Saguenay: Part I

Last week, we went camping at Parc national du Saguenay. It was a nearly perfect trip, except for the rain we encountered on the drive out there and back. It's no secret that I'm not exactly Montreal's biggest fan, but the Quebec countryside is magical. Quebec is a beautiful, beautiful province, and I'm not sure why more people don't vacation here. The Saguenay fjord is straight out of a fairytale, and we never got tired of looking at the enormous rocky cliffs that escort the Saguenay River from the St. Lawrence to Lac-Saint-Jean. The park was practically empty, as were the parks we camped in last year. Hiking the trails all alone in these remote areas just adds to the feeling that you're on some Lord-of-the-Rings-type adventure in the Misty Mountains. We highly recommend it. And if you don't like camping, there are cabins in the parks and B&Bs nearby, too. It makes for an amazing, affordable vacation. Much cheaper than, say, a trip to the Scottish countryside. Gaspesie remains my favorite park in Quebec, but Saguenay was a close second. Anyway, the photos:











These photos were from our first hike on Le Caps trail toward Cap Éternité. The trails here, like in other Quebec parks, have shelters and rustic camp sites along the way for those who want to do multi-day hikes. The entire Le Caps trail is something like 50km. We only hiked 10. More photos from the rest of our trip coming soon.

The Automatic Blogger: Part IV


Every now and then I get a little bit nervous that the best of all the years have gone by...

while I kill time on YouTube. That's right. Rather than blog anything original, today I take you down the scary rabbit hole that is YouTube:

Version 1
Version 2
Version 3
Version 4

And no, oh no

Version 5

I'm not even going to tell you how this happened, but I blame it all on my sister-in-law for getting the song stuck in my head in the first place.

The Automatic Blogger: Part III

More random poetry.

Breeze

The breeze flows through the window
as Celine looks on in mild amusement
But you eat that peach like you watch the snow
Aggravation is neccesary for fufillment

Fat Cat

The fat cat snores on the rug
words make noises
riddm flash pan fiddle
like all good smallish slugs
slicing its neck like a wet spaghetti noodle

The Automatic Blogger: Part II

Today's entry was made using a love poetry generator.

To My Love

Your skin glows like the cherries, blossoms white as the lotus in the purest hope of spring.
My heart follows your harp voice and leaps like a cat at the whisper of your name.
The evening floats in on a great dove wing.
I am comforted by your chemise that I carry into the twilight of radiobeams and hold next to my hand.
I am filled with hope that I may dry your tears of saltwater.
As my eyes falls from my window, it reminds me of your book.
In the quiet, I listen for the last whisper of the day.
My warm hand leaps to my scarf.
I wait in the moonlight for your secret table so that we may give as one, hand to hand, in search of the magnificent black and mystical floor of love.

The Automatic Blogger: Part I

We're going to be a bit busy this week, and I have a feeling I won't be posting much. Fear not, dear readers! I have employed the help of a random essay generator to take my place while I am away from Internetland. Our first topic? Orange cats.

On Orange Cats

Are you sitting comfortably? Advancements in orange cats can be linked to many areas. While it has been acknowledged that it has an important part to play in the development of man, there are just not enough blues songs written about orange cats. It still has the power to shock so called 'babies', who are likely to form a major stronghold in the inevitable battle for hearts and minds. Relax, sit back and gasp as I display the rich tapestries of orange cats.

Social Factors

Society is a human product. When blues legend 'Bare Foot D' remarked 'awooooh eeee only my dawg understands me' [1] he created a monster which society has been attempting to tame ever since. A child’s approach to orange cats raises the question 'why?'

Of paramount importance to any study of orange cats within its context, is understanding the ideals of society. Society says that every man must find their own truth. While one sees orange cats, another may see monkeys playing tennis.

Economic Factors

Is unemployment inherently bad for an economy? Yes. We shall examine the Maiden-Tuesday-Lending model, as is standard in this case.

Oil Prices
		orange cats

Indisputably there is a link. How can this be explained? Clearly oil prices world wide are driven entirely by orange cats. Supply Side Economic Tax Cuts Tax deductions could turn out to be a risky tactic.

Political Factors

Much of the writings of historians display the conquests of the most powerful nations over less powerful ones. Comparing the ideals of the young with the reality felt by their elders is like contrasting 0.

Consider this, spoken at the tender age of 14 by a legend in their own life time, Xaviera Rock 'Man's greatest enemy is complacency with regards to personal and political hygiene.' [2] Primarily, he is referring to orange cats. If orange cats be the food of politics, play on.
One of the great ironies of this age is orange cats. Isn't it ironic, don't you think?

Conclusion

To conclude, orange cats has, and will continue to be a major building block for the world in which we live. It enlightens our daily lives, 'literally' plants seeds for harvest, and most importantly it perseveres.

What a great essay. Finally a word from super-star Elton Paltrow: 'At first I was afraid I was petrified. Thinking I could never live without orange cats by my side.' [3]

[1] Bare Foot D - Classic - 1967 Stinton Records

[2] Rock - Roll It Up - 1977 - F. Lower Publishing

[3] It Magazine - Issue 302 - Spam Media Group

Song Stuck in My Head

(to the tune of "Happy Birthday")

Happy Dossier-Mailing Day to me!
Happy Dossier-Mailing Day to me!

Come on, everybody! You know the words!

Happy Dossier-Mailing Day to meee-eee!
Happy Dossier-Mailing Day to me!

Canada Day: That Other Holiday in July



As you might remember, July 1st is Canada Day in most of Canada and Moving Day in Quebec. Actually, it's technically Canada Day in Quebec as well, only they don't celebrate it. This year, I decided to try to find out how moving day came to be scheduled on July 1st. Supposedly, it came about a long time ago when the government of the colony of "New France" decided it was inhumane for landlords to evict their tenants before the snow melted. (Sounds reasonable.) They declared all leases would expire on May 1st, and this became Moving Day. However, in the 70s following The Quiet Revolution, the government decided to change moving day to July 1st so that students did not have to move in the middle of the school year. The selection of July 1st was possibly intended to minimize the celebrations of Canada Day. Whether the intent was there or not, that has certainly been the effect. Anyway, the days leading up to and following Moving Day are the best times to stroll the streets and the Internets looking for "new" furniture. That's exactly how we ended up with the sewing machine. And this week we also acquired a new bed. (Remind me to tell you how much I hate the folks on Craigslist and Kijiji. If you've ever wondered whether or not it's possible to be pushy and flaky at the same time, it is.)

We celebrated Moving Day Eve by attending the opening act of the Festival International de Jazz. We stood in the rain for an hour and a half beforehand waiting for the show to start. I got shoved a lot, like small people often are. Even so, it was worth it. We didn't stay until the end, but my favorite part was definitely Stevie Wonder's mellow, mildly jazzy rendition of "Michelle." The festival continues through next week, and we plan to go back as much as we can.

Lest you think the Quebecois are opposed to holidays, I should say that the week before Moving Day is the Fete Nationale du Quebec, also known as Saint-Jean-Baptiste. The holiday was essentially transported from France with the colonialists and has remained a tradition all along. There are various activities, parades, and concerts around the province to celebrate. Our neighbors and I observed the holiday by attending the boites-a-savon (soap box) races in the park, where I was the token anglophone.



Julius observed the holiday by napping in the sunshine.