Nature Friday - Cat Days of Summer

 Hi friends, hi friends!

It is the middle of August. Summer is half way over and autumn is coming. I am excited to see the leaves fall so things can't hide in the bush from me as they do now. I will be able to see so much more.

Before we get into the nature, look, Lady Muppeted me on AI. Aren't I cute? Aren't I cute? I would be a great muppet. 

Lady and Man have been going to sit on something called a dock. After years of fighting to keep this, thanks to mean neighbours, they finally won and have a new dock. Here is the sunset one night.

Lady is feeling sad now that the field has been hayed. She is sad because she always looks forward to taking pictures of Lee and Phod with them, but they are angels now and she can't. I offered to go, I would look good on a hay bale, but Lady said no. She is truly cramping my style. 

Thanks to Rosy and Sunny for hosting this event. I would rather enjoy nature from inside than not enjoy it at all.

Your pal, Styxy, who would be an excellent Muppet

Travel - Quebec City - Outside the City

 Thanks again to Gris and Styxy for letting me write about our travels.

On our second day in Quebec City, we hoped in the car and took a short drive east of the city. Our first stop was Montmorency Fall. The falls is known for it's height at 83 meters (272 feet). For comparison Niagara Falls is only 51 meters (167 feet) tall.

We were excited that as Quebec residents we got to pay less to visit. 

Meet Bonhomme Carnaval - the official mascot of Quebec City's winter carnival since 1955. Bonhomme means good man. He is a 7 foot tall, 400 pound snowman dressed like a voyager and he represents the pride and joy of Quebec. 

Because it was hot and we needed to conserve steps, we took the cable car to the top of the falls and then back down. (I would love to go back and climb it). 

View looking down - that bridge is 4 km in length (about 2.64 miles)

We walked the suspension bridge over the falls

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Side view

Looking down

This shows one of the ways to hike down from the falls. 

After our visit to the falls, we got back in the car and drove across the long bridge, pictured above, to the Ile D'Orleans (or Orleans Island).

The island is 34 km long (21.1 m) and 8 km wide (5 mi). It has a population of just over 7000 people and is divided into 6 different parishes. It is an agriculture paradise due to the soil and the climate.It has been used as a place for agriculture for Europeans since about 1661. Before that it was inhabited by the Huron peoples. The road around the island was completed in 1744. It remains a charming little set of communities that don't have the big box stores or other worldwide recognized brands.

We drove around the island, clockwise and here are a few pictures from this adventure. 

Berry bushes

The Man doesn't eat berries, but I very much enjoyed these fresh ones!

At one stop we got to pet a goat

Looking towards the mainland

One of the six parish churches

A different view of the St. Lawrence 

I am not a big drinker, but I do like to try new things, so we stopped at one cidrerie (place that makes cider) for some samples. As Man was driving, he had only the tiniest taste. We came home with 2 of these. 

We also stopped at a vineyard for a little taste. They were ok, and none were purchased.

It was a lovely day of fresh produce and fresh air. We still managed close to 10 000 steps getting in and out of the car and exploring.

Next week, we will be back in the city, and learn a bit about Quebec City's military history. 

Wordless Wednesday - What The . . . .

 

Tuesdays with Tigris - We Can Be Bestest Girls

 Dear reader,

The longer I live with the Man and the Lady, the more I can become the Lady's bestest girl. 

For the first time, while she was lounging on the settee, I crawled on her and we had a good snuggle. 

It made her happy and because she was pinned down, she couldn't put a hat on my head.

Tigris - aka Miss Gris

Mischief Monday - Stupid Ideas from The Internet - by Styxy

 hi friends, hi friends,

Besides hats, I think people should be banned from looking at stupid things on the internet.

Lady was scrolling along waiting for Man to make dinner and she came across videos of people setting a cucumber behind their cats and seeing the reaction. The cats were freaking out. 

So she made our dinner, and when we weren't looking she put a cucumber behind us.

Then we ate and she waited and waited and made so much video of us eating. 

Finally, I finished first and saw the cucumber. I did not freak out, but I very, very slowly walked around it and checked it out.

Here is a screen shot from that.

2 minutes later Grissie finished and she just walked right up to it and checked it out. She thought it was stupid and walked away.

We didn't have the reaction of other cats, but apparently it still amused our Lady (who clearly needs a life).

your pal Styxy the cautious

Nature Friday - Veggies and a Cave - with Styx

Hi friends, hi friends!

I am going to show you some things that the Lady did without me, because I am nice like that and will share this blog with her. This may get me treats and to not have to wear a hat.

First the Lady would like to brag about this.

The Man thought it was a nice looking tomato

She grew a tomato. This is the first one off the vine. She is very excited about it. I am not because it is not food. If she was growing a chicken, I might be excited.

Second, after the people got back from Quebec City, our human cousin Troy came for a couple days. One of the things they did while he was there was to go to the Lafleche caves. These caves, about 15 minutes from our house, are the largest on the Canadian Shield and were discovered in the 1800s by a bear hunter who fell and found the enterance.

While a lot of excavation has occurred over the last century, there has been no important findings. It is just cool, both figuratively and literally (it stays between 4-7C/40-44F all year). I think I would have liked to go and climb and have all the fun. I had to stay here and be alone and bored.

From the pond outside the cave

That goose hissed at my people, I would have chased it away

Many of the paths are crawl only, so the people didn't go in them. 

It is summer so the bats aren't living inside

In the waiting room at the top of a huge ladder before turning off the lights and sitting in the pitch dark

The natural entrance

I think this looks like a good place to explore and I wish I could have gone. I would have had a great time doing all the tunnels. I am little and fast. Lady says some of the crawl through tunnels were full of water, I may not have liked those as much.

Thanks to Rosy and Sunny for hosting this event and letting me share nature.

your pal Styx 

Travel Thursday - The Streets of Old Quebec City

One of the remaining gates

 Quebec city was settled by Europeans in 1608 and is one of the oldest European settlements in North America. It is the only fortified city north of Mexico. Much of the old world charm has been preserved because it is a UNESCO site. 

Quebec is the Algonquin word for narrow passage, as the city was built on the narrowest passage of the St. Lawrence Seaway

A very brief history.

1608 - Champlain establishes it as a fur trading post. 

Fortification of the city begins here and it continues to be built on until the gates are removed in 1871.

1663: Quebec becomes the capital of New France

1759: The British and French have a war over this, including the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, ending the French rule of New France. However, the French language, culture and legal system is maintained. 

1791: Quebec city becomes the capital of Lower Canada

1867: Confederation of Canada

We will talk more about the history of this city (from a European perspective) as we go on.

Here are some of the sites from a stroll around the old city:

On top of the wall

The Chateau Frontenac

Notre-Dame

Inside Notre Dame de Quebec Basilica-Cathedral

  

Reminders this was a fortified city

See the modern Funicular to take you up to the top of the city if it is 37C/98F and you have been walking all day and have bags of food and drink to bring home (cost $6 Cdn one way per person - really priceless on days you are walking over 15000 steps in that heat)

From a boat tour - it is not overcast - that is poor air due to smoke from forest fires

Modern art in an old city

I would be remiss not to mention some of the favourite food I ate.

First up Onion Soup. A stable of the French diet since medieval times.  It has evolved over the years and now includes bread and cheese, which is under the broth. 

The Quebec invention of poutine, historical made with fries, gravy and cheese curds. I do not like this generally as I don't like gravy. However, I died and went to heaven with this poutine - Duck a l'Orange Confit Poutine with a red wine gravy. If you are ever in Quebec City I can't recommend the Gluten Free French Restaurant Bistro Hortus enough (we ate there for 2 meals and one dessert). 

Pictured in the back is a Lamb Shank also excellent

A brownie with homemade blueberry ice cream

Next week, if the cats allow, we will leave the city for a day and go and explore some of the country side around it.