Friday May 13, 2016 ...... Visiting Ministers Island just outside the town of St. Andrews-by-the-Sea In 1790 Minister Andrew bought the island and built a house which parishioners visited when the tide made walking to the island possible. Reverend Andrew is long gone but the tides continue to come and go. In 1891 Sir William van Horne bought a parcel of land and began building a summer place, Covenhoven, befitting a railroad mogul. VAN HORNE, Sir WILLIAM CORNELIUS, railway builder and official, capitalist, and artist; b. 3 Feb. 1843 near Chelsea (Frankfort), Ill., eldest child of Cornelius Covenhoven Van Horne, a lawyer and farmer, and Mary Minier Richards.called upon Edward Maxwell of Montreal to design the house. Maxwell was instrumental in designing the CPR hotels and stations that were used as destinations by the patrons of ... read more

Grand Manan, Thursday, May 12, 2016 The first ferry of the day leaves for Grand Manan Island from Black Harbour at 09:30. It is advised to be in the waiting lineup forty five minutes before departure with all the huge transports, ATV trailers, pleasure boats, hydro work crew trucks, RV's , vans and automobiles plus walk on passengers. Everything rolled into the bowels of the ferry, even a caterpillar front loader! As with all ferry travel one cannot remain in ones vehicle. The trick is to find it again after the one hour and a half crossing time. With every intention of driving from one tip of the island to the other I headed towards Whistle Road. While stopped at a look-out, I met a mother and her college aged daughter. They knew of a trail ... read more

Monday 09.05,2016 What a day! Stayed in my cosy feather bed until after nine. Outside the van ALL was covered in snow. The wind had been so strong during the night the van swayed noticeably on its four sturdy wheels. Phoned the lady in charge and she agreed to meet me in town and return my next nights camp fee. After another morning of a greasy breakie from Mac’s plus good coffee I drove off to find my Argentinian friend from Buenos Aires who lived in NB and I had met in Ottawa where she invited me to see her paintings in a juried exhibit put on by the Venezuelans. She and her husband are not at home but the neighbours have a key. I found 3502 on route 635 but no 3500. Well ! ... ... read more

Riviere de Loup to Cabano May 07, 2016 Saturday Cabano was once a lumber town with a sawmill and enough work for the inhabitants. according to french widipekia, "Cabano est un carrefour industriel, commercial et touristique au Témiscouata. Il y existe un centre d'achat, Les Galeries Témis, ouvert en 1977.", carrfour meaning crossroads. Les Galeries is much like Place Bonaventure in Chelmsford near my northern Ontario hometown ... small, shops closed...displaying cars you could win with the purchase of a ticket. There seems to be an inordinate number of hotels,motels, and rooms for rent. Must be because of the "crosssings" of of highways going in four directions " Rivière-du-Loup et Edmundston au url=https://fr.wiki... read more

Marieville/Montreal to Charney/Levis/Quebec City From one quaint Quebecois town to another via Highway 133 & 132 made for an interesting thoroughly engrossing day ... too bad I had to keep the van on the road avoiding collisions with transports, bicycles and Detroit Mercedes wanabees. Every 100meters there was something of interest to shoot either with the phone or one of my three Sony Cybershots. Did stop for; the ultimate Quebec habitant design house with the dormers and curving roof, the double silver steeples of a 19th century stone Catholic Church, the Nicolet Cathedral that was built in the sixties and reflects the lines of the Olympic complex in Montreal, the pontoon airplane in the middle of a field beside many others, the corncrib three stories high and one city block long (well maybe not a whole ... read more