Gananoque, Ontario
September 2008
After a three month separation, I met up with Lynne in Vancouver at the start of her two week school holiday break. We retired to a cosy hotel apartment for a couple nights, venturing out into some brilliant sunshine for meals and walks about the shore front and downtown shopping district.
Then a four and a half flight took us over the Rockies, the prairies and lakes to Ottawa with a two hour drive south to the town of Gananoque (population 5,200) on the shores of the 1000 Islands section of the St Lawrence River.
Where we found a little girl riding a tricyle on the sidewalk with her father walking alongside, and as we pulled alongside she said ….. "Big Al, you are a ratbag".
Well we know who the real ratbag was who put her up to it.
We had a busy time with Aaron, Kerry and Noa and the 10 days there went quickly. Aaron was between jobs and so was able to spend a more time with us, and although Kerry was busy with her new job we all managed to all squeeze into our little rental car and take two nights to visit Montreal and Quebec City, places that Lynne and I had not visited for over 20 years. Other shorter trips with them were to Kingston and Ottawa.
And one night we enjoyed a visit to our aussie mate Curtis (living in a borrowed land) and his wife Terri in Toronto.
We met the whole "in law" family most of whom live just across Main Street, and found them a warm and welcoming bunch. Courtesy of Joe, we had a couple of river cruises about the 1000 Islands and saw a whole different perspective of this flat landscape from the water.
The maple and oak trees were full in their fall colours and so it was a rather special time to visit. however I think I would rather be on greener shores around Xmas time.
It as a very full visit and we left a couple of sleepyheads sitting on the stairway of their historic home at 5am on the morning as we turned 180 degrees to retrace our steps back to Katikati and Keno respectively.
It was a lovely visit,
Thank You.
