Adventures in Puppy-Owning

A week after Rook received his second round of puppy vaccinations, our veterinarian said that it would be safe to start taking Rook outside.  This was a very exciting moment for us.  At last we were free of the stinky potty pads in the apartment!  We were prepared for taking him on walks with a leash (we had been praticing in the apartment for weeks), the craziness of training him to go potty outside (which he quickly mastered), and teaching him to go up and down the winding staircase (which he mastered, but not quite as quickly).  However, bringing Rook outside came with all sorts of new adventures in owning a puppy that we had not necessarily anticipated. 

First and foremost:  Rook is a bulldog puppy.  This means he is guaranteed to put anything and everything in his mouth.  I never realized how much junk was on the ground until Rook began making it his mission to eat every leaf, cigarette butt, rock, and piece of glass that litter our side-walk.  Even when risking fingers to sweep out whatever manages its way into his mouth, there is still a secret hiding spot somewhere within those floppy jowls that I am never able to find.  Occasionally, we will make it back inside and he will triumphantly spit a rock out onto the floor.  I do not even want to know what he has managed to swallow. 

I also found this is an opportunity to use my new French skills - which I fail at daily.  Even though I  completed my first French course, I am embarrassingly awkward at putting it all together.  As English Bulldogs are a bit of a novelty in Montreal, Rook has become a celebrity - I am not joking - the garbage man has stopped to take Rook's picture.  All of this attention comes with a lot of questions... in French.  And because there are many ways to ask the same question (How old?, What age? How many months?), I panic and hope I will recognize at least one word so that I will be able to answer.  Sometimes I make a guess and blurt out an awkward answer in my best terrible French and wait for their reaction to see if it made sense.  Sometimes I have no clue, but am still feeling Frenchy, so I apologetically respond with, "Pardon, mon francais n'est pas bon".  Other times I chicken out completely, and just say "I'm sorry," and hope they are not offended by my use of English.  On one occasion, I had a delightful encounter with an elderly woman whose English was as good/bad as my French.  Somehow we managed a conversation.  At one point she told me, "I am a Shih-tzu", which I took to mean she had a Shih-tzu because she looked quite human to me.  I wonder what silly nonsense I told her in French. 

Finally: Rook is a bulldog puppy.  Which means going for walks is really not his thing, but being the center of attention is.  Once he takes care of his business, he is usually quite content to sit on the side-walk and let all of his admirers come to him - which they usually do.  But much to Rook's dismay, there are some people who have no interest in him and just keeps on walking.  Adam and I like to take these opportunities to "draft" behind these people (who clearly have no souls - how could one not at least smile at a wrinkly wiggly puppy?) as Rook walks after them with a look on his face that says, "Hey!  You forgot to make a fuss over me!!! "  If the timing is right, we can make it down the block and Rook gets his exercise. :)

Mon frère à Montréal

Having worked a ridiculous amount of overtime, my brother was given an extra week of vacation time and decided to visit Montreal!  I was very excited for his trip, since we had not seen each other since my wedding in June.  I was happy to be his tour guide and show him some of my favorite sites around Montreal.  It was great having a buddy to be touristy with in my new city.  Here is what we were up to...



Climbing a Mountain
Of course, anyone who visits will be forced to explore the mountain with me.  Tom lives in Denver, so he was a bit confused as to why Mont Royal is considered a mountain.  But I think he was pleasantly surprised with our walk on the trails and the picnic lunch we enjoyed at Lac aux Castors (Beaver Lake).  We were incredibly lucky to have some unseasonably warm weather for the first half of his vacation, which was perfect for a walk around the mountain to take in the changing fall foliage.

Celebrating Holidays
Tom's visit coincided with Canadian Thanksgiving.  I am not certain how the holiday is traditionally celebrated by the locals - and my Canadian husband is not much help in that area.  Last year when I was visiting over the holiday weekend, our Thanksgiving dinner included dumplings in Chinatown (not that I complained one bit!).  And although I have had a lot of experience eating a traditional American Thanksgiving meal, I have never attempted to prepare one on my own.  So for our first official Canadian Thanksgiving, we made it up the best we could... buying a roasted chicken from the grocery store.  Adam and Tom teamed up on the mashed potatoes and salad while I somehow managed to make stuffing, gravy, and green beans.  I was very thankful it somehow turned into a very delicious meal.

Dressing like Locals
Tom really wanted to get a tuque (Canadian for hat) to take back as a souviner.  We scoured the gift shops in Vieux Port until we found the perfect one (which I forgot to photograph).  Along the way we had to try on some other Canadian hats just for fun.

Hmm... is that
Dudley Do-Right or
Smokey the Bear?

Oh wait... that really is
Tom's hat... not trying
to be a Canadian here.

It doesn't get any
more Canadian than
a 'coon skin hat!

Eating Local Cuisine
Canadians enjoy some crazy food that you just can not get in the states... like ketchup chips (brilliant!).  I made sure Tom got to try two of my favorites: Montreal bagels and delicious crepes (okay, you can get crepes in the states, but they taste better when you have to order it en francais).  And of course, Tom insisted we try the poutine (fries smothered in gravy and topped with cheese curds).  I had some how managed to avoid this Quebec delicacy since my first visit to Montreal, but it seemed I could no longer put it off.  We both agreed that poutine would really be best if consumed at three in the morning after a night of drinking.  I could only finish about a quarter of mine, but Tom cleaned his plate (perhaps he was secretly drunk?).

Crepes, and bagels, and
 poutine... oh my!

Being Holy
There is practically a church on every corner in Montreal.  We toured two of the more popular ones.  We climbed up the 99 steps to the Oratoire St-Joseph to take in the scenic view.  A few days later, we visited Basilique Notre-Dame-de-Montreal, where we were treated to a musical practice session that included a harpsichord and violins.

In front of Oratorie St-Joseph.

Inside Notre Dame.

Climbing the stairs to the oratory.

Getting Culture

We decided to get some culture at Musee des Beaux-Arts de Montreal - which has free admission, so it fit the budget too!  It is Canada's oldest art museum with a large collection of Canadian art as well as the work of masters from around the world such as Rembrandt, Rodin, and Picasso.  There is also a very large and very interesting exhibit devoted entirely to the art and personal effects belonging to Napoleon.  However, what I will remember the most from our visit to this museum, is the monumental staircase with an amazingly shallow slope.  It is almost like it cannot decide if it wants to be a staircase or a ramp.  It looks stunning, but it is delightfully awkward to walk up and down it.




Cycling like Locals

I think this had to be the highlight of Tom's trip!  We took a four hour guided bike tour through the neighborhoods in Montreal as we learned about the different communities, culture, and history of each area.  It was a fascinating tour and we were able to experience bicycling through the city - which I had been too chicken to try previously.

Playing with a Puppy

Obviously, no one can visit our apartment without spending some time with our puppy.  Rook is very welcoming - he loves everyone, and believes we are all here for his enjoyment.  He will gladly untie your shoelaces in an effort to invite you to stay longer and play.  He is also quite fond of laps - which is very cute and cuddly now, but I have a feeling this will be slightly less enjoyable for us and our future guests when he reaches his full weight (around 65 pounds).  Rook had no problem getting comfortable on Tom's lap to welcome his "uncle" to Montreal. :)