Kelowna (British Columbia) and Calgary (Alberta) in fall 2007

Mike and I have taken to touring vineyards whenever we happen to be in wine country and with a conference in Kelowna this fall, we decide to spend Thanksgiving touring the Okanogan Valley vineyards. Quails Gate and Mission Hill were particularly beautiful. We supplemented our wine supply by some 36 bottles. What a beautiful country we live in.

After a relaxing weekend in Kelowna, I travelled to Calgary while Mike stayed behind for his conference. Sweet Adeline International held its annual convention in Calgary this year - the first time ever in Canada so I decided to attend. I spent a great couple of days with cousins Bob and Mel. Although I spent all day at meetings and at convention, we managed to squeeze in some downtown to chat, eat out and shop! Merci mes chers!!

Celebrating 5th Anniversary in Paris

September 21st, 2007 marked our 5th anniversary and we celebrated in style. Having fallen in love with Paris in March 2006 when we went through for a few days on our way to Spain, we decided to return for a more thorough explore! There is no doubt - this is one of our favorite places anywhere! We spent the first part of our week at Chateau Coe in Croissy sur Seine with our dear friend Andy - unfortunately Sharon and the girls were in England so we missed spending time with them. While in Croissy, we commuted from Chatou into Paris every day for miles and miles of walking, exploring, eating and people watching! We also took a day trip to Versailles where I had my picture taken with a statue of Jeanne d'Arc! Chateau Versailles is probably the most opulent place either of us had - or will ever - see. It was mind boggling to walk through halls where the likes of Louis the XII, XIII and XIV walked before us!

The day before our anniversary, we moved into a lovely quaint gite in the Latin Quarter called Hotel Levant. We were a short 5 mintues from Notre Dame, Le Louvre and Iles St. Louis, where we discovered the most fabulous restaurants, our favorite being Le Sergent du Recruteur. If ever in Paris - GO - don't miss it!

La crème de la crème was dinner and a show on our anniversary at the world famous Lido on les Champs Élysées. It was spectacular. We sat next to a couple celebrating their 45th wedding anniversary. We vowed to come back to do the same. So we'll be 91 and 92 at the time but we intend to live long and well!

From the view of the city from atop the Eiffel Tower to the artists working in Montmatre in the shadow of Sacré Coeur, it was a dream holiday. What a wonderful way to celebrate an anniversary! À la prochaine mon vieux Paris!!

East Coast Tour - Richibouctou 2007

The Crowe's having lived in Cape Breton for a couple of years when Mike was a teenager, we'd been talking for years of taking a trip east together with Tom and Rosa. Well it all came together this summer. This is how it worked out! Depart Ottawa for an overnight stay in Québec City, on to Richibouctou for a 5-day stay at Maxime's followed by a wildwind tour of Sydney and the Myra River. For good measure, we threw in a ferry ride from Cape Breton to PEI with a drive across the world famous PEI bridge on the way home!

The highlight of our week in Richibouctou was spending time with the family, cooking and eating lobster and - of course - partaking in the festivities at Le Pays De La Sagouine for la Fête des Acadiens! One of my favorite days, however, was spending some time with the newest additions to the family - petite Danika and her triplet cousins Simon, Sophie and Chloé. The are little treasures!

And on to Cape Breton. Our first stop was Bedec where we stayed at the Silver Dart Lodge, then on to a great Bed and Breakfast in Sydney. We toured the Minors Museum in Sydneyand Louisbourg, had a great dinner out with Lorne outside Sydney and toured the Crowe's old neighborhood. A quick swing through PEI, an overnight stop in Grand Falls and on home! Wow - 13,000 km in one week! Think next year's trip will have to be for two weeks! Whatever we decide, Maxime's house is booked for the week of La Fête des Acadiens! Je reviens!!