The Blues in Carleton, Gaspe Peninsula, Quebec

Set between sea and mountains, the Carleton Municipal beach played host to the Maximum Blues Festival. Hard to believe that this was the setting for a music festival, but it was.

Paul and I made a day trip last Saturday to Carleton on the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec. We wanted to check out their annual Blues Festival. Other than it being a windy day, we had a good time. Here is Paul doing two of his favourite things - listening to blues music and being by the ocean, with New Brunswick in the background.

This is the municipal beach in Carleton next to the concert grounds. Lots of people were enjoying the beach and ocean, while listening to the music.

The first performer was Jay Sewall. He was quite entertaining.

Here is Dan Livingston and his Jug Band. It was a type of blues grass music. Dan had a great voice.

The last performer we stayed to hear was J P Leblanc from Bathurst, New Brunswick. This is the third time we have seen him perform and we like him more each time. A great voice and even greater guitar player. He was such a great crowd pleaser - he had three encores.

Here is my guy, among the crowd, showing his appreciation for the great music of the day. It was such a relaxing afternoon of music, other than trying to shelter ourselves from the fresh ocean wind.

As much as I was enjoying the music, I just had to get near the ocean and of course doing a little treasure hunting. When Paul and I looked at this photo, we commented on all the colors of blue, which was kind of appropriate since it was a blues festival.

Carleton is one of our favourite places to visit and we have marked our calendar for next year....

Girl Time

Over the past couple of weeks Jeannine, my sister-in-law, and I have treated ourselves to some girl time.

On 28 July we decided to make a day trip to Caraquet. We set out after lunch and our first stop was at Carey's Beach Chalets in Janeville. I had been there in May and had admired Tomi Carey's spring flower gardens so much that I was anxious to return and see her summer garden. I wanted to share it with Jeannine, and it was well worth the visit. There were flowers everywhere and so much color. Tomi also gave us a tour of her art gallery as she is also an artist. What an interesting place to explore.

I hope I won't bore you but here are some of my pictures of the flower gardens near the chalets.

Jeannine standing near the poppy garden.

This is the view of the ocean and beach from her garden and chalets.

I just loved her poppies and black-eyed susans. What a great place to vacation - a chalet near the ocean surrounded by flowers.


Jeannine and I then continued our drive along the coastline road heading for the town of Caraquet. Our first stop was at the local Cheese Shop. They make the best cheese curds and it is a treat to purchase some when in the area. I highly recommend this little shop.

We next visited the Tea Room and Bakery, also found on the main street, which was very busy that day. We were happy to find an outside table as it was much too nice a day to be inside. We treated ourselves to blueberry flan and chocolate mousse desserts. It was so nice to sit outside sipping tea, eating yummy desserts and having girl chat.

We justified our pastry treats by taking a nice walk on the trails near the ocean. We found a nice picnic spot for our next visit to the area.

Our last stop in Caraquet was for dinner. At Restaurant Le Caraquette, Jeannine and I treated ourselves to a nice meal of lobster rolls and sandwiches. I would recommend this restaurant with its good food and great view of the ocean. We had such a nice day that we didn't want it to end.

On the way home we stopped again at Carey's Beach Cottages and drove down onto the beach and took a walk. It was the most perfect evening. There were lots of people on the beach with music, a campfire and enjoying a swim. Jeannine and I sat on a log on the beach for the longest time just enjoying the peacefulness of the evening and the sound of the waves. We didn't want to leave......

Today Jeannine and I decided to spend our afternoon picking blueberries (my most favourite berry) on land owned by our friends, Genie and John. After checking out a couple of wrong roads, we found the berry patch. John came by shortly after we arrived to make sure that bears hadn't eat us - just kidding - Jeannine had already scared off any creatures in the woods with her car alarm! It was a hot day and the blueberries were small but we managed to pick a few cups.

Afterwards we visited with Genie and John at their home.

Here is the proof that we did get blueberries. Yum..........

My July Garden

Ottawa Blues Festival

Here we are at the Ottawa Blues Festival (8 July - 19 July). This is the 7th year that Paul and I have attended this Festival - blues being Paul's favourite music.

We are staying with our friend Helen and she is enjoying the music with us this year. This was Thursday evening while we were watching Saffire - The Uppity Blues Women Farewell Tour. The Hard Rock Cafe Stage, one of six stages, is located near the pathway on the Ottawa River so we get to enjoy the wonderful sunsets as well as the music.


Last night we were treated to a great concert by Hey Rosetta, a great band from Newfoundland. We did have to sit through some rain showers, but it was worth it.

Tonight (12 July) we will see Joe Cocker.

Our Adventures in Ontario

Well, we had our first Brockville Canada Day this year and while it was much more quiet and less colorful than Ottawa, it was a nice day. We dressed in our red and white and strolled about the waterfront, enjoying a sunny day. How more Canadian can one get than to make a visit to Tim Horton's on Canada Day! Paul and I took in a concert in the evening and then we joined my sister and her hubby on their sailboat in the harbour to enjoy the fireworks which were really great.

My sister and I enjoying a stroll along the St. Lawrence River near their condo.

Today Paul and Captain Moores (my brother-in-law Neil) decide to take a morning sail along the St. Lawrence. That's Paul at the wheel but no need to worry, they are still tied to the dock.

I was walking along the pathway in the park when I captured them at full sail. It was a beautiful sunny morning with a nice breeze. Ideal for a good sail.

Since I am not a sailor, I spent the morning sitting on the boardwalk reading my book, waiting for their return and watching the world go by. It was so relaxing.

We spent the afternoon in Mallorytown at my sister's summer place, which is about 20 minutes from Brockville. They refer to it as "the farm". We cooked up a Newfoundland Jiggs Dinner which we shared with our Mom and friend, Giselle. It was a great meal and Giselle provided a dessert of fresh strawberries, angel food cake and whipped cream, which was enjoyed by all.

A Nice Visit

Today Paul and I spent a nice afternoon visiting with our friend, Bunty. She has a lovely house near the river in St. Albert, Ontario. Unfortunately it rained so we did not get to enjoy her lovely patio and I did not get to have a look at her flower gardens.

We enjoyed a couple of hours of chat and snacking on her delicious egg salad sandwiches. She promises to visit us in August.

Happy Canada Day - 1 July

Canada Day was a great day in Brockville. Here is a little of the red and white. More to come in a future post.

Our June Garden