Day 44 Quebec

Today we arrived for our holiday segment with my sister and her family – so much fun! My sister Nancy is crazy, outrageous, hilarious and one of the most welcoming hostesses anyone could have. They rushed out to the driveway when we arrived for rounds of hugs and kisses. Their driveway is well able to accommodate out 55 foot length and slide width so, instead of finding a campground here, we will just stay in her driveway. As we back up, there is a large tree that overhangs the driveway. It isn’t a huge problem since David can just move forward – nope, we significantly trim the tree to make room. As I said, very welcoming! Thus starts the laughter.

A stay with Nancy and Jean-Francois is always filled with laughter! The Fringlish alone is good for a few chuckles. Sadly our French is very limited. I wish that our school system had better prepared us to live in a bilingual country but it certainly did not. I could conjugate a mean verb by the time I finished high school, but conversational French was not a priority for Mr. French (I kid you not, the name of my high school French teacher!) All of no matter here though. While Jean-Sebastian, Guillaume and Stephanie (and their significant others) are somewhat self-conscious with their English pronunciations, they are certainly well able to understand and make themselves understood. The occasional struggles when we attempt French or they struggle with an English expression is always met with laughter and a teachable moment to bring us all a little closer.

Before long we are enjoying the “house drink” affectionately known as “slutties”.  In a Fringlish moment, the slushy drink was mispronounced and a legendary cocktail was born! The day was very hot so before long we all landed in the backyard pool. Much of a visit to Nancy’s is spent in the water with pool games and friendly competition the order of the day!

The other given while you’re here is much food and wine! Nancy owns the town’s school cafeteria service so is well used to cooking for hundreds (a handy skill when you belong in this family). Nancy and Jean-Francois also own a winery (a handy skill when you belong in this family!) so whatever else you’re lacking, it isn’t a full glass! After a wonderful meal shared together, the table is cleared for a raucous game of cards.

When we were planning the return trip with Mary-Kate one of the things she really wanted (based on past experience) was to spend some time here reconnecting with Auntie Nancy, Uncle Jean-Francois and her cousins. Great idea and if the last few hours are any indication, the next few days will be oodles of fun!

The first round!

Sibling pool totem!