My buddy the UC flew in from Toronto yesterday to spend New Year's with us. Initially, for Lalor, I was just going to post the upper photo to get us off on the "right" foot, but sense prevailed. It is early days yet.

I bought a new camera yesterday, a Canon G12, and I went to my friend and photo-guru Mike's place to take it out of the box and show him so he could compare it to his G11. He did me the honour of taking the first 4 photos with my new camera. Here is the first photo. Isn't it a beaut! I thought the composition and detail was great. The other 3 photos were of a similar style, so I won't bother posting them. Hahaha Mike, thanks.

We had the annual Walpole Boxing Day Road Hockey Tournament at the "Compound" this year. The scheduled venue, the Narrows parking lot, was duly shovelled off by the Ice Marshal, but at game time 6 vehicles had found the newly shovelled parking lot to their liking, and they had taken over the lot. It was a "fortuitous" change of venue as the "Compound" was the correct size, the outdoor speakers blasted tunes throughout the game, the burn barrel was turned on and the beer supply was immediately at hand. The final score was in favour of Us over Them, whoever we and they were.

The Christmas dinner crowd.

Merry Christmas and enjoy a Happy New Year!!

Just because it's the winter solstice - crap, that means it really is winter now - and a full moon lunar eclipse, like how often does that happen, here is a moon shot; although, this isn't the moon from last night, actually it is the same moon, just a different time, harvest moon. I didn't go out to see the eclipse last night, but I was out in the moonlight and was dazzled by how still and bright it was - almost needed sunglasses!

Icicles on the United Church in Merrickville.

Here are 2 photos of the west end of Four Mile Bay taken the morning the bay froze over. I guess it won't be long now before the snowmachines will be out and roaring around.

Yesterday morning there was a bit of mist over the ice on Four Mile Bay. It was probably the last of the open water freezing over.

It must be winter. Each winter we post this sign on our driveway to save our friends without 4x4's embarassment (spelling error on purpose).

This was the scene at Delaney Bay on the west end of Trout Lake the other morning before we got lambasted with a winter storm. There probably is less ice now since the storm included, still, strong winds with gusts over 50kmph.

The Ice Marshal and I went for a bush hike yesterday to the cliffs at the end of Viceroy where the view is fabulous.

OK, I have a few copies of my book left for sale. It would make a great Christmas gift!! All you have to do is comment with your request and contact info.

On our way home from Quebec City in October, we stopped at the Carone winery outside of Trois Rivieres on the St. Lawrence River. After a bit of sampling wine with the owner, see photo, we bought a few bottles to bring home: a very nice and different Pinoit Noir and a cab/sav type called Bin33 - very good, but all gone now.

This one's for Mr. P. The way the Habs have been playing this season, will Gionta be doing in June what the Rocket's doing here?

The Quebec Seminarie in the old town near the old port on the St. Lawrence River.

Pssst ...

Ha, now here's an oddball. Believe this if you like: this guy is playing intricate melodies, parts of famous pieces of music, that are playing from his boom box behind him. The glasses have various amounts of water in them, and there is no amplification for the glasses. The fella lightly caresses the glasses, seemingly at random, and "music" results. After watching and listening for a few minutes I almost puked. No way was he playing anything. He was not in sync at all. It was like bad lip syncing. And, he had CDs of this stuff for sale. Sort of like the sax player playing out of a white suitcase I posted a few weeks ago. I guess most of the cruise ship tourists must fall for this, but not a Northern Ontario boy.

There are many little towns and villages along both sides of the St. Lawrence River between Montreal and Quebec and to the Gulf. This fire station looking garage is the city hall for the mouthful of a town: Sainte-Anne-de-la-Perade, whatever that means after translation.

It's December 1, and the countdown to winter is on. This winter painting was on display in Quebec City on an exterior wall of an art gallery. I don't know how the painting will hold up to the weather if it remains outside.

I like the way the sunlight highlights this fern leave while leaving everything else in the dark.

The big pine at the bottom of our driveway has certainly seen its share of late autumn snow.

We paused for a few beverages in this square in Quebec City where the Notre Dame church is located. It is a great spot to people watch. The woman in this photo has a long pole on the end of her camera. She walked all around the square, stopping often to look at the scenery, and every so often she would line herself up with an appropriate backdrop or view, position her camera so she was between the rear view and the camera, then smile and click the photo. What a riot! As we watched, she did this over and over. She must have taken a dozen pictures of herself - "Here I am in front of ... here I am in front of ...."

TGIF

This one's for the Urban Cowboy, who is still "on the mend." Hope your knee improves, UC, so you can join us for a few New Year's toasts in a few weeks.

There are numerous pieces of art throughout the old city of Quebec. Some are in small alleyways, while others are in the main squares.

Eugene at the Bar

Butch breaks into a riff at the new Workshop Bar in mid October.

These huge murals in Quebec City are quite captivating. Their detail and depth are fabulous. Each panel tells a number of stories.

Well, I don't know about you, but my "theory" is that this supposed sax player isn't actually playing. Sure, there is sax music emanating from his "sax," but after studying him for a spell, I'm pretty sure he's just warming his hands. I think his "blowing" is just fueling the hand warmer: the hand warmer in the white unit uses his breath for fuel, and it then converts it to heat. Also, inside is the player that pumps out the sax riffs. How else to account for all the sounds of the other instruments heard as he "plays." Not once does he open up the white shell.

Valdy signs a CD for one of the fans at his "Moon" show.

Valdy's guitar case - well travelled to say the least.

Last night we went to the Moon Cafe in Mattawa to see Valdy. What a fabulous show!! Valdy is truly a Canadian treasure. If ever you get the opportunity to see him, GO - he is a fabulous entertainer!

I like trains and black and white photos of trains. This, however, is not a photo of a train. It's the gears of one of the old monster guns at the Citadel in Quebec City. It does look a bit like a train photo, though.

3 3/4?!?!?!

What kind of street address is that? Although, I do prefer the sound of that as opposed to 3C. 3/4, of what?

Anyone remember when Charles said his infamous line, "Vive Quebec, Vive Quebec Libre!"?

Ohhh, those "Duque" boys are a-gonna git it this time! Didn't think the Hazard County sheriff would come all the way up to Quebec to chase those darn "Duque" (they were in Quebec after all) boys, but there they were in the parking lot.

One of the things I love about Quebec City is the abundance and variety of art pieces throughout the city. Here is a life sized "etching" depicting a native Canadian on a wall outside one of the many churches in the area.