Sunday, August 11, 2019

Sunday, August 11, 2019

Tonight's picture was taken in August of 2008. It was our first week in the hospital and we had no idea what to expect with Mattie's chemotherapy infusion. This was our room set up. The room was a two by four. All three of us lived in it. Which meant either Peter or I slept on a chair. As you can see, the room was stark. That did not last for long, because with subsequent admissions, I decorated the room with all of Mattie's creations. It was a fiasco moving in and out of the hospital because of the countless bins filled with items that we would bring with us. After all we needed to sleep, shower, dress, do laundry, eat, and function in this room for weeks on end (with access to NO closets). The window in the room looked out onto the campus of Georgetown University Hospital. To me it was like living in Alcatraz. We were in prison, but we could see the outside world functioning normally and having a life. Rarely was I sitting still when in the hospital, but on occasion I had to, in order to write the blog. As you can see in this photo. 


Quote of the day: Saguenay is somewhat of an oasis, sitting on the Saguenay River in the rift valley of Saguenay Graben. It is quite picturesque that sits in the middle of Northern Quebec, and is an excellent place to get away from it all. The city and its surroundings are made up of lakes, rivers, hills and valleys, making it peaceful place for a holiday destination. Plus, it is not as popular as other cities in Quebec, which adds to its charm. ~ thecrazytourist.com

Last night after dinner, I went out on the deck, and who did I see? Mattie Moon of course. Keep in mind that it was damp, rainy and the in 50's. So to me this looked very inky, bordering on creepy. Yet the moon made it intriguing to me. Can you see the ship cutting through the waves?















Last night we sailed from Quebec City to Saguenay. The St. Lawrence River was super smooth and it is hard to believe that such a large cruise ship could fit into this narrow passage way (that you see on the map). But the map doesn't do the expanse of this waterway justice. 

Our tour began at 8:30am. Our tour guide was Linda. A majority of this 3.5 hour tour was on a bus, given the terrain of the Saguenay. Nonetheless, that worked out because it was raining and 55 degrees. The first thing our bus passed with this 70-foot tall Ha! Ha! Pyramid. I downloaded this photo from the internet since I couldn't capture it by bus. Also I assure you were did not have blue skies.  This pyramid was constructed to commemorate the devastating and deadly 1996 Saguenay River flood. The pyramid is comprised of 3,000 yield signs. Signs which were found all over Saguenay floating from the flood. 

Next we went to the Fjord Museum. We had less than 30 minutes at each stop, which made seeing anything impossible! The museum had us sit through a video presentation which was supposed to detail the fjord's history and geology. In my opinion it did a poor and misleading job and NEVER spoke about glaciers, which clearly created the Saguenay fjord. 

The breathtaking scenery around Saguenay has been millions of years in the making. It was carved by ancient glaciers.

Linda described Saguenay has having four seasons: three winters and summer. But summer isn't what we would typically think of summer. Today felt like a Fall day. 

Needless to say, my advise to anyone headed to Canada.... take a heavy jacket and a raincoat. 

This house was created by a local architect. He basically designed the houses on his entire street. What is very clear about Saguenay, is that everything is very spread out, very lush, very unspoiled, and not built up. Trees, mountains, and farms for as far as the eye can see. 

This was Chicoutimi. Once a fur trading post. It later gained fame as a prosperous pulp and paper manufacturing town. 

We then visited the Le Chevrier du Nord goat farm. The farm has been owned by a family for 19 years. Here we got to see how goat fur is transformed into beautiful  mohair creations. 

The daughter of the farm's owner. She was showing us how the goat fur is cut, then washed in a washing machine (yes like a Maytag machine), and run through machines to separate the fur apart. 

Couldn't resist! This little dog sitting on the goat fur. He is the farm's resident dog!!!

We got to meet the angora goats! I have to tell you they were very social and LOVED visitors. One came up to me, poked his head out and was smiling for all of our cameras!

Here he is!!!

After the goat farm, we visited the Old Pulp Mill. I was confused at first because I thought we were going to learn about paper making. Turns out that the Mill wasn't preserved, but instead was transformed into a museum space. Inside, we were introduced to the works of Arthur Villeneuve. 

I have a feeling Arthur may have had mental health problems, but no one talked about that! In any case, Arthur's home was picked up from its original location and placed into the museum. He was reported to have had little education and worked as a barber and certainly didn't seem destined to become well-known outside of his immediate surroundings, much less renowned in the wider world.

Arthur Villeneuve's fate took an unexpected turn in April of 1957, when, after having had a mystical experience in which he receiving a sort of calling, he began covering the walls of his home with paintings and frescoes done in oil-based paint. The exterior of his home soon suffered the same fate. Villeneuve worked up to 100 hours every week on the project. Then, in 1959, when his house was finally painted from top to bottom in a most original fashion, he opened it to the public (based on insistence from his wife, as she wanted him to generate an income!). Through his artwork, which is filled with both realistic depictions, as well as strange, often surprising figures, both human and animal, visitors were given a glimpse into the artist's soul.

I did not take these photos. As photography wasn't allowed. But I was able to download it off the internet. 

Can you imagine living in this house?

My mom snapped this photo of me by the port today. With my favorite flowers.... sunflowers. 

Otherwise it has been a harrowing day as my dad forgot his much needed medication, so I scrambled into action to resolve this, which meant a trip to the ship's medical office. Fortunately the doctor was lovely and really helped us!