, we just had a coffee inside a Starbucks and headed home. 

 

As I fell asleep that night, I thought about one of the things our guide had said.  At the beginning of our ghost walk, he asked if anyone was married and if we remembered who had fallen asleep first on their wedding night.  Jeff and I had only been married for three and a half months and could not remember so presumed that we fell asleep at the same time. 

 

We were told that the first person to fall asleep on their wedding night was said to also be the first to pass away.  Part of me hoped that both me and Jeff's lives would indeed end at the same time because I did not want to live through the pain of loosing him.  I know he felt the same because he always changed the subject when I talked about my eventual death, while discussing my will for example.

 

I hoped to live a long life with Jeff, plus continue being playful together as well as go on adventures.

 

During the rest of our staycation, which passed by quickly, we did other fun things in and around the Montreal area. We slept in every day and took advantage of the fact that Aidan wasn't around by spending a lot of time lazing in the apartment naked or with little clothes on plus taking all our showers together.

 

On the Thursday (July 23) we went to the old port shortly after lunch and headed to a new attraction called Voiles en voiles.  We bought passes in the form of a sticker bracelet to do aerial obstacle courses for two hours.  The waiting time to go on the various courses strung between two large dark brown wooden pirate ships that looked like they were from the 18th century was an hour.

 

The time passed by faster than I expected. 

 

We watched adults and kids of all ages go from one end to the other on the different courses of wood or nets, which were forty eight metres long and varied from one to ten metres in height.  There were also four wall climbing courses as well as two zip lines.  Inflatable structures were on the other side of the ships for the little ones.

 

A toddler around the age of two was being prepared for a low obstacle course meant for young kids only.  Jeff and I found her adorable, and thought of our niece Zoey.

 

Grey clouds started forming in the sky above us while we were still in line and we felt a few drops, which eventually turned into light rain.  We were afraid that the attraction park would have to close, which would have been really frustrating considering the fact that there were no refunds.

 

It didn't take long for the sun to come back out, and it got pretty hot.  It wasn't unbearable though.

 

Jeff and I had to sign regulation forms while we were in line and when it was our turn to go on the courses we were both given a safety harness as well as a helmet.  

 

We walked up a flight of wooden stairs to embark one of the ships and decided to start off with a course that was about six metres off the ground.  We waited about fifteen minutes in line, during which Jeff attempted to adjust my helmet because it was loose and he feared for my safety.

 

When our turn came up Jeff went ahead of me. I wanted to follow his lead.

 

A female employe hooked a mechanism with a short black rope hanging from a long white rope above his head to the front of his harness and he walked a long plank to get to the first series of the course.

 

When it was my turn to walk the plank, I froze at the edge. It took me a few seconds to jump and allow myself to swing to the other side while holding on to the safety rope.  I knew I was safe, but it just didn't feel natural to be jumping into the air and my minor fear of heights kicked in.

 

I managed to get to a tall post with a stable circular platform, where Jeff was waiting for me. 

 

Only two people were allowed on each set of the course at a time, so my husband went ahead and as soon at the person in front of him was on the next stable platform I followed.  On the same course, there were about eight sets of obstacles in total with moving boards of different sizes or shapes to walk on with ropes in between to hang on to along with the rope that was attached to our harness.  There was also a large beige folded net to walk through.  I really enjoyed most of them while others made me scared but I faced my fear.

 

Right after that first run we were both ready to do a second.  We chose another six metre course which started on the other ship. 

 

While we were in line, a little boy got so scared when it was his turn that he started crying.  He tried again a few minutes later but could not get to the first wooden board.

 

I have to admit that I wasn't sure how I was going to get to the other side without cheating.  We were not supposed to touch the rope above us, although many people still did.

      

A woman ahead was doing everything so slowly that the course was backed up.  I was glad that, despite my fear, I moved quicker than she did.

 

I got to a metal tightrope and thought I would fall.  Technically, I would have just dangled from the safety rope until a crew member came to help me, but that was just as bad in my opinion, not to mention embarrassing.

 

I almost panicked but made it across the tightrope while cheating and was able to place my feet on the safety of the wood from the other ship.  Now Jeff and I had to do the remaining sets that would take us back to the start of that course. 

 

My loose helmet fell off my head before I resumed the course but I managed to get it back on and adjust the strap.  It didn't dangle from my neck again after that.  My helmet was actually kind of tight.

 

My hands really hurt from holding on too tight to the rope when I was done and I needed  a break.

 

Jeff bravely went on one of the ten metre high obstacle while I waited for him on the safe ground with my helmet removed.  Other people were waiting around for a friend or family member. There were a few seats available, including picnic tables inside a fake wooden boat.   

 

I looked up from my wooden chair and gave my husband the thumbs up a few times or waved.  Jeff returned my gestures.

 

We thought we would have time for another course when Jeff finished, but our two hours was already up and we had to hand in our gear. I have to admit that I felt a little gypped since our bracelet had cost us more than the price of three individual courses. But, Jeff and I had fun.

 

After returning our harness and helmet, we went back to the ticket booth and asked for our bags.  Small lockers could be rented, but we had been confident leaving our belongings with the staff.

 

Thirsty, Jeff and I drank some bottled water we had brought with us.  We also ate a carrot muffin each as a snack and started walking away from the site. 

 

I looked up at a separate attraction of high zip lines and told Jeff that I knew for sure that I would not be able to do it.  Walking the plank had proven that.  And yet I was interested in going to Peur Depot (Scare Depot), a type of haunted house nearby, and Jeff was too scared to go with me.  Fear is an odd thing.

 

We crossed the street, headed towards the Bonsecours market and went on St-Paul street.  Since we passed by a couple art galleries, Jeff and I decided to check them out. 

 

My husband and I got into the habit of visiting art galleries at the begging of the summer, on my thirty fourth birthday to be exact. We enjoyed looking at different styles of paintings and it didn't cost anything to walk into a gallery.  We could not afford any of the original pieces for sale, but still liked to point out our favourites.

 

In the first gallery we walked into, one of the woman working there was happy to explain   each of the artist's paintings as well as his inspirations.  She told us that Peter Whart was a self taught painter who was known for using raw noodles on his canvases.  I had not noticed them until I took a closer look at the bumps in some of his paintings.  I thought it was a pretty original way to add texture.  While Jeff and I examined more paintings, we were told that the artist also used uncooked rice or small nets at times. 

 

The painting that struck me the most was of a lighthouse.  The artist used a real perl for the light and no matter where you stood in the gallery it shined.  Jeff liked that painting as well.

 

In the second gallery we visited, we both loved the large city paintings that looked quite busy because of the brush stokes.  Although nothing was moving, we could almost see how fast the people and vehicles were going. 

 

We were both hungry for dinner after our free visits and decided to try out a restaurant called L'usine du spaghetti (the spaghetti factory).

 

The dimly lit place was packed but we got a seat right away by an open screenless window.

 

Jeff and I both ordered some pasta; lasagne for me and penne with smoked meat for Jeff.  I asked for a glass of red wine to drink with my meal while Jeff ordered a Carlsberg beer.

 

When the waitress left we headed to the salad buffet, which was included with our meal, and took small portions of various types of salads.  There were two different salad dressings to choose from but I did not take any.  Jeff forgot to pour some on his cold veggies, couscous, and shell shaped noodles.

 

By the time we got back to our table our drinks had been served.  We did a toast and started eating our salads as well as buns that were given to us.  Jeff had his bread with garlic butter while I had mine with regular one.

 

Our hot meals arrived as we were finishing our cold salads.

 

We ate our pasta dishes while drinking our alcoholic beverages.  The portions had been perfect.  Neither one of us had room for dessert after our main courses though so we just asked for the bill.

 

After paying, we walked to the centre of Old Montreal, where most of the action took place, and sat down on a curb for a few minutes.  There were many artisans around trying to sell their handmade jewellery or artwork.  Some artists did portraits or caricatures on the spot.  Clowns did fancy animal balloons for kids.

 

Jeff really wanted coffee to help digest his meal so we started walking to find a cafe.  We saw that there was a white van with several musical instruments protruding from it parked in the middle of the busy centre.  Intrigued, Jeff inquired about the upcoming show.

 

There was going to be a presentation at eight o'clock so we had forty five minutes to get a coffee and come back.

 

We discovered a nice cafe with comfortable red chairs inside.  Jeff drank his hot coffee while I sipped on my mocha, trying not to fall asleep.  We were very relaxed.

 

There was a tiny sofa, probably meant for kids, by the entrance which made us laugh.  I decided to sit on it just for fun and it made me look like a giant.  I was afraid that I might break it though, so after Jeff took an amusing picture of me in it I came back to my original seating.

 

We finished our hot beverages and went back to the centre of the old Montreal just on time for the start of the show we wanted to see, which turned out to be pretty entertaining.

 

Six performers, two woman and four men, played music using various instruments and other noise makers such as the creaking back doors of their van as well as a long saw.  The music was good plus the show was also comical.  When the two woman sang together, they yodelled and cawed like chickens.

 

Jeff and I headed home still laughing at the chicken sounds, which Jeff was happy to imitate.

 

The following day we relaxed at home.  It was the calm before the storm since we had agreed to babysit Jeff's sister's two year old daughter Zoey as well as her two month old baby Skye despite the fact that we were kid free and technically still on our honeymoon.

 

It actually went pretty well. Zoey was finishing her dinner when we arrived at around six o'clock and Skye was sleeping.  Zoey did not cry or fuss when her parents left the house to go out for dinner.  She enjoyed playing with Jeff and I and we both found her adorable.

 

I heated up some leftover chicken legs and parsley noodles I had brought over and ate while Jeff entertained Zoey in the living room, and then we switched.  I did the airplane for her several times and we attacked Jeff to tickle him.

 

Jeff and I both danced with Zoey and I sang a few popular children's songs with her.  She clapped at the end of each song.  One of them sounded like a rap version of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."

 

Skye woke up so I changed her soiled diaper and heated her prepared milk bottle.  I fed the baby while Jeff continued to entertain Zoey.  He flipped her upside down and rocked her small body while she giggled.  She would always ask him to do it again.

 

Jeff was very good to his nieces and I could tell he would have made an excellent father if we ever had a baby together.  But, that was not part of our plan.  Had we gotten together earlier in our lives perhaps, but with Aidan being a teen I did not see myself going back to diaper days and Jeff was content with the way things were even though he wanted kids of his own in the past.

 

We were both happy to just take care of Zoey and Skye to give their parents a rest, and then go home.

 

I was able to do the dishes and clean up in the kitchen a bit while Jeff continued to play with Zoey and watch Skye.  I had placed the smiling baby in her rocking chair. 

 

Before we knew it, Heather and Darren were back.  They admitted that they were surprised by the calm and also to find out that I had no problems feeding Skye since she doesn't like being bottle fed.  I guess they expected us to be eager for their return and want to escape, but that was not the case.

 

Jeff and I stuck around for a few minutes and then Darren drove us back home. 

 

A few minutes after walking into our apartment, I received a Facebook message from Darren about the fact that Jeff had forgotten his cell phone, so I replied that we just needed an excuse to swing by and see the kids.

 

I really would not have minded seeing Zoey and Skye again for a few minutes but Darren was in the neighbourhood the following day so he dropped off the phone.  I realized I had forgotten my jacket at Heather and Darren's so would have to pick it up at some point since Darren did not receive my message about it on time.

 

After Darren's quick drop off, Jeff and I left for the congress centre, where there was an exposition on Michelangelo's famous artwork from the Sistine chapel.  It wasn't the original paintings on display but rather blown up pictures of them.  They were placed on a low ceiling as well as walls so people could get a close look and each one was explained. 

 

I had been to the Sistine chapel when I was in Rome, and although Michelangelo's ceiling paintings were impressive, it was nice to see all the details.  Also, it was very crowded in the Sistine chapel, it was forbidden to take any pictures, and no talking was aloud either.  Security guards actually shushed people even if they whispered. At the Montreal exhibition, opera music was playing as a small group of people took their time to look at each piece of art and taking pictures was not a problem.

 

We took about an hour and a half to look at each portrait in the air conditioned building and read the biblical background each one was based on.  We started watching videos on each individual portrait because we had access to the internet, more specifically a website linked to the exposition, but after watching ten videos out of thirty six we decided to just stick to reading the info even though the online videos were interesting.  We had been told that we would still have access to them at home, so we spent more time looking at all the portraits than the videos.

 

After our independent tour, we walked to the old Montreal and decided to find a place to eat dinner.  We chose the Old Port Steakhouse and asked to be seated on their outdoor terrace.  It wasn't until we got to our table that we realized that we had walked right passed the place during the ghost walk and found it looked really nice at the time.  Lights were strung around the top canopies but it was still bright out when we went for dinner so they were not lit.  We had seen them at night and found them beautiful.

 

Jeff and I knew the history of the stone walls beside the terrace.  The original building had partially caught fire, causing the death of two people trapped inside about two hundred years before.  The owner had paid an arsonist to burn down his competitor's warehouse and had stabbed him during an argument over the payment.  The arsonist supposedly had enough time to throw one of his concoctions towards the big house and start a fire. 

 

Part of the building was restored and was said to be haunted.

 

Jeff and I did not witness any paranormal activity, but there were an unusual amount of winged ants around.  The smiling elderly couple sitting beside us saw us flicking the bugs off the table as well as ourselves and told us the terrace wasn't usually like that.  They were regulars and it was the first time they saw such a thing.  The waiter blamed it on the humidity.

 

Some people relocated indoors but I wanted to stay outside.  The ants were not bitting us so it didn't bother me that much.  Plus, we ended up conversing with the funny couple about several things and found them entertaining.  The sixty eight year old man was a lot more chatty than his wife, who was slightly older than he was.  Neither one of them looked their age.

 

We found the time to look at our menus and saw that we could order an entree as well as a meal for only 23$, as opposed to just a meal for over 24$, if we ordered before six o'clock.  It was slightly passed five thirty when we were seated so we took advantage of the special.

 

Jeff ordered a caesar salad as well as a twelve ounce medium rare rib steak with garlic mashed potatoes and veggies, which turned out to be green beans and a piece of red pepper.  I had salmon tartare plus a six ounce medium rare steak, without seasoning to be safe, along with some fries.

 

We continued to talk with the friendly couple and listened to the man's stories while we ate.  The woman was a bit shy and seamed slightly embarrassed that her husband kept interrupting our dinner to converser with us.  She told him a few times to let us eat in peace, but we assured her that her husband was not bothering us. 

 

As we were finishing our meal, a piece of chocolate cake with red sauce in the shape of two hearts was brought to the table beside us.  It was the couples' forty eight's wedding anniversary.  They looked so happy together that I hoped for Jeff and I to be like them at their age.

 

The owner of the restaurant congratulated the couple and even proposed taking a picture of them, which I thought was nice.

 

They ate their cake, paid their bill, and left after shaking hands with us.

 

Jeff and I paid our own bill and headed off to find a cafe.  We found a maple store that sold coffees to go so Jeff ordered one and put some maple sugar in it.  I had a mocha with whipped cream.

 

We looked at all the maple products on sale, then sat on the outdoor terrace with our drinks.

 

I discovered a small maple museum in the basement on my way to the bathroom after I was done my beverage so told Jeff about it when I returned outside.  We briefly checked it out then headed in the direction of the guided tours office, quickly visiting an art gallery on the way.

 

Because we had loved the ghost walk so much the previous Wednesday night, we decided to do another.  This time it was more like a ghost haunt.

 

We all met at Place Royal again and a blond haired child fell down the stairs shortly after our costumed female guide arrived.  He was fine, but Jeff and I gave each other a look because we had learned during the previous ghost walk that many injust hangings had taken place there after the accused were tortured into admitting they were guilty.  Our guide that evening had told us of one particular man who ended up taking his own life to avoid a second day of torture, and that his ghost haunted the area.  It was said that many people, usually those who had a job relating to the law, randomly broke their legs while walking around Place Royal.  I was curious to see if the boy's father worked in a law office but neglected to ask. 

 

Our group of thirteen people were given a few copies of a map with directions of what streets to walk on, and the child who had fallen was given a large flag on a pole.  The goal was to try and find the actors dressed as undead characters so that they could tell us a death story.  There were four in total, and they were all interesting.  The acting was well done too.

 

The tour ended in front of the point a calliere Museum just when the Lotto Quebec fireworks were starting.  I stood on an elevated piece of concrete with Jeff behind me so that we could get a good view of the light show.

 

Earlier in the summer, we had gone to the Old Port and stood by the water to view the fireworks, which were part of a competition.  We saw the ones from England as well as Italy.  This time it was the United States' turn to put on the fireworks show.

 

Several people across the street from us ooed and awwed as the fireworks lit the dark sky in loud bangs.

 

It started raining a little bit but the show continued.

 

When it was done, Jeff and I went to a terrace for a drink to avoid the crowd of people we knew would be heading to the two nearby metro stations.  We sat under a big parasol to avoid the few raindrops still falling from the sky.

 

The terrace was supposed to close at eleven due to city regulations, but Jeff and I had time to finish our Back beer and alcoholic pink lemonade.

 

We headed home afterwards and went straight to bed but talked as we often did before falling asleep.

 

Sunday morning (July 26) I spoke to Aidan over the phone and was happy to hear that he was still having a great time in Ottawa.  He was going to visit my dad for a few days and contact my mom to spend some time with her too.

 

Jeff and I decided to stay home that day and take it easy.

 

We played a few games of Rummikub in the side yard while drinking some leftover white wine. I won twice and Jeff won the last game.

 

It was boiling outside so we quickly moved out of the rays of the sun and into the shade.   It might have been better to go inside our basement apartment since it was cool in there without even having air conditioning, but I wanted to be outside as much as possible during my vacation. I was cooped up inside for hours at the office and refused to do the same on a nice day off.  

 

Going to the pool would have been a good idea too, but we knew the public pools would be super crowded.  I joked about going to the kid's water park as an alternative.  I had run through the jets of cold water there to cool off before.  The thought of walking to the park, even though it wasn't far, was tiring though. 

 

We remained in the shaded area of the side yard. In between Rummikib matched, we lied down on the picnic blanket we had placed on the asphalt to make us more comfortable.

 

After Jeff and I finished a glass of wine each, we drank something cold that would keep us hydrated; some iced tea in an ice cold mug from the freezer for me and water for Jeff.  We also ate some small freezies.  It reminded me a little bit of my childhood as well as Aidan's.

 

A neighbour's child was joyfully playing in a closed yard and we kept hearing him try to get his mother's attention, asking her over and over again to look at what he was doing.  It made Jeff and I laugh, and I told my husband how Aidan used to do the same thing.

 

We eventually started getting hungry so I wet inside to cook some small hors d'oeuvres.  Jeff and I shared the assorted pack of fifteen stuffed phyllo pastries while playing Pickominoes in the kitchen.  Jeff beat me every single game except for the last one, which we didn't finish.

 

The last game was abandoned because I went to check on the salmon I was cooking in the toaster oven for supper and discovered the fish had gone bad.  It had smelled a bit fishy when I took it out of the package but I thought nothing of it at the time.  The smell that filled my nostrils when I unfolded the aluminum foil after taking the fish out of the oven was foul.  I took a tiny little bite just to test it and it was absolutely discussing.  My theory is that the fish was left on the kitchen counter for too long after it was taken out of the freezer to thaw.

 

I thought that having a healthy home cooked meal would be a nice change from all the restaurant food we'd been eating, but after smelling that fish I just felt like going out for pizza.  I didn't feel like starting dinner over and honestly didn't know what to cook.  Any meat we had was frozen and going to the grocery store to buy something would have taken too long in my mind. 

 

I tried to think of what I could make with the balsamic rice I had already cooked but nothing came to mind.

 

Jeff ended up making some poached eggs to replace the nasty fish and we ate them on toast with a side of leftover parsley noodles outside.  It had cooled off quite a bit by the time we returned outdoors. 

 

We finishing off the bottle of white wine with our meal and ate our dessert; another mille-feuille.

 

The rest of the evening was spent watching a downloaded movie while drinking coffee.  Although the story had potential, Jeff and I didn't find "Insurgent" too great.  We had liked the first movie in the series and watched the sequel until the end, mainly to enjoy each other's company.

 

Before we sat down, I was cold as I often am and actually needed a blanket.  By the time the movie ended, Jeff and I were both boiling. 

 

We took a lukewarm shower to cool off and inevitably started fooling around which soon led us to making love by candlelight in the bedroom. We then fed each other Ferrero Rocher chocolates in bed.

 

Needless to say, my husband and I both fell asleep feeling content.

 

Monday morning (July 27th) I noticed on my caller Id that my father tried to contact me the previous night and I presumed it was because Aidan wanted to speak to me.  I was correct and talked to my son for a little bit while eating my breakfast.  He was still enjoying his vacation as much as Jeff and I were.

 

I had to pick up a check for Aidan later on.  Because of my past acting experience, I had coached him so that he could work as an extra and he became a regular of the popular french series Subito Texto.  I kind of acted as his manager.  Whenever his pay checks would come in, I would go to his agent's office to pick them up plus pay the commission he owed.

 

Jeff came with me that day because we had an errand to do near the agency.  When he first moved in we wanted to get some vacuum bags with his Canadian Tire money but he could not find his stack.  Jeff finally found it, along with an old twenty five dollar gift card which turned out to be unused. 

 

After our quick purchase at the Canadian Tire in Place Alexis Nihon mall, we walked about ten minutes in the scorching heat to the Atwater market.

 

On the way, we stopped inside an antique shop for two reasons.  The first was that we wanted to cool off and assumed correctly that the store would have air conditioning, and the second was that we were curious to see what was inside.   

 

I fell in love with many old cabinets that locked with old style keys as well as wooden benches that doubled up as storage space.  Everything in the store was expensive, but Jeff and I pretended we could afford the merchandise and pointed out the types of things we would buy to furnish our small house by the lake when we retired or won the lottery.

 

I grabbed a business card from a weaved basket on the way out and we continued on our way.

 

When we arrived at the market, there were so many vendors that we didn't know where to start or whom to buy from.  We looked at the fruits and vegetables on one side, then walked back to make our desired purchases.  We bought an assortment of berries from a female vendor who gave us a sample of her strawberries, some ground cherries from a male vendor who let us have a taste of the small fruit, some zucchinis, and dried dates.  There were other things we wanted, but decided not to buy too many fruits and vegetables at the same time to avoid them going bad.

 

We continued looking around, mainly at the canned and bottled goods, and went inside an air conditioned building.  There were many vendors selling fresh meat, pastas, sauces, cheese, chocolates and pastries.  It all reminded me of the markets my sister had taken me to in Dieppe and Moncton when I visited.

 

Jeff and I started checking out our options for lunch and found a place called Marmite su'l feu, which served authentic cuisine from l'Ile de la reunion.  I had never heard of the place and originally thought it was in the province of Quebec, but it's actually an island belonging to France in the Indian ocean.  I ended up looking it up when we got home because I was curious and found out that the island had volcanos, nice beaches, and mountains.  It looked like a very nice place to visit.  

 

A man in an apron from the market's piece of l'Ile de la reunion stood behind a set of six large cauldrons on lit burners.  He asked us if we wanted to see what was cooking.  When we said yes, he lifted the lid of each hot cauldron with a protective cloth and told us what was inside; beef, pork, chicken, rabbit, sausages, and shrimp.  Everything smelled and looked delicious but I was worried they might have seasoning.  The man told me all the meat was plain so Jeff and I decided to share a plate of three meat choices served with white rice and cooked beans.  Jeff was given a complimentary side of spicy diced tomatoes as well as cut up onions and cucumbers.

 

We sat down to eat at one of the long tables under a canopy and began feasting on the tender meats.  We had chosen beef, which was the best, pork which came in second for us, and chicken.  There was more than enough food for the two of us on the plate.  When Jeff placed his portion on an empty plate we had been given, it looked like we had two whole portions.

 

Although we were quite full after our meal, Jeff needed his coffee.  He ordered one at Premiere Moisson, which was on the opposite side of the market, and I had a cold raspberry iced tea.  We first sat on a bench outside right in front of a corn stand to drink our beverages, but a table in the shade soon became free so we quickly relocated.

 

Jeff and I sat down for a good hour, hearing church bells go off at three o'clock and then again at three thirty.  We ate some of our sweet berries while we drank, and felt really lazy.  Neither one of us wanted to move. I am sure that if I had closed my eyes I would have fallen asleep.

 

It took everything out of us to get up and start moving around again.

 

Before leaving the market, we checked out the fancy desserts and chocolates on display but did not buy anything.

 

We walked to the nearest metro station and stopped at Place St-Henri to drop by Jeff's sister's place to recuperate the jean jacket I had left behind the night we babysat. 

 

Heather looked really tired when we arrived, so although she invited us in we didn't stay long.  We sat on her living room couch for a few minutes to talk and then let her go take a nap while Zoey was still at daycare and Skye was sleeping.

 

Sometime during our short visit, Heather recommended we go to a bakery near her house.  Since Jeff and I had just gone to the market, we decided to save it for another day and went straight home.

 

My husband and I weren't hungry to eat dinner at our regular time, so I postponed the cooking until six thirty.  I had taken out another kind of fish from the freezer and hoped for the best after letting it unfreeze in the fridge this time.

 

The Atlantic fillet of sole turned out great and the cut up zucchini from the market was delicious fried up with cocoa butter.  We had the balsamic rice I had cooked the night before with it.

 

Thunder started roaring before we sat down to eat and it rained later in the evening.

 

The on and off rain that kept happening during our vacation reminded me of my time in London, England.    

 

Jeff and I counted ourselves lucky that we did not need our umbrellas a single time so far.  I loved going for walks in the rain, but I did not like it when rain prevented me from doing any planned activities.  So far, Jeff and I had been able to do what we wanted outdoors while the sun was out.  It mainly rained while we were doing indoor activities. 

 

The gloomy weather put us in the mood to watch something scary, but nothing that had to do with the paranormal because Jeff didn't like those types of shows.  Although he had been okay listening to ghost stories at night in old Montreal, he did not like seeing ghosts on screen even if he knew they were fictional.  I guess he felt the same way about ghostly scenes as I did about heights and spiders.

 

We downloaded a psychological thriller series set in London shortly after Jack the Ripper's time, which entertained us for the night.

 

While the end of the first episode was playing, loud thunder, lightning and rain added to the somber ambiance of the show featuring vampires and Dr. Frankenstein.

 

After it ended, Jeff and I spent a few minutes looking at the lightning from our living room window and then decided to head outside.  I was so excited that I ran out the door barefoot.

 

I was originally going to just sit on the front steps with my husband, but there were many spiders of various sizes moving around in their webs above as well as the glass front doors.  Jeff went to get an umbrella inside and we stood on the wet gravel in front of our apartment building instead. 

 

The cool weather was quite refreshing compared to the earlier heat.

 

While we were watching the bright lightning in the light rain, Jeff noticed that lights were flickering on and off from a second floor window in a house across the street.  It was very strange.

 

Another thing we found strange was that the TV show we had been watching talked about Egyptian hieroglyphs that needed to be translated and I was wearing a white dress with an egyptian pattern on it.  I had even accessories with golden Egyptian type jewellery that day.  Even though we had chosen the show at random that evening, we saw a slight parallel with part of our day. 

 

We continued watching the dark sky and its numerous moments of illumination for about ten minutes and when the storm dyed down we went back inside to watch another episode of "Penny Dreadful."

 

Jeff ended up chasing what we believed to be a giant mosquito from the kitchen to the living room with a dish towel before we sat down on the couch and it reappeared again later on.  My husband kind of looked crazy trying to kill it, but I imagine I look similar when spiders are around.  I really dislike their presence.

 

We went to bed not knowing if there were other mosquitos in the apartment.  Neither one of us woke up with itchy bites.  I knew one of the sexes didn't bite and found out by doing a quick online research that it was the male so I though the big mosquito we had seen was a male.  I then discovered that the large bug was actually a crane fly. 

 

You learn something new every day.

 

Tuesday (July 28) was another scorching day so it would have been a perfect beach day.  However, Jeff and I thought it would be too complicated to get to the nearest beach, which was at Jean Drapeau park.  We would have to take a bus, two metros, and then walk a while.  The walking part in the heat is what discouraged us to go, which was ironic since only heat would ever make us want to go to the beach in the first place.

 

Scratching the beach off our list of possible things to do, I made a suggestion.

 

There was a new restaurant that opened up in our neighbourhood, Notre Dame De Grace, called Notre Boeuf de Grace.  I thought we could try it out for lunch, assuming correctly that because it was a workday it would be less busy in the afternoon as it would be in the evening.

 

Jeff liked my idea and we soon headed out.

 

We probably could have walked to the restaurant, but because of the heat we took the bus instead.  This gave me an excuse to wear my new white stiletto sandals I had gotten at Guess during a side walk sale.   

 

The day I bought them, Jeff and I had longed St-Catherine street to check out all the sales and decided to go out for dinner afterwards. I took off my flat shoes to wear my stilettos but we ended up in the old port.  It was quite challenging to walk on the cobble stones with them but I managed until we found a terrace with a free table.  I changed into my flats right after dinner.

 

I was okay walking in my stilettos on the sidewalk near my house even though it wasn't always even.  I was slower than usual, but made it to the bus stop without tripping or falling.

 

The terrace of the restaurant was almost empty so we got a table right away.  Although the weather report said it was twenty nine degrees Celsius and felt like thirty eight, we were okay sitting at a table in the shade of a large parasol when we arrived. 

 

We both ordered burgers, which were made from freshly ground beef, with a side of fries each as well as beer for Jeff and ice tea with alcohol in it for me.  Our food was served on a small wooden cutting board with a red and white checkered napkin and my drink was given to me in a mason jar.  

 

I can say with all honesty that it was the best burger I ever ate in my life.  I had ordered mine without their special sauce, to avoid any issues, and it still tasted great.

 

Jeff and I relaxed on the terrace and kind of felt like we were down south with the hot sun, our cool drinks, and style of music playing.  We could not help but sway on our chairs.

 

We started feeling the heat as we were finishing our meals and were more than happy to go straight home by bus after.  We ate some freezies and lounged in the cool apartment.

 

Suddenly I recalled the heat of our Communauto car from our last little trip and asked Jeff if the one we reserved for our next day's trip to Mont Tremblant had air conditioning.  He had forgotten to check so phoned the company right away to find out.  It's a good thing I thought of it because the car we had originally reserved did not have air conditioning and we were able to change vehicles.

 

I suggested Jeff not wait until morning to pack for our two day trip, to avoid any delays or feel rushed, and he kept saying he had plenty of time.  He actually listened to me thought, and packed shortly after calling Communauto.  I was ready to go days in advance but figured I would take out my clothes for the next day as well as bring my little suitcase close to the entrance.

 

Without meaning to, I then slept for close to two hours.  All I did was lie down to take a short nap while Jeff finished packing but the air was so heavy that it made my entire body and eyes completely shut down.

 

I was still feeling tired when I got up but made an effort to go out because Jeff had been wanting an iced coffee all afternoon.  We walked to our favourite cafe, O Grace de la Madeleine.

 

Jeff asked for an iced coffee right away and I remembered how good their smoothies were so that's what I decided to have.  The flavours of smoothies there are based on what fruits they have.  That day, I was given a strawberry and raspberry one.

 

Although the cafe had a terrace, Jeff and I decided to stay indoors. The air conditioning was not too strong like most places so it was actually nice.

 

We sat at our usual table by the window, almost expecting Aidan's friend Cecilie to walk by because she often did when Jeff and I came to O Grace de la Madeleine.  She randomly found us at another cafe much further from home once so we jokingly asked her if she was stocking us.

 

Cecilie was not seen that day.  She was probably swimming in her above ground pool.  Remembering that there was a pool in her backyard almost made me call her mom, my friend Sylvie, to see if Jeff and I could pop by for a swim.

 

Instead, we headed back home when we were finished our drinks and vegged on the couch.  We did't even eat diner that night; just munched on some small fruits.

 

When I felt a bit more energetic, I asked my husband to make love to me.  He lit some candles in the bedroom, untied my blue summer dress and slowly undressed me, then sensually rubbed some cherry blossom body lotion on my front and back.  We pleasantly fooled around and made love.

 

As we were getting out of the shower later on, Jeff asked me what he should get as a second tattoo.  It had been on his mind for a while and I kept telling him he should get a tattoo with my name on it.  He joked about my name coming out of a coffee cup like steam or putting my initials on the cup around a heart and we realized that it was the same two first letters as Coffee Bean.  Jeff decided he would call me coffee bean from then on, or just bean for short. The nickname was rather fitting.  Jeff loved coffee as well as me, and I was petite.

 

Jeff and I realized we were hungry after our amusing conversation so we ate before going to sleep.  I didn't prepare anything extravagant; just heated up the leftover balsamic rice, which Jeff and I split.  I ate mine plain while Jeff decided to add some dried raisins to his.

 

We woke up early the following morning, ate breakfast, and added a few last minute things to our suitcases.

 

Jeff had made the reservation with Communauto for ten in the morning and du to the switch for an air conditioned car we had further to go to pick up the vehicle.  Rather than walk to a station nearby, we had to take a bus.  Jeff picked up the car while I stayed in the apartment.  I went outside with the luggage after Jeff called to let me know he was on his way with the car.

 

It was already really hot  when I got outside so I was glad that we would have air conditioning in the car rather than have to roll down the windows.

 

When Jeff arrived, he had a Starbucks iced coffee for himself and a mango iced tea for me; a great way to start our mini road trip.

 

Jeff drove to the highway using his phone's GPS to give him directions on how to get to our hotel in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts.  There was nothing much to see until we got close to the town of St-Jerome about forty five minutes later.  The view at that point became very nice.  We could see mountains with many trees on them plus large rock formations as we drove by the many little towns named after saints.

 

When we arrived in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts about half an hour later, we stopped at the St-Hubert restaurant for lunch.  We both ordered their BBQ chicken leg meal, which came with their delicious BBQ sauce, fries, a piece of round bread, and coleslaw.  I did not have the cabbage salad because I knew it would cause me issues. 

 

While we ate, Mexican music played so once again we felt like we were down south.  The heat outside certainly felt like we were in the tropics, but we were in the Laurentians.

 

The Auberge de nuits de reve, which can be translated as the night of dreams hotel, was just a few minutes away from the restaurant.  We drove by many interesting looking shops and restaurants on our way there and parked on a random street.

 

We walked through the front door of the hotel and into the small lobby that resembled that of a home.  It had a little padded bench as well as an umbrella stand to the left and we had to open another door to get further into the building.  Two tables with brochures, restaurant menus, as well as an open guest book were set up.

 

The labelled padded door to the Romeo and Juliet Room was partially open.  We could see the unmade cast iron bed with its white sheets tossed at the bottom as well as the red canopy with golden fleurs de lys on it.  I tried not to think about the fact that another couple had most likely been intimate in the bed Jeff and I were soon going to share. 

 

Since nobody was at the front desk, we rang the doorbell.  We had to ring it a second time for an employe to arrive.  We were early and the staff had been busy elsewhere.

 

A women greeted us with a pleasant smile and made us feel welcome right away.  Our room was not ready yet, but she still gave us a set of keys with the words Romeo and Juliet on the keychain.  One of the two modern keys was for the main entrance, which would be locked after four thirty, and the other was for our room.  It had the letters R and J on it so it was easy to tell it apart from the other.  

 

We were given a quick tour of our large room, which was about twice the size of our apartment living room.  It had floor to ceiling windows longing the back side plus a door that led to a long private wooden balcony overlooking the lake and green mountains.  The four thick tide up curtains matched the ceiling canopy above the bed and we could see that the comforter did too.  Beside the bed, there was an end table with a box of kleenex, a lamp and a digital clock.  To the right of our open door, we could see a dagger and an armer hanging on the wall.  A large wooden unit hid a flat screen television and we were told that we could find towels in there as well. Right beside it was a small black fridge with a Kurig machine on it as well as everything we needed to make coffee.  Beside it were two light coloured padded chairs with a fleurs de lys pattern.  A small glass table stood in between them which had two wine glasses on a white doily.  More weapons were hanging on the wall.  On the next wall, which looked like it was made of stone and was decorated with two criss crossing swords plus a small armour, there was a fireplace. A short beige stone roman statue stood on the ceramic steps that led to a big whirlpool behind a fake white balcony that lit up.  There were decorative plastic grape vines above the balcony, and a large mirror behind the tub.  The door to the bathroom, which looked ancient, came next, and we were back at the windows with an incredible view of the exterior.

 

The simple rules of the place was dictated to us in french while we were in the room and also during our short tour of the rest of the small hotel.  We had access to dishes if we needed them, and any dirty ones could be left on the kitchen table for the staff to clean. 

 

Once everything important was said, we were allowed to make use of the backyard if we wished.

 

Jeff and I headed back to the car and Jeff reparked the vehicle in a small lot where spaces for the hotel guests were reserved. 

 

After grabbing a few items from our suitcases, we changed inside the hotel's spare bathroom unsure if we were going to try canoeing despite the heat or simply go swimming.

 

The young cleaning lady provided us with clean beach towels when we politely requested them.

 

We then walked down the hallway passed a couple other rooms and opened the door to get to the outside deck.  There was a long wooden stairway to get to the main ground, where lawn chairs as well as a two person hammock could be used.  There was also a small boathouse with a dock behind a nice bed of orange flowers within tall bushes.

 

Jeff and I headed towards the water.  Under a canopy, there was a sitting area complete with a long table.  It looked like a living room.  I later found out that the cozy spot had been named "le quai des amoureux" (lovers dock).  We sat down for a few seconds just to try out the seats and found them comfortable.

 

We left our bags on the ground and towels on the table, then started undressing to be in or bathing suits.  All Jeff had to do was remove his light grey AD DC T-shirt since he was already wearing his green swimming shorts.

 

I loved seeing my husband bare chested, or any part of his exposed body really.  although Jeff was a bit self conscious about his body, especially after he took a break from his Muay Thai classes or going to the gym, I found it perfect.  I knew Jeff appreciated my figure too and felt confident taking my beige shorts and black thank top off to just be in my leopard print bikini. 

 

I dipped my feet in the water, which was quite refreshing, and slowly walked a little further into the "lac des fable" (fable lake).  I was wearing water shoes so the few seaweeds and rocks did not bother me.  Jeff only had flip flops and they kept sticking to the sand within the water like suction cups so he removed them and placed them with the rest if his things.

 

Jeff carefully dove into the shallow lake while I remained knee deep and eventually walked further in until the water reached my waist.

 

A couple older than us started getting ready to go kayaking and we helped them out by holding their borrowed boat for them and getting the two paddles they forgot on the shore.  We then gave them a little push and watched as they rowed away.  The music of the portable radio they had brought with them faded away as they got further from us.

 

We continued to dip in the water and another middle aged couple came in the water.  Two ducks then joined us.  The large birds did not seem bothered at all that we were there. They just swam around us.  We were told by our female swimming companion that the previous day the ducks had made an appearance with ducklings.  Unfortunately, Jeff and I never got to see the babies. 

 

The woman with us left to get a small croissant and tried feeding the ducks when she came back, but they did not look interested in the pieces of food dropped in the water.  They continued to swim around, occasionally dunking their heads in the water, and eventually headed to another propriety.

 

The hotel employe who originally greeted us came close to the shore to let us know that our room was ready just as we were drying ourselves off by the outside living room/lover's dock.

 

Jeff and I got our luggage from the car and went to our made up room. 

 

Upon opening the door marked Romeo and Juliet, we saw that the queen sized bed had its red comforter on properly as well as two matching pillows cases.  We also noticed that there were four thick flags hanging from the left side of the ceiling with the same golden fleur de lys pattern.

 

After closing the door, we saw that in the corner of the room there was a stone tower with a fake window that could light up.  Jeff discovered that the fake tower was actually a secret door and opened it halfway. He was a little bit surprised by what he found on the other side and could not even find the words to describe it to me.  He told me to look for myself.

 

Although I knew it was unrealistic, I was hoping for a spiralling staircase or a small room with something romantic in it.  Instead, there were four small chains attached to the fake stone walls.  They each had black fabric straps that could be bound around the wrists and ankles by velcro.  I now understood Jeff's reaction and started laughing.  It was definitely not something I would have expected to find in a Romeo and Juliet themed room.

 

There were more surprises in the room, but nothing like what we found behind the secret door. 

 

There was a sheet of paper with the breakfast menu listed and we had to chose what we wanted in four different categories.  Jeff and I made our selections using a provided pencil to write it down and handed in our request.

 

We then headed to Tremblant and got a really nice view of the ski hills as well as the houses and cottages on the mountains.  We could not use he GPS to guide us because we didn't have a specific address so we relied entirely on road signs to get there.

 

In the passenger's seat I ate what was left of the strawberries purchased at the Atwater market, having brought the leftover berry mix on our road trip.

 

We passed by a ranch and I thought it might be interesting to go there someday.  I later picked up a brochure about the place.  They had eight rooms available to sleep in, a saloon, and did various horseback riding excretions within the wood trails.  Jeff wasn't opposed to the idea of going horseback riding for an hour and staying overnight. We even considered including Aidan.

 

Another thing that looked like fun was a helicopter ride.  Although I was afraid of heights, I imagined the view above the Laurentiens would be breathtaking.  Jeff wasn't all that open to such an adventure but that was okay.

 

When we arrived downtown Tremblant, Jeff parked on the main street and we started walking on the sidewalk.  We saw a large terrace surrounded by restaurants and little shops so we decided to check it out.  We entered some of the stores to see what was inside and also to cool down in the air conditioning.

 

In one of the first shops we entered, I found a cute heart shaped locket with Tinkerbell engraved on it. The saleswoman said she could exclude the taxes if I wished to buy it and I ended up deciding to do so.

 

While I was at the cash, I saw some victorian style rings and tried a few on.  I was told that they had been made with spoons.  I loved them and could not see myself walking away without buying one so I added a ring to my purchase.  I decided to wear it right away, thinking it went well with the white corset like top I was wearing.

 

We entered a few more shops without buying anything then ate some cool treats on the terrace, which was practically deserted. I figured it was because of the heat. 

 

Jeff chose to have his maple walnut ice cream in a cone whereas I asked for my orange sorbet in a cup because I didn't want it to melt all over my hand.

 

After our snack, we headed back in the direction of the car.  We went inside an antique shop and continued on our way to some cross lights.  I noticed a nice water fountain on the other side of the street and stopped there to splash some water on me.

 

Jeff and I soon returned to our rented vehicle so we could go check out the pedestrian village Jeff wanted to go to.

 

My husband followed the road signs indicating where the village was but we could not find it. I believe we may have ended up driving right through it since we passed by several hotels and restaurants.  Jeff said it looked nothing like what he had seen online and continued his search for the village but there were no more signs pointing us in the right direction.  We just saw many trees and a few houses.

 

We had passed by a lake where people were swimming or out on the water in boats, so we finally decided to just go back there and found a place to park for free near the fenced marina.

 

When we got out of the car, there was the smell of burning charcoal as well as cedar. 

 

Jeff and I walked down a small hill towards the marina, where we had a nice view of the mountains and trees across Tremblant lake.  There wasn't much to do there aside from swimming or going for a boat ride, but we imagined we had to pay and didn't feel like it since we could do that at our hotel for free.

 

Our walking visit ended quickly.

 

We went back to the car and Jeff drove up the mountain where there was a big white chapel plus many hotels as well as hiking trails.  I had brought my running shoes in case we wanted to venture into the woods, but the heat had gotten us too tired.

 

Jeff was disappointed that we didn't find the village to walk around in because he thought it would be romantic, but I personally still enjoyed myself because of the view.  I reminded my husband that we still did something in Tremblant, having stopped downtown.

 

We headed back towards our hotel, which was forty four minutes from the top of the mountain.  We got to many roundabouts along the way, even on the highway.

 

There were things to see in Saint-Agathe-des-Monts so we parked our car on one of the streets with the intention of eating dinner before exploring the small village on foot.

 

Jeff and I walked into the fist restaurant we saw because we were interested in their pasta special, which was announced on a large board outside on the sidewalk.  However, when a waiter came to see us outside on the terrace where we said we wanted to sit, we were told that the special was not for that night and that whatever we wanted to eat had to be chosen inside.  They had salads, sandwiches and soups only and I was not in the mood for that.

 

Wanting pasta, we ate at on the terrace of an italian restaurant across the street called il Vigneto.  I drank a refreshing melon ball and Jeff had a corona while we waited for our ordered pasta dishes; spaghetti and meatballs for myself and linguini with chopped up sausage and broccoli for Jeff.  We also ate some sliced pieces of baguette.  Our waitress grated some fresh parmesan cheese for us after she served us our bowls.  Pleasant Italian music played. 

 

The food was delicious, as predicted.

 

After our meal, my husband and I took a very short walk in the town to try and find a place that sold wine so we could bring a bottle to the hotel, but we didn't find any. There had been a health food store across the restaurant advertising wine, but it was closed just like the other little boutiques in the town.  The only things open were cafes, restaurants and a sex shop.

 

We took the car to our hotel and once we were in our room I changed into a dark blue medieval dress so that Jeff could take pictures of me in the perfect setting. 

We closed the curtains and I posed as Juliet.  First I laid on the bed and pretended to be Shakespeare's character after she drank her vile of poison.  I then headed to the fake balcony and pretended to think about Romeo and the fact that his last name meant he was a family enemy.  Jeff took pictures of me looking down from the balcony as well as near the fake grape vines, and a few in other areas of the room just being me.

 

I then changed into a different dress to take more pictures.  This one was light blue and had a white pattern at the front where it laced up.  I posed on the bed and near the lit tour window.

 

Next, I put on a sexy black corset with silver coloured threads.  I think Jeff loved that costume the best; especially that I simply wore a black thong with it, exposing my legs and but.  We could not help but use the props behind the secret door for part of that photo session. 

 

After the fun photo shoot, Jeff and I made use of the whirlpool.  I had brought a travel candle with me but the hotel had provided us with three tealights as well as a book of matches inside a big flat sea shell.  They were left on the tiles of the whirlpool, behind the balcony.

 

In the corner of the whirlpool by the mirror, there was a cute heart shaped wicker basket with a small bottle of shower gel as well as shampoo and a small bar of soap inside.  Rolled up white towels were on each side of the mirror.

 

We filled the tub, lit the candles, and went into the warm water.  I turned on the jets and Jeff said he felt like he was being boiled which made me start laughing.  I have to admit that it sounded like the water was boiling and with us being within the continuous flow of bubbles we really did look like we were being boiled.

 

Jeff and I relaxed and remained in the bath until the jets went off on their own.  Because the whirlpool was in a large space, the air wasn't suffocating us like at Chateau Vaudreuil.  We could have stayed in the water longer but were in the mood for something else.  

 

We dried ourselves off, careful not to slip on the tiles.  The water turned on by itself shortly after the tub was empty but we knew it was normal because we had been told that the bath automatically did that to clean itself. 

 

Still naked, Jeff and I made our way across the room and made love within the white sheets of the bed.

 

My husband and I eventually got dressed and headed in the dark backyard to relax by the lake.  We lied down in the double hammock for a bit, looking up at the stars and bright moon, but realized that the fabric was damp and got up.

 

We walked towards lovers dock, which was lit by a lantern, and stood in the grass by the dark water.  The reflections of lights from the other side of the dark lake were really pretty and the area was completely silent aside from the sound of crickets.  It was quite peaceful. 

 

Unfortunately, a few mosquitos showed up so Jeff felt it was time to go back inside.

 

We made use of the whirlpool again.

 

No jets were allowed after eleven because of the noise, so we tried a spa product called Jell'nbath which had been recommended by our host.  Jeff and I bought a box of lavender scented jell before leaving for Tremblant, knowing that nobody would be at the front desk when we returned.  Cell numbers of the couple who owned the hotel were listed in the lobby in case of an emergency, but buying a product displayed behind the locked glass of their gift shop was obviously not considered one.

 

As instructed, Jeff and I filled the whirlpool halfway and I poured the content of the first plastic bag evenly into the hot water. We started moving the purple powder around with our hands.  I felt like I was doing some kind of pagan ritual or casting a spell.

 

Soon, jelly like substances started to form, which was supposed to naturally massage our bodies as we moved in the water.  It felt really strange but was an interesting experience.  I don't think I would ever do it again though.

 

When we wanted to get out, I poured the content of the second plastic bag in the bath to turn the jelly back into water.  Perhaps we didn't wait long enough before getting out because the clear jells were still stuck to our naked bodies as well as part of my hair. We had to rinse them off in the shower.

 

There was only room for one person in the stand up shower so Jeff and I took turns and then went to bed.

 

Jeff set the alarm on his cell for nine o'clock because we had asked for our breakfast to be served at nine thirty and wanted to make sure we were both dressed when somebody came to our room with the food.  I purposely had't packed a pyjama, and Jeff liked to sleep in his underwear.

 

I heard a knock on the door the following morning when Jeff and I were both decent and  opened it.  The young woman who had cleaned our room the previous day asked me if we wanted to eat our breakfast in our room or outside.

 

Breakfast was served to us on our balcony, as requested.  One of the owners of the hotel put a nice tablecloth on the round plastic table and put a tray down.  He gave us small glasses of tropical juice, bowls of Rice Krisppies cereal and spoons, a small ceramic pitcher of milk, a large pitcher of coffee, white coffee mugs in saucers plus more spoons, a ceramic jar of both white and brown sugar cubes, and a small plate with three different types of jams in ceramic bowls with tiny individual spoons.

 

A basket of bread was then brought to us by the young woman I came to understand was a server on top of a cleaning lady.

 

Jeff and I started eating, happily looking at each other and then at our surroundings.  The couple who had gone kayaking was sitting at a table on their balcony.  When the woman saw me, she gave a little wave which I returned.   Another woman was drying off the lawn chairs and hammock below with a cloth.  My husband and I could see and hear motor boats in the distance. There was mist within the mountains across the lake.

 

A few minutes later, our hot meals arrived.  One plate had two fried eggs with three strips of bacon as well as fresh fruit slices, and the other had three crepes with a bit of icing sugar on them plus pieces of fruits underneath.  Each plate had a shooter glass with strawberry juice in it and a nice flower for decoration.  One was orange and the other yellow.

 

I took the plate with the crepes and Jeff took the egg plate.  We ate half of what was on our plates and switched so that we could each have a bit of everything.

 

It started raining halfway through our meal and I saw the kayaker couple leave their table. Jeff and I were protected by the roof above us so we stayed outside. 

 

The wind eventually picked up and started moving the rain towards us so we eventually had to go inside our room, but we were done eating by that point and were just sipping on our second cups of coffee.

 

The air conditioned room was very cold compared to outside so as soon as the rain dyed down we returned on the balcony.  The young cleaning lady/server came to get our plates and told us that the decorative flowers were edible. 

 

I put one of the petals in my mouth.  It stuck to the roof and tasted just like it smelled; flowery and citrusy.  Jeff tried a piece too and that was enough for him.  I ate all the other petals of the two flowers, commenting that it would be good in a vegetable salad. 

 

My husband and I considered going in the whirlpool one last time but stayed outside on the balcony instead. Another couple chose to make use of their whirlpool and we could hear the jets.  I now understood why it was forbidden to turn them on after eleven at night.

 

While we were relaxing on the balcony, random church bells were heard at exactly 10:13 and again at 11:25 that went on for about three minutes the first time and for minutes the second.  Jeff and I had no idea what that was all about.  We knew it wasn't for mass since we were Thursday and didn't think it was for a wedding either.  Perhaps a sad funeral.  We thought of asking one of the hotel workers if they knew but forgot.

 

Jeff and I didn't want to leave but we had to go in and pack eventually.  I finished before my husband.

 

While I was waiting for Jeff to finish gathering his things, I stepped outside in the hallway to simply write a positive comment in the guest book and found myself locked out of my room.  I could not knock on the door for Jeff to let me in because of the padding.  I wondered how the housekeeper had managed earlier, and only realized much later that she must have knocked directly on the Romeo and Juliet sign.

 

Luckily, the owner saw me locked out and used his skeleton key to unlock my door for me.

 

My husband and I officially left our room five minutes before checkout time, right after leaving a nice tip for the staff in an envelope.  We paid our bill and headed towards our rented car while looking back on the hotel we planned on going back to one day.  We thought it would be interesting to go in the winter and make use of the fireplace, or even try out a different themed room.

 

There were still three hours left before the car needed to be returned, so Jeff drove down a few streets and parked the vehicle so we could walke around and check out some of the shops. The sun was shinning at this point. 

 

We walked into a nice antique store and found the perfect sign for Jeff.  It read "wake up and smell the Coffee."  I thought it would look nice in our kitchen so we decided to buy it.  We also bought Romeo and Juliet hooks, which we felt were perfect souvenirs of our trip.

 

There was much to see before we went to the cash though.  The rest of the store was much bigger than it looked from the outside and had two floors that held many treasures.  A collection of old Shakespeare books, for example, stood on a shelf behind glass.  There were several old volumes from various authors.  I took a Victor Hugo book and inhaled its scent because I love the scent of old books.  After deciding not to buy it, I put it back on its shelf and continued looking at the other items with Jeff.

 

There were a lot of fancy dish sets, framed artwork, brass candle holders, oil lamps, and other nice trinkets. 

 

Among the antique furniture for sale, there was an old wooden writing desk that locked with a key and I decided that I was going to buy one someday.

 

After paying for the sign and hooks, Jeff and I briefly visited a couple other boutiques, one of which I bought a pretty scarf on sale.  It was purple with white flowers sown onto the edge of it.  The petals were loose.

 

Although we would have liked to explore Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts some more, we didn't want to be late returning the car as there would be a fee.  Jeff was very familiar with this, having been unintentionally late a few times du to unexpected traffic or because of an innocent mistake he made while making the reservation.

 

Once, we were all the way out in Granby with Aidan visiting the zoo because I had been given three free tickets where I worked at the time.  We made sure to leave the park early enough but during the drive back Jeff suddenly realized he had booked the car until 15h00 (3:00 pm), not 5:00 pm like he wanted.

 

After Granby, Jeff often made me double check the Communauto reservations he made.  I knew for sure that we had the car until 3:00 pm.

 

We headed back home from Sainte-Agate-des-Monts at 1:15 after picking up wraps to go. 

 

I ate half of my crab wrap in the car and the other outside in our side yard with Jeff when we got back home.

 

It took Jeff about an hour and fifteen minutes to drive to our apartment building from Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts.  We enjoyed the view for the first half hour and then it was just boring highway.  I fed Jeff a few blueberries while he drove.

 

When we arrived home, Jeff helped me bring our things inside the apartment and left to drop off the car.  While he was gone, I took the time to unpack, find a nice place for our new "Wake up and smell the coffee" sign in the kitchen, and publicly share some of the pictures I had taken with my ipad.

 

Jeff came back home with an iced coffee from Starbucks in hand.  He had offered to get me something too, but I had some iced tea in the fridge so I was fine.

 

We took a look at our vacation pictures when we got back from eating our late lunch of wraps and blueberries outside.

 

Jeff made himself a warm coffee, and we later had some spinach pizza for dinner.  I placed the hot pie from the oven on our wooden cutting board and cut it into four pieces.  Jeff took a thin slice and placed it in my pizza piece shaped plate and then did the same for him.

 

We ate while conversing with each other, like always.

 

My husband had been using the nickname bean for me ever since he came up with it so I tried to find something that matched his initials, J O, and my love for something. Nothing good came to mind aside from juicy orange and that was a horrible possible nickname we both laughed at and disregarded.  My mind continued to try and think of something later that night and even as I was trying to sleep, but the best thing I could come up with was jell-o and that wasn't good at all either.

 

After dinner, Jeff and I watched two more episodes of "Penny Dreadful" together.  We were getting hooked on the show and it was making me want to talk with a british accent.  Sometimes Jeff and I talked with that accent to each other just for fun.  I told my husband I should talk that way at the hotel or restaurant in the french town of Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts but forgot.  I am not sure how long I would have been able to keep up the charade though.

 

During a tv watching break, Jeff attempted to prepare himself an iced coffee.  He put two entire trays of ice cubes in his brewed coffee which all melted instantly so he poured the content of his mug into an iced cup from the freezer.

 

I would like to make fun of my husband for his coffee addiction, but I am chocoholic and ate a chocolate from my stash that night even though it fell on the floor after I unwrapped it. I guess we both need our caffeine and we'll take our doses even if it keeps us up at night.  

 

On the Friday (July 31), Jeff and I originally considered going to the movie theatre.  I had spoken to Aidan shortly after coming back from Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts and he told me he had gone to see Ant-Man with my father.  He thought the movie was excellent. 

 

My husband had been a comic book lover as a child and he enjoyed most of the marvel movies.  He had been wanting to see Ant-Man since seeing the preview, and although we usually download our movies we decided to see it on the big screen and in 3D as a special treat.

 

However, that plan changed once we found out that it was going to be the last beautiful day of our vacation and was supposed to rain during the weekend. 

 

After lunch, Jeff and I chose to go to a local market near the Vendome metro station.  It was nothing compared to the Atwater Market or even the one we had been to in the Point-Claire Village earlier in our vacation, but we were still glad we went.  We bought a small bag of snow pees and ate most of them while sitting at a picnic table in the shade and listening to the 80's music playing from speakers. 

 

An old lady sitting in a wheel chair seemed to be enjoying the beats.  She tapped her feet on the grass to the rhythm.  Jeff sang to most of the songs in between bites of snow pees.

 

When we felt like moving on, Jeff and I got up and slowly walked along Sherbrooke street with nowhere in particular in mind. 

 

We saw a juice bar, which also sold cold brewed coffees.  It looked like an interesting place so we walked in. Jeff decided to try a cold brewed coffee sweetened with maple sugar and I ordered a banana Strawberry smoothie, which also had a bit of mango and kiwi in it.  It was literally made right in front of me and was poured into a mason jar. Jeff's drink came in a sealed glass bottle.

 

My husband and I drank outside on the terrace and Jeff pointed out that Pink Floyd was playing faintly.  Music he liked continued to play, one song after the other, and he realized as we were leaving that it was coming from his iphone.

 

Laughing, we continued walking along the street and I decided I really wanted a poutine from KFC.  I had been craving one for some time but never bothered to get one because it's not exactly the best thing for me.  Since the express fast food restaurant was close by, I went in and ordered a poutine with popcorn chicken in it while Jeff looked disgusted.  I can't say that I blame him.  I had avoided eating chicken from KFC for years because I found it too greasy.  I loved the taste of the cooked skin as well as the gravy though, which sometimes tempted me to get a poutine.      

 

The woman at the cash said she would give me a special, which turned out to be less expensive than the price I was expecting to pay for the chicken poutine alone, and it ended up coming with a fountain drink so I chose iced tea.  I discovered later on when looking into my brown paper take out bag that it also came with a chocolate chip cookie.

 

Jeff wanted a coffee since he had not really enjoyed his cold brewed one at the juice bar.  We walked to the bakery across the street with my bagged food and I waited for him outside.  He came back with a hot coffee and a couscous salad to go.

 

Originally, we were going to go eat in the nearby park, but since there were tables available outside the bakery we just ate there.  I felt much more comfortable eating my greasy fries covered in thick gravy, cheese curds, and popcorn chicken near a bathroom. 

 

Surprisingly, I didn't have any issues after I ate. I finished my entire chicken poutine too!  I could not believe I had actually managed to eat all that after a filing smoothie.  I thought it might be because I had gotten used to eating so much food during my vacation, but Jeff developed the same eating habits and only ate about half of his small salad.

 

When we were both ready to go, we took the bus back home and noticed that it was dinnertime.  Neither one of us were hungry. 

 

Even after doing groceries much later in the evening I just felt like munching on random snack foods rather than having an actual meal.  Usually seeing all the food in the store makes me hungry, and if I do groceries before eating I end up buying more things than necessary.  That day I was mainly concentrated on buying treats for Aidan's return than getting anything for myself.

 

Unlike me, Jeff was hungry by the time we got back from grocery shopping, which was at around nine.   He ate some of his leftover couscous with Chinese chicken heated up in the microwave.

 

Before our late trip to the grocery store, Jeff and I just hung out in the side yard rather than eat dinner.  We played Rummy, during which a squirrel started dropping parts of helicopter leaves on the blanket we were sitting on.  I looked up and saw it on the tree branch directly above me.  It would pick a leaf, eat what was inside, and drop whatever it didn't want.  At one point it almost seemed like it was purposely trying to hit My husband and I. Perhaps it was teasing us.

 

The crane fly from the other day reappeared in our apartment later in the evening and Jeff looked crazy again.  But, he finally managed to kill it and he was at peace.  That is, until another one was seen.  I saved the day by killing this one and flushing it down the toilet, just like Jeff usually does with spiders for me. 

 

After my fly killing, I waited for my husband to finish his dinner and we peacefully relaxed on the couch together before going to bed.  Jeff had a coffee of course.

 

Saturday (August 1), Jeff and I started our morning by making love.

 

We headed to the movie theatre in the afternoon and I bought butter popcorn for the first time in years.  I didn't think I would finish the bag, which was fairly big for a small, but ate every popped kernel inside.  It's a good thing I had brought one of my fruity meal replacement drinks with me because the salt on my snack made me really thirsty.

 

Jeff had bought himself a giant salted pretzel as well as some chicken fingers because he neglected to eat lunch before we left.  We had both been busy doing our regular Saturday housework before leaving the apartment.

 

I had gone outside to eat a tuna sandwich for my lunch because I needed air.  I started sneezing a lot when I was inside and thought it might be allergies, but it was the start of a cold.  It think it might have been because of how freezing it was in the grocery store the previous night. 

 

My dear husband kept telling me we didn't have to go to the cinema, but I knew he was eager to see Ant-Man and he had been doing a lot of things I really wanted to do doing our vacation so I wanted to make an effort to do something of his choice despite the fact that I was not feeling that well. 

 

Once the movie started, I was able to ignore the headache I had developed.  I even stopped having to blow my nose.  But, once I was out of the theatre the sneezing started again.

 

To make me feel better, I drank some hot tea right after dinner. 

 

Aidan called while I was waiting for my drink to cool down and told me he had won first place during the sheaf toss at the Maxville Highland games so I congratulated him.  He also got to see his dad so that was good.  Aidan was going to spend another day with his father and then come home because he missed being in his things.  As much as I had enjoyed my time alone with Jeff, I also missed having my son around.

 

Jeff played on his bass shortly after I got off the phone.  I recognized the song "Stand by Me" and started humming it after giving Jeff a quick kiss.  My husband played a few more tunes I recognized, using Youtube videos to learn them, but I didn't know the names of the songs. 

 

I barely knew anything of music aside from if I liked a song or not, while Jeff seemed to be an expert.  He was a bit critical of the way he played bass because he had not noodled the instrument in a while and compared himself to the days he was in a band, but I loved hearing him play even if it wasn't perfect.  Most of the time I could't tell if he made a mistake unless he pointed it out, mainly by grunting or ceasing to play for a few seconds.

 

One of our birds either disliked hearing Jeff playing his bass, or was trying to sing with him and sounded terrible.  Link's crazy chirping was ear piercing.

 

When Jeff was done practicing his music that evening, we watched more "Penny Dreadful" while it rained outside. 

 

I am not sure exactly when the rain started, but Jeff and I felt some drops as soon as we left the movie theatre.  We rapidly walked to the bus stop and sheltered ourselves inside a booth then walked fast to the metro station when we got off the first bus.

 

It was pouring when we got out of the metro station so we ran for the next bus we had to take.  The rain calmed down by the time we had to get off, and Jeff's dark blue umbrella kept us dry until we got home.  By that point, loud thunder could be heard.

 

I grilled the pork chops I had intended on cooking the night before and made some mashed potatoes and baby carrots to go with it.

 

While we were watching our downloaded show later in the evening, we saw something red flashing near the living room ceiling.  At first I thought it was my imagination, and when Jeff commented on it we believed the light source was coming from outside.  It kind of looked like somebody was playing with a laser pointer.  It turned out to be a firefly.

 

I tried to catch the flying glowing insect and place it inside one of my lanterns, the closest container available, but it wasn't an easy thing to do.  I followed the on and off light, which was now more yellow, until the firefly landed on one of the living room curtains. I then tried to cup the long black body.  The insect flew away and was found on one of my frames a few minutes later. I tried to gently push it into the lantern Jeff held for me but the firefly disappeared.  We saw its light further away a little later and it continued to move around the room flickering its light.  It was mainly yellow, but when it got close to the ceiling it changed to red.   The firefly seemed to show its light when it was flying and go dark when it landed somewhere.  We never caught it, nor did we see it again after that night.

 

I tried to go to bed at a reasonable time to get some well needed sleep, but I had told Jeff I would give him a massage because of his soar neck and back.  He said it could wait, but he had taken care of me so many times when my Colitis symptoms had acted up so I wanted to do something for him in his time of need despite my minor cold.

 

I gave Jeff massages whenever I could and he did the same for me.  Sometimes it was just to relax and help take away the pains we had while other times they were more sensual.

 

The massage I gave my husband that night was simple and didn't last too long, but it seemed to do him some good so it made me happy.

 

I had trouble falling asleep afterwards.  So, I took out my Greek and Romain mythology book and started reading the story of "Cupid and Psyche" out loud.  I had chosen that particular tale because one of the themed rooms at the hotel we stayed at in Saint-Agathe-des-Monts was based on it and I could not remember the details anymore.  Jeff didn't know the story at all.

 

My reading seemed to lull Jeff to sleep, but I remained wide awake.  I closed the book halfway through the story to let Jeff sleep.  Surprisingly, I soon followed.

   

Sunday (August 2) was our last vacation day and neither myself or Jeff were looking forward to going back to work the next day.          

 

I still had a hint of a cold, and Jeff felt like he was starting one.  We were both miraculously fine once we were up and about though, so we were able to enjoy our day.

 

It started with me finishing the story of "Cupid and Psyche" as well and educating Jeff on a few other Greek and Roman mythology characters.  He only really knew of Hercules, which led us to watching part of an episode of an old cartoon we both used to watch as kids.  The graphics and voice actors were pretty funny so we thought we should show Aidan when he got back.

 

During our last afternoon of freedom, Jeff and I decided to walk to a restaurant we had been meaning to try out.  Before we got there, we saw a sign in front of another place advertising $5 beers and cocktails so we ended up going there for lunch instead.  We had refreshing drinks on their terrace, a beer for Jeff and a raspberry Mojito for myself, and ate good all dressed pizza.

 

The shade of the terrace canopy sheltered us from the heat of the sun.  We were comfortable and very relaxed, not in a rush to leave once we were done drinking and eating.

 

When we did leave the restaurant, Jeff and I crossed the street and entered the freezing Provigo grocery store to get a bottle of red wine to go with dinner. I had taken out some home made pasta sauce from the freezer in the morning.

 

After our quick purchase, we headed to Rockaberry and shared a slice of Oreo cheese cake.  There were cold drinks available like iced coffees and even coffee shakes, but we both felt that hot coffee would go better with our dessert.  Jeff ordered an Americano and I asked for a mocha latte.  The cups were served with special spoons that sat on them.

 

Our dessert was eaten on a terrace of course.  Once again, we were sheltered from the heat of the sun. The big leaf of a potted plant kept hitting my face or brushing the top of my head when there was a breeze but I didn't care.  I was too lazy to change tables as Jeff kept suggesting.

 

Jeff and I felt so comfortable and relaxed that we took our time to enjoy our food plus hot drinks. 

 

We talked about various fun things, including the possibility of booking another room at the Auberge des nuits de reve around Valentine's Day.   

 

When we left Rochaberry, Jeff and I slowly walked back home hand in hand.

 

In the apartment, I sat down on the couch with my eyes closed and listened to Jeff practice his bass for a bit.  He played music from the bands Nirvana and Cake.

We then revisited the Auberge des nuits de reve's website, looking at all the pictures of each room and reading all the details to see which one we might like to book in the winter.  We both agreed that we wanted a real fireplace, not an electric one.  That left the Eros and Psyche themed room out.

 

I found the Tarzan and Jane room original but Jeff thought it was kind of tacky, so my next choice was the Napoleon and Josephine room simply because it looked really fancy.  The Cezar and Cleopatra once looked nice too.  We couldn't really decide, still finding the Romeo and Juliet room the best but wanting to try a new look.

 

We had time to make a final decision, so I turned my ipad off to start dinner and set a nice table.  I placed red and white checkered napkins that matched our table cloth on the table.  They were rolled up with utensils inside, and metal napkins holders in the shape of leaves held them in place.

 

Jeff and I ate our capellini covered in meat sauce and parmesan as well as some breadsticks plus drank our red wine by candlelight while listening to an Italian CD I put on.

 

One of the songs inspired Jeff to put on an old grey fedora his dad used to wear.  He was doing it to be theatrical, holding one of the breadsticks like it was a cigar.  I think he looked good in it.

 

The song "Save the Last Dance For Me" started playing as we finished eating, so Jeff got up and asked me to dance with him.  We slow danced together in the kitchen with the candles still lit.

 

It was the perfect ending to our perfect vacation.