Iles de la Madeleine -- items of interest (hopefully)

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Hi, All --

One afternoon while driving around the Islands, we stopped at a quaint little house for tea and cake and met the owner / server & cook / artist who sat and talked with us for awhile. The next day we returned and she showed us her "gallery" in the basement (which had been dug out by her and her brothers). There she had gathered a number of her portraits of colorful residents. Next to each stood a full sized replica of that person with a sculpted face and hands, hair, in some cases arms and legs, dressed in their uniform or other attire. You can see in the first photo one of her creations -- though probably not a resident. The painting of the cats is probably the best I've ever seen; she captured the cats' essence so well.

The church photo is that of St. Peter's Catholic Church, the second largest wooden church in North America. (The largest is in Nova Scotia.) From the travel guide: "The church was first built from wood stored in the hold of a boat bound for Europe from North America. It sunk near the island, and the cargo transferred to another ship. That ship also sank not long after leaving the islands. The owners of the cargo decided it was hexed and gave it to the church. Not long after the framework of the church was completed, a huge storm blew it to the ground. They "double-blessed" the wood and the site before starting over! The church was opened in 1876 and enlarged in the 1900's. It was classified a Canadian historical monument in 1992 and is still an active church."

The next photo is that of a hill in the town with 182 steps to the top. I counted. As Bob and I were slowly chugging our way up the hill, several people, including a little boy, sprinted their way up and down the hill for exercise. Or punishment.

After that is a lighthouse and two side buildings and some excavating. The plans were to move the lighthouse and the other buildings across the road as the land they were on was eroding. But then some of the villagers changed their mind. Who knows what will happen now.

Next are two photos of catapults. I have no idea what they've been used for. Perhaps some village contests.

The rest of the photos are self explanatory -- boats, dunes, lobster traps and sunsets. Bob and I hope that someday you are able to visit this magical place!

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Comments

[Joan]

Painting
Yes the painting does capture the essence of a cat if it is startled or shot with a water hose. I clicked on the photos to see them larger. I especially liked the "colorful dunes" which looked more like a painting and when I enlarged it, it really looked like a painting. Now is it a painting? If not- you definitely should enlarge it and frame it. Thanks, Joan