Quebec City

Bonjour! Here's a pictorial update of the trip, which is still going strong. Later tonight, we are going to supper at a seafood restaurant that has a stone fireplace and wall that dates back 300 years. (The wall is old, not the fireplace - whew!) After the meal, we may view a movie at the hotel! The hotel (Auberge St. Antione) has a small movie theatre inside, and you can check out movies from the front desk and watch them whenever is convenient. Cool huh!?! So, depending on what movies are available, we may be watching a movie in a private theatre tonight!

Sean & me in front of the Chateau Frontenac.

Views of streets in the Basse-Ville (lower town).

Breakneak Stairs connect the lower and upper towns.

Notre-Dame des Victoires - the oldest stone church in Quebec, built in 1688 and restored in 1763. It is located in the Place-Royale, the central town square, which is surrounded by 17th and 18th century homes.

Views of the terrasse Dufferin and what you can see walking along it.

A View of the Haute-Ville (upper town) and Basse-Ville (lower town) from the Citadel.

A view from the top of the conference hotel. The dominant buildings are Hotel du Parlement (square-shaped on left) and Chateau Frontenac (in the back on the right side). You can also see the wall that surrounds the old city and the gate where the Grande Allee becomes rue St. Louis.

Here is a close up of the Porte St. Louis - an entrance into the old city.

Bonsoir!

Perks

This past Thursday, Sean and I flew to Quebec City in Canada for a conference for Sean's work. The conference took place during the days, so I spent the days touring the city with a nice couple of wives of his colleagues. It has been super cold here (at least compared to Texas), and a little foggy.

Quebec City is a beautiful city that has a rich history. According to Frommer's, it was the first "significant" settlement in Canada, and was founded 400 years ago in 1608. Because of its beauty, history, and uniqueness of being the only walled city north of Mexico, the historic district was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site - the only one in North America. The people are very gracious, and 95% are Francophone, or French-speaking, but fortunately many speak a little English.

We spent most of the days walking around inside the walls of this quaint old town, darting into coffee shops every couple of hours to warm up. I haven't taken too many pictures because of the conditions, but hope to fill the camera over the next couple of days. Here are some pics that I have taken, so far.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie ...

Well, maybe next time. While I was publishing that last post, I caught Scooby dream sniffing and walking. He didn't dream bark this time, but I thought I'd share the video anyways. Hope all you dog lovers enjoy. I've got to join Scooby in dreamland ... sweet dreams.

Evacuation Station

The McGuire household in College Station, TX can now be dubbed "Evacuation Station." The first wave arrived on September 10th; and, at its height, measured seven adults, two kids, and two dogs. On the roll we have: Grandmommy, Tim & Janell, Ollie (labrador), Stacy, Hutch, and the newest Jehle addition, Elsa. Sean's long-time friend, Chris, joined us for one night, too. We have enjoyed their time here, and now that they have retreated back to LJ, the house feels so empty. Over the last couple of weeks, Sean and I have learned many things. We have learned how entertaining plastic cups, french doors, and mailboxes can be. We know there is nothing like holding a precious baby who likes to snuggle, and we know the pleasure of doing whatever it takes to make a young tot giggle (foot fives included). We have had the pleasure of taking care of our loved ones, and discovered that our house can comfortably hold lots of company! So, for all you friend and family members who want to take a trip to Aggieland, aka College Station, make the McGuire household your next vacation destination. We'll change the nickname to Vacation Station, just for you!

Here are some pics of the crew from the past couple of weeks:

Now forming at the north end of Kyle Field, the nationally famous ...

Fightin' Texas Aggie Band.

This post is a special shout out to our PABC Journey Group in Athens, GA, and contains a clip of the Texas A&M Marching Band performing during the first football game. The clip is the last half of their performance. The full performance was too large to upload - sorry. We Aggies have a saying that we never lose a football game, but simply "run out of time." (I could insert a comment here, but I'll refrain.) We also say that we never lose at half time because we are so proud of the band. It still amazes me how tightly the band crams together while marching, and I still get a kick out of watching the tuba players make the turn. The style of marching is different than Georgia's, and I hope you enjoy the clip!


Wikipedia has a nice article on the band, if your interested in more info.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fightin'_Texas_Aggie_Band .

You know you're in Texas when ...

... the sky looks bigger, and the clouds look like fish.

... el queso esta amarillo.

... and, last but definitely not least, there is a tortilla baker in the local Kroger!

This is the first post that is a shout out to our friends in Georgia. We miss y'all and think of you often. Stay tuned for more Texas scenes....

Cool New Rug

After looking around and around, I found a reasonably priced rug at Target that will complement the brick tiles in our house. It came a couple of nights ago, and I think that it is going to look very cool. Unfortunately, interior decorating isn't easy for me, so let's hope for the best! Here is a picture of the rug in our furniture-bare living room. Just an fyi - like the rest of the house, the mantle & shelves are still a work in progress. Almost every "decorative item" we own is on those shelves, so they won't be as cluttered when we're done.



A closer look at the rug...


... and the tile floor.


We'll keep you updated with more pics soon.