Day 18

My apologies for the intermittent postings, but between the combination of mobile phone coverage and that mobile blog uploads still need a little editing before publishing, I have to wait until I have internet access from my laptop.

Naturally, the adventure has continued, this time with a night to remember in Quebec City. The last time I was here I went to a DJ Champion concert outside during the winter festival and it was around -20 degrees. This time it was to a Black Eyed Peas concert, still outside in the "battlefields", but 20+ degrees, with apparently 300,000 other people. 

I don't think I've ever been to a concert where the performers don't make a big deal of the city they're in. However, on this occasion, the Black Eyed Peas claimed that this particular show was the most extraordinary one they'd done in their eleven year touring career. And I have to say that the energy flowing from them into the crowd and back, was like nothing I've ever experienced.

I was intrigued when during this monumental show they referred to an early hit and asked "where is the love?" Not being one to believe in coincidence and because we happen to be traversing the very country that brought about this gig that so impressed them, I figured Nancy and I might as well have a look along the way and see if we can't just find out where the love is.

People have commented that we've been lucky to have driven over 5000 of our 5056km's so far with the roof down. Well I don't believe in luck or coincidence. Have a look at this next photo and the hole that seemed to have opened up for us from the Heavens - a gateway through the weather system so to speak.

Despite rain on either side a golden hole was all we could see at the end of our road - ten minutes later we had stopped with friends for the evening and the weather changed completely with hail, thunder and lightning.

Of course, whilst driving across Canada is fantastique, stopping to play is also very important. And "Wakesurfing 101" for me on the St Lawrence River, Montreal was just the ticket.

And it doesn't hurt to have generous friends with a boat who are also good teachers - merci beaucoup Suzanne!

Day 14

 "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door," he used to say. 

"You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet,

there is no knowing where you might be swept off to." 

(JRR Tolkien)

And so it was when we stayed in a chalet at Domaine des trois roches, north of Quebec City, inland a little from the south eastern coast of the St Lawrence River. Not only was it an idyllic oasis surrounded by trees, but it afforded us time with yet more generous and convivial people. And when kids are involved you never know what's going to happen. Earlier in the evening Thomas had asked if I would go for a swim with him in the etang (pond) in front of the chalets. At 9.00pm after dinner and glass of wine, most adults could probably think of better things to be doing, but hey, kids know best when it comes to having fun, so why not!

The next morning I was introduced to a Portugese form of squash - Pistole-Basque - playing with Thomas, his dad Mark and his uncle Michel. Although I've played tennis and a little squash it still took a bit of getting used to the shorter wooden raquets/bats. Also, I had the frustratingly sorry tendency of using a tennis backhand to slice the ball when in squash you just give it the bash!

And what could me more relaxing after a day of fun in the sun and water than toasting marshmallows around an open fire!

There are many ways to market products to people. If you're rich and powerful you can hire high powered agencies and utilise the entire spectrum of advertising mediums. This is the front door and the one most consumers protect because they're conditioned to the modern day media onslaught. However, if you're not rich and powerful, there's a less invasive, often more persuasive, cheaper and certainly more fun way of achieving the same outcome. It's colloquially known as guerrilla marketing (after guerrilla warfare such as that of the Spanish versus Napoleon and the Basques versus the Spanish - small and mobile versus large and immobile) and uses the side door.

Here's Thomas "driving" Jaffa with the roof down, photographed and now published on the internet. What do you think he wants for his first car? How much did it cost? Nothing.