What's Up With The Wheelers: September 2023

For our last full day in Quebec, I took Annika out for a morning scavenger hunt to find all of the public art. Turns out canned soup is for the birds!

From a distance we thought this art piece was a play structure, but it turned out to be 2D. Entitled "The Era of the American Dream," it was meant to explore the idea of how things aren't always quite like they appear.

Staring eyes everywhere. A funny joke, or is Big Brother watching?

More than just a temporary exhibition, this sculpture and wavy waterway honors the nautical history of Quebec City.

While easy to miss, AnonyMouse was one of my favorite exhibits. Standing only 12" high, it explored the hidden world right at our feet.

These concentric circles were probably the most impressive art installation. Seen up close, they look like tinfoil or silver paint randomly adorning the buildings. When viewed from the right angle, the interlocking circles suddenly pop out, creating this magical optical illusion.

Other fun art: a solid tractor, jet ski, and jeep--none of which is likely to move.

And of course, being Quebec City, cannons. Always more cannons to climb.

A few more shots of the city.

Tough place to make deliveries!

Back to the art, with "They Whisper" you could hear the crows telling tales as you passed through the alley between buildings.

Running is worth the Pain. (Alas, the bakery was closed.)

Oh Québec, you large double bed. (I kind of want to see where Chat GPT would go with this...)

Remember back to when Christy created a walking scavenger hunt on the very first day? Well, we searched for a pet in a window but never saw one. On our last day, we finally met a hissing black kitty who came to the window to say hi.

Later that morning, we loaded up in the cars to drive to the Île d’Orléans. Foodie paradise, this enchanting island is filled with family farms that all produce local specialties, ranging from berries and cheese to chocolate and maple syrup. We could have spent days here sampling all the treasures. Charmante!

Artistry never tasted so divine.

Between the chocolate and the moody oceanscape, I'm totally reminded of Pete's Dragon.

Christy and Talia sharing a moment, having bonded this summer through their European travels.

The first shall be last! One of our first stops (after chocolate, of course) was to pick fresh blueberries at this little farm. Well, mostly the little kids picked. It turns out that the grownups weren't allowed to help the kids fill theirs. So many rules!

We took a few photos before being advised about proper procedure. This picture is a good reminder of God's tender mercies. Turns out I foolishly left my backpack (with my wallet inside) underneath the picnic table. We didn't figure it out until several hours later, but fortunately it was still there when I came back, waiting in a rain storm. Thus, our first stop was also our last! I'm SOOO grateful that we were able to recover it, even though it meant backtracking instead of driving the full loop that we'd originally planned.

Churches big and small (although I'm quite certain the first has been repurposed as a boutique.)

This farm was may favorite! They sold the creamiest ice cream made from goat's milk. Incredibly fresh, it didn't have the strong goat flavor that Jason dislikes. (Personally, I kinda like the tang--bring on the cheese in any form!) Delicious, albeit super messy, right Lance?

Balancing our dessert with baguettes, prosciutto, and a hard cheese. In other words, living the dream.

Plus, did I mention that you could pet the baby goats and hold the chickens? It really doesn't get more bucolic than this. Violet was definitely a fan.

Annika in similar pastoral bliss. Sometimes I wish we lived on a farm. This girl would thrive there.

Climbing a nearby tower to look out over the island farms.

Last but not least, the sugar shack! Can't leave Canada without learning how the maple syrup is made. Did you know that Canada as a maple syrup reserve that can accommodate up to 52 million pounds of maple syrup? Pretty sweet.

Back home for some play time, literally. A budding thespian, Ruby often recruits Annika into collaborating on theatrical compositions. If I remember correctly, this original work involved a couple of cats and dancing.

Game time with Grandma Susie for the big kids.

That evening we tried to go to the circus but it got rained out. Since we were already downtown, Annika and I were tried to share some of the art we'd found that morning as a consolation prize. This piece still blows my mind!