Autumn arrives early in the province of Quebec, Canada. As we drove along the mighty St. Lawrence river on our way to Quebec City after having landed in Montreal the night before, the sight of the changing leaves nudged a quiet shift to occur within me. Rather than the melancholy I often feel at the outset of Autumn, I felt a keen, fresh awareness of how I would embrace the season. We spent nine days enthralled in Quebec City and Montreal; I kept a sketchbook of my experiences. Traveling with friends, we made a harmonious foursome. A month has passed since we returned from Quebec, and Autumn still has me curiously intoxicated here in Seattle. I want to read in the early mornings (this old habit somehow had been pushed out by work & exercise routines), knit, sew, make soup, plant winter-hardy violas and chard in the garden, draw, paint and write letters... I abruptly went from wanderluster to homebody, inspired and fulfilled by the earthy beauty of the places we explored in Quebec. To every thing there is a season.

Here are some entries from my sketchbook. Please click on any image for a larger view. Sorry for the omission of proper French accents in this post. I don't seem to have a bilingual font readily available!

The restored stone houses of Old Quebec beg to be sketched.

This little view was in Le Quartier Petit-Champlain.

Cafe au lait was charmingly served in large "boules."

A trip to the Musee des Beaux Arts was marvelous. One positive/negative wood sculpture inspired me to sketch it.

Travel companion John reads over breakfast.

I am always interested in viewing exhibits of the cultures of the native people. In Quebec, the First Nations are referred to as the Amerindians. I sketched this page at the excellent Musee de la civilisation in Quebec City.

The ex-voto hearts in the La Chapelle de Notre Dame de Bon Secours in Le-Vieux-Montreal contained tiny handwritten scrolls (prayers, expressions of gratitude, etc.) and were then hung high on the chapel walls.

Thank you for traveling along with me. Bonne journee!