Cruise concluded: Montreal

Our final stop was Montreal. We went straight from the ship to the airport. We were all checked in for our flight and ready to head home. Then they asked if anyone would be willing to get bumped. We volunteered, and ended up with a sweet deal that included some vouchers for future flights, our hotel stay, three meals, and first-class seats back to Salt Lake. It was a fun way to end a great trip.

Diane on the deck of the Maasdam, Montreal in the background
Ray and Diane in Bar Harbor, Maine

Cruise continued: Quebec

Day 6, October 9, we docked in Quebec. Quebec is a fascinating city. I think it was my favorite place for architecture, historical interest, and character. Quebec has a walking trail around the new and old city, which we were going to do, but the weather was terrible. Cole hired a driver to take us around, and it was much more interesting than if we'd gone by ourselves.

Jean-Pierre was our driver/guide, and we loved him! He had a strong French Canadian accent and we loved listening to him. He gave us a lot of great history, and took us all over Quebec.

It's against my rules to have pictures without people (of course my previous post already broke those rules) but I have to share these few. This first picture is a wall in the city of Quebec. It appears to have quite a bit going on, and to be three dimensional, but it is not. The wall facing us in the picture is one dimensional.
Here are three pictures of details from the above picture - all in reality are flat walls, painted to look three dimensional:

Pretty cool, huh? Now here's another person-less picture of Quebec (not a painting, this is real architecture):

Okay, here are a few pictures showing that we were really there:

Ray and Diane on a street in Quebec.

Diane and Cole in the Farmer's Market

Ray and Diane at the Farmer's Market.

Cruise continued: a day at sea

Day 5 (October 8) was spent at sea the entire day. I like those days. We relax on board, play games, read. No rushing to be somewhere at a particular time. Not that we did much rushing this whole trip. I decided to post here some of the great pictures that Cole and Marsha took around the ship at various times. They show typical things about the ship, and of course I have no such pictures that I've taken myself. Thanks Porters!

The first day before the ship leaves port there is an emergency evacuation drill. Everyone has to be on deck at their assigned position, wearing their life jacket. Roll is taken, then after a few minutes, everyone is dismissed to go back to their cabin.

Here's Marsha on one of the top decks. That's Boston in the background. Usually I go all over a ship during a cruise, but this time I didn't meander much. Dining room, stateroom, thermal spa. Repeat. We did go to the show one night, but I must say it was terrible. I didn't waste my time doing that again. Give me a good book and my thermal spa instead!

This fabulous shot of the stern was taken by Cole. This is when we were docked in Bar Harbor.

A shot of the side of the ship. At the far end of the ship, just above the black paint line, you can see the lifeboats hanging.

I'm pretty sure this is where we docked on PEI. You can see the gangway, which is where we disembarked and embarked (left and came back) the ship. The small red/orange boats on the right are actually from other cruise ships that were there that same day. Those are the tenders that their passengers had to come in on. There wasn't enough dock space for all the ships that day. Those tenders are the actual life boats used in a ship emergency. When passengers tender in and out to a port it provides practice for the crew to raise and lower the lifeboats.

This is the top rear deck. There is a small pool, as you can see. There are two additional pools in the center of the boat. When in warm climates those center pools are open air. However for this colder cruise, there was a roof that was closed over the pools. It made swimming more comfortable for those who chose to swim. It also provided another place to gather and still be able to watch the progress of the ship. And be warm while doing so. Here's Ray lounging and talking while sitting on the covered deck by the pools:

Cruise continued: Prince Edward Island

October 7 we docked in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Charlottetown is best know politically for being the location where some history making charter was made for Canada.

PEI in general (and the real reason we were there) is best known for being the setting of the Anne of Green Gables books by LM Montgomery. We hired a guide and saw the island. First we stopped at some pumpkin farm. The thing to do there was take your picture with an Anne of Green Gables hat. Here's Marsha modeling one of the lesser-quality versions. Still, she looks quite entrancing, don't you think?

By the way, Marsha sent her pictures. These great pictures were taken by Marsha or Cole. Ray took a couple of pictures too.

This hotel (I forget the real name and wasn't wise enough to write it down) was what they used for the outside shots of the "White Sands Hotel" in the Anne movies.


Here's Ray - getting ready to take 5 or 6 pictures (in various poses) of these Adirondack chairs.

Next we drove to a beach along the north shore of the island. It was beautiful. PEI is a beautiful island.

Dave Badger

Marsha Porter

After the beach we drove to where LM Montgomery actually lived while she was growing up. The house no longer exists - there is just a foundation there, which we did not pay $4 to go see. They do have a little bookshop that carries all the books she wrote, and has a few plaques up to tell about the location (that was free). There were two handsome dogs out front that Cole took a liking to. The affection was returned:

Here are Diane and Marsha in front of the home that Green Gables was described from. LM Montgomery's cousins lived there, and she spent quite a bit of time there herself, but she never actually lived there.

Diane and Ray heading up the staircase in Green Gables. Doesn't Ray just look thrilled to death?

Ray outside Green Gables.

Ray and Cole were great sports to come along with me and Marsha. I would wager neither of them have read at least twelve of LM Montgomery's books. In fact I would wager that neither of them have read any of her books. That is what you call a safe bet.

Marsha and Diane inside the Anne of Green Gables Chocolate Store. A great way to end the day on PEI.

Two little boys...

Two little boys came into my room and scampered into my closet. I asked, "what are you doing?"

Their response: "We're hiding. In your closet."

A few illustrators I like

Travelin'Oma has asked for some of our favorite children's book illustrators. Here are three that I really like:

Shirley Hughes. The Alfie books were always a big hit in our house. And we still say "Alfie's Feet" when someone has their shoes on the wrong feet.

Peter Spier. Fun for all ages, and particularly great for kids who don't read but sure can follow a story in pictures. I don't know if you can ever see all he has in his pictures. A family favorite was The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night.

Tomie de Paola. One of my all time favorites. Here are three of my favorite books of his. Now One Step, Now Another makes me cry everytime I read it. It is such a tender story.

First Snow of the Year

Travelin'Oma got me thinking about some cozy things...

We had our first real snow of the year today. Luckily I didn't really have to go anywhere, so I stayed home. I love days like this.

If I could spend a rainy or snowy day any way that I wanted, I would spend it in one of two ways.

Passively: Read my heart out. Hot herbal tea (Ruby Mist is my preferred), and maybe some good chocolate at hand.

Actively: I'd most likely sew. Turn on a good, old movie that I love, and quilt away. It needs to be a movie that I'm familiar with so I can really get some sewing in and still be able to follow the movie. Meet Me in St. Louis, Notting Hill, Mamma Mia, You've Got Mail, 27 Dresses, Much Ado About Nothing, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice. Any old Judy Garland movie. Several Disney movies would work also.

From now until Christmas, my absolute favorite thing to do would be to watch White Christmas with my girls (read how I love this movie here). We would hunker down on the couch armed with some good hot chocolate, and each with our own bowl of custom buttered and salted popcorn. The real thing, not microwaved or hot-air-popped. Well, maybe Beth would have something else. (Girlies - let's set a date!)

Star Sampler Quilt

The stars aligned for the fabrics in this quilt. I just love it, and love the rich colors. I used batiks and I couldn't be happier with the result.

I started this quilt prior to our move here to Salt Lake. It got packed up and put away early in the packing process. I finally pulled it out to finish it last spring. I procrastinated, knowing there were a lot of little pieces to cut. Much to my surprise, I had already cut all the fabric for the blocks. That upped my enthusiasm for finishing the quilt quickly. It was a pleasure to work on because I liked the fabrics so much. I finished it a couple of months ago. It was so pretty I sent it to my friend Valerie to quilt it. I got it back last night, and I can't stop looking at it. Now I've got to catch Ray in a great mood to see if he'll hang it above my stairs (which will require some real acrobatic skill on his part).

Star Sample Quilt
Finished: October 2009
Size: 66 inches X 84 inches
Pattern: Lap-size Star-Studded Sampler from Star-Studded Quilts by Roxanne Carter

A is for Apples

A is for apples

Grown on Trish's tree

Made into Apple Crisp

And eaten by me!

There's nothing better than a good, hot, apple crisp on a cold, snowy day. Here's a great recipe for apple crisp that I got from my mother-in-law a long time ago. It's a family favorite.

Apple Crisp

Mix:

4 cups sliced apples

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp of cinnamon

2 tsp soft butter

Spread evenly in a pan (9X13 makes a shallow crisp, 9X9 makes a deep crisp)

Mix:

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp soda

1/2 tsp baking poweder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup oil

Sprinkle this evenly over apple mixture

Bake at 350 for 30 to 40 minutes

Breaking up is hard to do

Travelin'Oma week 9, day 1. Read here, and you'll understand more where this came from.

Ever sent a letter that I regret? No.

Ever say something that I regret? More times than there are stars in the sky.

I started dating my first boyfriend the summer before I went to BYU. One day we had this conversation:

Him: I really admire you for going through with this

Me: With what?

Him: Going to BYU

Me (incredulously): Why in the world wouldn’t I go to BYU?!?

I belatedly realized he might want me to stick around. What I thought, but didn’t say (for once), was, “In your dreams I would stay here – I’ve waited too long for this opportunity.”

He was invited to drive with me and my parents to drop me off at BYU. My future husband Ray also came along – he happened to need a ride (at that time there was not remotely a romantic relationship between me and Ray). We stopped for the night in Las Vegas. My parents and I slept in the motor home, and the boys slept outside. The boyfriend said to Ray, “Take care of Diane for me, okay?” Ray said he’d be happy to oblige.

The rest is history. Ray and I started hanging out, then dating, then spending all our time together. After a month it was obvious the old boyfriend was on the outs, and Ray was in to stay. I had to call and break it off with the “boyfriend.” I was so anxious that I had to get it over with quickly. Here’s how the conversation began:

Me: Hi. I have bad news. It’s about you and me.

It all went downhill (for him) from there. I know it was brutal, but it was done!

Diane and Ray, Fall 1975

Where was I when...

Travelin'Oma week 8 day 5

JFK died?

I remember watching the funeral on TV at home in our family room. I was six. Mainly I remember how quiet and intent my parents seemed to be.

records.viu.ca

Man landed on the moon?

I was in Mayville, NY at my grandmother's house. I posted about it here.

Reagan was shot?

I was teaching fourth grade at Riverton Elementary School in Riverton, UT. The custodian poked his head in my classroom and declared: Ronald Reagan has been shot! I asked if Reagan was still alive. Yes. We gathered the fourth grade classes together and watched the news. I remember telling my students to pay attention - it would be something important that they should remember.

uselectionatlas.com

The September 11, 2001 attack on the Twin Towers occurred?

I was teaching early morning seminary in Kirkland, WA. A few minutes before 6:30 a.m., my teaching partner came in and asked if I'd seen the plane that had crashed into one of the Twin Towers. I had no idea what she was talking about. She'd seen it on CNN before she came to seminary.

It was my turn to drive the carpool to the high school. As we drove the news came on and said there had been another crash. At this point people still didn't really know what was happening. My husband called and asked if I had the news on. I said yes. I told the kids in my car that this would be a major event in their lives. It was all I could do to keep from crying. I dropped the kids off and drove home as quickly as I could.

When I arrived at home I simply stood and stared at the television replaying over and over the events of the morning. Ray filled me in on what he'd heard. Then we learned about the pentagon. Then the plane that went down in Pennsylvania. We watched newsmen and their crew trying to find out what had happened - cloths over their faces, trying to breathe without inhaling all the smoke and debris.

I felt stunned. It was hard to go about doing a normal routine. I remember US flags being flown in our neighborhood. By that evening flags were everywhere - on houses, in store windows, and on many, many cars that were driving around.

In the days and weeks that followed I marveled at all the people who put their own lives on hold to go and help. One man in the south packed up his barbecue business, put it on a trailer, and drove to New York. Daily he fed those who were helping - searching through the debris in hopes of finding loved ones, or the loved ones of others. It was an affirmation that we are a country that pulls together in time of need.

It still makes me cry to think of it. I remember it well, and I will never be the same.

washingtonpost.com

The road to success is paved with life skills

Travelin'Oma week 8, day 4.

It is essential that we teach our children how to be self-sufficient. It builds confidence as they see they can function in the world around them.

By the time my kids were about eight we joked that we could leave them home alone while we went on vacation, and that they’d probably do better without us. Contrast that with a 17 year old I knew who had never made brownies, or cookies, or macaroni and cheese. Pampering children and doing everything for them stunts their growth. In fact, I think it handicaps them in an already tough world to get along in.

Here are a few basic skills I think everyone needs to know to face an adult world (in no particular order):

1. Money – keep track of it, put some in savings, know how to balance a checkbook, write a check, avoid debt. Dave Ramsey has an excellent course on finances (see Financial Peace University.)

2. Food – how to prepare it, plan and shop for meals, how to eat in a healthy manner.

3. Dress for success – by this I mean know appropriate dress codes for some basic situations – work, school, job interview, church, etc.

4. Work – learn and employ a good work ethic.

5. Clean – all the basics. A clean environment is a peaceful environment.

6. Laundry – sort, wash, dry, know how to use a Laundromat, know what needs to go to the dry cleaners.

7. Phone skills – how to make an appointment, how to leave a message, how to answer the phone in a polite manner.

8. Interpersonal skills – look people in the eye when talking to them, know how to strike up a conversation, conflict resolution (how to work things out with others).

This is by no means a comprehensive list. But it is a list of skills that can be introduced at a very young age, and can be improved and added to as the child gets older.

The best legacy you can give your children is the knowledge of how to get along in the world, and the confidence to do so.

Houston, we have a problem...

Yesterday I came home and poked my head into Ray's office. He was on the phone, and I just mouthed the words, "I'm home," gave him a little wave and started to leave. He waved wildly at me to get my attention. He got off the phone and said, "Houston, we have a problem."

Turns out our shower has been leaking. Our son Ray was standing in his room yesterday and felt a drip on his head. He looked up and there was a crack in the ceiling, and soggy sheetrock. He fetched his dad - soon the wet spot was cut out, and the mushy flooring cleared away. The pipes are exposed, and it's pretty obvious where at least one part of the problem is.

The hole in the ceiling - about 6 feet by 6 feet.

I hate water damage!! Now we have to let it dry out, fix it, see if it leaks again, then the shower floor needs to be re-tiled, the wet wood all needs to be replaced, the ceiling re-sheetrocked, textured, and painted, and that is all if it is fixed the first time. Otherwise we'll be repeating a few of those steps. I thought when we moved to the desert we would be rid of water damage. Ha!

So we are not using our wonderful, large, two-shower-headed shower right now. Instead we are using a common bathtub/shower in the bathroom next to our room. I got in this morning and was dismayed to find out the water barely trickles out of that shower head. The good news was I knew the minute Ray got in that shower that that would get fixed. Sure enough, within two minutes there was a new shower head on that shower.

(By the way - a note to all homeowners: try all your showers, toilets, and beds yourself. Then you will know what your guests are getting. My apologies to all former guests who have had to use that shower.)

Made to order books

TravelinOma week 8, day 3

Last week in my book group we talked a little about books that we read when we were young, and then read again when we were adults. Some of the books we still love, some of them we didn’t like when young, but enjoy now. Our perspectives have changed, and sometimes an adult slant on a book changes how we feel about it.

Two examples for me: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. When I was in about fourth grade it would have been brand new, and everyone I knew loved it. I must have tried to read that book a dozen times, and never could get through it. I read it for a class in college and couldn’t put it down. The deeper themes in the book stood out to me then, and the surface story slid to the background. The other book is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith. I read it as a young teen and thought it was okay. As an adult I really appreciated it and looked at the story from more than just Francie’s point of view. I was a lot more sympathetic with her mother when I was older and had children of my own. And I just loved Francie’s aunt (I forget her name).

So if I could have a book custom written for me, would it have staying power? I think it’s possible because I certainly still love and can reread many books. As I think of an ideal book, there are only a few things I could be specific about requesting.

1. I want a happy ending. The whole book doesn’t have to be happy – I enjoy conflict and twists in a plot – but I want a satisfying ending. And to me that means happy. Not being shocked by a sudden death. Maybe that’s just my stage in life right now. It’s been my stage for awhile.

2. I want honest writing. I can’t stand feeling manipulated by a writer into an emotional reaction. In fact, most of the time it doesn’t work on me, but once in a while it happens, and it makes me mad. I either abandon the book immediately, or if I finish the book, I abandon the author. And that’s saying something. I am loyal to writers and read all I can find that they’ve written – if they deserve it.

3. If it could be a historical novel, that would be nice.

4. I want a long novel. There’s nothing worse than finishing a book and wanting it to be another 200 or 300 pages long because it was so delicious. Of course, this begs the question whether it would still be so delicious if you had a lot more of it, or if you’d be sick of it. I’ll take my chances. I sure didn’t get tired of Gone With the Wind (which by the way did not truly meet criteria number 1, but was so superior that it was okay). There are many other “meaty” novels that I have loved over the years.

Many, many of the books I have read and loved have not met these criteria. Many have been sad. Many have been short. Many have not been historical. But all of them have had honest writing.

Several years ago Orson Scott Card was doing a book signing at a local bookstore. My son Ray was dying to meet him. The two of us went to the signing. When we arrived at the store a worker warned us: the line moved slowly, but that was because OSC spent time talking with each person in line. That was well worth waiting for! When we finally got to the front Ray posed the question, “Would you ever be willing to write a commissioned book for a million dollars?” (side note – as Ray was growing up his dream was to have enough money that he could just hire all the authors he loved to write specifically for him.) OSC said something to the effect of, “You don’t want a book that’s written by commission. A truly good book comes straight from the writer’s imagination and heart.” Then he laughed and joked, “Besides, a million isn’t enough. I’m a whore, but not a cheap one. It would take a lot more money than that.”

We spent a few more minutes chatting while he signed our books. It made me think that as tempting as it would be to commission books, I think Orson Scott Card had a valid point. What we love springs from the heart of the writer – it somehow gives us a tiny glimpse of that heart through the story. We become more because we’ve got a little piece of the writer in us.

The Joys of Love by Madeleine L'Engle

I saw this book in the library listings recently. I was shocked - A Madeleine L'Engle book that I didn't know about??

I checked it out. Turns out it was written in the 1940's, and never published. She worked on it some more in the late 1970's, and it ended up belonging to her granddaughters. They found it again after she died last year, and decided to publish it.

The book is somewhat biographical. I don't think it was a polished as her other books - but I knew before I read it that she never did the final editing on the book, so I don't know if I have a slanted opinion of it.

I like the story. I felt a teeny bit like some of the conversations weren't as clear as they could be - like I came in late and had to make some inferences on my own.

Worth reading? Yes if you are a L'Engle fanatic like me. Probably yes whether you are or not, but I'd read some of her other stuff first.

Cruise continued: Halifax and Sydney, Nova Scotia

One schoolwork option from Travelin'Oma today was timely for me: take photos from a recent trip and put them into a collage, or scrapbook. Here's my blog scrapbook with our meager photos for days 3 and 4 of our cruise...

Remember how I mentioned the law of diminishing photographs on our trips? Here we go with fewer and fewer shots of the cruise.

Monday Oct 5: we stopped in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Halifax has had some very interesting events happen there, and it was fun for me to learn more about it. I had no idea that Halifax had such a rich maritime history. Here are a couple of things I learned about Halifax:

1. Halifax was one of the first to respond to the Titanic. It sent out rescuers immediately. Several of the Titanic victims are buried in Halifax.

2. Halifax Harbor had a gigantic explosion on December 6, 1917. The SS Mont-blanc was loaded with war munitions, and it collided with a Norwegian ship in the harbor. A huge section of the town was decimated. About 2000 people died, and over 9000 were injured. Boston was one of the first cities to respond and send help. Several people came from Boston and stayed for several months, helping in the rebuilding of the town. To this day, Halifax sends an enormous Christmas tree to Boston every year in thanks. The lucky person whose tree is chosen travels to Boston with the group who gives the tree. You can learn more about this explosion here.

3. Halifax is home to one of the only (perhaps the only)remaining Corvettes. Not the car, the ship that was used to escort fleets across the Atlantic during the war. At one time there were about 250 of them. We toured the HMCS Sackville. It is set up like a museum, so we could see the various quarters for the crew and officers. Tight quarters. A career in the navy is not for one with claustrophobia.

Diane and Ray on a gun turret of the HMCS Sackville.

Ray and Diane in the Halifax Maritime Museum - next to the Madeleine

4. Halifax has a crystal works - when Waterford Crystal closed, many of its glass blowers came to Halifax. We spent a long time watching them blow glass that would later become beautiful bowls. It was fascinating. Marsha got lots of pictures. We got none. If you want to see what they produce, you can look here.

Tuesday we docked in Sydney, Nova Scotia. At the port entry there is a giant fiddle. Go figure. We never figured out why it was there, but we did find out it was commissioned especially for the port entry. Hmmm. You can see that it's taller than the two story building behind it.

Welcome to Sydney

A lovely shot of the deck of the ship, and a miniscule shot of Diane. Not unlike a "Where's Waldo" illustration.

There you have it. All of our pictures of Sydney.

We did wander around the city a bit. Marsha, Tamara and I ended up at a small Anglican church not very far from the harbor. It turns out that it was the garrison church for the island, so when any royalty visited, that's where they attended church. We sat where Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip, and the Queen Mum have sat. We saw the chair donated by Lord Nelson so that there would be an appropriate chair there for visiting church dignitaries. The lovely woman who told us about the church pointed out their very tiny pipe organ. She told us where it was made. She told us it was a baby version of the big pipe organ in Salt Lake City, Utah. By any chance had we heard of that organ? Yes, we told her, we knew of that organ. Had we ever seen it? Yes, we had all seen it. Talk about understated. She invited us to play the little organ. I thought to myself that I'll never get a chance to play the Tabernacle Organ, so I should jump at the chance to play its little miniature (very miniature) version. I played it! It was too bad my kids weren't there - they really know how to play it. Marsha took a video of me playing it, and some photos. I did not have my camera with me.

Each night Ray and I took advantage of the Thermal Spa on board the ship. They had these lounge chairs that were heated:

We relaxed on those lounge chairs and read. Then we hopped into the hot tub and relaxed for awhile. After the hot tub we got into the "massage showers". Talk about luxury.

Every night we relaxed there - it was the perfect end to every day.