Bit of Nostalgia Day

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Geo: 45.3135, -74.2511

Quebec has a very extensive auto route network. Some of them are tolled. I have the GPS set to avoid toll roads so it makes for some interesting travels on rural roads at times.

The first destination today was St. Jean sur la Richelieu. I managed to find the house I grew up in. However, the neighborhood has changed. There is now a small mall across the street. I used to be able to walk down to the river as a 9-10 year old to catch the bus to go to elementary school. Now one is required to cross a major road and walk around another strip mall.

The fields just up the street where we built tree forts are now all housing. Interesting though, the small corner store beside the large Catholic Church is still there. I remember being sent there to buy bread, milk and eggs.

The route out of town which also was farming is now large malls, big box stores and housing - a lot of which is multi family.

The next challenge was to get to Hudson without going through Montreal. This is now much easier due to a newer bridge west of Montreal near Vaudreuil.

Hudson has not changed a great deal. There are a few newer buildings housing shopping but apparently the population is very stable. The very expensive and exclusive homes among Main Street are still there with some newer ones added. The grocery store was replaced. It was almost like a bit of time warp because so much was the same. A large condo building is under construction near the train station which still runs from Hudson to downtown Montreal.

As we walked around town it was apparent that the predominant language is English despite the politics of the 70's.

The high school is considerably larger and renamed.

The house I designed in St. Lazare is still there. However, the garage has been added which was part of my long term plan. It seems the antique brick has been replaced. Also the quality Dashwood wood windows were also replaced with windows which don't fit the design unfortunately.

The adjacent Saddlebrook Development is now built out and connected to the street where the house is. It seems Cumberland Drive continues to be a gravel private road although I suspect the residents are now connected to municipal water.

Our accommodation is in Rigaud at a very nice hotel. It is a bargain compared to what we paid in many places in the US.

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