Holiday – Yea Yea Pueblo

This Thanksgiving, rather impulsively, we booked a cabin with a river view in Northern California and invited some Army friends along. Original plans involved camping, but weather reports were shaping up to be very cold. A pivot to a VRBO rental was the right move for a gaggle of kids and some dogs. Our riverfront accommodations weren’t exactly close to the National Park, but it had a big kitchen, space for two families and two dogs. And a hot tub. Driving a little further out to the Redwoods was worth it.

Meeting equidistantly with our Southern California friends made the most sense, and how lucky we all are to have the most beautiful National Park between our respective cities.

Thanksgiving cooking was a breeze in the fully stocked kitchen, and kids were never underfoot with 5 acres to explore. Imagination led them to build their own fortress out of found wood and mossy materials. Eating, walking, talking and relaxing filled the day.

Black Friday was spent outdoors exploring the Grove of the Titans. I am still falling short on words to describe the sense of awe brought on by Redwoods the size of 10 school buses standing end-to-end (we estimated as much). Growth beyond any reasonable expectations, these trees towered over the forest, blanketing and darkening the forest floor. Ferns sprawled across the ground like the prairie grass of the Plains States. Green beyond imagination, with sagging moss and fallen trees, the Grove of the Titans (aptly named) showed us the truest grandeur the Earth offers.

Words cannot describe, and photos cannot capture the scope and magnanimity of this forest. Though I tried. I implore one and all to visit this incredible place to restore your sense of wonder and appreciation for the vastness of the world around us.

We are back from our holiday trip to Canada! Our visit to French Canada started off in Québec City and ended in Montréal. We have been to Yukon and British Columbia before, but this is our first time to Québec, where French is the official language. Historic Québec City is a UNESCO World Heritage site, held in high esteem for its colonial era fortress structures and preserved ramparts.

Initially I was concerned the language would be a substantial barrier as my French skills are very poor. But I do recognize many shared vocabulary words from the English and Spanish languages, making it easier to slough through transportation change posters, and menus. It didn’t really matter in the end because in literally every retail and hospitality situation we found ourselves in, we encountered bilingual staff. So I wouldn’t make it an imperative to re-learn all the French you studied in high school and college. A local to Montreal suggested on TikTok that Americans simply say Bonjour without an emphasis on French pronunciation when entering a place of business to signal that we are respectful to the local language, but identify ourselves as English speakers. I said “bonjour-hello” as a rule, and always showed gratitude with “merci beaucoup”. That also seemed to work.

We planned this trip to see colonial architecture and to check out the German Christmas Markets where we were delighted to find warm drinks, sweet treats. We tried rabbit poutine and rabbit leg at Le Lapin Sauté, and had desserts at Smith Café. The markets were busy, and festive, and just cold enough (highs of 30-39F). While we were expecting snow on the ground, we were met instead with a few frozen-melt snow berms. The hills of the city were unrelenting, so we were ultimately pretty grateful the streets and sidewalks were clear.

We also explored the Musée des plaines d’Abraham, Montmorency Falls, and had amazing French Onion soup. We shared a ride up the hillside tram with a couple from Round Rock of all places, and the world felt small, but only briefly. I would recommend the Musée de la civilisation to learn more about First Nations, and for the Children’s playhouse on the basement level (recommended ages approximately 0-9).

Québec City is timelessly beautiful, with incredibly nice and helpful locals, and tons of amazing food. It’s also exceedingly interesting from a historical perspective.

Travel often brings out a few threads of curiosity in each of us. This time Isaac and I both became equally enamored with New France, and Acadian history. We watched Barkskins on the tablet in the hotel after the kids went to sleep, and listened to a couple of podcast episodes about the Great Peace of Montréal in 1701 and then the expulsion of the Acadians from 1755-1764.

Every day (especially while traveling) I learn something new, and learn how little I actually know!