Driving to Montreal

The drive was long and arduous, but not horrid. I watched 'Sex and the City' far too late last night to get going at the crack of dawn, but I was up at 7 and the car was packed and we were out the door by 8. We stopped for a quick coffee and were on the 95 by 8:30, and in New York in under three hours. There was traffic, but not too bad, and we made rather incredible time.

Jonathan met us in New Jersey for coffee and a short visit, before we returned the half size and the Italian three quarter violins and paid our bill. It is always a pleasure to spend time with Jonathan, who has known Maya since she was very young and has watched her progress as a violinist and cheered from the sidelines throughout the years. He and Elizabeth, Maya's violin teacher for years, have divorced after a short two years and have a little daughter named 'Aurelia' who is not quite a year old yet. We had a misunderstanding with Elizabeth and she does not stay in contact with us. We miss her and wish she was still part of our lives.

I typed in 'Montreal' in the GPS in the Prius and this led me across the George Washington bridge and back to Manhattan. I knew I was not going the right way because my printed 'Mapquest' map suggested another route, but I wanted to trust the technology and only when I was stuck in bumper to bumper traffic in Connecticut did I call Eric to learn that I was far off track. He led me to a small country road and another highway and only after my three hour detour did I find the correct route to Montreal. I was making great time, but could not make up those lost miles/hours.

May watched movies, read to me, did exercises, ate snacks, and was altogether too easy to hang out with. I looked for NPR channels and listened to the news or eighties music and admired the beautiful countryside in northern New York state. The Adirondacks are gorgeous, and Maya and I decided we wanted a farm in the rolling hills. She laughed when I described them as mountains, they looked like bumps compared to the Andes she knows so well. Having a farm is a regular theme for her, I wonder if we can find a way to give her that experience before she grows out of wanting to be a farmer.

I liked the colour of the sky and the shape of the clouds and tried to photograph at 80 miles an hour with my iphone and am not sure I was able to catch the mood of the hills and the skies. I was entranced.

It was a relief to pass into Canada, which always feels so much more civilized to me. The ride to Montreal is not long after the border, but it was dark as we crossed the St. Lawrence and fought for a parking place on St Catherines, where the crowds were out for the night. Tara made us a salad and gave us a fashion show (we brought several bags of sheets, towels and clothes) and then we watched her get dressed for her night out and Maya and I cuddled in Tara's wonderful bed and fell asleep for the night.