Well, kids, this w/be my last blog reporting my "Northeast Canadian/American Adventure"... I hope you have all enjoyed coming along w/me, have really enjoyed you being w/me, have immensely enjoyed your comments, emails, etc... I was hoping to extend my health insurance coverage (which expires at midnight, tonite) and travel on to D C, but I just am not feeling up to it, this flu has been a pain in the butt... I plan on doing the D C trip, hopefully not too far in the future... On Sunday, travelled over town to MoMA (Met. of Modern Art), standing in line, to get in, appr 2 hours in the pouring rain, along with hordes of tourista's... Have a feeling all of us were on the same page, to be inside on a windy, rainy day, guess that wasn't successful, huh?... Anywho, it was a wet cold wait which resulted in pretty much napping on the couch all day yesterday... Therefore, the item on my bucket list of attending, in living flesh, the ball dropping in Times Square, will have to be suspended until another year, begrudgingly, but think the decision is the best plan... I have been keeping an eye on the gathering @ T S., the temp., there, right now, is mid 20's with a lot of people already gathered, looks like everyone is having a blast!!! Since my residency is up @ 11:00 am tomorrow, I am flying out of La Guardia, tomorrow, early afternoon enroute Vancouver... I am so happy with this adventure, have met so many fabulous people, hopefully will continue the friendships that I have made in the east... I marvel, am totally in awe, of the fabulous country we live in, also the US... Everyone has been so helpful, also the New Yawkaws, ha!, I have so enjoyed my time in the big apple... So, everyone, wishing all of you a very happy, healthy and prosperous new year! Helen

Saturday, another sunny day, fairly warm, decided to travel over to Coney Island... Boy, definitely want to go back there in summer months... Gees, how many times will I need to come back here? All the shops on the boardwalk were closed for the season with the exception of Nathan's which has a few clock counting down to July 4th... On Saturday, 187 days, whatever number of hours, minutes and seconds, too cool! to the next hot dog eating contest, ya' gotta' wonder, huh? The latest numbers: 69 - a Joey Chestman; 45 - the woman's record, sorry, can't remember her name, all this in 10 minutes, if I have the info correct... I think I developed a stomach ache, just thinking about it, yuck! Headed over to Macy's to p/u a couple of souvenirs, even had dinner there, then home, sweet home... Another good day... h

to continue Friday... The High Line was referred to me by a New Yawka, so decided to try and find it... After great directions found it in the meat packing district, @ 10th & 16th... The high line was made from an abandoned above ground railroad, it reminded me of all the dykes/paths in the lower mainland... A fabulous idea, utilizing the structure already in existence... Even tho' it was a clear, cold day, many, many people out and enjoying! This will be another area that I would like to visit again... Heading uptown (I finally get it, uptown is Harlem/Bronx, downtown is The Financial District), etc... Boy, that took a while to understand, geeslouise! Also, while I'm doing some trivia, SoHo is south of Houston and NoHo is, you guessed it, north of Houston... By the way, Houston, NY is pronounced 'Howston', unlike 'Houston', Tx... Enuf said... After doing a healthy walk, went 'uptown' to W 56th to try to get into Patsy's, for dinner, made famous by Frank Sinatra... Was successful, also was over the moon! Fabulous food! aaaannnddd I got to meet 3rd and 4th generation of the family, who still owns the bldg and restaurant... I was made to feel very welcome by 'Sal' chef and also 3rd generation... He showed some recent pics of celebrities, as we shared memories of The Voice... Don't know how many of you know this but Patsy's opened up for Frank on various Thanksgivings to make sure he had a holiday meal... This happenin' is right up there with being able to attend the Letterman show... The food was excellent, service superior, an ahha moment! Quite full and satisfied, waddled off home... Footnote, bought a recipe book of the marvellous recipes of Patsy's, which included a jar of sauce that is currently in my suitcase which could be a very good idea, or a very bad one, but what the hell, I'm up for the challenge! Ha! 'til next blog... h

Hello everyone! It seems I am getting very lax at blogging, probably because I am not feeling very well, can't seem to shake this flu, don't have any energy, very annoying... Enuf said, again... On Christmas day, had a lazy day, was clear and cold, so in afternoon bundled up and took the Mtrain over Times Square, just because I could... Surprisingly enuf, it was just wall to wall people... Guess I am of the old school thinking a lot of people w/be with family/friends, obviously not... It was pretty cold so came home to start making my holiday meal, since I celebrated US Thanksgiving with chicken, decided to enjoy some ham/scalloped potatoes with carrots/broccoli, mmm good! A very different celebration but very enjoyable... Boxing Day did low key, I believe that is when I last blogged... Friday, wanted to re-visit The Freedom Tower... I did not realize registering online was necessary, so was unable to join the multitudes to visit the site... I had seen the site onboard the on/off bus as well as viewing it on CBS, This Morning, a mulitude of times, therefore decided to save that visit 'til the next time I in NYC, also the tower w/be open then, as well... to be continued...

On Monday, a very rainy day, headed off on the 7train, this apartment is sssoooo handy to get around, boy!! Decided to go to the Rangers game tonite, just in case I will not make it to a NJDevils game in Newark, p/u a ticket at Madison Square Gardens for the 7:00 pm game, then went over to Times Square for a late lunch... I had tickets for the 4:00 pm show @ Radio City Music Hall, was sssoooo excited, great seat, fabulous show!! I was way too emotional, sitting in the dark of the theatre, happy tears falling, thinking of how Aunt Jessie, mom, Aunt Myrtle and all those guys would have loved to see the Rockettes, et al... Sitting there enjoying so much, kind of feeling they were all with me, was just so thankful for having all those wonderful people in my life and how blessed I was that all of them provided me with such a great example to follow, here's hoping I have lived up to their expections... This is way too heavy, huh? Back to the show, just a fabulous show, fabulous! Then on to Madison Square Gardens, Toronto was in town... It was a really good game, Rangers winning by 1, after o/t, with a shoot out, final score Rangers 2, Toronto 1... That rink does not sell 50/50, found that interesting... It sure was a packed house, what with all the touristas in town... Then back to the apt... tomorrow Christmas eve, wow! A special Happy Holidays to all my followers, hope everyone has a great Christmas and a very Happy Boxing Day! 'til next time... h

Happy Boxing Day, everyone! Everyone is back working today, as you know Boxing Day is not a stat (or celebrated) here... Going back to Sunday, was really lazy - am getting quite good at it, too! Decided to plan a trip over to the Brooklyn Bridge to walk across it... It was a great day to do that, overcast and very warm... I think the high was 71°, beat previous record for the warmest day, first day of winter, wow! Really enjoyed the walk, bridge very crowded, obviously many other people had the same idea... After, took the MTA to the area where The Freedom Tower was, but the line up was too long for my timeframe so carried on to have an early dinner before the theatre... The site is still on my do list... Went to the 7:00 pm show of The Book of Mormon, hilarious! but the language, wow! It is very well done, packed houses, time after time, all ages... Hard to believe it is the story of two young missionaries sent to Africa to convert new people to The Book Of Mormon, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, very well done... I am very happy with my two choices of Broadway Theatre... All the actors, in both shows were new to me, would really recommend both Kinky Boots and this production, just be ready for interesting language in The Book of Mormon... Then home to my little apt... Great day! h

Gotta' tell you, the natives, I'm sure, have buggered off, leaving us touristas here... The crowds are unbelievable, most of the accents are European, Russian, and anything else, love the New Yawk/Jersey accents... All the shows are now on hiatus, definitely out of town!!! By the way, if any of you are planning on being in New York or L A, a site to obtain the free tickets is 1iota.com, just for the record... Also, for the record for you SNL watchers, when us touristas were on our tour, SNL people were rehearsing on the 8th floor, that would be Justin Timberlake, Jimmy Fallon, and all those fabulously talented people... After watching their Christmas episode last night, turns out Madona, one of the Gibbs, as well as the outgoing mayor, Michael Bloomberg were also in the show... It was good... I didn't mention why I didn't enjoy the NBC Studio tour, well, we pretty much just went into news rooms that were idle (Brian Williams', being one of them), just didn't feel it was worth the money spent - all a person saw was an unoccupied news room... Further thoughts - requested tickets for Katie Couric and Raechael Ray, wasn't successful on either one,I didn't try for The View or Kelly and Michael, not interested in either one anymore... Gotta' tell you, I do not have as much as even a little poinsettia, for Christmas, it's liberating! 'til next time... Merry Christmas...

Since I haven't been out and about the last few days, well yesterday, on my 1st day out in a while, more than made up for it, making arrangements for the next few, yahoo!!! Have I told you all how much I love being here? I have, geeslouise! 'Tis the truth! Getting back to arrangements, bought tickets for a studio tour of NBC studios @ Rockefeller Centre plus a separate ticket for Top of the Rock, for Saturday... On Sunday, plan on walking on the Brooklyn Bridge plus the High Line (no tickets required, just momentum), then have tickets to The Book of Mormen... On Monday, got tickets to the 4:00 pm show of Radio City Music Hall, (have been before, this is ssooo for me)! So far, that's it... Am hoping to go to the hockey game on Monday night, believe Toronto is on town, at Madison Square, but we'll see... As I am writing this on Saturday night, have done the NBC tour... Here's the thing... the studio tour, not really worth it, only my opinion, but seriously? What I really did enjoy? a fabulous building! my imagination going wild! Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Johnny Carson, SNL, and so many others, I mean really!!! They were all there!! They all walked the halls, such a fabulous building, so '30's, fabulous! Observation deck of The Rock, another thing... First of all, after being in a cold, snowy, yucky time weatherwise (good time to be sick, huh?), today was the last day of fall and it was 17 Celsius/63° (tomorrow, weather is scheduled to be even milder, suggested 66°, or better)... It was great to be at the top of the rock as dusk appr'd... Somehow, looking over at the Empire State Bldg. brought an unexplained feeling of peace... It was a very comforting feeling, seriously enjoyed being up there, definitely would rerecommend... to be con'd...

I am addicted to Times Square!!! Now you know, I am out of the closet!!! I don't know how many hours I have spent just looking... Everything is advertised there, according to one of the tour guides, if I remember the info correctly, anyone advertising costs $250,000. per 15 seconds any time within 24 hours of each day over 265/266 days per year and the customer does not say when it is shown... Now, you and I know money talks and it's not what you know, it's who you know... But you know what? I don't care about the politics, I just love being there, says this kid born in the late 40's in small town Saskabush, am in total awe!!! I have not been blogging this past week, have been down with bronchitis, coughing my brains out, seriously not caring about anything other than being quiet so as not to cough... Lost 5 days of new york time, enuf said... And another thing... New York is a beautiful city, it's just these clear bags of trash and the black garbage bags of trash that are curbside all the time on pretty much all streets... Have tried to reason out p/u days just from this neighbourhood, can't make any kind of schedule out, really gives a bad image, seriously don't want to imagine the place all this is taken to, yikes! to be continued...

Part II As the band came out, they were introduced, then Paul, everyone was really excited, then the big guy came out, we all went nuts!! He took a couple of questions from the audience, boy I wanted to ask one but thought better of it... Then the names of the guests were announced... Regis Philbin, really? seriously? My fav. late night and morning guy, seriously? I seriously don't know how I survived! I am still stoked! It was a great show, am so blessed of the opportunity! It will be broadcast this evening, guess who will be watching? ha! By the way, have been meaning to mention this, eastern north america is the land of revolving doors, they are everywhere! Gotta' run, laundry to do! I am only half way thro' my NYC time but am absolutely positive yesterday w/be the hilite!!! ABSOLUTELY!!! 'til next time...

Now, to Dave... For those of you that know me well, he's my late night guy! He is, the last guy I see, every week night, before going to sleep, ha! Excited, you know it! I didn't have to be at The Ed Sullivan Theatre 'til 3:30, so had a leisurely morning, going to the Olive Garden, on Broadway, for lunch late (had been told we would not be finished 'til 7:30ish)... I still can't believe I have been in the Ed Sullivan Theatre, watched that show religiously every Sunday night, gees that's where we saw EVERYONE starting out, huh? Lining up for the taping, spent a lot of time visiting with a couple from Pa., and also a couple from just outside of Seattle, cool, eh? None of us had been to the show before so as the excitement mounted we were all enjoying visiting... Then the big moment was upon us, I was hovering off the sidewalk by this point! After some young people "warmed" us up, getting everyone ready to be ready to laugh, clap with enthusiasm, etc., we were ushered into the theatre... It is totally AWESOME!!! I sat in the orchestra area, so from the stage, was in the right section, 4 rows from the stage, just one seat in from the aisle... Perfect seat!!! I sat with the people I had just met so it was so cool! to be con'd in part II...

After a quiet day on Tuesday, was @ Salon SCK for 9:00 a m on Wednesday to meet Clint (used to style at Zinc in Van.)... Very cool experience, I really like what he did, colour, style, very nice! Thank you, Noelle, for the reference... Over to the theatre district, a quick bite to eat, then into the Hirschfeld Theatre to see Kinky Boots... Thought of my cat a couple of times (for those of you that remember so many years ago, Kinky was my cat's name)... What a fabulous show!!! I cannot think of words that qualify for how absolutely wonderful the show was... If any of you have the opportunity, please do yourself a favour, see it! Wow, wow, wow!!! I had already made a reservation for dinner @ Sardi's... Decided to start by sitting at the bar, mostly men in attendance, doesn't intimidate me anymore, just plopped myself down and enjoyed a scotche... I met some very nice fellows, one in particular giving me some great suggestions for exploring the city... No, guys, did not 'meet' anyone... Dinner was great, so many charactures, sp? would loved to walk around checking them all out, interestingly enuf, there is a book recording all the names on the walls and Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Elvis are not included, funny, huh? Anywho, what an excellent day! Another tour of Times Square and home I trod, to dream, dream, dream!!! tomorrow, Dave, wow! h

Off to Staten Island on a very cold day with the white stuff in the forecast... I am getting pretty good at this subway planning, because before you know it, was in the waiting room for the next ferry... It is about a 20 - 25 minute crossing, was really cool to see the financial district of NYC from the water, as we sailed off... The Freedom Tower does just that, towers over all those sky scrapers... Once on Staten Island, went for a walk along the water, finally getting on the train, taking me all the way to Totterville... By the time we arr'd, the 1st snowfall of the season was well under way... With all the holiday lights in various yards, very festive! With accumulating snow, did not get off the train, would love to go back, perhaps this trip, or another time, definitely would like to see more of the island... As I stayed on the train, was back at the station in no time, a nighttime view of NYC as we sailed back... On Monday, decided to try Macy's again, gotta' get gussied up for the theatre on Wednesday and Dave, Thursday... Also had emailed my hair stylist, Noelle, for a reference for a hair stylist, she was able to give me one so just needed a killer outfit, ha! Well, was successful, feeling good about everything, waddled home... 'til next time... h

Good morning on a frosty morning... Way back on Saturday, went over to the Ed Sullivan theatre, applied for and got a ticket for the Late Night Show with David Letterman!! How exciting, just to be in the theatre where Elvis, the Beatles, Stones, Rod the bod and sssooo many more people debuted, Streisand, Carol Burnett, Wow! I feel sorry for people around me at times like that, just can't control myself! Fabulous, fabulous, fabulous!!! After, walked to West 57th between 11th and 12th to see the marquis, CBS News, where my favourite news show is done... No, I didn't meet Charlie Rose, ha! Actually it was pretty quiet... Because it was such a fabulous day, cold, bbrrr, but was dressed for it, went over to Macy's for a bite of lunch, wrong move on a Saturday!!! Zoo city, sardines, that's what we were! Called it an early day, having a quiet night! Staten Island tomorrow... h

Guess what? I have tickets for the Letterman show, this Thursday, the second taping for the day, therefore it will be shown the next day! Yahoo!! a slightly excited h!!!!!

I made it on time for the Brooklyn tour, boy, it really makes a good tour/bad tour on the strength of the guide, well, he was not so hot!! I enjoyed what he did tell us, which was just about the bldgs we saw... Enroute, there was a police incident, someone jumping off a bldg in finc'l district, lots of police activity, also in the harbour, scary! After roaring thro' Brooklyn, got back to starting point only to be shuttled to the Uptown tour which is Harlem, incl. museum row, which I hope to investigate perhaps next week... Enjoyed the tour, a lot about celebrities who once lived there or currently live there... Another beautiful, crisp, sunny day, great to be touring, especially in an open vehicle... Went downtown for something to eat, then back to where I was to catch the nighttime tour... Yes, I did 3 tours that day, by the time of the 3rd one, was a bit of a grump! Too much waiting around, mainly traffic related - a gridlock in Manhattan, lots of honking, that's for sure! Finally, home, yahoo!! On Wednesday, the day to move down one floor to the one bdrm I signed up for... Because of that, hung around 'til the landlord arr'd saying since I was all packed etc., they would move my stuff down, not holding me up, knowing I was going over for the tree lighting.too Off I trotted, getting pretty good at this subway thing... I wanted to get tickets for the matinee of Kinky Boots on Wed., Dec 11th and also made a reservation for after @ Sardi's, cheeky, eh? Can hardly wait... Want to go to Radio City Music Hall, also and perhaps another show, as well, we'll see! Wanted to have something to eat before the tree lighting, did that, then walked over for the tree lighting I never got to see the last time I was here... Started standing in the same spot 3:00ish, programming began at 7:00, tree was lit at 8:50... A long time to be standing, am rethinking New Years Eve, but, again, we'll see... Back to the tree lighting, all the while was standing with a mother and daughter over from the U K, on holidays, on my right were a couple from N. Carolina... I asked them if they knew Charlie Rose, they denied knowing him, ha! All of us had a great time laughing and talking... Can I say the time went fast, well, no, but it was so enjoyable, don't even know their names... Thank heavens, it was a dry day and very mild, we were very lucky... 45,000 lights later, it was done and totally awesome!!! Glad I hung in there, but boy, was it good to get back here... Yesterday, I took the day off, doing laundry and getting organised in my new digs, wish I could take this apt with me, sssooo cool! Went over to the grocery store, got the makings for a big pot of chili, mm good, now have some frozen for the days when hitting it hard holidaying... It has been raining all day, so have taken this day off, as well, that's why I have sent these blogs, getting up to date... So know you are all up to date and I have to go and have some dinner... stay well and happy! h

On Sunday, took the subway over to Times Square, I just love standing there and looking at all the glitz, fabulous!! Enroute, p/u tickets for the on/off bus, 3 days beginning tomorrow... I also walked over to the Ed Sullivan theatre, peeking in the windows of the doors... The show is on hiatus, most of the shows are... They are back taping week of Dec 9th, will be going around to them all, Letterman, Fallon, SNL, and any other shows I can think of, surely I will get in one, maybe two, am really hoping for Letterman! I also went over to Rockefeller Centre, plan on being @ the tree lighting on Wednesday, just so I know where I'm going... Back home I went, to get ready for my tours for tomorrow... Monday morning went on the downtown tour, Wall Street, Freedom Tower and all that... Really enjoyed it, can't think of any trivia to report, other than Freedom of Tower s/b open for business before year end... It was a cold, crisp sunny day, so fabulous for touring... Wanted to do the Brooklyn tour, as well, but was unaware it only had one tour @ 10:00 am... Spent the rest of the afternoon doing some window shopping, got something to eat, then walked over to Madison Sq. to p/u a schedule for the Rangers, want to see a game, perhaps 2, the Devils, Islanders, don't even know where they are played... After, finally had the opportunity of going up to the observation deck of the Empire State Building... Awesome @ nighttime!!! Again, really enjoyed the day, home for an early night, up early tomorrow for the Brooklyn tour to start my tours for the day... 'til next time... h

Some observations, a little late, on eastern Canada... Of all the hiways travelled, at times could have been on the Coquihalla (sp?), the hiway between Nanaimo/Parksville, Sea to Sky and on a transit bus in Fredericton I could have been on a street in S'toon, found comfort in them all... When the gorgeous coloured leaves had all fallen, there remained the Tamarac, whose needles had turned golden, about to drop... They really took up the slack for coloured roadsides... Tamarac trees are very abundant! On the other side of the coin are all the pampus grass that grow along the roads everywhere, so abundantly! I asked Nicole the name of them, she replied she thought they were weeds... Whether or not I have the name correct, will give you an idea what I am referring to... In the summer it must look fabulous everywhere with all those plumes, now not so much, looks like all of them were dipped in mud, not a good look, but seriously they are everywhere! The red brick and stone facings are everywhere in the east - love them! Really enjoy the low Apothic R/wine prices, yahoo! Really noticed a lack of RBC abm's, especially in Quebec, lots of Desjardines, that's for sure... For those of you that know me and my smaller and smaller living spaces, have really enjoyed seeing all those smaller houses, esp. in Quebec, bet they are really cute inside! All throughout the east noticed houses that did not have garages had metal forms with heavy grade plastic over the forms for cars... Nicole told me that they are allowed to be put up mid November, but better be taken down by mid April or the home owner would be ticketed... All in Quebec, the stairs to 2nd floors, and up, even in houses, were outside the bldg to save on space inside... That practice is no longer in effect but very interesting to see, saw a lot in old town Montreal... A lot of Ultramar and Irving gas stations, not too many of the ones we are familiar with... In New Brunswick saw lots and lots of Christmas trees bagged ready for delivery to the eastern USA... While in the bus or train, way over in the distance, saw crimson fields every so often, telling me a lot of low bush, wild blueberries and cranberries grew there, leaves had turned colour... Was really cool to finally see the St. Lawrence River, really big, awesome... A lot of the highway, we were skirting the US border, reminded me of Sumas prairie... I think that is all I can think of for Canada, I remain a very proud Canadian, we sure live in a beautiful country!!!

Happy Sunday from NYC... On a sunny, crisp morning... Macy's parade was great! All were concerned with the forecast of the winds, etc., but the 25th turned out to be cold, crisp, sunny and not too windy, therefore the parade happened... There must have been over a million people watching, amazing! For those of you that watched, did you see me waving? ha! The balloons were on a very tight tether, looked like the balloon characters were looking for coins on the street, ha! With all those people on the sidewalks, etc., when the parade was over, they were all gone in a flash, amazing! Probably because everyone was as cold as I was, couldn't wait to get going... When I was here in 2007, after the parade, there were hardly any restaurants/bars open, was surprised as to how that has changed, everything appeared open and full! Since I was so close, checked out the hotel I stayed in, at that time, it is still in operation, and Sharon, Becco and Don't Tell Momma are still there, and open, as well... After walking around enjoying, decided to go back to the apt., getting my dinner under way... It was mmm, mmm good... Yes, am enjoying my cooking again... Black Friday, did not go shopping, just stayed around the apt., going over and doing a load of laundry, chicken warmups and in general just laid low... Have been doing a lot of exploring so nice to get off the world for a few hours... Friday night on PBS was a concert performed in Brooklyn, probably in Sept/Oct., by Barbara Streisand, maybe some of you watched it, if it has not been broadcast yet there, is worth watching... Since I finished reading Dino (Dean Martin), the other day p/u Hello Gorgeous, early years of Streisand, which I am really enjoying... Yesterday, took the subway to downtown Brooklyn, cool opportunity to see where it all began... Am sure only seeing part of it, hopefully will investigate another area again before leaving... In Brooklyn found my r/wine - Apothic, and a bargoon, to beat, yeah! Oh, on Thanksgiving when investigating midtown, found my fav scotche - Glenmorangie @ 35.00, in Canada, double that price, geeslouise! After successfully getting back, decided to walk along the East River enjoying the view of midtown across the water... It was cold and crisp, having been sunny during the day... The Empire State Bldg was lit up in blue/white for Hannukuh, is that the correct sp? When returning, put on the TV expecting to find at least one hockey game, but no, lots of football... Today is another great day to be outside, so will head off to see what kind of trouble I can get into... Want to investigate what kind of tours available as well as the hop on/hop off bus... Had enough of resting, time to go out and see this city... 'til next time, stay safe h

Welcome to NYC.. This is fabulous!!! After arriving on Monday, met Margaret (owner), completed the paperwork, etc., kind of got settled, more importantly went and got coffee, bread, milk, etc for the morning... The grocery store is only a couple of blocks, wine/liquor right around the corner, laundromat just a block away, so like all the convience around me, especially with no wheels... The apt is very stark/simple/clean in lines, I like it that way, no ca-ca, very comfortable... Now I can say, I'd lived in NYC... I am stoked!!! Tuesday, went to the laundrmat, gotta' tell you, I feel reborn when all my clothes are clean, awesome feeling!!! After, went back to the grocery store to get some more groceries... Since I missed Canadian thanksgiving, am celebrating on Thursday with our USA neighbours but with a chicken dinner (instead of turkey) with all the trimmings, can hardly wait... My first home cooked meal, on Tuesday, guess?... (those of you that know me well will guess, I'm sure) yes, mac 'n cheese with coleslaw, yummy! with, of course, red wine to wash it down... Felt ssooo good to cook my own food again! I am having trouble finding my Apothic r/wine, no worries, I'll find it... ha! Gotta' tell you, I was really tired on Monday night, what's with that? Didn't get up very early Tuesday at all and was verrry happy to name my own hour, that's for sure... Today, had oatmeal, yahoo! mush! then headed off to explore the subway system over to Manhattan... By the way, I am in Long Island City, Queens, just on the other side of the East River... My address is 50th and Vernon, 546 50th Ave... Only one stop on the subway to Grand Central Station... Sweet!! Anywho, headed off this morning to 79th & Columbus, apparently the Macy's parade balloons were to be inflated, wrongo! When I finally arr'd there (went the wrong direction, just about ended up at LaGuardia airport - another Helen moment), enuf said... The balloons will be inflated just before the parade so hung around Grand Central Station, that is very properly named - love that building!! This took the whole afternoon, on a very sloppy day... Apparently, tomorrow is going to be a bbrrr day, still w/be going to the parade, can hardly wait... 'til next time, as I enjoy mac 'n cheese warmups... stay safe... h

Good morning, my last from Boston... Before I forget, the name of the Italian restaurant I went to Saturday night is Giacomos, strongly recommend it, just remember they only take cash, no reservations, opening @ 4:30 p m... Yesterday was definitely an ear muff day, brrr! Cold wind, bringing temp down seriously... Sunny, but cold... I took the T, 4th oldest subway system in the world... The Boston Philharmonic was performed in Sanders Theatre Memorial Hall, Harvard University, conducted by Benjamin Zander... The building is awesome, hope you look it up... Beautiful bevelled wood, was totally overwhelming, then the music began, Wow! Before the concert, conductor Zander hosted a pre-concert talk on the selections about to be preformed... I was on Harvard ground!!! I feel smarter already... The concert was outstanding, the guest, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Violin was amazing... Worth looking up, as well... When living on the north shore a few years ago had season tickets for VSO, really enjoyed them as well so will have to get back into it... Violin music is my favourite, with fiddle music, a close second, really enjoy the strings... A little culture never hurt anyone, right? I don't mean to downplay the concert of yesterday, at all, it was fabulous in fabulous surroundings... Can't remember how many standing o's they got, just fabulous!!! Oh, when I 1st arr'd, when buying my ticket, since probably this will be was going for the best seat in the house which was in the 100.00 range only to learn that "rush" tickets are available for seniors which are discounted by 92.00, that's right, my ticket cost 8.00 and I had the best seat in the house! Sweet, huh? with my subway ticket for the day of 5.00, the total for one of the best days so far, 13.00, gotta' love it... After a chilly walk back to the subway, stopping in the hotel restaurant for a bowl of chili, was excellent... A great day... So this morning off to NYC via Amtrak... Look out Charlie Rose, here I come, ha! 'til next time... h

Happy Sunday... Yesterday was cold, crisp and sunny, perfect for a tour of the harbour! Again, lots of history, good tour guide on board... Then off to the TD Garden... Yes, the Toronto Dominion Bank is certainly gaining ground in the U S northeast... Have been watching TD stock, they are doing quite well... When I first got to the Garden, walked all around the level, taking in all the pictures, memorabilia, felt great to be there... Carolina was in town... I had great seats, very nice people sitting next to me... Boston won in o/t, 3 - 2... I am experiencing something of a hat trick... When in Toronto went to a game between the leafs and the oilers, leafs won, can't remember the score, sorry, then in Montreal, the Minnesota Wild were in town, Habs 6 Wild 2, yesterday Boston won, so may have to merchandise my luck, ha! Anyway, the fans sure went away happy... From there explored Little Italy, old town Boston, cobble streets, the works! Found a good restaurant with a long lineup, for the life of me, can't remember the name, but you can't argue with a lineup, had probably the best pasta since my adventure began... Since I was on my own, invited 3 people to join me, a young male student from Korea, 2 young ladies from Boston (the one is living in L A, but here visiting), we had an Int'l table... After eating, wandered into a pastry shop having my 1st ever Canolli, sp? w/expresso, anisette, felt very Italian, for the moment, ha! There was a tree lighting close by in Fanieul Sq, hope that is the correct spelling... It is a Canadian tree from Halifax, N S... The story is, heard this during a tour of Halifax Harbour, in the early 1900s, two ships blew up in Halifax harbour, lives were lost, etc, bad, bad marine incident... Well, our neighbours in Boston were 1st to respond, helping immensely... Halifax has been sending a huge Christmas tree to this city every year since... The tree lighting is a big deal and what Canadian wouldn't attend? I was proud to be there amongst the throngs, good practise for Times Sq., huh? Home to the hotel and a quiet rest of the evening... Tomorrow, Boston Philharmonic matinee... Hope everyone is well... 'til mañaña (just found out how to do that - small minds, huh?, ha!) h

Reporting from Boston... This is a beautiful hotel! It is the oldest (longest running) hotel in north america... In the dining room is where JFK proposed to Jackie, also where his bachelor party was held... Very many Kennedy connections, that's for sure... It is an interesting weekend, to be sure, to be here... Lots of items on T V and the media commemorating the 50th anniversary of JFK's death... This a m made arrangements for transportation to NYC first priority... Will be travelling via Amtrak on Monday to begin my 37 day residency, can't believe it is here so fast, really enjoyed my time in eastern Canada... I purchased a ticket for the hop on/hop off bus... It was a perfect activity for today because it has been showering off and on all day... I really enjoy history, anecdotes and the like, ssoooo much history here, wow! I love Boston!!! Got off at the Cheers stop, no one knew my name! ha! I still can't believe I was there... Do you know what I had? Boston baked beans, were yummy! Last night in the hotel restaurant, had Boston Clam Chowder and for desert, Boston Cream Pie... This hotel (or the chef at the time) is the inventor of Boston Cream Pie as well as Parker dinner rolls, who would have thunk? Walked back to the hotel, enjoying the view of all around, so much history... Right beside the hotel is the very first church, grave yard, all is overwhelming... Back at the hotel, there is a scotche tasting bar so tasted a couple of my favourite - Glenmorangie... Very interesting... An early night, going on a harbour tour tomorrow, then to a Bruins afternoon game, so a little T V time will do it... 'til next time, lovin' Boston! h

This is going to be my last day in Quebec and have arranged a tour... I was picked up at my hotel, then we were off... It was a 3 hour plus tour on a crisp, clear day... All around the city, old town included... We also saw bldgs from 1967 Expo as well Olympic Games in '76... I just love tours, so much info, history, showing us different parts of the city... My fav. was Notre Dame, absolutely amazing... So many of the bldgs we saw were the first built in Canada, overwhelming! Celine Dion was married in Notre Same... After the tour, took the Metro over to Schwartz's, for some Mtl smoked meat... A very popular place, @ 4:30, lined up out the door... Gotta' tell you, not my kind of sandwich, 2 - 3 inches of sliced pastrami, too much for me... The young fellows sitting next to me at the counter, each had 2 sandwiches, oh, to be young again... When I was paying, the cashier told me if Celine and Rene (he owns it) call by, they usually p/u the tab for all in the restaurant, cool, huh? Back home to my little room for an early night, tomorrow is a travel day by Greyhound to Boston to stay at Omni Parker House, Hotels and Resorts... Stay tuned from Boston... h

How time flies?!? As tomorrow dawns, my Canadian eastern adventure draws to a close, it seriously saddens me as this adventure has far exceeded my expectations... On Monday, after mailing yet another box of clothes, momentos, etc., back west to Judy, Nicole drove me back to Montreal... I know I am repeating, but so enjoyed my time with Nicole and Brent, a fabulous family, made me feel very much to home... I am happy in this hotel, Montreal Downtown Hotel Europa, very central to everything... The reason I am telling you the name, I know some of you are following the b & bs, hotels, etc... The day progressed to be a frustrating day, interesting people in Montreal, they, or some of them, are wound way too tight, don't even think it has to do w/language, enuf said... This city is very different from Quebec City even tho' both cities have "old town"... Very much cosmopolitan... Tuesday was a cold, crisp, sunny day, perfect for investigating old town, successfully trying the metro (sky train/Canada line)... It is pretty easy, straight forward... I love the cobble stones, narrow roads, winding their way thro' old town, lots of restaurants, souvenir shops, etc., all with the Christmas feel... I went in Notre Dame Basilica, fabulous, took 40 years to complete the interior, awesome! I even saw the odd flake of snow - super! After an afternoon of investigating, had worked up a thirst, ha! so went to a sports bar for some pre-game food, and wine, of course, before my 1st ever Montreal Canadiens game @ Bell Centre... The Wild (Minnesota) were in town... Even tho' this is not The Forum, they have tried their best to transfer all the nostalgia and history, they have succeeded, really enjoyed reading all the plaques, seeing all the pictures/momentos... The game was successful for The Habs, Go Habs Go... Habs 6, Wild 2... Everyone went home happy... That's it for today... Keep smiling'... h

Just to let you all know... If you emailed me last night or today and I don't answer, my webmail was down... It is up now... h

Nicole arr'd. in the a m and we headed out to Ormstown... As we travelled thro' Montreal, I enjoyed seeing the city in the daylight, sunny, mild day... Really good seeing her once again... Nicole very kindly had invited me to her house for the weekend, great to meet Brent, hubby, as well as visit with Meredith (daughter), also met their youngest daughter, Daphne at lunch after we arr'd... I met Nicole and Meredith in St. John's, Nfld, we were all staying at the same b&b... In St. John's, Nicole and I spent a lot of time together, hitting it off right away... Meredith was attending a conference, so Nicole had the time to investigate the city with me... I have really enjoyed visiting with them, a really great family... Brent still works, a vet. with the provincial gov't., Nicole took early retirement from a gov't job, and is enjoying life very much... Ormstown is a town of appr 3500 pop., deep in ag. country, mainly crops of corn... Nicole and I walked thro' the town, originally settled by the english, now both french and English... I envy their life, seem to really enjoy, as well as living in a lovely home... Very nice people, have certainly made me feel welcome... It is so good to be enjoying a weekend off from traveling as well as getting my laundry done... Tonite, Sunday, am being allowed to cook, so am really looking fwd to that... Guess what I have suggested? yep, mac 'n cheese, comfort food, hope I haven't forgotten how, yikes! stay tuned... h

Happy Sunday, everyone... Friday was a travel day, enjoyed the countryside while traveling to Montreal with Via Rail... There was even a special rate, aside from being senior - yahoo! By the way, Donna and Dan, passed by cranberry fields, they had been harvested, thought of you, hope harvest went well in Richmond... Also, was traveling in corn country, lots of corn fields, both harvested and unharvested... After registering @ The Quality Inn, went out for a walk, very mild, no precipitation, but very much rush hour... I know it sounds weird but could have sworn I was on Georgia St. in downtown Van... Mtl does not resemble Van at all, just a weird moment, I guess... Found an Italian restaurant, oh, that even carried my favourite wine - sweet, then back to my little room... I am looking fwd to exploring the city, hopefully even take in a habs game... My friend, Nicole is coming to pick me tomorrow morning to drive me back to Ormstown ('bout an hours drive) for the weekend, looking fwd to seeing her, once again... to be continued... h

A few observations, by a westerner on the eastern citizens... I have noticed there seem to be more people smoking here than out west... When in Nfld, any time I asked anything about history, geography, etc., always got a different story, decided that it really didn't matter what the actual story was, the person explaining was so passionate, it was all good... A friend, following my blog, exclaimed how she would have liked to go to the Maritimes, but never had the opportunity, well, I have, but am fairly certain I just covered the high points... I would dearly love to go in the summer, especially to P E I., as well as Cape Breton... Truly the Maritimes require summertime and a car to truly appreciate... Feel blessed for the time I did have there... I have discovered Cape Breton and Nfld are all about music and singing... I also have discovered my love of violin music as well as fiddle music, just love it! A bus driver told me (after discovering a big difference in gas prices between New Brunswick and Quebec) that in Quebec there are more taxes on gasoline, but not so much on booze and cigarettes... By the way, the locals pronounce Quebec - Kbec... I have met people in all the provinces I have visited that are passionate and proud of where they live... I have had Atlantic Salmon, gotta' say, can't tell the difference between it and pacific... Enjoyed lobster, actually have "lobstered out"... While on the site of Anne of Green Gables, was told by the tour guide that Lucy M Montgomery took her own life, which really saddened me, all that talent... And lastly, am sssoooo looking forward to being able to cook my own meals in NYC, can hardly wait... Finally, especially to Gwen, I MISS MY GATEWAY!!! I have seen far too many commercials, ha! That's it for now..

This will be my last night in Quebec City, darn... Golly, I have enjoyed this hotel, this city, the people I have met... I'm sure the guys in the bar have not been charging me for all the scotche and wine I've been drinking, don't know why, but very kind of them, that's for sure... Everything is so much more expensive in hotels like this, really appreciate any break at all... Speaking of which, the Frontenac is undergoing a major renovation, that's why my rate is so low... Even tho' my room faces the St Lawrence River, it is covered on the outside with thick plastic, a tear in it allowing me to see the boardwalk along the river a little... Enuf said... Today it was warmer, above freezing, ear muffs not required... I took this opportunity to go down to lower old town... The powers that be, are half way thro' transforming the autumn theme into Christmas theme... Lots of real pine trees gaily decorated with lights, beginning to look a lot like Christmas! Lots of shops, really enjoyed the afternoon... Will be a quiet evening, then off to Montreal tomorrow afternoon... Hope everyone is well... h

Here it is, Wednesday already, Bonjour... On Monday, did find a Remembrance Day service, just thro' the gates from old town... The service was held at the cross at the entrance to the Plains of Abraham... I have yet to explore, has been snowing on and off all week, making for icy steps, but plan on going over this afternoon... The service was well attended, it was not snowing, but a bit of a very cool breeze, brrr... I met a couple attending, husband a vet, participating, the wife to watch... She and I stood together, I didn't understand a word of the service, but she explained anything I asked... There was a 21 gun salute from a real cannon, slow process because of re-loading, etc, so asked my new found friend the French words for each number... For the most part, knew the words during that service, my accent sucked, now could not repeat any un of them... I marvel at all the people that can go from speaking English to French in a heartbeat... I very much enjoyed my time at the service, over too quickly... Then on to being a tourista again... This is such a beautiful city, love the buildings, not so much the steep hills/steps... The last couple of days have been exploring, enjoying immensely, yesterday pulled out my ear muffs, went walking in the snow... Rosey cheeked, am I... The friend I made in Nfld lives in Quebec, she told me to call when I arr'd, touched base w/her the other night... I am leaving this city on Friday, traveling via Via (couldn't help myself, ha!) to Mtl, she will p/me up on Sat., to stay w/her and her hubby o/n, she said so I can use her washer - what a friend, huh? Well, guys, going to go out and play in the snow... Stay well and happy...h

Bonjour, mon amí... 'tis the happy adventurer from old town, Quebec City, in the snow, yes it is falling, started thro' the night... The hotel I was in, Auberge dú Trésol, just didn't do it for me, long story, so googled hotels in this area to find a new one... It just so happened Chateau Frontenac, a Fairmont hotel, was offering "Christmas in November" at a rate not too much different than where I was, so since there was no penalty in checking out of Auberge early, did so right after breakfast... The Chateau is right across the square, so thro' the snow, pulling my bags behind me, off I went in search of new lodging... I am so happy I made the change, a lot better accomodations... This afternoon, while having a bite to eat, watched thro' the window, all the people enjoying the first snowfall... The snow looked a lot like we get out west, very wet, probably will finish with rain, we'll see... I will feel all snug as a bug tonite, tomorrow will be a different story as I plan on attending a Remembrance Service when I find one... Then the investigating of this beautiful city begins... Golly, as I sit in the lobby "blogging", surrounded by beautifully decorated Christmas trees, seeing the snow fall outside, feel very blessed, indeed, that I am so fortunate as to be able to take this eastern adventure... By the way, on my bus trip yesterday, one of the towns we passed thro', Hartland, has the longest covered bridge, almost a kilometer long, what a bonus to be able to see it... We went through another town, Florenceville, I think the name is, and saw another one, shorter, but am really happy I saw them... Great to be able to see the country... Stay tuned... Adieu, sp?

Good day everyone... Friday was a cultural afternoon, took in some art museums and the like, it actually snowed a few flakes, didn't amount to anything, but the beginning of things to come... Quite chilly, especially with the wind, but the sun was trying to stay out... Got my bus ticket to Quebec City, had a bite to eat, then took a cab to St Francis Asissi (sp) Church for the Newfie Kitchen party... It was presented by the church, well attended by congregation and friends... I really enjoyed it, again meeting very nice people, sat at a table of 10... A kitchen party is a gathering of friend/family, in kitchens (surprise, surprise), which involves lots and lots of singing... All the songs sung, were old standards of Nfld, sung by the cast of the show... One of the presenters used to live in Nfld 'til recently, and arranged for a couple of vocalists, still living in Nfld., to come over to Fredr'n to perform... We were even served lunch, bar was open and a good time had by all... On Sat., got packed up, again, caught the Maritime Bus, early afternoon, arriving in Quebec City 11:00ish (P M), that is... A long day, but enjoyed the trip... I know I have mentioned this before, but that is a good company, good trips and friendly helpful people... 'til manana... h

Well, already today is Friday, tomorrow I am on the bus again to Quebec City... I have calmed down from the excitement of booking my stay in the big apple... To bring you to date from, Wednesday, I believe... Unfortunately have been spending a lot of time on my tablet with NYC details, plus w/stocks... You know me, there was an IPO (initial public offering) for Twitter, wasn't successful, but them's the breaks... Yesterday it was a rainy, sloppy day here, but off I trotted, have gotten to know the bus routes (am staying uptown, requiring either a bus or taxi)... Did some sight seeing yesterday aft., looking fwd to the Opening Night Gala Film... I have never participated in a movie premier so was really looking fwd to it... The 13th Annual Silver Wave Film Festival is on this weekend, Nov. 7 - 10... The 1st film is called "All the Wrong Reasons", starring Cory Monteith (and was dedicated to him), Kevin Zegers (for those of you that watched "The making of the Titanic" TV mini series - he was the young hunk), Karine Vanasse (she was the cute little French girl in "Pan Am")... The writer/director is from here, Gia Milani... The film is very good, one of the films winning ?? @ TIIF... FYI, the film is being shown in Van., currently - worth seeing... It was shot locally and the film community here is very proud of it... Again, met some really nice people, made some more g/friends, was nice to sit with them, visiting, all the while... After was a reception/gala, gala due we were all invited to at the Crowne Plaza Hotel... It was a very enjoyable night, felt like a "high mucky muck, ha!" Now as I bring you all up to date, will head off shortly to go and buy my bus ticket to Quebec, do a little more site-seeing, then tonite am attending a Newfie Kitchen Party, can hardly wait... FYI have already booked into Auberge du Tresor, old town Quebec City, so talk to you from there... Stay safe... h

Yesterday was the day I wanted to get serious with lodging in NYC, after all time is marching on... Too easily I found an apt in Queens, 5 min from Times Square, or so the ad says... Many emails later, was lucky enuf to find something for the whole mo. of Dec, having a 2nd look, found that the apt is available from Nov. 25th to Jan 1st... Long/short, the previous tenant will be pro-longing their stay due to work so David (my landlord) is putting me in a 2 bdrm 'til the tennant leaves... Here are the links: http://www.citysonnet.com/east/blue.html ( 9 nights) http://www.citysonnet.com/east/white.html ( 28 nights) Info on the neighbourhood: http://www.citysonnet.com/east/lic_photos.html http://www.citysonnet.com/east/lic_links.html All last night, didn't sleep 'cause I was worried but this is thro' vrbo, have filled the reservation form, given my Visa, so it better be legit... Am I excited, you betcha'! I will be able to see Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, plus spend Christmas in New York and be in Times Square to see the ball drop, bringing in 2014, yahoo!!! All of you know you are welcome to visit... David has said that for every person visiting, it is a $20.00 bill, so if any of you are up for it, will only cost you $20.00, plus whatever booze you want... Food, we can talk about when you are here... But you are all welcome, absolutely!! It will be on a 1st come, 1st serve... Let me know as soon as you can, if interested.. Yahoo!!! stay well... h

Here we are on Wednesday, already, still in Fredericton, yesterday was a 'tablet' day, catching up on a lot of things... I did go out, again, for a long walk, ending up at a shopping center to buy my winter boots... Yes, with the amount of studded tires I am hearing on the road, soon will be time for my ear muffs, toques (can hardly wait for toque hair, ha)... All in all, a pretty mellow day, and a pretty much sleepless night, you know why, I AM GOIN' TO THE BIG APPLE :-) to be continued..

Further to the tide I witnessed on Monday a m in Moncton, forgot to mention the river's name, which is Petitcodiac River, flowing through' Moncton... The Rodd lists the low and high tide times each day... What I witnessed was the low tide, very dirty water, the wave was appr. 1' high, yes I was impressed, that's for sure...

On Monday, had a great bus ride to Fredericton, but have tell you 'bout the tide... When I 1st arr'd in Moncton on Friday, had dinner @ The Tide & Boar, wondering what that name was all about, well, finally on Monday morning, before departing The Rodd, found out what it was all about... The Rodd is on the river where this all takes place, cool, huh? The boar part is easy, think at one time, pig farming was all important in the Maritimes, but like the grain farms in the prairies, pretty much a thing of the past, too expensive for the young to start out, sadly... Anywho, back to the tide... All weekend had heard 'bout this one wave twice a day, low tide/high tide... Being very skeptical, but wanting to believe, thought, gotta' see this... So, made sure I was available Monday morning @ 9:53, allowing 20 min either side, sure enough right after vveerrryyy calm water, this wave appeared, gotta' tell you, had I not witnessed it, wouldn't have believed it... After the wave went through, the water was very fast flowing with several undertows, etc... According to the hotel, Calif. surfers came up to surf this wave this summer, Carrying on, after the bus trip on Monday aft., arr'd in this province's capital on another sunny, but brrr cold day, at Howard Johnson's, Plaza Hotel in Fredericton... This is one of the cheapest I have stayed at so far, on my adventure, but very suited to my needs... Namely, price - all important, onsite laundry facilities, close to everything, feeling very well taken care of, in a room with a king sized bed, geeslouise, life is good, ha! So, 'til next time, gotta' go for dinner, talk Manama, dude... h

Happy Sunday... Great sunny day, but, below zero, not mentioning the wind factor... Really wanted to see the Hopewell Rocks, but again, past tourista season, sssoooo after brekkie, walked over to the Avis car rental, rented a car to take me to the rocks... First, made arrangements to take the bus tomorrow to Fredericton... Next on the agenda, drove south to the Hopewell rocks, did that, tide was high... Decided to drive on to Alma, had been recommended for great food, therefore enjoying the best corn chowder with home baked roll, then apple crisp, seriously? Wow! On the way back to Moncton, actually drove through' a covered bridge, viewed another, but it had been quordened (sp?) off because it wouldn't be able to support a vehicle any more... Had a great day, bright sunshine, good little car, back in my little room, 'til manama, dude, then I'm off to Fredericton by bus for my next adventure, yahoo! stay tuned :-) h

Golly, I have had just THE best weekend in Moncton, really, really enjoy being here! This hotel supplies "hot" breakfasts, cool huh? enjoyed brekkie, which got me off fairly early Sat... Luckily went into a gift shop close by, owner an ambassador for Moncton... Without her help, this visit wouldn't have been nearly as enjoyable :-) Says she, there is a weekly Saturday market which is huge in area, I went amd it is, reminds me of Granville Island, same quality... Very nice! There just happened to be an Int'l Wine Festival in town, which I could not resist... Travelled over by bus, gotta' tell you the bus drivers here are much different, people actually wave to them from the street and the driver knows everyone by name, totally different, which begs the question; which came 1st, the rude bus driver or the rider who just won't take it anymore, what do you guys think, gotta' tell you, I was impressed! Got to the Colosseum, paid my entry and was amazed, this wine tasting began @ 1:00, ending 4:00ish, there was everything worn, After 5:00 to jeans... Very interesting!!! I really enjoyed, hit every champagne/sparkling wine kiosk in the joint plus very, very uptown appies... The whole afternoon was very sweet! Certainly got my money back, from my consumption of both, teehee! After, everyone there were transported back downtown free of charge, drinking and driving, et al... The lady in the gift store, you know me and names, geeslouise!, also told me of a dinner theater, within walking distance and very reasonable... I attended and was sssoooo much fun, fabulous, fabulous entertainment! The theater was a satire on a Newfie Kitchen Party, which I have yet to experience (hopefully a Fredericton experience, which, if I do, will share). We were all so well taken care of, entertainment was fabulous, food also fabulous, also sitting with a great crew of people, had a great time... The name is McSweeney's located @ 700 Main St., Moncton, absolutely worth it! Then, home to bed... A very happy day! 'til mamana, dude! h

Here I am again, from Moncton, N B... Today was very interesting and very much an adventure :-) First, I really enjoyed staying in the Aloha Guest House in C'town... The house I was in, really reminded me of my North Van house that I loved so much... Kelti's house is much older but all the character took me back to my ESL hosting days, to be sure! Took a cab to Maritime Bus to take me to Moncton... It was very stormy all night, 60 - 80 k winds and rain, but very warm, the storm is from the southern US... We got to the Conf. Bridge only to find out our shuttle bus was too high, exceeded 7 1/2', therefore we all had to be transported over the bridge in smaller vans... Apparently, when the winds exceed 60k, higher vehicles really rock and roll on the high part of the bridge, especially the semi's, that by now were lined up on both sides of the bridge... The shuttle bus was full, 28, in all, so all were concerned to make their connections whether they be by bus, train or plane... We waited over an hour for these vans, stormy weather, really windy... Finally, the vans showed up and we were off... The waves on the water were white caps, the wind was fierce, very exciting, but very safe... I sure do like that bridge, wow! We tsfd to a bigger bus on the other side and literally fish-tailed ourselves into Moncton... For some reason I liked the feel of Moncton right away, relief??? don't know... It is still windy... My hotel room is very nice and is downtown... I am staying at The Rodd, Moncton... Tomorrow, will be an investigating day, for sure... Hope you all had a Happy Halloween! Stay safe... h

Good evening from Moncton, N B... Just got back from having a bite to eat and had a very interesting, and good, salad... Thought I would share... The salad included oven roasted root vegetables.. Maybe you guys already use this as a different slant but this one is new to me... The root veggies were oven roasted in, olive oil, which were cubed carrots, turnips and beets... The lettuce part was a spring lettuce combination tossed with a shallot dressing... I didn't taste onion, but it was really good... With the holidaze coming and all that left over turkey and gravy, this salad with be such a nice compliment for a hot turkey sandwich... Thought you might find this one interesting, sure was good... bon appetit... h

On Monday, bright and early, was at the bus (8:00 a m) for my bus ride to Charlottetown... Beautiful day for the trip... caught it in Sydney, chg'd busses @ Truro, again @ Amherst, then on to C'town... An all day deal, arr. in C'town 5:00ish... Gotta' tell you, the Confederation Bridge is AWESOME!! I could not drive over it alone in a car, but in the bus, fabulous!!! Massive, close to 13 k. Certainly got my attention! Like I previously mentioned, am at The Aloha Guest House, very nice, Kelti (female) owns the house by herself and has it fixed up very nice... I am in the Rosewood room... Yesterday, was really tired, don't know why, but got my laundry up to date, geez, that is a good feeling... There was a concert last night, or there was s'posed to be, according to The Buzz, (rag showing the mo's events)... To attend involved a cab ride, when the time came for the doors to open at the venue, no one was there, again off-putting... I actually emailed the website when getting back, you guessed it, by cab... A ceildgh (sp?). was scheduled, really like the music but was not to be grr! I think that is why I have not posted my blog, too many things have been going wrong, or, not happening at all... In Halifax I rented a car to drive up to Peggy's Cove, et al, what s/b a $78.00 chg. turned up on my Visa as $193.92, so have Visa disputing on my behalf, that happened yesterday too... Enuf said... As the tours seem to be over everywhere I have visited, hired someone on the side today, cab driver to be precise, that drove me to the northern part of the island... Fabulous shoreline, beautiful sunny day, really enjoyed the tour... The red soil is so cool! Luckily, the house/estate of Ann of Green Gable's was still open, the last day of the season is today.. Really enjoyed the site, very well done... That pretty much brings you up to date... Interesting weekend, some good and the 1st bad experiences I have had in the month I've been on the road... Tomorrow it is on to Moncton, by bus - across that neat bridge again :-) Stay well... 'til next time... h

Happy Halloween, everyone... there are little ghosts and goblins coming to the Aloha Guest House's door in Charlottetown, PEI... Scarey!!! 1st I should bring you up - to-date:-) Sunday, in Sydney, was a rainy miserable day, thought I lost my "brellie" twice, ha! Luckily there was a huge craft fair downtown, out of the weather, that was interesting, after that a concert nearby in The 55 Club, yes, a seniors club... Actually it was very good, met new people, and was even served lunch, yeah! ha! Sunday was mellow, pretty much, not too much happenin' in Sydney... Apparently the weekend before the Celtic Colours were held in the city, just missed it, darn... The tour that was supposed to happen on Monday, didn't, which left me in a foul mood... The fellow said he would let me know if he couldn't make it, well, he didn't, very off-putting!!! By the way, did everyone see The Good Wife? Interesting turn of events, huh? Even tho' it was interesting seeing how people in Sydney live, it is a pretty mellow town... Really wanted to tour Cape Breton, do the trail and such, that's what was supposed to happen on Monday, without that, and the weather being what it was, 3 days was enuf... On to P E I... h

Friday was a travel day, traveling on Maritime Bus from Halifax, lv @ 9:00 am, arr. in Sydney about 4:00ish...  Again, a beautiful day to be traveling, sunny, but still enjoying the leaves...
I am in Royal Hotel, downtown Sydney, quite comfortable...  Pretty much just went out for something to eat, then called it a night...
This a m made arrangements for a possible tour on Monday of the northern part of Cape Breton, but not confirmed yet...  All the ltous have pretty much finished, also the weather has turned colder, but am happy to be here...  Very nice people, went to a local pub this aft to enjoy a ceildh (sp?) and several scotch, teehee?  Tonite a quiet night in for these old tired bones, ha!
Not much news today, just a mellow day:-)
'til next time...

Friday was a travel day, traveling on Maritime Bus from Halifax, lv @ 9:00 am, arr. in Sydney about 4:00ish...  Again, a beautiful day to be traveling, sunny, still enjoying the leaves...
I am in Royal Hotel, downtown Sydney, quite comfortable...  Pretty much just went out for something to eat, then called it a night...
This a m made arrangements for a possible tour on Monday of the northern part of Cape Breton, but not confirmed yet, as well as organizing a b & b in Charlottetown, when I arrive by bus on Tuesday...  All the tours, here, have pretty much finished, also the weather has turned colder, but am happy to be here...  Very nice people, went to a local pub this aft to enjoy a ceildh (sp?) and several scotch, teehee?  Tonite a quiet night in, for these old tired bones, ha!
Not much news today, just a mellow day:-)
'til next time...
h

If this Thursday, it must be time to go on another wine tour, but before that...
Since I still had the little red rental, drove over to Fairway Cemetery, having brekkie on the way...  Going over to view the grave stones of some of the Titanic victims...  The lady that raised me was from the U K, when her and her family were travelling to Canada, they were booked on the Titanic...  A businessman approached her dad offering to buy the ticket, her father agreed and the rest is history...  That and the fact that the 100th anniversary was last year, it picqued my interest...  By the time I got back to the hotel the wine tour group were waiting and off we went...  The tour was in the Anapolis Valley, which I wanted to see...  It was another beautiful day, sunny and the drive over and back was beautiful!  We went to 4 wineries, great group of people, also we had cheese 'n crackers at one of them...
After returning around 6:00ish, decided I would go out for my very 1st lobster dinner...  It was a lovely place, thing is, when the dinner plate was before me, I freaked!  The waitress, Laura, laughed, then helped me dissect the thing...  Felt like a weiner, but really!  Helped the youngen skin a bear, dear and have cleaned many fish but the lobster did it to me, yikes!  With Laura's help did manage to eat the legs, actually after I got used to it, wasn't bad..  Back in my married life, used to make Don peel any prawn shells for me but this was a whole new dimention...  enuf said, ha!
that was Thursday, stay tuned on Friday, as I'm off to Cape Breton, Sydney, Nova Scotia, to be exact, by Maritime Bus...
ttfn
h

Hello from Halifax...
This is a beautiful city...  Weather has been great, showing off the foliage that mains on the trees...  A lot of Tamarac, both here and on the rock...
I sure needed that "maintenance" day on Mon/Tues, have been hitting it pretty hard for these tired old bones, ha!
Wed., paid a visit to the concierge to see what tours were still available, not many, it turns out...  Before renting a car, took a stroll along the waterfront, having brekkie at a marketplace along the way...  Went through' the Maritime Museum, great display of Titanic items, then went on the Harbour Hopper, an amphibian vehicle, that firstly took us on a tour through' downtown, then right into the water for a water tour...  It was very cool!
Got back to the hotel to p/u the car, a red Tooooyota Carolla, goes like stink, ha!  I'm off to Peggy's Cove, fabulous day for driving, sunny, but oh, so beautiful!  The road skirts the coastline, reminded me of Sea to sky and Chuckanut, in parts...  Peggy's Cove is breathtaking, very baron, but beautiful...  I ventured on to Lunenburg for dinner, yes, had lobster, but salad together with a fabulous soup...
By this time it was dark, so took the fwy back into the city, and surprise, surprise, didn't get lost, yahoo!
Then home, James, great day!
'til next time...
h

Helloooo from my wittle woom in the Westin Nova Scotian...
Here I sit with my glass of Apothic r/wine, in Halifax, looking across the harbour at Dartmouth, as the 2nd cruise ship leaves, can't make out the name of the line...
but, to tell you 'bout my time on the rock...
Arr'd late Friday, 10:30ish...  My 1st encounter with native Newfoundlanders were 2 people in the airport, for the life of me, could not understand them, strong Nfld accent, thought that was cool - super welcoming, liked it a lot...
Cabby took me to my B & B...  40 steps up later, suitcases in hand, huffing & puffing,  on the top floor of a 3 story walk up, groan, got organized for the night...  When opening the closet, found what looked like a "body bag" on the floor, seriously laughed, thinking of all the cop shows we all watch, ha!  No strange dreams that night, tho' ha!
The B & B,  not because of that, turned out to be less than expected, it happens, so will carry on with the remainder of the weekend...
During the 1st brekkie, made friends with Nicole and her daughter Meredith..  Meredith was attending a conference, mom came along with her for some one on one time...  They are both from Mtl... As Meredith was in conf. all day, Nicole and I walked up to The Rooms, worth looking up, online...  We had a great visit in the museum, had lunch, then meandered on back to the b & b...
Sat. evening is when I went for screech...
Sunday, Nicole, Meredith and I had scheduled a city tour, which we did...  Our tour guide is a retired school teacher, com principal, passionate 'bout his hometown, fabulous as a t/guide...  Very informative, we all really enjoyed...  I can now say I have been on the most eastern point of all of north america and you know who I met there? a couple traveling, as I am doing, from Qualicum, Vanc. Is...  We couldn't figure out where the most western point is, is it Pacific Rim Park, Torino/Ucluelit (sp)???
A quiet evening, then outta' there at noonish on Monday...  All the tours are pretty much over for the season, weather is not condusive for too much of any travelling, so decided to carry on with my travelling, to Halifax, to be precise...
Enjoyed my time on the rock, may go back someday, but in summer mos., then maybe to Labrador, as well...
I am now in a super location, food/liquor store; laundromat; Via Rail right next door; (sent, already a box of summer clothes, souvenirs, etc) to my friend, Jude, to lighten the s/cases a bit, and am in "Irishtown" Halifax...  Got my laundry done and up to date, got the box off to Jude, so manama is when I plan on being a tourista and finding out all about this berg...
'til the next time...
stay well...
h

Screech...
I am covering the most important topic, am sure you are wondering what it tastes like, huh?
To be "screeched in" means:
On George St., party street central, downtown St. Johns, there are quite a few pubs that take hourly reservations starting @ 10:30ish p m for this process...  The barkeep pours shooters of screetch for all, saying nfld  sayings you are expected to repeat, then a cod has to be kissed - variation a piece of bologne (sp?), yep, baloney has to be eaten, then you shoot the screech...  Then you have been screeched in...  There are many variations of the process, but that is the one I understand is done...  Sometimes, a mint candy (yuck!) is in the mix...
No, I did not stay up for the process, too late for these old bones, plus the 2 ladies I met, one had already been screeched in, the other wasn't interested...
But, yes, I did a version of being screeched in, which was:  Walked over to George St on Sat evening, went into one of the bars, mentioned to my waitress that I came all the way from Van., to drink some screech...  She was a cute little girl by the name of Carrie, who brought me a shot, also brought one for her...  She said that it wasn't allowed to do your first shot of screech so we downed them in unison...  That was her treat!  Cool, huh?  I enjoyed that so much, had a few more but with coke...  What is screech, you ask?  It's Jamaican Rum, man!
How did it get it's name you ask?  Years ago, ships transported fish to Jamaica but had no cargo set to come back so it was decided to send rum back, very popular, so it became the custom...  The Americans were here during WWII, drinking, one pte swelled a big gulp, his Sgt walked in as he screeched, probably choking, I don't know...  The Sgt asked if he was all right, a buddy said he just screeched when drinking, hence the name...
h

Further thoughts...
I think since I don't know how to include pics, will try and give links of where/what I'm doing...
I am booked in to The Roses Heritage Inn in St. John's for 3 nights...  After that, haven't decided...
If you want to comment on any of my blogs, just hit the No Comments, should take you right in...
Thanx to you that have been e-mailing, good to hear from you and will get back to you in the next couple of days...  I miss all of you and hope everyone is well...
Gwen, the bus went downtown St. Catharine's yesterday, that's when I realized I had spelled it wrong, so forgive me...  Great to see where you once lived!
All of you know autumn is my fav season, well, I certainly have been enjoying all the thanksgiving/harvest dec's and now hall'o'ween, just can't get better than that, huh?  Also, the general population really have decorated with many, many huge garden mums, mostly in yellow and on a bright sunny day, to see so many splashes of yellow, awesome!!!
I think that is it for now, just about ready to board...
Talk at ya' from the rock - going to get me some screech, wa-hoo!
h

I am now at Pearson, hopefully I will get this finished before my flt.
While at the b & b, the 2 brkfsts were amazing...  Fresh fruit, home baked muffins, o j, coffee, of course...  Pancakes the 1sr day, fr toast w/bacon the second day...  Thursday mid-morning bussed back into the city, stayed @ The Met again, so handy to the bus terminal - sweet!
Walked over to the distillery area, very similar to Granville Island, even the area along Esplanade reminded me of G. I... Walked thro' old town, really enjoying the area, by then was time for dinner...  Early night, all this walking catching up with me, so it was t v night...
This is going to be a travel day, my feet 'n legs rejoice,ha!
Destination: the rock, aka St. John's Nfld...  I am excited, should get in there about 20:00...  The reason, have been keeping an eye on the weather forecasts, already in the single digits...  I have booked a guest ste hotel, will send the link in my next blog...
I am off to drink some screech, will let you know what it's like...
Stay well...
h

As I sit and wait for transportation to Pearson on Friday, let me tell you of my adventure in Niagara-on-the-lake, Wednesday...  After walking over to the bus terminal to purchase a ticket back to To. Thursday, caught a cab to N-o-t-l...  The driver's name is Esmile, nicknamed "Smile" for good reason, such a nice fellow...  The ride was a flat rate so after hearing this was my 1'st time to the area, he stopped at all the lookouts for me, even slid by a RBC ATM...  He dropped me at Jackson-Triggs winery and the tasting began...  Janet and I got to talking, she is very knowledgeable 'bout wine, she wouldn't take any money for the 4 I tried, very nice young lady...
After, walked into town, a longer ways than I expected...  Was led to believe the wineries were closer together than they are and since the skies were ominous, thought I would get in out of any moisture that might happen...
What a beautiful, picturesque town!  Again, the flowers just amazed me, have noticed lots of Boston Ferns, both on veranda's and inside...
Meandered along the street, having a lovely lunch, poked in the shops, spending the whole afternoon there...  Traveled back the same route, along Niagara Pkwy, very scenic!  In town went to, what the natives call the Las Vegas area, viewing both the CDN and us falls, boy, the corps have sure capitalized on that, even a humungous casino...
After a bite to eat, ventured back to the b & b, David even allowed me to do a load of laundry, bless his heart!  I probably blogged while doing laundry, then to bed...
I think my transp. has arr'd so, later dudes, ha!
'til next one...

A few observations, specially for my "greenhouse" gal pals, the flowers continue to amaze me...  The hanging baskets, container, window boxes, beds are all so beautiful, everywhere I have traveled...  Maybe it is all the humidity, but all appear to be at their peak (mid July, or so) not mid October...  I have enjoyed and am in awe, that's for sure...  Yesterday, noticed the city crew preparing the beds for winter, know it has to be done, but must be hard to throw all that beauty out...
Haven't noticed lately but last week gasoline prices were $1.17 to $1.22...  Not knowing Van.'s prices now, don't know if they compare, or not, but expect prices are a bit lower in Ont...
Comparing To. to Van, pretty much the same, just bigger...  The diversity is the same, that's for sure...  Between Ottawa/Toronto, my preference is Ottawa, maybe just because listening to French rather than all the Asian is a novelty? who knows?  I have really enjoyed my time in Ontario, that is for sure, very happy to be here...
Everywhere I have gone, met very nice people, oh, and the bonus of finding Apothic by the glass, sweet!!!
Enuf said...
back to the blogging...
h

If it's Tuesday, it must be the day to take the bus to Niagara Falls, well, that is just what I did...  We left at noon, only a 2 hr ride... Gwen, really enjoyed driving thro' St. Catherines, lovely area, very much wine country, thought of you the whole time...I had arranged a B & B online, so took a cab from the depot to Niagara Inn B & B, a lovely house, built 1863, decorated period...  My room is lovely, painted yellow w/white trim, bright, cheery and clean, with an ensuite...  After meeting David, dropped my cases, walked over to the falls, totally awesome, can't believe I have seen one of the 7 natural wonders of the world, wow!  Spent quite a bit of time just sitting and enjoying...  I have been walking a lot, so after getting something to eat, came home going to bed really early, sleeping pretty much 12 hours, felt good, that's for sure...  Tomorrow, Wednesday, taking a cab over to Niagara-on-the-lake to drink a little wine...
That's it for now, 'til next time:-)
Oh, a footnote, on Monday, had my picture taken with Lord Stanley's Cup, yep, me who hates having her picture taken, twice, too...  Yep, really liked the Hall of Fame..

Hi everyone...
Monday was a beautiful day, sunny and warm...  Just perfect day to take a ride up the CN Tower, which I did, boy it is a long way up...  So far I have called it the Space Needle twice, oops!  There is a glass floor on the lowest level up there, almost stood on it, ha!  Right after, walked over to take a Harbour tour (which is a free :45 ride, part of the hop on/hop off bus ticket), cool, huh?  I really enjoyed that as well, touring throughout the islands...  Sat next to a good-looking fellow, we got to talking, he is up here from Minnesota, works for Target and is helping out for a week or so...After the tour, walked over to the Hockey Hall of Fame - really enjoyed that, was there for a couple hours...  Why isn't my friend, Don Cherry's picture there, probably 'cause he's pi__ed too many people off, huh?  He s/b amongst all those guys...  After, because I was already in the 'hood, walked over to TSX, touched the bldg - it's the small things, huh? ha!  By that time I was thirsty so went for dinner having my fav. Apothic r/wine...  Then home to my little room...  A really good day...
'til next time...
h

Yes, I know I just blogged yesterday but am catching up...
Hope this finds you all well...
Doris took me to the bus in Orillia, $18.11 got me to within a block of my hotel, cool, huh?  On the way south for the 100k I saw, there were 3 lanes of chockablock cars heading out of the city, wow!  I have never seen anything like it!  Toronto has been taken over by us tourista's, ha!  Got here in good time...  Did a bit of shopping, finally got a manicure, then p/u a ticket for the game last night (Oilers were in town), also a 3day ticket for the hop on/hop off bus...  Walked around a bit, then over to The Real Sports Bar to eat before the game - quite the place!  Sat at the bar, on one side were newlyweds from P E I (on honeymoon - goin &g to the game), on the other side a young man from southern U K looking for work, he is a cop in England, sure was cool talking to all of them...  A bit of trivia: of the 82 times these 2 teams have met, they are tied at 41 wins each, well I witnessed the tie breaker...  It was a close game, the leafs won in o/t to very excited fans...  My seat was the nose bleed section, but it was great being there - reminded me of all the Canuck games I went with (the youngen), ha!  Also, I walked both going and home after, feeling perfectly safe...  Sure did sleep well, was glad to get back to my little room...  This hotel is transitioning to a Hilton, I was given one of the new rooms, very nice for the price, that's for sure...  This hotel is a block from city hall...
It has been raining today, so after having brekkie at Eggspectacular, rode the hop on bus, then went in hunt of a turkey dinner, found one @ the Marriott, just got home...  Oh, today, bought another bus ticket to Niagara Falls, traveling Tues., also arranged a couple of nights @ a B & B there, so now you have it, up- to-date...
Hope all is well with you all
Stay safe...
h

My goodness, I am only a week into this and already behind in reporting...  Goodness gracious!
Really enjoyed my time with Doris in Orillia, also weather allowed flip/flops, summer clothes, can't get any better than time with a good friend, summer weather but with the fabulous colour of autumn, oh and good wine :-)
Doris took me shopping for the final few clothes I needed, certainly drove me around, showing me the sights of Orillia and surrounding area...  A very beautiful part of the world...  The colour of leaves is breathtaking!
On Friday, we met Tracey, Doris's daughter (Tracey is a member of Midland Police Dept., was on a few days of holidaze) to go on an art adventure throughout the countryside...  The most of the exhibits are in the artist's homes, therefore a double whammy, decorating ideas as well as some very talented artists...  Oils, water-colours, pottery, wood, glass, to name some of the selection...  Oh, and on a sunny day, driving in the country with all that fabulous colour, wow!  If you want to see some of the talent, here is the link www.images-studio-tour.com   Hope you can bring it up...  Came close to purchasing a print of green leaves turning colour, decision is not a done deal, still have his card...  Finished up the day by taking Doris and Doug to dinner...
Well, have bent your ear long enuf, now on to the big TO...
'til next time...
Stay safe...
h

Hello from Orillia...
I am enjoying my adventure so much, so far...
Ottawa was fabulous, despite not being able to fire the senate...  For the most part, the weather cooperated, thus making every experience so much more enjoyable...  A bonus, finding my fav. wine, ha!  Had a little culture, the concert @ the NAC; lots of history = Parliament Bldgs together with the Peace Tower; the river cruise and of course the War Museum...  Lots of walking, meeting new people, good food and wine...
I left Ottawa via Via Rail, thro' TO, to Washago, arr. @ 1:00 am, with my friend, Doris meeting me at that ungodly hour - does that equate to a good friend, or what?  Since I was the only one getting off at that station, I was very happy to see her...  Where she lives is so picturesque, I envy her...  The autumn colours are beautiful, the weather is in the high teens/low 20's, am back in my summer clothes, very happy I packed a few...  Really happy to be where I could wash clothes :-) , Doris even has a clothesline..  She and her husband live on ppty on a canal with so many trees around, golly it is so beautiful...  So far, the 2 of us have done a bit of shopping, she has driven me around a lot, showing me the sights, today the 3 of us hit the casino, did I win? not so much...
Tomorrow, we are meeting her daughter, the three of us driving through' the countryside on an art tour...  Don't know what to expect but all of you know what an artiholic I am, but will be strong, ha!
Doris worked @ 04960 early to mid 70's, for you non-bankers that is the RBC branch that is now 5 & Cambie, Rmd...
Well kids, so much for a short blog, but so much to tell :-)
'til next time, I hope this finds you all well, stay safe...
h


.

Greetings from rainy Ottawa...
It is sssoo warm out but rainy very hard - very weird, to say the least!  This is such a beautiful city, all the summer flowers still looking great :-)
Tomorrow, Oct. 8th, am leaving 17:00 for Orillia via Via Rail to visit with my friend Doris...  I am looking fwd to catching up with her...  S/b there a couple of days, then on to the big TO.
Just thought I would let you guys know...
'til next time...
h

Hi from Ottawa...
This is a fabulous city!  I am enjoying immensely!  On Friday went shopping, buying a winter coat, to die for! plus other things, had a good day getting to know the city...  Saturday, went on a river cruise, on a beautiful warm day, finishing off with a live concert of a local female artist, Basia Bulat, reminded me of Tracy Chapman, 'cept this girl is white...  Today, was really cold and windy with showers so am very happy I had the coat...  Went to the Parliament Bldgs - superb tour, also want up the Peace Tower (where the clock is)...  In the afternoon, walked over to the War Memorial - new bldg and very well done!!!  Really enjoyed the day, finishing off with some pasta and with my fav. wine - Apothic/Red, yes it is very popular here, how sweet is that?
I am well, enjoying everything, and safe...  Possibility of going over to Orillia to see my friend Doris, mid-week...
'til next time...
Stay safe & well...
h

2nd try...

hopefully everyone will find there way to this blog...  am certainly getting used to this system...  only 2 more sleeps, then on to Ottawa on Thursday...

blog inst from cuz Karen

fabulous instructions from Karen to get me started :)