The Travelling Canadian

Shrimping in the Gulf of Mexico

Lilian — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 03:19:41 +0000

Shrimpers returned to the waters off the coast of Louisiana today. And we took to the sea on a shrimping expedition as well, a little further up the coast in Biloxi, Mississippi. The Biloxi Shrimping Tour is the second oldest attraction in the region; the “Sailfish” has been running tours since 1955. We were a small group today, [...]

Oil? What oil? Gulf coast beaches are open for business!

Lilian — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 13:47:03 +0000

The Mississippi Gulf Coast was well into its hurricane recovery when the Deep Water Horizon exploded and oil started gushing into the Gulf of Mexico. It was a blow the struggling region didn’t need – headlines flashing around the world about oil washing up on beaches as they were getting ready to launch into summer [...]

Checkin’ out Cajun country

Lilian — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 14:13:06 +0000

In Ontario, I think we’re always aware of the French language. We’re located right next to Quebec and there are pockets of Franco-Ontarian populations sprinkled throughout the province. And French is on most of our products, labels, printed materials and more. To see this in the United States is a little out of the ordinary – [...]

The day the rain came

Lilian — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 03:04:10 +0000

I had great visions for yesterday – visions of lovely Natchez, of stately Civil War-era homes and of cotton-growing. But they weren’t to be, thanks to what I later discovered to be TD5. It rained heavily pretty much from the moment we set out from Vicksburg on Route 61 on our way to Natchez. And [...]

In the footsteps of the battle of Vicksburg

Lilian — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 03:38:21 +0000

Vicksburg, Mississippi is a town with a bloody history. As a major Confederate stronghold strategically located on the Mississippi River – the South’s major supply line – it took beating after beating as Union troops tried repeatedly to capture the city during the US Civil War. A lengthy and brutal siege by northern forces in the [...]

It’s Elvis Week in Memphis

Lilian — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 23:06:38 +0000

It’s Elvis Week here in Memphis – which I didn’t know when I set about plotting our roadtrip through the South. To be honest, and this is certainly a sacrilege in this town, I’m not even really that much of an Elvis fan. But I’ve always considered Graceland to be one of those “must sees” [...]

Heading south on the Interstate

Lilian — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 03:55:23 +0000

We’re on our way south, Bill and I, on a road trip to the southern US. Today, we crossed three states enroute to our first destination, Memphis, spending the whole day doing nothing but driving and enjoying the sights and sounds of the I-75. And I-65. And I-40. There’ll be lots to write about once we [...]

A high maintenance lifestyle – or is this normal

Lilian — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:32:14 +0000

I’m starting to wonder if I’m becoming high maintenance. Have I gradually turned into a diva over the last number of years without knowing it? It used to be pretty easy for me to keep on top of myself and my life. But as I was entering appointments into my new online calendar, I noticed there [...]

Changing a decades-old habit

Lilian — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:59:06 +0000

I’ve been driving for almost 20 years. Wow, I feel old just writing that, but shockingly, it’s true. Anyway, when I was growing up, my parents always owned standard transmission vehicles, so when it came time for me to learn how to drive, that’s what I learned on. At the time, I was pretty annoyed [...]

Fighting the fear of flying

Lilian — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 17:22:19 +0000

Every time I get onto an airplane, I experience the same sensations. I feel butterflies in my stomach. My hands get clammy. My face gets red. My heart starts to pound and my pulse starts to race. And it gets progressively worse until the plane is in the air and the captain turns off the [...]