Monday, June 29, 2015

Summer Love.... a giveaway for you!

A little thank you for all of you who read my blog
               and support this little thing I do~

the first of my
summertime "giveaways"
~
beautiful journals~
accented with a little bit of bling...
(because we all need a little bling in our lives!) 

a place to keep 
your secret thoughts,
favorite recipes, project goals, travel plans..
anything your heart desires--
a beautiful place to write~

photos taken against the backdrop
of my summer blooms...
(I'll share photos of my back deck 
and my beautiful blooms,
 later this summer)


 To enter--
simply leave a comment here on this post
telling me what you might like
to write in your journal~


for another chance to win..
please share this post on your
blog or facebook page.
~
comeback here and leave a comment
telling me that you have
shared the "journal love"
for another chance to win..
~
if you would like to join
my "2 Bags Full"  facebook page,
just click the "LIKE" button here.  
(the link is also on my sidebar) 
Please come back and leave a note that you are part of my
Facebook family for another chance to enter~
xoxo

there are 7 lovely journals
to share with you all...
~
this contest is open to all of my
friends, regardless of where you live
in this big wide world...
~
please make sure that you 
leave an email address 
or that I can contact you through
your own blog...

the winners will be announce
right here on this post

~
I am going to take a little blog break
until mid August...
I will be back then 
with more of travel journal
and a beautiful summer 
surprise!
xoxoxo
Vicki

ps...
there is a wonderful opportunity
coming soon to those of you who blog~

 my friend Karen is hosting
her annual party --
if you love to create,
love to make new blog friends,
and would love to share your special creative space...
please consider joining Karen at this
awesome party!
~
(you can find all the info 
by clicking the link 
above)

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Traveling Gaspese --- Day 2 (Rimouski)

We are continuing our travel/photo journey of the
 Gaspe Peninsula--

 
Our first night on the road brought us to a charming little Auberge run by the cutest little French couple...
they spoke NO English-- in fact when I made the reservation the little lady just sent me an email that said --"OK, just come."  
I told my husband that he needed to keep an open mind as we sat about our travels, because there would surely be "adventures"!!

our planned travel distance of "2 hours" driving
took us almost 8 hours on this first day...
we arrived at our first destination
 in the late evening~

this had to be 
the cutest little room ever!
A little kitchenette, 
and an awesome screened in porch
with killer sunset views
over the tidal marsh --
we were only staying for one night
but I already wanted to stay
for a week!

 just outside our room
was this lovely sitting area
facing the tidal marsh~

steps led to the tidal flats~

 we took a walk along the tidal flats
just before sunset~

sunset over the tidal flats~

stunning sunset views

dinner that evening
was at a quaint little restaurant
recommended by our Auberge hosts~

the food was incredible..
(pictures are my orders--)
split pea soup and grilled salmon

the sun was shining in our windows early,early
the next morning...
we went for a walk along the tidal flats
before we continued our travels~

the wind was blowing
on this early September morning,
the air was crisp and clear...
and it was COLD!!

our walk was amazing
on this beautiful morning~
I have never seen so much driftwood
in my life!
I collected a few special pieces,
but I really wanted to
stuff my car full!

I loved it here...
our cute little room,
the sweet little French couple who were our hosts,
these beautiful tidal flats--
I wanted to stay~
~
but all too soon it was time 
to be on our way...
we had "two hours" of driving to do today,
and little did I know--
but it would take us almost 10 hours 
to get there!
 Canadian route 132
is not just the main road that
circles the Peninsula...
it is the only road!

it wasn't long before we came to 
our first stop...

this beautiful historic mill
sitting beside fast flowing stream..
(of course we stopped to walk
around and take photos!)

across the highway from the mill
was the outlet for the stream..
the place where the stream flowed into the
mighty St.Lawrence river~

not even 30 minutes up the road --
and already we were making our second stop!

 Luc Leclerc is an extraordinary craftsman.
His talents are legendary,
passed down through generations...
His father, and his father's father
were masters at the craft of making
 wooden boats.

stepping into this beautiful shop
was an amazing experience...

the details on these boats
defies description...
Luc's boats aren't just loved
by the locals...
his boats are shipped all over
the world.

 we visited for the longest time,
talking about his family
and their history of boat making.
He was the nicest guy ever
and his passion for his craft was
evident in all that he spoke..


he shared with us an incredible story
of how when he was a child,
President Roosevelt stopped by the shop 
to purchase a boat from his Grandfather,
and then was invited to dinner 
at his Father's house~


he graciously allowed me
to step into his workshop
and to take photos~


I was in total awe of
his works in progress...


just a few more photos
from this incredible place
before we have to be on our way!
(we haven't even had our breakfast yet!)









by now it's almost 10 am 
and we are heading on up the road
working our way towards Rimoski...

 when we finally stop for the night,
 this will be our view...
~
(we are only driving a distance of about 2 hours,
but it will take us over 8 hours to get there!
this seems to be already the tradition
for this trip!)
~
In the next post of this series
we will visit more scenic roadside stops,
(think more beautiful historic churches!!)
and the incredible Reford Gardens...
we will have many amazing adventures before
our heads hit the pillow this night...


Some updates~
well, I'm sorry to have been gone so long.  It was not my intention to be gone almost 3 weeks before finishing this part of the series.  Life happens....I've been busy planting flowers, making jams, and what seems like a million other things.  Summer is already incredibly busy!!

 (summer blooms on my back deck)

  I took a little trip --- actually an amazing girl trip.  My friend Marsha and I traveled to Tazewell, Va. to visit my friend Sandra on her beautiful Thistle Cove Farm.  You can click on the link and visit Sandra and her post about our visit.  I will post lots and lots of photos from that trip soon. Spending time with Sandra on her beautiful historic farm was one of the best things that I ever did for my self --- a special little treat for me and Marsha.  Being there was pure heaven...


BUT next---- I will be sharing the first of my summer giveaway's with you. And, I promise that it won't be another 3 weeks before I return with that post --- watch for this little giveaway post to be coming up soon....

~~~A little update for those of you who are following my Josephine's Children project--- we are getting ever so close.  We have had notice that the boxes have been cleared by the immigration authorities on June 12 and are now on the land portion of the trip making their way towards the children.  This land portion of the travels could take up to 2 weeks -- so please keep your prayers going up that all goes well and your gifts of love will reach the children soon....

Love, love,
Vicki  
 

Monday, June 1, 2015

Traveling Gaspese --- Day 1 (L'Islet- Sur- Mer)

In the summer of 1933, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt loaded up her new Buick Roadster and took off on what she later described as one of the most incredible adventures of her life. Exhausted from the responsibilities of helping her husband win his Presidential election, and desiring quiet time and some anonymity, she and a friend traveled alone, without the benefit of secret service to the Gaspe Penninsula.  When she returned home several weeks later, she stated that she had been to one of the most beautiful places on this earth~

"For the next few days they drove along the south bank of the St. Lawrence on one of the loveliest roads in all of
 North America...eating meals cooked over wood burning stoves, sleeping under the sun on a warm beach, and swimming in the St. Lawrence. America seemed far away, and their anonymity complete. They stopped at a little church by the water, and the village priest invited them to lunch in his rectory"~
excerpt from-- 
 "Empty Without You:The Intimate Letters of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok"
 By Eleanor Roosevelt, Rodger Streitmatter, Lorena A. Hickok
 
 After spending some wonderful days in Quebec City at the start of our own great adventure, we finally began our travels around the Gaspe Penninsula. Our goal for this entire trip was to NOT be on a schedule.  We allowed 2 full weeks for this incredible trip, thus giving us plenty of time to stop whenever, and wherever we wanted~
  
  We considered the days after leaving Quebec City 
to be the actual start of our trip around the Penninsula --
so for the purpose of our itinerary and this
photo documentary -- this will be
Day 1.

Our goal for this first day
was to travel to the little town of
L'Islet-Sur-Mer,
where our hotel was located.  
Today's driving distance
 would be about 130 miles.
(2 1/2 hours drive)
~
It would take us over 8 hours 
to get there...
driving north,
with the St. Lawrence River on our left..
we soon left the busy tourist areas
near Quebec City.
~
It wasn't long before we knew
that this was going to be 
an incredible adventure...
~
our first impromptu stop
was this little church located on the 
banks of the river. 
~
The weather had already turned windy and COLD..
so we bundled up and walked all 
around the grounds of the church
and the old cemetery.
 located next to the church
was a beautiful little harbor area~
of course we had to stop...
~
(I had no idea that this would turn out
to be a trip that would take us to
countless beautiful churches dating back to
earlier times, beautiful scenic harbors,
and incredible coastal views...)
 any view that includes boats,
and water --- 
I'm there!!

it's the end of summer here --
and I'm sure they are getting their boat
ready for winter~

view from the Marina~
 trying to stay warm...
its brisk and breezy!
 we both loved this lovely
old cemetery on the banks of the river~

some of the monuments
dated back to the early 1800's~

opening into the St. Lawrence~




some photos from the front of the church~


we found a lovely little restaurant
at the marina for our lunch---

our lunch time view~

almost 3 hours later
(and it's only our FIRST stop!!)
we are on the road again~

Route 132
parallels the river for the entire trip~
some of the views are
just stunning.
~
not 20 minutes up the road 
and we have stopped again
to visit this little
 roadside park~
 we passed several of these
little park like areas on
this portion of our
 drive...
 beautiful flowers were
everywhere...

in the late afternoon--
almost 4:00, 
we arrive at our first destination
L'Islet
we aren't going to our motel yet,
we still have one more stop
 to make~

the amazing
Maritime Museum of Quebec
~
we arrived just in time to spend
 about 2 hours here before they
closed for the day~
the museum was exceptional!
on display was this
historic Icebreaker ship --
the Earnest Lapointe...
~
for more info about the museum
 you can click here...





some random photos
of our tour aboard the
Icebreaker ship~

we were like kids
roaming all over the ship,
playing,...
because we arrived in the late,late afternoon,
we were the only ones at the museum..

this ship could tell
some incredible stories~

view from inside the museum
 the Captain's log
in which he kept records
of the character of the crew members..
 after an incredible afternoon
at the museum,
we arrive at our little Auberge motel
just before dusk...
~
wait till you see 
how quaint and cute this place is!
~
more to come
 in my next
 post! 

Thanks so very much for traveling along with us... we have only just begun --- the next day is even more amazing!
~~~~~

Some itinerary stats so far..(starting point Quebec City)
 Day 1
miles traveled -- 130
driving time between destinations -- 2 1/2 hours
time spent to arrive at L'Islet
(counting all impromptu stops)-- 8 hours
xoxo,
Vicki 

an update to the 
Josephine's Children project~
we have received word that the boxes
 have arrived in Moombasa.
~
they have journeyed halfway 
around the world
across the oceans...
and are now waiting to clear customs
in Moombasa...
(this could take up to 2 weeks)
~
after clearing customs,
they will journey by land to
reach the children..
this could take up to a week
or 10 days. 
we are ever so close
to making dreams come true
for these children!