After that crazy night in Repentigny with the car fires, how sweet it was to arrive in Montreal, home to my daughter and her fiance. Also there for a visit was my son, who lives in Vancouver.

Arrived at my daughter’s place early afternoon on July 27. After some hugs and a bit of lunch, my son wanted to go for a skateboard around the area. My daughter lives not too far from Olympic Park, which has many pathways through acres of land. It was a hot afternoon and my son and I ended up going to a free public swimming pool for a dip. Actually we were diving and flipping and it was great.

That evening, my future son-in-law (will be official on August 27!), who’s a great cook, made us three types of artisinal pizza. We ate in the backyard of their home in Hochelaga. They recently adopted a cute little grey cat, which kept us company.

That was July 27. On the 28 my son led us on an expedition to find his favourite Jewish restaurant in the city. 45 minutes to get there by subway and trekking through neigbourhoods, then a 45 minute wait to get in. Good thing there was a cafe across the street that sold banana choclate chip cake slices as an appetizer.

Also there was a funky clothing store perfect for my son. They sold really nice skater-branded stuff. He bought a t-shirt that’s certain to be a conversation starter: it has about 30 toilets depicted, each one reflecting a different mood. That evening my son left us for a bachelor party which he and a dozen friends had planned. It lasted three days. Much good natured debauchery, I’m sure.

My third day in Montreal my daughter and I went for a bike ride into the city. We stopped for lunch at a favourite place of hers. I love eating outdoors in summer. We had a great talk.

All in all there was lots of love and unrushed time together. A terrific stopover on my cycling ride back to Toronto from Halifax.