August Road Trip

It sure has been a busy month.

Since the last post we did manage to take a little holiday.

Robyn, my mom and I went on a road trip and I've posted some of the many photos we took.

My mom has always wanted to see Quebec City so decided to make a trip up and on the way we traveled from our place through Vermont. You can see some of the beautiful views from the highway in the first photo.

On the first full day in Quebec City we went to the Citadel to watch the changing of the guard. Robyn loved the music and the colors of the uniforms.

Our hotel was across from the Chateau Frontenac and there was a lovely park between the River and us. The second photo is a view from our window. The horse drawn carriages would pass in front of the hotel as well. It was really special to have the view and the sounds of the old city through our window.

Quebec City is celebrating its 400th birthday so there were many festivities throughout the old town. Street performers were in abundance and the entire old city was beautifully decorated. I went out the first night to capture some photos of the light displays. The next photo shows a bit of that.

We went into the lower town on the second full day in Quebec City. We spent quit a bit of time by the water and the farmers market. Then we toured the streets. In the next photo you can see some of the amazing 400th birthday decorations. The watering cans are actually lights.

A trip like this one was quite a challenge for a toddler of course. Robyn was not at all pleased with the amount of time she had to spend in the stroller as well as her missed naps and the absence of her daddy. The second afternoon she did a lot of shouting and crying. She was quite vocal and I figured she could be heard quite far away. My suspicions were confirmed when we passed by one of the many restaurants and one of the servers dramatically presented Robyn with a giant strawberry. At first I was a little afraid of what her reaction might be. This is because men often terrify her so much that she will completely flip if they so much as look at her. To my great relief, the strawberry presentation immediately stopped her complaining and made her smile and giggle. I suspect Robyn wasn't the first toddlef to come screaming down the street past that particular restaurant. You can see Robyn in the next photo with the strawberry pacifier.

The rest of the evening went quite well with Robyn. We had a dinner of crepes and chocolate fondue for dessert. The following two photos were taken during that dinner. Robyn even hammed it up for the camera.

After a great French breakfast the next morning, we were off again. This time we were heading for my parent's place. We stayed one night with my in-laws just outside of Ottawa. In the next photo you can see Robyn feeding the doggie in my in-laws’ garden.

Robyn and I spent the next week with my parents. Andrew flew up a few days after we got there. Robyn, my mom, Andrew and I went to Wasaga beach one day. Robyn had fun chasing the seagulls and playing in the sand. Her big “thing” this year was grabbing fists of mud from the lake and throwing it all over Oma (my mom) and Mommy. You can see her standing on the sand watching the seagulls in the subsequent photo.

One day we drove to Niagara-On-The-Lake to meet some extended family for a picnic. My "cousin" has a daughter that is a few months older than Robyn. You can see Robyn and Abby sitting side-by-side in the next photo. Abby is quite tall for her age and Robyn, of course is small. It will be fun to see how they measure up as they get older. Robyn and Abby hit it off quite well, as is apparent in the next two photos. Since Abby lives in Switzerland it will likely be a few years before we see her again. It sure was fun to watch Abby and Robyn play. Abby's mom, Pamela, is a month younger than myself and we played together as children. Pamela reminded me that it was I that was always taller when we were kids. Now we are about the same height (which, unfortunately, isn't very tall).

The day before we drove home, my sister-in-law, her husband and Robyn's cousin Maeve, came for a visit. You can see Maeve and Robyn holding hands in the next photo. Andrew took the last photo during dinner. Robyn and Maeve had a good time playing with their toys and at the park.

All in all, it was a good trip.