We’ve been here just over a month. Can I possibly be getting nostalgic already?
Well, May 10th was a lovely spring day; the sky was blue, the clouds were white, and the trees were green.… [Read More]
Montreal is notorious for its ragged infrastructure: aging water pipes, fragile electrical grid, but especially the nasty potholes that damage hundreds of tires (and people) every winter.
The mayor elected last year, Soraya Martinez Ferrada, blamed the former mayor Valérie Plante for the poor state of the roads.… [Read More]
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The Ascent of Mt. Spruce
Last weekend, we went for a jaunt to l’Estrie, the Eastern Townships of Quebec. This region stretches from the St. Lawrence lowlands down to the Vermont border, and includes some of the northernmost extents of the Appalachian uplands before they swerve off to Newfoundland.… [Read More]
Though–as I predicted—the Habs were spanked and eliminated from the NHL semi-finals last week, the Montreal women’s hockey team La Victoire brought home the PWHL championship Walter Cup.
The women of La Victoire were celebrated with a big parade here in Montreal this last weekend, though their winning streak received only a modicum of the Hab’s media coverage, as their games were often scheduled at the same times as the men’s.… [Read More]
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Crabapple Week
The flowering time for plants can be very short, which, of course, is not unique to here. Some species flower for longer than others. Chrysanthemum and thistle flowers can last for weeks or months.… [Read More]
I remember reading a translation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and being surprised at how many paragraphs Hugo dedicated to critiquing the architecture of Paris. He was very concerned with good buildings and bad, and the attention paid by the builders.… [Read More]
Even as I type this, thousands of hockey fans are preparing for tonight’s big game, where Montreal’s Canadiens (aka The Habs, short for habitant, a Quebec settler) will be playing the Sabres in the Eastern Division semi-finals.… [Read More]
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Row-zoo?
Remember “Yanny or Laurel?” I experience a similar thing here on the metro.
On the Orange Line, there’s one station that gets announced and the way I hear it is very misleading:
To my ear, that sounds like “prochaine station row-zoo.”… [Read More]
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The New Neighborhood
On the first of May, some people go a-Maying, some celebrate Beltane, some celebrate the Labor movement, and some riot outside of multinational corporate offices. Manon and I have our own ritual where we arrive in a new neighborhood for the Summer.… [Read More]
now before it starts to snow
it's time for us to pack and go