We be Camping!

Well, Pete managed to get me out of the buzzing bluebonnets without either of us getting stung. Hoooraaaayyyy!

He also took my advice about going camping, so here I am, watching the world rotates as the golden sun sinks below the horizon.  It's my favorite time of day, a time to reflect on all that's good and to be thankful for everything and everyone (even Pete).

He was nice enough to get me this cool little chair to sit in as I guarded the campsite.
(I sent Pete out to gather firewood)

There might be hope for that guy yet.

Pete and his STUPID Bluebonnets!

Pete is such a goofball.  He's all proud of himself for tossing out a bunch of bluebonnet seeds in his back yard and then doing nothing.  That's it, he did nothing at all.  Mother Nature did all of the watering, while Pete sat around and did, you guessed it . . . nothing.  So once a year he carries me and plops me down in the middle of 4000 square feet of sickeningly sweet smelling bluebonnets that are buzzing with a billion buzzing bees.   

Let me outta here Pete and lets go CAMPING before I get stung! 

The Canadian Maritimes

One of the goals for this year's travels was to seek out cooler temperatures and avoid any semblance of a hot summer.  We eventually wandered to Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island and found a magical place filled with very hospitable people..

Oscar told the lighthouse keeper at Spencers Island, NS that he was afraid of the dark.  So the keeper gave Oscar a special campsite where he could feel safe in the glow of this 1904 lighthouse.

Oscar was enthralled by the workmanship of the tall ships at Lunenburg.

While he's not really one who chomps down on bones, Oscar was tempted to do just that when he came across this vertebrae of a whale.

His favorite part of each day was watching the world turn as the sun descended to the horizon.  we talked about tall the wonderful things we saw during the day.

Everyone was so excited to have Oscar the Smiley Dog visiting their province.  Prince Edward Island even sent out a special welcoming committee in honor of his arrival.

While he never found Anne, he did find Green Gables.

 

We enjoyed beachfront sites so we could be lulled by the lapping of the waves, but occasionally the weather has other ideas.  This blustery weather was spectacular, although not the most relaxing for sitting out and feeling the blood pressure go down.

Oscar couldn't get enough of the seafood.  He decided I should buy one of these fishing boats so we could catch our own each day.  It was then and there that I though we'd best head for home before he started calling me Captain Ahab and looking for fresh whalebone for himself!

Flesh and Blood Cousins, and more . .

After Eggfest Ontario, Oscar and I crossed into the Province of Quebec.  The first thing we noticed is all the bilingual street signs, which had been English and French, changed.  They became French only, hmmmmmmmmmmm.

French is the birth language of my mother, Helene LaForce, who was born in Quebec.  Our quest on this leg of our journey was to connect with some cousins and look a bit into family history.

Cousins!  Jean, Peter, Monique, and Andre'

(I also met Denise, Sylvie, and Jacinthe)

Jean, Monique and I took a trip to Upton, where my mother was born.  Here, Oscar and I are in front of the home she was born in, in 1924.  It's still in the family. (We got to go inside)

St Ephram's church, where mom was baptized, maintains a parish cemetery which holds some treasures.

Family plots may include many remains.  Here is the resting place of my great grandparents Urbaine and Elmire, my grandparent Antonio and Rosa, along with numerous others.

While Oscar hung out with Raymond (Monique's husband) I perused a family genealogy that traced my family lineage back to 1585, to my Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Grandfather Pierre Pépin, of St Laurent de la Barriére, Saintonge France. His wife, Franciose Prieur, was born in1575.

  My 7XGreat Grandfather, Guillaume Pepin was born in France in 1610 and buried in Trois Rivereéres, Quebec in 1697.

My family line is filled with prolific Catholics where having 15 or even 18 children was not unheard of . . . . I'm number 298 in line since Pierre Pépin.  (whew)

And the journey continues . . .

Ontario and EggFest 2016

After Niagara Falls, we went north, into Ontario, to meet some fiberglass cousins at "EggFest Ontario".  It is always nice to meet kindred spirits who travel with these unique rolling wonders.

Here's a sample of some of our fiberglass cousins . . . 

Little Joe

Uhaul

Patriotic Boler

Coca Cola Trillium

The Wonder Egg always feels right at home with its cousins.

Oliver - Boler - Casita

As usual, Oscar made lots of new best friends.  Here is his favorite buddy from the rally.

The adventure continues . . .