I have just returned from another trip to Quebec. I stayed for a couple of days with my aunt and uncle in Mont St. Hilaire, southeast of the city.

The crucifix is a common site on roads throughout Quebec, which, until recently, was a thoroughly Catholic province, more or less run by the church. It’s much more secular now, but the religious symbols remain. Check out the mountain in the background.

This area used to be famous for its apple orchards, but most of them have been cut down for tacky housing developments. This one, though, has been replaced by a vineyard.

Dandelions are seen everywhere, because people do not spray their lawns here.

White birches still do well in Quebec. In Rhode island, it’s become too warm for them to thrive, and people are planting river birches instead. I do love the white ones, though.

More in the next dispatch from my former homeland!