Remember way back in May, when we encountered the “trees to be planted here” signs up in Saint-Léonard? No? You know, this here?
Well, anyway, we were back up in that area yesterday, and, sure enough, some trees have been planted.… [Read More]
Remember way back in May, when we encountered the “trees to be planted here” signs up in Saint-Léonard? No? You know, this here?
Well, anyway, we were back up in that area yesterday, and, sure enough, some trees have been planted.… [Read More]
It’s a summery day in Montreal, and this morning during my coffee break I heard the tinny digital chimes of what I presumed was an ice cream truck coming down our street.… [Read More]
On my morning walk, I came across the city’s tree squad in action.
Truck o’ TreesThey were upgrading a yard just down the street from us.
Tree squad in actionTwo trucks, one excavator, five workers, and about ten minutes for a new tree to go in.… [Read More]
Sylvain and I have long heard legends of the snow removal siren–an eardrum-crushing klaxon that sends Montrealers staggering into the street to move their cars before the tow-trucks and snowplows come through.… [Read More]
There is a mystery on the streets of our neighborhood. It involves stop signs.
I thought I’d discussed stop signs in a posting in some prior year, but couldn’t find it, so first, let’s talk a little about them (if you don’t want to nerd out on this topic, skip down to the pictures below).… [Read More]
Sylvain and I went to the MTL Pride parade yesterday; it was a homegrown affair but with abundant color and music and smiles.
Here are a few photos and three short videos of an Irish-dancing rainbow, two-stepping white hats, and a good ol’ cheer squad going to town.… [Read More]
I read the news in French every morning to build my vocabulary and keep apprised of local goings-on.
As a result of this article (it’s in French only, sorry) about a cyclist who was injured after sliding on a newly-painted pedestrian crossing, today I learned the term dos d’ânes, or “donkey backs.”… [Read More]
A subtle cultural layer you discover in a new city is the locally-sourced humor, i.e. the local problems that are joked about by the people who live there. Per my post yesterday about the Grand Prix, Dan Ramos Comedy posted the above graphic on Reddit with the headline, “I Fixed the F1 Poster.”… [Read More]
♫Another F1 race day, and it’s gonna be wet…♫
The Grand Prix du Canada is back in Montréal this weekend, with all its economic boom and ecological doom. It’s estimated that 1.2 million kilos of equipment get hauled into town for this event (that’s 1,320 tons to you and me) and then it all gets shuffled off to Madrid for the next race on June 23.… [Read More]
(R.O.C. = Rest of Canada, whose federal holidays Québec likes to rename and rebrand as Québec-centric celebrations.)
Victoria Day, which celebrates the birthday of Queen Vicky, isn’t so popular here in Québec due to the many years of oppression of the Québec French by the English ruling class.… [Read More]