Prairie Canada

Canadian Hero - Terry Fox memorial just outside Thunder Bay, Ontario - where his journey ended. After loosing his right leg to cancer he travelled almost a marathon a day for 143 days raising hundreds of million dollars for cancer research and awarded the Order of Canada.

Fields of golden wheat blowing in a prairie wind.

Timeless barns stand against the weather and the seasons.

Horses living a peaceful life on the farm.

Driving into a thunder storm as we continue heading due west.

Quebec

We crossed back into Canada and into wonderful Quebec City.

Old Quebec City was built high above the St. Lawerence River, surrounded by a stone wall remeniscent of a castle - protected with dozens of cast iron cannons.

Samuel de Champlain served in the French army, explored the West Indies, founded Quebec in 1608, discovereed the Great Lakes region, led expeditions against the Iroquois and became Governor of New France. Quite a full life.

Stone buildings as old as Canada itself - typical of Old Quebec City.

A must have in Montreal - smoked meat sandwich, dill pickle and cold slaw at Nickel's Deli on Rue de St. Catherines.

We happened upon the Montreal Gay Pride Parade - hey - who doesn't enjoy a good parade?

Maine

Bass Harbour lighthouse on the coast of Maine.

Contemplation of all things good - at sunset.

The floats .....

..... the traps .....

..... the catch !  No we didn't catch them ourselves - but we did eat them. We shared 3 fresh lobster back at the campground with butter melted on the reliable Whisperlite stove.

The two claws on a lobster are functionally distinct. One is thicker and stronger for clamping or crushing it's prey - the other is slimmer and sharper for cutting - I find this fascinating.

A wharf at the campground where we swam in the mornings - not quite as warm as Miami Beach.

Harvard + Boston

Streets lined with trees and brownstone walk ups were a delight to explore.

We happened upon this old graveyard - the date on this headstone reads 1693. A plaque at the gate noted there is a woman buried here who was a passenger on the original voyage of the Mayflower.

We spent a morning wandering the grounds of Harvard in Cambridge - through several of its buildings including the Harvard Law School, the Museum of Civilization and past Radcliffe College.

The afternoon was spent keeping cool in the shade of Boston Common park and wading in this pool.

Looking for Norm and Cliff at Cheers bar.

Cape Cod

Martha's Vineyard - an island - a short ferry ride form the mainland.

Sailboats anchored off Woods Hole, Nantucket Sound. Site of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Bouys and floats decorate a fence near Cape Cod Bay.

One of many sun bleached boardwalks across the small dunes to the beach.

Quintessential beach house at Hyannisport.

Outside a small restaurant where we consumed lobster bisque and cod & chips.

At the end of the day we drove north along the coast to Plymouth - landing place of the Pilgrims - and to our campground.

FOOTNOTE: AS I WRITE THIS - WE ARE CURRENTLY UNDER TORNADO WATCH ON THE EAST COAST OF MASSSACHUSETTS.

New York - New York

Street life.

the black + the white ...mmm...

We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge constructed in 1875 - a New York icon.

Fashion takes a new twist on 5th Avenue.

Greenwich Village - home for 4 days - cafes, shops, tree lined streets.

Anita - Gabby - Jane - John - a wonderful evening and home cooked meal shared at the Maccarrone's apartment on the Upper West Side.

Empire State Building still stands high above it's neighbours.

Vancouver based lululemon on South Broadway in SoHo.

Serenity and sanity replenished in the many parks and green spaces in NY.

Washington, DC

Lincoln Memorial - a proud symbol of equality for all.

Washington Monument - a beacon in the heart of the city - visible from all directions.

Vietnam war memorial - enscibing the names of the tens of thousands of soldiers whose lives were lost - to what end ?

The Obama residence at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue - hopefully for another 4 years.

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Myrtle Beach - the most northerly of the wonderful east coast beaches that we visited. Then some busy freeways up through the Carolinas, Virginia and into the US Capitol.