John & Anne Wiley

2013/05/01

Whimsy

Often on a trip like this, we operate on whimsy. Today began with a lovely lunch with Enid next door to the Nyack Public Library.

4019 Nyack Library

4019 Nyack Library

The town and the weather were both especially beautiful, and somehow Anne got the notion to make Martha’s Vineyard our next stop. So we loaded our prodigious amounts of unused dead weight (aka luggage) into trusty Tripp and took off over the magnificent manses of Westchester.

4020 Westchester Manse

4020 Westchester Manse

Soon we were climbing up over inland waterways and I snapped this rowing (sculling?) race, drawn to the “tracks” left by each stroke of the oars.

4024 Race Tracks

4024 Race Tracks

We thought of our fun times with Molly & Dustin strolling the glorious Spring bloom as we passed New Haven.

4043 New Haven

4043 New Haven

We saw many interesting and beautiful things on this short flight, including this one I call the flying snake because of the effect created by currents sweeping sand into the surrounding depths.

4078 Flying Snake

4078 Flying Snake

Another snap I like is this salt pond next to a soft deserted beach, with swirls of pastel colors creating a sand sculpture work of art shaped by wind and water.

4080 Water Works

4080 Water Works

I climbed much higher than needed for the short crossing to Martha’s Vineyard because of a thick smoke layer apparently created by two tall smokestacks that look like nuke plant cooling towers. Something in this area is spoiling the air for everyone in the area.

4097 Smoky Crossing

4097 Smoky Crossing

We were glad to see that the island was mostly outside of the smoke area. We flew past the main KMVY airport to take a look at the island, starting with Edgartown’s Katama grass strip.

4115 Katama

4115 Katama

I was tempted to land here just for the fun and ease of a grass strip, but Anne had tentatively booked a hotel in Vineyard Haven across the island and made arrangements to land at KMVY. It turned out we ended up not far away in Edgartown.

4118 Edgartown

4118 Edgartown

Tomorrow we’ll explore the island, and report on this whimsical new twist in our Islander Adventure.

2013/04/30

Leaving Quebec

Many people in Quebec the Canadian Province, seem to refer to Quebec City as simply Quebec.

3956 Quebec City

3956 Quebec City

On the river front below the cliff and wall is the old city, where we found a great restaurant last night. Up top is also fascinating, and many people enjoy exploring the fort.

3948 Fort

3948 Fort

Our hotel was quite near the fort, and in this pic is the maze we wandered trying to find our way out of it. We left before we’d like today because weather was closing in. A big item we wanted to see before leaving is this waterfall 8 miles from downtown.

3964 Wow

3964 Wow

I’d almost talked myself into thinking, “Well, I’ve seen lots of great waterfalls so no big deal.” But I’m so glad to have made the small detour after takeoff to see this! I chose a route to the southeast into Maine so as to avoid the rain and low clouds menacing a direct route to White Plains from Quebec City. A few minutes later we were flying past beautiful frozen lakes and ponds.

3994 Frozen Pond

3994 Frozen Pond

Then we turned direct to White Plains and sure enough the skies to our west were dark and impassable but we managed to safely and easily get Bob & Enid home for their busy week. Tomorrow we hope to reach Boston to see Zubair and family. Will the weather cooperate again?

2013/04/29

Groupings

Today was very varied. We began with Starbucks next to the hotel, then a walk to breakfast in the old city with many friendly encounters. I noticed that the pix can all reference groupings, so I’ve updated this post to play with that.

3815 Man & Two Cats

3815 Man & Two Cats

This guy was smiling on the roof of a building watching  as we got updated directions from a friendly Quebec man whose English was of course better than our French. Paillard, recommended by Ed and several other sources, had great food.

3820 Menu Dialog

3820 Anne & Five Chefs

Bob Fournier provided an enchanting lyrical background of French music as we ate, and then our Bob joined him in song as I danced with Enid to the great enjoyment of the other patrons.

3823 Accordion & Two Bobs

3823 Accordion & Two Bobs

We walked back up the hill and paused to enjoy the colorful buildings.

3836 Red & Green

3836 Blue, Green & Red

Then we went on a brief wander back toward the hotel as Bob & Enid paused at a very helpful tourist info office. We managed to get tangled up in the maze of the old fortress, where we saw this classic scene amid the battlements.

3867 Kite & Tree

3867 Grass, Kite & Tree

We learned later that Bob & Enid had a great relaxed stroll along a scenic waterfront promenade as we were trying to find our way out of the fort nearby. They were probably already back at the hotel enjoying a nap as we paused to see if this groundhog would predict more Winter. He did.

3869 Groundhog & Forecast

3869 Groundhog & Forecast

We learned tonight that there may be some unexpected weather coming tomorrow, so it’s likely we’ll be leaving earlier than planned. But we did eventually find a way out of the fort other than trying to follow the groundhog. Back on the familiar street I captured this threesome with a cart.

3871 Cart, Horse, Man & Dog

3871 Cart, Horse, Man & Dog

2013/04/28

Friends, Family & French

We started the day surrounded by dear friends and Ed’s family for breakfast, all of whom now are our friends.

3532 Friends & Family

3532 Friends & Family

Ed then drove we four on a fun and fascinating tour of his beloved Montreal, including of course a drive up Mount Royal for the stunning high view.

3542 High View

3542 High View

Tho the light angle wasn’t as good for pix a little later, we got what for me was an even more impressive high view as we passed the same area on our way to Quebec City.

3633 High Again

3633 High Again

We notice odd shapes below as we flew along near the river, finally figuring out they were large flocks of birds making such magical shapes of dots the eye connects.

3676 Connect the Dots

3676 Connect the Dots

Walking down into the old city after a warm and tasty dinner, it felt both like being in Europe and for me even more powerfully as if we were walking back several centuries in time.

3776 Into the Past

3776 Into the Past

We spotted what looks like a path down toward the river into the really old part of the city, said to be the oldest European city in North America.

3791 Gateway

3791 Gateway

Tomorrow we’ll probably find out.

2013/04/27

North With Friends

We flew from New York to Montreal with Bob & Enid to meet their dear friends Ed & Claire. Many beautiful sights along the way of course. Sky reflected in innumerable lakes.

3511 Lake Sky

3511 Lake Sky

Lake bottom shapes and colors emerging from the depths like one of those old magic 8 ball toys.

6916 Deep Shapes

6916 Deep Shapes

Mountains still wearing streaks of winter snow, melting and glistening on ancient glacier carved rocks.

6926 Snow & Stone

6926 Snow & Stone

Descending across the border were many larger lakes and waterways that look more Canadian.

 

3515 Oh Canada

3515 Oh Canada

In one large lake there is a row of trees marking what used to be a road, and a house trying to resist the rising waters.

3516 Story of Battle

3516 Story of Battle

Looking at the photos tonite, I can see that the war is lost.

3519 Paradise Lost

3519 Paradise Lost

I can image not long ago when a family lived here and enjoyed a beautiful view with easy access to water. Still firewood stacked next to one building, but also some of it floating around inside the submerged wall.

6941 Water Power

6941 Water Power

There are many hydro-electric dams feeding power to other areas of the U.S. and Canada, like this one we saw as we landed. A wonderful day of flying capped with a delicious meal and warm conversation. Life is Good. 🙂

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