Happy 4th of July

We had a wicked, but very cool storm roll through Montreal this afternoon for 4th of July. It's always strange being out of our country for our country's unique holiday. It's business as usual in Canada. It's also a bit odd thinking this is likely our last official US holiday in Canada.

We had a quiet day. Officially we did have some baseball (Louis had baseball camp), apple pie (thanks, Costco) and a Chevrolet (Paul's car).

Our 8th grader

Something happened this summer. Louis must have grown a foot, his voice lowered by several octaves, he increased our food budget by hundreds of dollars, he craves his independence and he had a great summer. Today was his first day of school. Yes, he had new clothes to mark the occasion but opted instead to wear his old crap. I remember the days when I could set clothes out for the kids and they would just wear them.

So, what did Louis do this summer?

He had an amazing baseball season playing on a "typical" baseball team. (We don't like the word "normal"). He and his team went to the provincial championships, unfortunately losing two heartbreaking and very close games. But, we were fortunate to be with wonderful parents, the best kids and we looked forward to each and every game. It was lots of fun.

He got to go to a Toronto Blue Jays game and sit in the Blue Jays charity box with great friends from his baseball team. And mom got to go too. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and we will never forget it.

While at the Blue Jays game Louis came face-to-face with a Frank Thomas photo

He also got to sit in the box for the Katy Perry concert with another great friend. I'm sure he's happy all of his dude friends know he went to Katy Perry. We had a great time and what a way to see a concert!

After Toronto, Louis and mom hit the road and went through Niagara Falls. He was not that impressed. But it was worth the stop. I made him smile in this photo.

We stayed the night in Cooperstown, N.Y. and went to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Absolutely AMAZING. Put it on your travel list, even if you're not a baseball fan. The town is quaint and a great place to visit. We took out a membership because we kept thinking that Paul and Danielle needed to experience it. We're hoping to head there this fall.

After Cooperstown we went on to Portland, Maine to meet up with Danielle who had been nannying there for a couple of weeks. Paul joined us too we had a great time. We love Maine and everything about it.

So, that's Louis' summer. In between this he had baseball camp, time with friends, fights with his sister and lead the life of a typical teenage boy. And for that we are grateful.

The perfect season

Louis has had a great summer of baseball. His team finished the regular season and the regional playoffs undefeated! So this spirited team is headed to the Provincial championships tomorrow. We've had so much fun this season with the players, the parents and the siblings. Paul didn't get thrown out of any games this year. He did have a lot of fun with the boys. One kid in particular is named Laurent and speaks mainly French and his name is very French. After saying it a few times and asking for the pronunciation Paul said, "okay......Larry." Nothing like bringing a little American influence to the Canadian baseball team. Go Blue Jays!

NHL, MLB, WTF

There's no doubt we're Chicago White Sox fans. Our family is particularly fond of General Manager Ozzie Guillen. His rants and raves are classic. Just You Tube them for yourself.

It seems as though each time Ozzie and the Sox travel to Toronto to play the Blue Jays, Ozzie seems to ruffle feathers, no pun intended. We were particularly amused when Paul's brother Dan emailed us this story from The Onion...


CHICAGO—Following the latest outburst from the much-sanctioned White Sox manager, officials from the National Hockey League fined Ozzie Guillen $25,000 Monday in order to see if he would pay. "We saw that he had taken a few jabs at his critics before the Blue Jays game and we decided, well, what the heck?" said NHL chief disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan, adding that the league knew it was a long shot but decided it couldn’t hurt to try. "We need the money, and if he doesn't pay, we lose nothing. Plus, come on, he totally deserves it." When reached for comment, Guillen said he would pay the fine, as he cannot afford to be suspended by the NHL during the Stanley Cup finals.

Who says hockey and baseball don't mix?

2004 or 2005 ish

You say Three Rivers, I say Trois-Rivières

Three Rivers Stadium. Actually, it's a ball park Trois-Rivières, Quebec where we attended a Fall baseball tournament for Louis' team two weekends ago.

Trois-Rivière is not a busy town. When Paul and Louis needed to stay the night in order to make it to an early game the next morning, it was not wise to have not made reservations. Fortunately, they did not bring home any bed bugs.

Don't let the condition of the ball park fool you. These Quebecers are as serious about baseball as they are about hockey. The park, however, left a bit to be desired for this American family. It's safe to say that this would not happen in the US...a park where fall balls can easily fly directly into the Canadian crowd with little notice...sort of like in hockey. These parents are not standing where they are because they needed to stretch their legs or get a good view -- more like so they can duck. We like to call this stadium "Thank goodness we have Universal Health Care."

It was still a fun-filled weekend of good ball. And I mean, really good baseball. Although, it was hard for the Pisani family to see Louis in a Yankees uniform.

He doesn't forget his Chicago roots though, choosing the same number as his favorite White Sox player.

Louis (#14) for Konerko with his buddy Max Murphy from a nice Irish family in Montreal : )

Wanna go to Cuba?

The on-again, off-again news that the US may soon ease up on travel to Cuba is encouraging for temporary Canadians like us. Most everyone we know in Montreal has been to Cuba at least once. They love it for the pristine beaches, un-American-ized commerce and lots and lots of all-inclusive and very affordable resorts.

When we first moved to Canada and would hear someone say"we're going to Cuba" it made us go "huh?" Sort of like being in the States and hearing "we're going to vacation in Des Moines." (sorry Jeanne). Our Canadian friends have shared their Cuban rum, readily available at the SAQ. And they don't need to hide cigars before returning from vacation because they can walk into any cigar store at home and buy them. Again, a strange concept since growing up in the States Cuba was such a bad word. Unless of course it came to importing good baseball players or a really great black bean recipe. And then of course there's Gloria Estefan.

Americans can get to the island in different ways and on flights from Canada. We have heard of ways tourists can go by quietly asking the customs officials in Cuba to not stamp a passport. Did you know that from time to time US customs officials really look at those stamps on the passport...I mean...really look? We have thought about going to Cuba from Canada and then heard something about a chip in our passports and with our luck Homeland Security would come and scoop us off a beach and give us a $10K fine. Plus, there's the whole work permit thing and then there's this blog where I just said for US government officials to read we would like to go to Cuba. Think we'll lay low for a few more years until the island is taken over by cruise lines and all Disney-fied.

Here's an older post about Cuba