Going to Montreal

So, it is now official we are going to Montreal. Scott is working there for the week of January 4th. Chance can not go because even newborn babies need passports to leave the country now and since we have been lazy and not gotten Chance his own passport yet then he will have to stay behind with my mom. That is not really a problem for me because I could use a week off with Scott. Also it is going to be so cold I don't think he would have much fun anyway. I am flying to Montreal from New Orleans on Monday the 5th and we are both flying back together on Saturday the 10th. We have to drive to Fort Myers to drop Chance off and then drive back here to catch the plane. The company is paying for our tickets so that is why we are flying out of NOLA instead of Fort Myers.

Does anyone know anything about Montreal?

If so what is good to see and do there? I am looking for things to do since I will be alone most days while Scott is working. From what I have found on the internet Montreal looks like a beautiful place with a lot in common with New Orleans. I want to eat good food and buy lots of cool little souvenirs to bring home and give to everyone. I am so looking forward to the whole trip.

Big Boxes

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” - Mark Twain

I firmly believe this and that is the number one reason I want to take Chance all over the world. Hell that is the number one reason I want to travel all over the world. I have a love of travel that came from traveling as a child and being part of a family that traveled all over but I continue to travel and want to satisfy that urge to travel because I don't want to be in a small box. We all live in our own boxes or bubbles and some people's are very small making them narrow minded because they just can not expand past the walls of their box. I want my box to be big so large I can't See the sides so I travel to expand my world and to ward off the prejudices that creep into your head when you are not looking.

This guy is awsome

I am talking about Rahm Emanuel. He was recently chosen as Barack Obama's White House Chief of Staff. He is the first political person I have actually had lots of fun looking up their history. The guy mailed someone a dead fish. That's right he sent a dead fish to a pollster who upset him. I personally would never send a dead fish to someone but that is the kind of spunk I like to see in a politician. I have heard he is a bit of a hard ass and according to Webster that means he is a tough, demanding, or uncompromising person. Now that might not be the kind of guy I would want to be best friends with but as long as at heart he is a good guy he is exactly what we need.

I am sure that since Obama picked him he must be a good guy. As I type that I wonder how I can think that since I do not know Obama and can not say for sure that he is a good guy. I guess I just hope, and that is the catch to the whole thing we all have to put our hope in something or someone sometimes.

not so fast...

Sometimes seeing the world doesn't go as fast as one would hope. The one I am thinking of is me. This year I wanted to get remarried in Vegas and I wanted to go to Paris and maybe even work a train trip in there somewhere but I didn't get to do any of these things. In fact I did not go anywhere new this year. Ok wait that is sort of a lie even though I had been to South Carolina I had not been to Myrtle Beach and we spent ten days there in August/September so I guess that is somewhere new. Though after you have been to another country and after you have lived in South Florida for over 20 years Myrtle Beach, South Carolina doesn't pack much of a punch.
Well, I plan to do more good solid traveling next year. Why am I talking like the year is over? Because it almost is and because I don't see a way to get to any of these places in the few weeks that are left in the year.

Here is a new travel website I found that I like,l it is called Dave's Travel Corner.

just passing it along

I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacations with better care than they plan their lives. Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change. -- Jim Rohn

I found this quote on a travel site I had never been to before but find it very interesting. 1000tips4trips.com

Richmond, VA maybe going maybe not

I am currently debating a trip to Richmond, Virginia. Scott will be in Richmond for work form the 9th to the 24th of October and now I am just wondering if I should drag the baby over there and if so should we go by car or plane. As with before the plane is still more expensive but the car takes longer. With travel there is always a debate like that especially when money is tight. I'll let you know.

pack for all weather

Just a reminder to check the weather channel before you take a trip. It is in the 80's here everyday and most nights but in Albany, New York where my husband just flew on Monday a cold front went through and now it is in the 40's at night and low 70's during the day.

In your blood

Travel is in your blood. It fills your life and if you do it right it fills your mind too. I feel this need to travel that I can not explain. When I do it I am happy. No matter where I go or what circumstance takes me there I am happy. That was so true in Troy, AL we were there because of hurricane Gustav but I was totally happy being there in a hotel for days with nothing to do. I had a wonderful time with my husband and toddler just finding things to do.

We spent a bit of time at a park right on Highway 231. You can't miss it, there is a huge helicopter on top of a pole in the park. We had a good time wondering around this park reading all the plaques and monuments dedicated to fallen veterans of Troy and Pike county dating back to the revolutionary war. A great place to let the little one run around and some shade can be found under a tree or in the gazebo. It looks like they may have small performances there of some kind.

On the road again - Gustav

We have evacuated to Troy, Alabama.


If you want to keep up on what is really going on in New Orleans and with its residence check this site often. I write for this site too and one of our authors stayed behind in his Restaurant in Uptown.

Doggie Day Care in Myrtle Beach

On our trip to Myrtle Beach a few weeks ago we took our 11 week old puppy which turned out to be a problem when The Company put us in a hotel that did not allow pets. We could sneak him in over night easy enough but getting him out during the day was difficult as the temperature seemed to climb higher and higher each day we were there. We tried to board him but being so young he did not have his rabies shot and so was not even allowed to walk through the door at most kennels. Finally after much searching we found Canine Command Center. Only a few miles from the hotel off of highway 707 it was a great location and best of all they were willing to take him for doggie daycare considering he was too young to receive his rabies shot they logically did not make it a requirement. You would have thought someone at one of the many kennels and boarding facilities I talked to previously would have figured this out but the nice people at Canine Command Center were the only ones willing to work with us. We dropped our little pug puppy off with them everyday around 8:30 am and picked him up just before 6:00pm when they closed. He played and had a wonderful time. By the end of the first week he was running into the building to say "hi" to the staff, we could tell he really enjoyed his time in doggie daycare.
I had heard of doggie daycare programs before we placed our puppy in the one at the Canine Command Center but it always seemed like they were trying to reach out to people going to work or school all day who left their animals home alone. This never made much sense to me for multiple reasons but a big one is the cost as an everyday expense, when your animal could be happily lounging in his own home but in a situation like we were in doggie daycare turned out to be a Godsend. This experience opened up a whole new world of places to travel with our pet. I encourage anyone and everyone to look into doggie daycare when traveling with your pets. Many kennels offer some type of animal daycare program. If you are ever in the Myrtle Beach area checkout Canine Command Center, they have a great facility full of friendly people and lovable animals. Two thumbs up, way up.