We were lucky to have Val and Diane come and visit for a few days the first of the month. Val had a work assignment in Boston and New Hampshire. So..... as long as they were in the vicinity, they decided to drop by. It was wonderful to have them here. It was probably a little crowded for them staying on a blow up mattress in the spare room, but we were happy to have them here.
Sunday we took a drive around town, saw the river gorge downtown, the murals, and drove out to Coaticook. As you can see it was not balmy that day, but a bit cool and rainy.
Monday, We took a drive to Quebec City and since one of our Senior Missionary Friends used to work with Val, we met them and had breakfast at Eggsquis. So, here is the Petersen, Petersen, Westover breakfast.
After breakfast we went to .......
otherwise known as Montmorency Falls
We rode the tram to the top and then wandered around for a while marveling at the scenery.
The stairs were still covered with mound of frozen ice so we couldn't go down without coming back up. So we just looked.
After -- we drove over to Old Quebec - one of my favorite places. It is the only walled city in North America. Once you step inside... it feels like you have stepped into an old European city. I love walking the streets and looking in the shops.
For their final day we drove to Montreal where they saw the city and especially the temple. It was fun, because we saw some people we knew and they even had a connection to Val and Diane. The church makes the world very small.
They couldn't leave Canada without trying Poutine. I have shared the french fries with gravy and cheese curds with you before... but seeing and tasting are two different things.
Off to Boston they went. We drove to Burlington, VT with them and then, at the Burlington airport we said goodbye as they continued their journey and we joined up with my sister Marti and her daughter Chantay. We are so blessed to have such wonderful people want to come and visit and see where we are and what a beautiful place this is. I loved being able to spend some time with my baby sister. I always marvel at her testimony and her strength. Even with a broken elbow, injured wrist and a torn rotator cuff she was driving, visiting and talking. Love that girl's strength and love.
We wowed them with the murals,
they wandered around Quebec
and we enjoyed the famous ice cream at Coaticook.
Our Stake likes to have a Single Adult Activity once per month and each ward/branch is responsible to sponsor it and make the arrangements. Our stake is so spread out that it is always a worry who will show up. Some of them would be traveling 2-3 hours one way to get to a 4 hour activity. The Sherbrooke Ward was in charge for May. We were really concerned. The main speaker backed out the night before which didn't add any confidence to our worries. But, it really turned out for the better. We had arranged to do some work at the local Salvation Army and not having the speaker gave us more time to help them. It was really very successful, with a pretty nice group of people showing up and we got a lot of service done for a good service organization in the city.
We are continuing to try to take time to go walking every day. It was starting to warm up the day we went to the river... but still pretty chilly.
Another day we went to the Lennoxville-Ascott Historical Museum.
We were looking at some pretty intricate landscapes that had been stitched, (not by machine, and not sewing material together, but thread by thread stitching) when to our luck and blessing the artist arrived to show her work to some friends.
You know I love silos, barns, and large fields... and one of my favorites of hers was just that
all hand stitched... sweet.
This one has material and 3 dimensional objects, so it was a little different... but still very nice.
We also saw these covered tea pots
and old game display
all from the city of Lennoxville - which is an English section of Sherbrooke.
Another day we took a drive in the country and ran across this peaceful pond and waterfall in a little place called Martinville.
Followed by my favorite view....
We also took a drive through North Hatley, a beautiful village on the edge of Lake Massawippi. Every time we drive through I eye this cute little Chocolatier and my mouth waters. This time we stopped and enjoyed her creations.
Our Senior Missionary numbers are dwindling as missions come to an end and no one is coming to replace them. We were at 12 couples at the begining of the year, by the time we leave there will be only 7. So we are trying to make sure that we make connections with those who are still here, even though we are further apart geographically. The couples in Ottawa organized an activity so we could go to Ottawa and see their area.
So, Friday, after taking the missionaries in our district to the temple in Montreal (1h40 each way), we loaded up again and headed back to Montreal where we stayed the night in an empty apartment. The next morning 3 couples loaded into the mission van and drove the 3 hour drive to Ottawa. It was a beautiful drive and we loved the company. Monday the 23rd was a holiday making Saturday part of a 3 day weekend. Since it also was one of the first really nice days temperature and weather wise.... the place was swarming with people and cars.
Our goal was to see the tulip festival. A tulip fesival in Ottawa, Canada ??? Yes... that is correct.
Since you can't read the plaque... here is the story
The Tulip Legacy Story
In May of 1940, following the Nazi Invasion of the Netherlands, Queen Wilhelmina and the Dutch Royal Family were spirited out of the country to rule in exile from the United Kingdom. The following month, Princess Juliana brought daughters Princess Beatrix and Princess Irene to the safe harbour of Canada, arriving by ship in Halifax before proceeding to Ottawa, where mother and children were housed at Stornoway — now the official residence of the Leader of the Opposition.
January 19, 1943, while in exile in Canada, Princess Juliana gave birth to daughter Princess Margriet at the Ottawa Civic Hospital, which was temporarily declared extraterritorial ( or a little piece of Holland - right in the middle of Canada) by the Government of Canada, to ensure the princess would hold exclusively Dutch, rather than dual nationality. (The latter would have affected her status in the line of succession for the Dutch throne; Princess Margriet remains the only royal personage ever to be born within North America.) At the news of the princess’s birth, the Dutch flag was flown atop the Peace Tower and Dutch music rang out from its carillon. Overseas, the princess’s birth was seen by the Dutch as an important symbol of hope and source of inspiration.
May 2, 1945, following five years in exile in Canada, Princess Juliana and her children were reunited with Queen Wilhelmina in the liberated part of the Netherlands. As a show of gratitude for her stay in Canada, and for Canadian soldiers’ role in the liberation of her homeland, Princess Juliana presented to the people of Canada a number of gifts, including 100,000 tulip bulbs. The following year, an additional 20,500 bulbs were received in Canada, with a request to plant them on the grounds of the Ottawa Civic Hospital.
Juliana, who became Queen of the Netherlands in 1948, continued to send a gift of thousands of tulip bulbs to Canada each year during her reign, which ended with her abdication in April 1980 and the beginning of the reign of Queen Beatrix.
Thus the celebration of the Tulip Festival.
Our missionary friends - The Hatfields
We also had a private tour of the Parliament Building. What a beautiful and majestic place.
The missionary couples top - in the Parliament Building and below in the Parliament Library.
AHHHH Beaver Tails!! I had heard about them A LOT. They are kind of like Navajo Fry Bread or Scones... with a variety of different options for toppings. Dani said she remembered loving the cinnamon and sugar with lemon... That is what we tried.... OH YEAH... scrumptious!!
Then we braved the traffic and headed back to Montreal and spent the night there again, went to church in the English speaking ward, and then hustled back to our ward to participate in our Ward Council. It was a busy but lovely weekend.
And... once a transfer (6 weeks) we try to do something together as a district. Here we are at a little sanctuary at St Benoit du Lac.
As our parting thoughts for this month we have had some great trainings this month. Here are a few of the insights we have learned:
We are forgiven for the sins that we have PREPARED to be forgiven of.
If you want to make a change... write down what it is and then DO IT... then check daily DID I DO IT?
From Pres Monson's Conference talk... Choose the harder right, instead of the easier wrong.
Elder Renlund: If life were truly fair, you and I would never be resurrected; you and I would never be able to stand clean before God. In this respect, I am grateful that life is not fair.
Elder Bednar: As we look to the future and anticipate the ever more confused and turbulent world in which we live, I believe it will be essential for all of us to increase our capacity to seek learning by faith. In our personal lives, in our families, and in the Church, we can and will received the blessings of spiritual strength, direction, and protection as we seek by faith to obtain and apply spiritual knowledge.
We wish you all God's love and peace.
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