Catching up on a busy summer
posted by Jesse on Saturday, July 26, 2008 at 7:36 pm
It seems that ever since the summer started, we have been going non-stop. In all the busyness though, we’ve managed to take advantage of the sometimes nice weather and do some really fun things together. I fully intended to write blog entries about each one of them as they happened, but blogging often has to take a back seat to other things.
So, here is a whole summer of fun wrapped up in one long blog post. I have included two different kinds of photo slideshows that I’m experimenting with so please let me know if you have any difficulty viewing them.
MILITARY SHIPS
There was a fleet of military ships from all over the world docked in Québec for one weekend. We happened to pick the day when it rained…all day.
MILITARY PARADE
Next up was the military parade. This was planned for one day only on the morning of the first day of Québec’s annual festival d’été (summer festival). And guess what…it rained. Joshua and I rode the bus down and took an umbrella, but it didn’t seem to matter much. By the time we returned home, we were soaking wet! I felt so sorry for those soldiers. They did not look like they were enjoying their parade very much, but were trying to make the best of it anyway.
Quebec Military Parade from Jesse Shanks on Vimeo.
FIREWORKS
After the rainy morning, the weather finally cleared up just in time for the biggest fireworks display ever in Canada (or so I was told). It was to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Québec. We sat on a very steep and uncomfortable hill, but one that gave us an excellent view of the city, the river, and the barges from where they shot off the fireworks. Happy birthday Québec!
LYDIA’S BIRTHDAY PARTY
Joshua’s best friends here are Lydia and Kelly. Although there is a major language barrier between them, they manage to communicate quite well. We all went over to their house for Lydia’s 6th birthday party. A lot of her family was there too, which gave us a great chance to practice our French. We had a great time, and I know that Lydia did!
A VISIT FROM MOM AND DAD SHANKS
A couple weeks ago, my parents came to Québec for a week and we had a wonderful time with them. Joshua really enjoyed having Grandpa and Grandma around the house. Both of my parents really enjoy architecture, history, and art, so it goes without saying that they loved Vieux-Québec (Old Québec). We managed to go down there four times in 6 days, but I don’t think they got tired of it one bit.
Make sure to hover your mouse over “Notes” on the slideshow in order to see the comments/information about each photo.
WHAT’S NEXT
We are catching our breaths at the moment, before my cousin Ryan and his wife Janell come to visit on August 8th. They are going to stay here for five days, then we’re all headed to Boston together for five days. The day after returning from there, Tiffany will head to Vancouver for a friend’s wedding, then home for a week. This period of 15 days is referred to as “The Great Abandonment” around here (by me, at least), during which I will attempt to cook. Should be funny…very funny.
Category: family
