We stopped in Colchester to consolidate cars and get soem snacks.. Then headed north

Our caravan made it  up to the boarder in no time.

It’s amazing how quickly the scenery changes once you’re in Quebec.. It’s pretty flat and treeless along the route in to Montreal .. Last time I remember coming up here it was with Diane.  Gabe and Sam on our way tot eh Red Hot Chile Pepper concert in Quebec City. Sam was on my mind all day today..

The drive is about 1.5 hours.. but luckily we were able to put the kids in suspended animation… so they didn’t notice the ride.

We crossed the Champlain Bridge and got our first view of the city

I’m always amazed that such a large city could be so close to the us.. and to the rural backwater  (which I love) of Vermont.

The place gets more impressive as you drive in.

We found a place to park near Drumont and St. Catherin.. We ducked into a hotel to use the facilities. They had this cool fountain.

while the other folks were waiting, I dipped into a Lebanese restaurant next store to get an early afternoon dolma fix.. Yum…

The prices were not as cheap as we were used to .. the US and Canadian dollars are almost at par..

We dawdled a bit as some store and a coffee shop waiting for our 4:10 slot at Laser Quest..    During the wait I called my long-lost friend Milton back.. Milton called me out of the blue 2 days ago. He and I went to high school together.. I haven’t seen him in just about 30 years.. We’re slowly telling each other our life stories. . So far I have heard his up to about 2005. From me.. he’s only heard about my kids.. and about Sam’s passing. The rest will come tomorrow. I had to tell him about Sam before we talked more. It’s hard for me to talk to anyone when they don’t know.

At 4:10 we all met back at Laser Quest and signed up. There were 18 of us and about 6 other folks in the group.including a couple that some of us knew from Bolton.. which just happened to be there. They led us in to don our equipment.. then let us loose in the 3 floor laser tag maze..

I wasn’t even that in to it at the beginning… but something about it was so… I don’t know… cathartic ? Stress releasing ? …

They wouldn’t let me take pictures in the maze.. but it was a very cool setting.. lots of stairs and catwalks.. and lots of stuff to hide behind.. You waited for someone to come buy then you shot them with your laser.. If you hit them.. their lights would go off for a few seconds.. and you’d get a point.. if they hit you, your vest would rumble, the lights would go off.. and you’d loose a point.. You then spent 30 minutes running around like a mad person shooting at anything that moved..   Well…it surprised the hell out of me.. but I was good at it..  very good at it it seems.. I was the high scorer of the group (by nearly 2X).. .

. actually the high scorer for the day… and the third highest score the place had had  since the beginning of December. I can’t figure out exactly why I’d be good at it.. … unless this is like the Bourne Ultimatum… hey.. wait… I’m starting to remember now…..  🙂

We did a second short game of guys vs. girls… Winner buys dinner.. we bought dinner.. but the ladies fought valiantly.. There’s something just so wrong about pointing a laser at your wife and friends.. but man is it fun.. what’s that say about all of us ?

We were hot and tired by the time our session was up.. We went out on the street .. which quickly fixed the ‘hot’ part. 

We headed down St. Catherine to find a restaurant.  It’s an amazingly lively, colorful and pleasantly seedy place.

We found one we liked on the 2nd bounce.. A Mexican place. It was really very good…

After dinner.. it was time for home. I loved seeing how much fun all the kids were having.

We had a full moon that was like a searchlight. We had moon shadows all around us.. It made the city look even more beautiful.