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Turn Your Business Trip Into an Amazing Vacation

October 20, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Turn Your Business Trip Into an Amazing Vacation 

Guest Blog by Patrick Young

It’s the middle of summer, and your boss just informed you that you had to go to another conference. On one hand, you’ve gotten comfortable attending virtual events, but you’re also excited to get away. If you haven’t had a vacation since the start of the pandemic, rejoice in knowing that you can turn your business trip into an adventure with today’s tips.

Plan to do something fun.

No matter where you go, there’ll be something fun to do. If you’re visiting Florida, make a point to go fishing. Fishing is one of the top attractions throughout the state, and you can find lots of information about Florida fishing on the SpottedTail blog.

Keep your business documents safe.

Whether you’re traveling with important business papers or personal information to get across borders, keep your important documents safe. Instead of carrying paper everywhere, digitize your files by using a PDF program. This way, you can add pages to PDF files, which can be rotated, deleted, and re-ordered according to your needs, and then print them out at your hotel’s business center if you must have a hard copy.

Visit local hotspots.

Steer clear of the tourist traps, especially restaurants. Chances are, the food at these establishments tastes the same no matter where you are. Instead, stick with local establishments. If you’re traveling overseas, especially, go to diners where the locals eat. China Highlights explains that this is a great way to enjoy authentic and original cuisine that’s also fresh and in season.

Connect with others ahead of time.

Unless you plan to take your family with you, join a few online travel groups in your destination of choice. As a solo traveler, you’ll get the most out of your target destination by having one or more people to wander with you.

Come in a day early.

When you’re traveling for business, you are in an unfamiliar location, but you may have to perform familiar actions. Make a point to come in a day early so that you can settle in and, most importantly, get a good night’s sleep. The UC Health blog recommends practicing good sleep hygiene, which includes avoiding caffeine and eating a light meal instead of a heavy feast before bed. You can also call your hotel ahead of arrival and ask for extra blankets and pillows if you tend to use these at home.

Bring your personal phone.

If you typically only travel with your work device, make sure that you bring your personal phone this time, too. Then, when you are not working, you can still take great pictures and stay in touch with friends and family without the temptation to respond to work calls during your off time.

Work with a travel agent.

If you don’t have a personal assistant making your travel plans for you, call a travel agent. Town & Country explains that travel agents have exceptional insight into destinations and can help you get around. Plus, most have access to upgrades that you can’t request when booking on your own. Your agent can also get you squared away with attraction and event tickets and help you plan around your working hours.

You can’t always get out of business travel, but you can get the most out of it. The above tips, from keeping your travel documents safe to bringing your own phone, are just the beginning. With a bit of creativity and a good travel agent by your side, you can enjoy a vacation without missing a day of work.

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Patrick Young created Able USA to offer resources and advice to others with disabilities in an effort to help them navigate the various aspects of life as a person with a disability. Be sure to visit his website for more information and tips.

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Storm Aftermath

October 15, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Storm Aftermath

Thanks for reading this week’s post, Storm Aftermath. This was a survey week, with hope to find a fish or two. Susan was ill, which affected my liberty- I didn’t want to leave her alone while I went fishing.

For subscribers- if the photos (only one this week!) don’t load, click this link- www.spottedtail.com/blog.

Monday, though, she joined me for the preliminary survey. I needed to see how high the water was, and which boat ramps were open. We went to Kelly Park, Port Canaveral, Port St. John, Kennedy Point, Parrish Park, Biolab, and Playalinda. Playalinda was open to Parking Lot 7, meaning you couldn’t get to the boat ramp on the Mosquito Lagoon side. Everything else was open. There were surprisingly few trailers at Port Canaveral. The water looked high and brown in the lagoons.

Tuesday found me in a kayak on the high, green, and nearly opaque waters of the Indian River Lagoon, armed with both a spin and a fly rod. I saw two redfish, one tailing right against the bank (no shot) and one that I ran over. I ran over two or three black drum. I caught three small snook, one by casting a rubber shad, the other two by dragging the same lure while I paddled. I found a few baby tarpon rolling, and one bit my streamer, leading to this not very good photo-

It’s hard to fight the fish AND get the jump shot at the same time. I used my Dr. Slick pliers to unhook the beastie. When I got home, Susan was sick, and I was sorry I wasn’t there.

Friday morning Tom Van Horn picked me up and we went to Mosquito Lagoon, launching at Haulover Canal. Tom spent the summer at Katmai Lodge in Alaska, then went to Europe for a few weeks. His boat had been sitting for over three months, so of course it didn’t work right. We hid from the wind and waves behind the spoil islands while we made our way back to Haulover Canal. I cast a DOA Deadly Combo, coming up with a single, skunk-chasing 12″ seatrout. I was home at noon.

I saw very little bait anywhere, and the water doesn’t look good anywhere. Might have to try fishing somewhere else.

That’s the Storm Aftermath post. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Take a walk! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

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Greetings from Chuluota

October 8, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Greetings from Chuluota

Thanks for reading this week’s post, Greetings from Chuluota. For the first time since July, we slept in our own bed the past two nights. Truly, there’s no place like home!

For subscribers- if the photos don’t load, click this link- www.spottedtail.com/blog.

When I was in Winthrop, it was a sixty second walk to the beach. I’d been out there every day, casting a jig, hoping for a bass (or something). Our last day there, with by far the worst weather, I gave it one last try. At a spot where water flowed over a bar, I finally got three bass on the jig. Ah, the sweet smell of success.

I found a ball on the beach, pocketing it for Maryann’s pit bull. The dog enjoyed the ball, playing with it for a while, then lying down for a chew. I said to Susan, “Boy, she’s really enjoying that ball,” Then I looked. She wasn’t chewing the ball, she was chewing my Croc shoe. I took it away from her. The shoe is damaged but still wearable. I have it on right now!

Diamond the Dog, who used my shoe as a chew toy.

We drove to East Hampton, Connecticut the next day, staying at the Bevin House B&B, truly our first lodging splurge of the trip. The outside reminded me of the house in the old Addams Family TV show. It was nice inside, built in 1872, lots of antiques and old books.

The Bevin House.

Bill and Heather Embacher came by the next morning to pick us up. Bill and I had hoped to fish- the weather was crap and I’m glad we didn’t go. Instead we went to the Gillette Castle, walking the grounds and enjoying seeing each other. It had been a long time!

 

Gillette, a stage actor, made Sherlock Holmes famous.

 

A balcony on the castle.

 

Gillette enjoyed model trains. His were bigger than most.

 

Gillette’s train station.

 

One of the train trestles.

Bill and Heather invited us for dinner. We got to meet their daughter and also see Bill’s shop. Bill carves duck and goose decoys, as well as doing taxidermy on birds. His work is beautiful and he stays busy.

From East Hampton to Chuluota is a 21-hour drive. There was a time, long past, when I would have done it all at once. We took three too-long days, getting here just at sunset on Thursday.

Friday was spent emptying the car, cleaning and putting things away, going through correspondence, etc. Today I have to remove the solar panel from the roof of the van and get it ready for kayak carrying. There may be a lot of water around, but I’m hoping I can find a fish or two next week.

That’s the Greetings from Chuluota post. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Take a walk! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

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Welcome to Winthrop!

September 30, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Welcome to Winthrop- A Photo Essay

Thanks for reading this week’s post, Welcome to Winthrop. Our friend Maryann lives here. After hosting her in Maine for a while, she’s hosting us now. It all evens out in the wash, doesn’t it?

For subscribers- if the photos don’t load, click this link- www.spottedtail.com/blog.

Speaking of the wash, we missed the hurricane, but it didn’t miss Florida. Many people there need prayers and more!

———————————————–

It’s a sixty second walk to the beach for me here. I’ve been out there every day, casting a jig, hoping for a bass (or something). No luck so far. The first day I was here I could see them busting, way out past where I could cast. A guy came with a paddle board and a fishing rod. He paddled right out to there the fish were, caught two, and paddled back, beautifully done. I told him so, too. But didn’t get a picture.

Winthrop Beach by day.

 

No hard feelings, but I want to see these, getting blasted by bass, within casting range.

We visited old friends and relatives, so no other fishing happened until Thursday, when I visited the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island. After walking to the “spot,” it took me about fifteen minutes to catch a bass. Of course, the entire time I could see the birds going CRAZY on the Ipswich side. But I don’t have a boat here, so too bad, so sad.

Yes, I have caught stripers. Although many people spell it “strippers.”

I chucked a Clouser Minnow for close to six hours, ended up with five bass and a shad. Met a couple local fly casters, enjoyed a spectacular day, and life was good.

 

 

 

 

Watched Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime. If I were paying for that, boy, I’d be mad. What terrible, truly terrible broadcast quality.

Got up early Friday morning to photograph the sun rise. Arms are a bit sore from Thursday’s chuck-fest. Sunrise was beautiful, though.

 

 

We dropped off Susan at an old friend’s house, then went to see an old friend ourselves, meeting Kevin at Walden Pond. Wow, they sure have made it into a monument to Thoreau. It’s a swimming pool for healthy seniors, who swim across and back. I spoke to a fly fisher who told me that it had just been stocked a few days ago with rainbow trout, so there’s that, too.

 

These swimmers cross the pond and return.

 

 

 

We’ve known each other over 50 years. You could call us old friends.

And just like that, the week is almost gone. So is our trip, almost gone. We’ll be heading home next week.

That’s the Welcome to Winthrop post. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Take a walk! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

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A Week on My Own in Maine

September 24, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

A Week on My Own in Maine- A Photo Essay

Happy autumn! The equinox was this week. Thanks for reading this week’s post, A Week on My Own in Maine. I fished four days this week. It would have been more, but the weather… I don’t like fishing in cold, or the rain, or least of all, the cold rain.  Subscribers- if the photos don’t load, click this link- www.spottedtail.com/blog.

Maryann left on Sunday. I suggested Susan go with her, and I’d meet them the following Sunday. After they left, I thought I’d try to do some trout fishing. Off I went to the Wild River, hoping for a crack at some native brookies.

No fish here, other than guppies.

 

The river resembled an irrigated rock garden. I found what’s probably the deepest pool in the river- no sign of fish, and I could see every pebble on the bottom. The Wild flows into the Androscoggin. I was only a few miles away, so…

I met a local guy there who convinced me to gear up. I spent a couple hours swinging a streamer in a stretch about a quarter mile long, not a touch. The two other local fly casters there had just as many bites as me.

The fallfish, scorned by anglers all through New England. There’s no such thing as a bad fish.

I drove past Lovell to try my luck at Swan’s Falls on the Saco. I caught two fish there, fallfish, the largest specie in the minnow family. Not a trout or a bass, but a fish that took a fly and pulled drag- I’ll take it.

An old favorite, the chain pickerel.

Monday

The forecast was for a high of 54, with rain. Not a day I want to be out paddling, so I wadered up and fished the old channel of the Saco with a spin rod. Two more fallfish and a chain pickerel, and two pickerel cut me off. I was not skunked. The heavens opened up around 1400, so I bagged it.

Tuesday

The Saco went up four feet.

The rain continued all night. The Saco went up four feet! I probably should have gone whitewater paddling, but decided to go to Kezar Pond. At the old Saco, the current had reversed and was flowing hard into the pond. With visions of hordes of fish waiting for the smorgasbord, I rode the current the mile there, knowing getting back would be hard.

Hemlock Bridge, where I put in.

 

Kezar Pond. I’d like to fish it when conditions are good!

Fifty-two degrees and cloudy does not good bass fishing make. The hordes of fish weren’t there. I got two pickerel bites, missed one and was cut off by the other. On the windy side of the lake, with rain threatening and the river continuing to rise, and not much fish action, I decided discretion was the better part and paddled the mile back.

Kezar River Mill Pond.

I went to the Kezar River Reserve to check it out. Ended up going for a long walk and picking some boletus mushrooms that I ate for dinner.

Yummy stuff here!

Wednesday

Horseshoe Pond.

 

Same place, different view.

 

Best fish I got there.

 

We’re a little aggressive, aren’t we??

 

Sign at the boat ramp.

 

Snake at the boat ramp.

I found my way to Horseshoe Pond. A more scenic body of water is hard to imagine, but the fish weren’t on. I fished the entire way around, getting one small smallmouth and three tiny ones, all on surface flies. No bites on any soft plastics.

After wrapping it up at Horseshoe, I tried Kezar Lake. The biggest chain pickerel of the trip struck a Culprit worm on the first cast. I badly wanted a picture, but didn’t want to hurt the fish, or end up bleeding, so no photo. I fished hard until after a spectacular sunset, getting only one small bass on a popping bug.

Thursday

Moose Pond, near Bridgton.

 

Turkeys playing in the rain.

 

Rainbow rather than sunset.

The equinox fell on Thursday. It dawned raining hard. I did some writing, packing, fly tying, and cooking. The rain stopped about 1500. After returning the kayak to its owner, I put the solar panel back on the roof. There was heavy mist in the mountains- pictures were taken. Instead of the sunset pictures I wanted, I got a rainbow!

Friday

View on the hike.

 

Walks in the woods are good for the soul.

The wind howled around the house all night. It was 43 degrees when I got up. Susan was supposed to come back this day. I went for a light hike. When I got back to the Pond House I learned that she’d been delayed, so I went for a different light hike.

Boletus.

 

Coral mushroom.

 

Chanterelle.

 

Amanita muscaria. Don’t eat this one!!!

It quickly turned into a foraging trip when I found some chanterelles. Boletus, puffballs, and coral mushrooms were added to the bag. I’ll be eating them for breakfast with some eggs in a few minutes.

That’s the A Week on My Own in Maine post. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Take a walk! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

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Another Week in Maine-

September 17, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Another Week in Maine- A Photo Essay

Thanks for reading this week’s post, Another Week in Maine. Didn’t fish much this week, due to a number of factors out of my control, including the weather, which has become absolutely autumnal. Speaking of which, the equinox is only a few days away! For subscribers- if the photos don’t load, click this link- www.spottedtail.com/blog.

We had a full moon a few nights back. I tried to photograph it but got out too late. I wasn’t happy with the image I got, but am running it anyway.

I did fish on the pond on Monday. I was skipping a four-inch jerkbait across of the lily pads and catching bass. They blew up through those pads, man! It was awesome. I took pictures of them, covered with pads and weeds. When I got back, I went to download the pictures. Wasn’t I flummoxed to find my memory card in the card reader instead of my camera. Well, duh! So no pictures of weedy bass.

But another day I did get pictures of the weedy lake, and a tiny yellow perch. It was my first perch in many years.

 

 

Someone should make a lure in this color pattern.

Susan, Maryann, and I went to Diana’s Falls and Cathedral Ledge. The Ledge is a popular rock-climbing spot, but we cheated and drove up. The views at both places were quite different, but equally lovely.

 

 

 

 

I drove up on a curb and ripped the sidewall of my new tire. Wah! I bought a new one and had to go to Norway (Maine) to get it installed, which tied up most of a day.

Can’t be driving back to Florida with a tire like this.

Tuesday it rained most of the day, so we went food shopping and did other errands.

A cold front followed the rain. Thursday the high temperature was 63 degrees, with crisp blue skies and blustery winds, the kind of day it’s almost impossible to catch a fish on. I drove around sans female companionship, checking out my new tire and places I’d like to fish but probably never will. I even managed to catch a small bass on a 3″ shad.

The old channel of the Saco River.

 

Bradley Pond.

 

Lovell Landing, Kezar Lake. I pulled a 12″ bass out from under the dock.

 

I must have seen at least 50 turkeys this day.

Thursday night we went to the Brick Church for the Performing Arts in Lovell and watched the Bradley Jazz Cooperative make some wonderful music, an evening well spent.

 

 

 

 

After the concert I went onto the dock and photographed the Milky Way.

Friday was Susan’s birthday. Still 29! I don’t know how she does it.

We went to Waterford, where we had lunch at a place called Melby’s. The world’s best seafood chowder really was the best, but Melby’s is closing permanently at the end of the month.

Then we went looking for Kezar Falls Gorge, unsuccessfully. I bushwacked through the woods and found the Kezar River, but not the falls.

Then I stopped at the Fifth Kezar Pond, photographing the boat launch to add to my collection of places in Maine I won’t get to fish.

A trip to Bartlett followed, where we got a flight of cider at the Alpine Garden Winery on Route 302. We all decided we weren’t cider fans.

We went to the celebratory dinner at the Old Saco Inn, which put the wrap on a lovely day and week.

That’s the Another Week in Maine post. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Take a walk! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

Filed Under: Photo Essays, travel blog · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Welcome to Maine

September 10, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Welcome to Maine- A Photo Essay

Thanks for reading this week’s post, Welcome to Maine. Again, lots of photos with captions! For subscribers- if the photos don’t load, click this link- www.spottedtail.com/blog.

A lot happened this week. I turned 70! Who’d a thunk it?

We had to change quarters, moving to what was quite an upgrade, still here in Lovell.

The new digs…

 

We’re not on Kezar Lake any more (although we still have access), but rather, on a small (=/- 80 acres) pond. No smallmouth in it, but chain pickerel instead.

 

I’ve loved these toothy critters since I was a child.

I took the kayak out after dark the other night and got four bass to three pounds on a popping bug in 30 minutes, the hottest bass fishing of the trip. Most days I go out in the mist, and quit when it burns off.

 

I went fly fishing with Registered Maine Guide Bob Duport, Western Mountains Fly Fishing, on the Rapid River, hoping for brook trout and landlocked salmon. Both those species like cold water. In early September the water is as warm as it gets all year. I had three bites, missed one, lost one, landed one.

At Pond in the River.

 

Across the pond!

 

Sasquatch guards the fishing hole.

 

Bob gives me a lesson.

 

It’s fly fishing only there.

 

The brookie I got was respectable, if not huge.

 

 

One of the master’s many fly boxes.

Susan and I went for a paddle around Kezar Lake. We came upon what I assume was a loon family. Two of them got close to us- I could see them swimming under my kayak, very cool.

 

I got a bass, too.

 

Don’t get the idea they were all big ones.

 

Sunset came, as it always does.

 

We went to the farmer’s market in Bridgton. I took a photo of a lady with a small, fuzzy dog.

We went apple picking. Some of the apples became pie. Magic!

 

 

We went to Grafton Notch State Park.

 

 

 

 

We bought a blueberry pie at a roadside stand- we are currently pie-wealthy!

That’s the Welcome to Maine post. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Take a walk! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

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From Vermont to Maine

September 2, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

From Vermont to Maine- A Photo Essay

Thanks for reading this week’s post, From Vermont to Maine. Again, lots of photos with captions!

My last post ended with, “We’ll see what else plays this afternoon!” We went to the Goodsell Fossil Reef Reserve.

 

When most people think of “old,” as refers to our planet, dinosaurs usually come to mind. When the creatures whose fossils we saw here were alive, dry land was still barren, no life at all. The rocks and fossils we saw there are 480 million years old, and formed way before those reptiles appeared. And even at that, life on earth is relatively young in the 4,500 million-year-old history of our little rock. Gives one pause…

 

After leaving Grand Isle, we leisurely made our way to New Discovery State Park in the Groton State Forest, passing through Burlington and Montpelier on the way. We stopped for lunch in the capital city…

Yes, someone hung a motorcycle on the wall of this house. ????

 

The Long Trail runs the length of Vermont. I hiked some of it in my youth.

 

The state house in Montpelier.

 

The Vermont State Museum. It was closed for our brief visit.

Groton State Forest is the largest publicly-owned property in Vermont, with seven state parks. Although we only spent one night here, we certainly enjoyed our stay!

 

 

My wife, mountaineer.

 

View from the top!

 

 

Undoubtedly.

From New Discovery we crossed New Hampshire, stopping at the AMC Pinkham Notch Camp to purchase a trail map. Then it was on to Lovell, Maine.

You see little stands like this on all the back roads through New England.

 

Moose heads in pickup trucks, not so much. In St. Johnsbury, Vermont.

We’ll be spending the month of September here in a cabin on Kezar Lake. I purchased a Maine fishing license and wasted no time, catching a four-pound largemouth (which I foolishly did not photograph) on a Senko, and a fat smallie on a popping bug.

A Kezar Lake view.

 

I have access to a boat. And a kayak.

 

On an early morning paddle.

 

 

Those readers in Florida may be envious- it was 46 degrees here this morning.

In addition to exploring the nearby countryside, we’ve also gone on a couple easy hikes. I’m hoping I’ve still got enough lung power to attempt one of the more strenuous ones.

 

 

 

An amazing, big chunk of quartz on top of the mountain.

 

 

Someone carried a cast-iron bench up there, very nicely done!

That’s the From Vermont to Maine post. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Take a walk! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

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Quebec City, and Blues for Breakfast

August 27, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

Quebec City, and Blues for Breakfast- A Photo Essay

Thanks for reading this week’s post, Quebec City, and Blues for Breakfast. This is a long post- my apologies.

When last we met, the Kumiskis had spent a day in Montreal. We returned the next day for a second round. The parking garage we had used, at 25$C, was closed. We went to the next one. They wanted 35$C. I thought 25 bucks was a little high. Thirty-five, I turned around. We left Montreal, and ended up at a winery. Not what we wanted to do, but not a bad trade, either.

The Abenaki spent the winter in birch-bark covered structures like this.

We left Montreal the next day, heading to Quebec City. On the way we stopped at the Abenaki Museum (good use of our time), and then had a wonderful lunch at a place called Le Grek, near Tres Rivieres.

The home range of the Abenaki.

Late in the afternoon we found our campsite, a fantastic place full of old apple trees and wildflowers- I counted sixteen different species of wildflowers, all in bloom! The apples had been neglected, and were all wormy, but still- very nice.

One of our campground neighbors was this nest of paper wasps.

 

A storm blew our screen house away and tore a screen. Susan repairs it.

The next day we visited old Quebec on our own, just wandering around the streets, taking in the sights. Although very touristy, it was fairly delightful. I wished the skies were blue for photography, but that would not happen during our stay.

At a park in Quebec City, a child runs through the fountains.

 

In old Quebec.

 

Detail from same street in Quebec.

 

Our best stop was the Museum of Bad Art. This is such a fantastic concept- there is so much bad art out there! It was hilarious, and fabulous, a great stop.

 

 

The day following, we met Pierre, our tour guide, at 1100. He showed our group around old Quebec, telling us about the history and architecture, things we would never have known had we not taken the tour. Did you know no one knows where Champlain is buried? Did you know no one knows what he looked like? One of the more important figures in the history of North America is a mystery and an enigma. Who’s buried in Champlain’s tomb?

Pierre the guide.

 

Looks like a castle, but it’s a hotel. Roosevelt and Churchill met here twice during WWll.

 

Quebec is still a walled city.

 

 

Flowers and street art everywhere!

We spent a day touring the Ile d’Orleans- fruit stands, fromageries (cheese manufacturers), boulangeries (bakeries), wineries, chocolatiers- oh yes, it was fun.

We bought strawberries, and maple syrup, and blueberry liqueur.

 

At a farm, where we bought a strawberry pie.

 

By an art gallery…

 

…as was this…

 

…and this.

 

At the fromagerie!

 

At our picnic stop!

We’re now at Grand Isle State Park in Vermont, on Lake Champlain. Again, yesterday we were wandering around, checking things out. I wanted to find a place to photograph the sunset. We didn’t find one, but we found the Snow Farm Winery. On Thursdays they have a free concert series, one that’s been running for 20 years! We stayed for the first set of Blues for Breakfast.

Snow Hill Winery.

 

 

Blues for Breakfast.

 

 

 

Friday was errands day- laundry, food, headlight repair, etc. We’ll see what else plays this afternoon!

That’s the Quebec City, and Blues for Breakfast post. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Take a walk! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

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From Ottawa to Montreal

August 20, 2022 by · Leave a Comment

From Ottawa to Montreal- A Photo Essay

Thanks for reading this week’s post, From Ottawa to Montreal. Most of this post is photos with captions!

For the most part, the weather has been fantastic. Upon our arrival to Montreal, however, it was 66 degrees Fahrenheit and raining. We make the best of it!

In spite of camping at some great-looking fishing spots, I haven’t been fishing. It’s killing me, but I’ll be getting back to it before long!

At Byward Market in Ottawa.

 

Same place, different scene.

 

House of Parliament, undergoing renovation.

 

Locks on the Rideau Canal.

 

Ottawa waterfront scene featuring what truly is a party barge.

 

Totems, National History Museum.

 

Totem close-up, National History Museum.

 

Sculpture, National History Museum.

 

At the National History Museum.

 

This is a halibut hook of the type the Northwest tribes like the Haida and Tlingit used prior to European contact. National History Museum.

 

Susan on a hiking trail Voyageur Provincial Park.

 

Bumblebee on Joe-pie weed, Voyageur Park.

 

Leopard frog, Voyageur Park.

 

Largemouth bass, Voyageur Park.

 

Bullfrog, Voyageur Park.

 

Purple asters, Voyageur Park

 

Voyageur Park.

 

Susan at the Bank du Montreal.

 

Mural in Montreal.

 

At the entrance to Montreal’s Quartier Chinois.

 

I had no idea what this building was. Looked like a church!

 

Ice cream, anyone?

 

One of Montreal’s oldest buildings, the Marche Bonsecours.

We’re having a small problem with the French here in Quebec province, because we don’t speak it. Fortunately, many Quebecois are bilingual! My apologies for any errors in spelling!

That’s the From Ottawa to Montreal post. Thanks for reading!

Every day is a blessing. Don’t waste it- Go fishing! Go paddling! Take a walk! Stay active!

John Kumiski
www.johnkumiski.com
www.spottedtail.com
www.spottedtail.com/blog

All content in this blog, including writing and photos, copyright John Kumiski 2022. All rights are reserved.

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