Yet, some of the posts are not ready yet! Yes, despite quite a bit of time, I still have not fully downloaded all of the pictures, nor written as much as I wanted to about some of the places and experiences!
That may sound absurd, but there you have it.
Still, I feel obliged, somehow, to go ahead and publish something about the trip, even if this means that it is no longer in chronological order, strictly speaking!
I mean to publish this particular blog entry towards the end, but it will have to do now. This one is strictly concerning my son, and pictures that I took of him through not one, but two trips!
There may be one or two pictures still missing, but for the most part, this gives an idea, at least, of the places that we visited and saw together this summer. I may not be a millionaire, or anything (certainly not at this point in my life, when I'm scrounging for money - in part because of the two trips which, against my wishes, came much too close to one another), but I am trying to provide the very best for my son.
To that end, traveling is important. I believe that both my brother and I benefited greatly by traveling more than most at a young age, even if the benefits were not immediately apparent. In time, that experience of having seen, and gotten to know, other parts of the world, was beneficial. We got to see some countries that many other Americans often either have not seen, or got to see once, often on a trip of just a few days. Places like Paris, France, as well as other parts of France. Belgium, which we spent a few days exploring in during the summer of 1985. And Canada, which we have been to numerous times during our life, starting with a trip that our grandparents took us to up to Montreal back in 1983.
Again, I do not have the money to send my son to so many places overseas (at least not yet, anyway). But I wanted to get him to experience some different things, and for him to get a taste for traveling.
To that end, I have made every effort in the last several years of taking him on trips, particularly during the summer. Usually, these come right at the tail end of summer, maybe the last week or two of August. During those times in the past, I have taken him to Québec City, Niagara Falls (twice) and the Midwest a couple of times, as well. We also went on some other small trips, such as to Baltimore and Washington, DC.
With his mommy, he has also been to Seattle, Washington and Houston, Texas. So, he has done a decent amount of traveling already!
Now, my girlfriend's mom did invite him to Poland, and I would really want him to go. But he is still at an age where it is doubtful just how much he will get out of the trip, and it seemed wiser to save up some money and finally take him on a trip to Europe when he is a bit older, and perhaps more able to appreciate some of the incredible things he could see - including castles and cathedrals.
In the meantime, the traveling that he has done should prove beneficial. Between the two trips, one to the South of the US, and one to the northeast of the US and eastern Canada (the Maritimes and the Gaspésie peninsula in southeastern Québec province. In between the two trips, he got to see his first ever plantation, a first rate aquarium, several beaches, some beautiful old cities with an Old World charm to them, many parks and fountains, and a number of lighthouses. We did some camping and, on our final night of camping, we managed to build a beautiful campfire, which he had been asking us for throughout the trip to Canada.
So, even though it is not something as unique as traveling in Europe, let alone more exotic destinations, such as Asia, Africa, or Australia, he has been doing some traveling, and this is allowing him to see and experience different things. This was one of the things that I wanted to make sure to provide for him, as his father. And I would like to believe that this is, if nothing else, a good start!
Here are some pictures from the two trips combined. The first pictures are self-explanatory, with him posing by signs welcoming him to the newly arrived at states. Then, the others are a little bit more specific, and so I will add some commentary:
Taking a breather at the Vermont Welcome Center, just after crossing the border from Québec province, Canada back into the United States. I forget what the name of this particular Vermont town is, however.
Pictures from the crossing into Québec province. Here, there was a museum honoring the regional Acadian past.
Two pictures of him posing by a Prince Edward Island welcome area, with the Confederation Bridge (back to New Brunswick) in the background.
These are the pictures of the campfire that we built while staying at Camping Annie, in Métis-sur-Mer, Québec, Canada. This was probably the most beautiful night of the entire trip to Canada, and very conducive to a very nice campfire. Also, we sat under a canopy of stars, more than you could count! My son was so moved on this night, that he actually had what he called "tears of joy" in his eyes! I was personally moved by that, and since the trip ended, this is the night that I tend to recall most fondly!
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