Night Images of La Belle Province - Pt. 3

All these photos were taken in the Town of Lanoraie, along the St. Lawrence Seaway at night. We had spent the day in Louiseville & Lavaltrie & had come back to rest in Lanoraie. We quickly went for a walk along the waterfront before the light faded entirely. It was lovely there except for the mosquitoes which were thick. I dislike mosquitoes immensely but wanted to see what I could before the light was completely gone.

My French relatives were very much involved in the planning of the tourist information and the art works that now exist along the waterfront. They also helped to plan for a small stage (I didn't get a good photo of it) so that productions could be presented on  the waterfront.

My 80 year old relative wrote and produced a historical play which was enacted on this small waterfront stage. She was a bit younger when she did this creative work.  All in all it was a real treat to see the work the relatives (all sisters) had been involved in and to hear their passion for the cultural work they seem to do so much of. Her and her two sisters have a passion for history, geneology and writing. She says she has about 4 more books (in her head) but is running out of time to put them on paper.

Church on main street near the water front.

It is said that when the French explorer, Jacques Cartier passed through Lanoraie in the 16th century, the Iroquois had already been established in the area. They called place Agochanda or Agouchonda, which means a place to stop and eat and rest.

The parish in this area was established in the late 1600s but development of the village didn't really occur for another few hundred years.  The small town is steadily growing with the current population at about 5000 people who predominantly speak French.

My next travel post will feature the historic house where we spent the night and then we will drive north to Quebec City and farther. Join me later.

Join in with others for Skywatch Friday here.

Images from La Belle Province Pt. 2

Thank you for all of your sweet comments on my last post. Your visits and your encouraging words mean so much to me.

Let use continue on our journey through Quebec. My last post and images on this trip can be found here.

It is only our first day in Quebec and we are very tired. But our first item of business is to visit with and pick up my elderly cousin, seen in the first photo.

 Then we travelled to Lanoraie and picked up her younger (80 year old)  sister. Seen in the next photo.

Then we travelled to a small town called Louisville.  It is a small town located near the mouth of the Wolf River (Rivière du Loup) on the north shore of Lac St. Pierre (Lake Saint Pierre).  The population of this town is just over 7000 with a predominantly French speaking population.

 Here were are driving on the main street of the town.

You will find this informational map on the main street of the town and near the Catholic Church.

This area was originally part of the Rivière-du-Loup Seignory. This seignory was formed in 1665 by Intendant Jean Talon and granted in 1672 to Charles Dugey Rozoy de Mannereuil, officer in the Carignan Regiment. The seignory was thereafter also known as Rivière-Mannereuil for some time.

This statue is a monument to Charles du Jay, founder of Louiseville & Lord of Manereuil

You might wonder why we bothered to go to this town. It is the place where our first ancestors to Canada settled centuries ago. At that time the place was called Rivière-du-Loup, but changed it's name in 1879 to Louisville to avoid confusion with another Rivière-du-Loup in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region.  The new name was a tribute to the daughter of Queen Victoria, Princess Caroline Alberta, who was expected to visit the area in the same year.

The next few photos are of the countryside near Louiseville and of the Town of Lavaltrie where we were treated to a lovely dinner before retiring for the evening to the Town of Lanoraie.

After a short time looking around the town center we took a drive in the local area and came to the river.  As you can see it was very high due to heavy amount of rains over the Spring of 2013.

We also came across these colourful fishing huts nearby.

Since I published my last blog post and photos I managed to finish reading 4 more books (A Week in Winter, Committed, Tapestry of Fortune and Don't Break Your Heart Cookbook) toward my reading goals and am working on the 5th one (Half Blood Blues). The books were not so difficult to read so I didn't spend all my time reading this week.  However the books put me past my modest reading goal for the year (24 books) so I've increased my goal to 28 books. If I pick up another book or two  before year's end, that will be a bonus.

The drive back to Lavaltrie for dinner.

On Friday I was invited to lunch to the home of some friends from Tanzania. I spent all afternoon at their home while the lunch was being prepared.  Afterwards I had lots of time to visit with the couple and their two children. They have an exceptionally large home so it was nice having all that space to enjoy. The husband is here completing his Ph.D. in Linguistics and his wife hopes to get into a Master's program soon.  One thing that touched me is that before lunch, the father asked his son to pray. His son is going into Grade 1 next month. His son asked for a blessing on the food and also asked our heavenly Father to help him as he wanted to be a good boy. I thought that was so special.

There was beautiful colour in the sky over Lavaltrie.

I didn't want to be rude and take photos of the food but it was an interesting and very large lunch.  She made some fried salmon fillets, brown rice, kale with avocado, some kind of soup with green beans and tomatoes and whole wheat chapati (bread).  For dessert she made a spelt and whole wheat banana bread and some fresh fruit (watermelon, apples, blueberries).  It was so kind of her to go to all that preparation. Her father is a diabetic and so she is extra sensitive to preparing appropriate foods.

I didn't get a photo of the Asian restaurant where we dined but I did snap a few shots of the area.

More restaurants with a European flair and another church in the background.

I love the blue coloured building and the pink sky above.

Local signage.

This week I will be joining in with a few memes

Blue Monday

Our World Tuesday

A Lovely Day

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

 

 Joshua 1:9

I had a lovely day yesterday.  I haven't had a truly lovely day in a very long time. It isn't as if I haven't tried.   And it isn't as if things are terribly wrong in my life but I have had a tremendous amount of stress throughout the last many years. I deal with it rather well for the most part but from time to time, it does get to me.

Some of you know that I've been trying to look after myself better.  My efforts are showing small but positive improvements so I will keep doing what I'm doing.  I am also reading the Word more and making sure I spend time in prayer and praise; giving thanks for all that God does for me. In this regard , I really haven't changed my routine.  I've always done this but I have tried to slow down more and cut out some of the distractions. 

I know we aren't to dwell on our feelings and circumstances when things are not going our way.  That's where that saying comes from "Fake it, til you make it!".  But there are some times when we cannot even fake it and we give in to feeling our feelings.  While there are many who are afraid of doing this, some experts would argue that it is good for you to feel your feelings.  Even the Bible recognizes that people would do that  because in the seasons of life it isn't always rosy and sparkling.  That is what makes us human.

The writer of the Book of  Ecclesiastes in the Bible has this wisdom:

  When life is good, enjoy it.
    But when life is hard, remember:
God gives good times and hard times,
    and no one knows what tomorrow will bring.

 (Ecclesiastes 7:14)

It is through those times that those of us who are believers must continue to believe that better times are ahead and that God will look after us. That is different from believing that every day we will feel we have complete confidence because some days we absolutely do not feel that way at all.

We know we can have complete confidence when we fear the Lord and put our trust in Him. He gives us a place of refuge to which we can run in times of trouble. (Proverbs 14:26; Proverbs 18:10; 1 Peter 5:7).

Boat on the open waters of the north Atlantic Ocean

Cast your bread on the waters: for you shall find it after many days.

Ecclesiastes 11:1

I started off by saying that today was a lovely summer day and one I truly enjoyed.  I am grateful for such days. Today was  very warm but did not have the oppressive heat we've had for much of the summer.  We face the waning days of summer on this side of the world and it won't be long before the cool Fall season arrives.  Fall is one of my favourite seasons and I look forward to brisk walks in the crisp air.

Today though I enjoyed getting out in the warmth of the sun and enjoyed some of life's simple pleasures:  a chat with a neighbour, letters posted to my Zambian children, fresh flowers in vibrant colours, good books from the library, good coffee, and last, but not least, very good news that mom's (trial) wheelchair has arrived. It should be delivered to her in a day or two and she can't wait.  After they assess what might be needed to customize the wheelchair, the "real" one will be ordered. I hope both the trial model and the real one, help to alleviate her present discomfort. (For those who like to read my travel posts, I will resume posting images from La Belle Province and other places soon). 

My submission to Skywatch Friday.

Images from La Belle Province - Pt. 1

When we arrived in Joliette on an early summer's day, the sky was partly cloudy and partly sunny. It had rained earlier in the day and it was very humid.  I was so tired from the overnight flight and had absolutely no sleep on the plane.

I took these sky photos in anticipation of Skywatch Friday but never got around to using them for that purpose.  I really didn't feel up to photo taking on my first day but felt I needed some photos for the record. Hopefully my photos improved as the trip went along. I will be posting more in coming days if you want to come back and take a peek. Thanks for visiting!

 

My cousin took us for lunch at this chain restaurant in Joliette. It was incredibly busy in there and it was non-stop line-ups right up until we left.

A relative we crossed the country to visit.  She is well into her 80s and can still run several blocks without getting very winded! I also got a chance to meet her younger sister who is 80.

The lobby where my cousin lives.  It is a good thing we didn't stay with her as she had originally planned.  The heating in her apartment was on full blast and the temperature outside was hot and humid.

It is always interesting seeing what you can see in the village streets. There had been a bit of a flood as we arrived in town and a diversion of traffic going on as they repaired the town streets.

In these next set of photos we are on the way to Lanoraie, another small town. I may have these photos mixed up as to where they are but the three small towns in close proximity are: Joliette, Lavaltrie and Lanoraie.  We first went to Lanoraie and backtracked for dinner to Lavaltrie.

 

The map below is interactive. You can click on it and find out exactly where we were.

This sign was very common throughout the province. It means "For Rent". It is a sign you will seldom see where I live.

You will see large, beautiful churches in every city, town and village in the Province of Quebec.

The Catholic Church is the predominant church in the Province of Quebec. It is common to see large grave markers in Catholic cemeteries.

I love seeing the signage in French.

The country side around these parts is very beautiful and also very near to the St. Lawrence Seaway (which you can see peeking out in the background).

There are many beautiful homes in the area too.

 

This beautiful driveway leads to the waterfront home of a very wealthy person in the area.

 

This home is lovingly kept by one of the family members for other relatives who currently live abroad. I got to stay here overnight and absolutely fell in love with it's quaint charms.

I'm joining up with Our World Tuesday this week.

It's Friday!

Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.

Chief Seattle (c. 1786 - 1866)

At long last my mother's new room in the facility will be ready in the middle of September. This is one month later than the original date we were given.  It is a shame because it means I won't be visiting mom until after her birthday. I'll also be attending a care meeting with staff after the move so I will at least get a chance to visit with mom over a longer period of time than usual. She will like that because she gets lonely with most of her family members living far away.

I'm hoping that things will improve for mom's state of mind once she moves into her room and that the new staff on the floor will be more compassionate and sensitive. I haven't been impressed with things at the new facility so far.  If it weren't for the knowledge that many people are praying with and for me, I would be feeling very stressed out about the entire situation. In fact a few weeks ago I was very stressed out .  But after much prayer, I have calmed down and am trying to take things day by day. I also talk to mom daily.  Sometimes several times a day. When her anxiety levels rise, I just try to keep her calm and talk her through it.

Some of you will remember that mom is also still waiting for several pieces of medical equipment.  These have all been on order for awhile but they are slow in arriving.  I'm hoping by tomorrow (they didn't and neither did we get a phone call) she will have most of the items.  I don't think the Occupational Therapist ever ordered the over the bed hospital tables that she can get on loan from the local Red Cross. I haven't followed up on it yet because there are so many others things to follow up on and deal with.  The big ticket item we are waiting for is the demonstration model wheelchair.  It should be delivered next week if all goes according to plan but I'll believe it when I "see it".  It is a demonstration model so it won't be customized.  But it will have some features that should make mom more comfortable.

Mom's new wheelchair will have 6 wheels like this one.

We are most excited about her move and the arrival of the new chair because living on the ground level will give her more freedom to get outside for fresh air.  She misses that so much.  She doesn't like getting into the elevator due to poor eye sight.  Once she is on the ground level it will be a little easier for her to navigate on her own to get outdoors.  What a simple thing it is for most of us to go outside and yet I wonder if we fully appreciate the blessing that is.

Fresh air won't address my mother's loneliness at not seeing her children so often. but it will help her a lot.

I get lonely too but for different reasons. If you've been a caregiver I'm sure you know the loneliness of shouldering the burden of care for loved ones. We want to look after our loved ones but sometimes it just takes so much out of us.  In part, it explains why I've been posting a lot lately about my financial and health matters. Though it is rare, there are times I just want to reach out and share my heart and experiences with others and feel connected to others by hearing from them.

Isn't that what the blogging experience is all about?

When the response is resounding silence, it can exacerbate the lonely experience.  When the response to a post are great comments, encouragement or shared experiences, suddenly the world doesn't seem like such a lonely place. It's nice to make blogging friends and sometimes those blogging friends get to be friends you meet in real life. Now that's special!

I love the pink in these flowers and wanted to share them with you.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Update - August 18, 2013- I learned that my nephew & his girlfriend will be visiting my mom at the end of this month for her birthday. God is good!

Note: I wrote this post for  5 Minute Friday but discovered later that the prompt word "lonely" was for last week :-0