Intermission for a Mission

From a writer’s perspective, a blog can present time-management issues. It is presently Wednesday, 7/23, and by my established routine I would normally be writing about Day Six of the row (7/2) except that yesterday, 7/22, Peg and I headed out on a mission. 7/2 will have to wait until 7/24, when I get back on track.   

Yesterday (7/22) Peg and I refurbished our travel bags, fluffed up the sock drawer, and embarked on yet another journey to Quebec in order to retrieve the Guideboat. We covered 482 miles in an already-stuffed Mini that will have to perform the miracle of also accommodating the gear I left behind at Baie St Paul. The drive up I-91 to the border was a breeze. We stopped in St Johnsbury and enjoyed lunch at the old post office (now a dog-friendly bistro), and Timmy scored a plate of turkey and a tummy-scratch from the waitress.

Does that come with freis?

Against Timmy’s protestations we pressed on, the lovely rolling countryside of northern Vermont soon giving way to the expansive plains of Quebec. At the border, Customs was more interested in Timmy’ status in our company than in any motive we had for visiting Canada....but only marginally so. Unlike the Customs crossing at Rouses Point in New York, Magog seems very uncommercial and much more oriented towards processing tourists and locals…so the heat was light and even cheerful.

We hit Quebec City at rush hour and pulled into Baie St Paul at around six, only to find that our reservation did not include permission for “le chien.” Timmy was out and with no good alternative at the Inn, we took the advice of “Robert” at our old inn and chanced to find a terrific spot right in town. Michael, the amiable owner of La Maison Otis, is not only a dog nut but also a Mini devotee who owns one of only two specially-hopped-up John Cooker Works Super-Minis in North America. He calls her “Alice” (ah, but of course) and has only danced with her (him, actually) for 8000 kilometers since 2009. The Mini, the dog-friendliness, the room with a view…it was all a package deal sealed with pasta on a deck and a nice walk through town.

Alice Cooper with Michael

 I’ll get back to the row tomorrow, Gentle Reader, I promise. But the poignancy of being back in Baie St Paul to get the boat after a couple of weeks has been cause for pause. Driving east from Quebec on such a beautiful afternoon, through spectacular mountains bathed in golden light, a gentle whisper of air-conditioning on my legs and the best of company by my side seemed a stark contrast to my last transit of this shore: in the rain, strong winds, building waves, and approaching darkness along an inaccessible shore.

But more of that tomorrow.

BlogTeam One