Joyeux Noël

For the holidays this year, Bill and I packed up our skis and headed East to spend some time with mère et père' Daigle in Fort Kent, Maine.

We were spoiled by the miles of groomed cross country trails at the Biathalon Center, just up the road. Bill even found the "Moat" that was named after him when he was a ski racer in high school.

I got to work on my French Canadian, and came away with some pretty good insults. Bill's French Acadian uncle was my tutor and pumped up my ego. Ja'i le front tout le tour de la tête. Right, mon oncle?

This is a new mural, painted on a building near downtown Fort Kent, that pays homage to the potato farmers in Northern Maine. Bill and I both worked in the spud fields growing up, even though we lived on opposite sides of the country. We each had two weeks of "vacation" during potato harvest during each school year. And still, after 8 years together, we have not yet had a taste-off of the Idaho vs. the Maine potato. Regardless, I'm pretty sure my high school mascot (The Mighty Russet) is tougher than his. Attache ta tuque!

For New Year's we drove up to Quebec City, one of the oldest European cities in North America. Established in the 1600s, this cool, very French, cobbled city was built as a fort on the Saint Lawrence River. As we walked along the foot-ball-field-sized boardwalk overlooking the river, we were shocked when a canoe full of paddlers launched out into the ice ridden water. They managed to break through the ice chunks with their paddles and feet, to maneuver to the other side, over half a mile away. I mean, seriously, who in their right mind would do that? You have to check out this video, courtesy of the land of You Tube, to fully appreciate what it means to paddle across a moving river of ice chunks. We land lubbers were plenty cold as it was, without a dip in the Saint Lawrence.

The Quebec humidity made it feel 20 degrees
colder, and while I tried to stave off frost-bite, this
tiny Québécois handled the cold like it was child's play.

 

Bill's dad, Ron, had the right idea for a head warmer, which doubled as a fashion statement. He bought his bonnet from a little shop where the hats were handmade.

Of course, once we made it back to Maine, we left a little time to indulge in some great "Downeast" seafood. We highly recommend the Lobster Diavolo at Portland's Street and Company. Delicious!