August 1-7, 2022

We have been really impressed with the efficiency of public transportation here.  We spend a lot of time on the metro and busses every day.  The metro is usually clean and we see maintenance folks cleaning the covered bus stops frequently.  The four metro lines can get us fairly close to most places we need to go.  There are currently 43 miles of underground track.  The average speed is 40 mph but they can go up to 78 mph.

These are two of the three escalators we descend to get to our train at the Charlevoix station.  Charlevoix is the deepest at 98 feet below ground.

This was a pretty routine week with District Council, our weekly hospital visit with Sister Smith and weekly service at the food bank.  Saturday was Bishops Storehouse, always a rewarding experience.  After storehouse we drove to the small community of Mercier near Châteauguay in search of a farmer's market.  We found a small fruit and vegetable stand at a farmhouse and bought some fresh corn and tomatoes.  They had the cutest little chicken coop in the front yard.

We were scheduled to go with the other Senior missionaries on a canal cruise August 20.  We will have storehouse that day so we went on our own Wednesday afternoon.  The cruises are only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday but they had a private tour Wednesday morning and decided to open the boat for the afternoon return trip.  We were the only passengers on board - a private tour!

The brick building behind us is a former sugar factory, now condos.  This part of the canal was a huge industrial area in the day.  Many of the buildings are being refurbished or torn down.  It is becoming a very desirable area of the city.

The Lachine Canal runs through the southwestern part of the Island of Montréal.  It starts at the Old Port of Montréal and runs nine miles to Lake Saint-Louis.  It was the first link in a chain of canals set up to facilitate shipping between Montréal and the Great Lakes.  In it's heyday, just before the great crash of 1929, nearly 15,000 ships used the canal annually.  Thirty years later it would be replaced by the Saint Lawrence Seaway.  It was partially filled in in the 1960's and fell into disrepair.  It was closed to shipping in 1970 and has been managed by Parks Canada since 1978.  The sections of the canal that had been filled with dirt have been dug out again, allowing the water to flow through the channel again.

I didn't know it when we decided to take the canal cruise, but it checked another item off my bucket list.  As noted in last week's post, I am fascinated with locks.  We passed through several locks on the Lachine.

Waiting for the first lock to open

The water line on the lock as we wait for the water level to drop

Another lock opening

Moving through the lock

Farine Five Roses sign

The sign is over 70 years old and considered an almost sacred landmark in Montréal.  Smuckers bought the Five Roses brand.  The former owners considered taking the sign down but Smuckers intervened and spent more than a million dollars to keep it lit and maintained.  I buy the Five Roses brand flour in the grocery store.

In the early days of the canal, barges operating with ropes used the waterway.  The tops of the concrete blocks are rounded so the ropes wouldn't fray and break as quickly.

Going through the last lock

Coming into Old Port of Montreal

Habitat 67

Habitat 67 sits across from Old Port.  It was built for the World Expo 67 and was originally intended as an experimental solution for high-quality housing in dense urban environments.  It was touted as an architectural wonder at the time - I find it rather unsettling to look at.  Immediately after Expo 67, it was affordable housing but now has become very unaffordable as one and two million dollar condos.

Approaching Old Port, where the Saint Lawrence meets the canal

Old Port clock tower and Molson Beer brewery

Molson Beer has been a Montréal staple since 1786.  In 2005 it merged with Adolph Coors and became Molson Coors.  The other famous local beer is Labatt's, which we pass on our way to church.

Our tour boat, docked at Old Port

We have discovered a new friend while walking through beautiful Angrignon Park.  He hangs out by the little bridge over the stream we cross to exit the park.

We had dinner tonight with the Monette family.  He is the ward clerk and she is the Primary President.  They met online through an LDS dating sight.  She is from the Philippines and fed us traditional Philippine food tonight.  It was delicious!  They were both in their thirty's when they married.  They have two little boys, ages 9 and 7.  Brother Monette was recently diagnosed with colon cancer and has endured radiation treatments and is currently undergoing chemo.  They have such a good attitude about the situation.  They realize the outcome may not be good but have faith that Heavenly Father has the master plan and is in charge.  He said the most difficult part of his situation so far has been accepting help from others.  He agreed to let John mow his lawn next week.  

We are so blessed with good health and so many other things.  Be grateful for all blessings, great and small!