How could such a great day, with so much promise, go so far south so fast?
Well...let's go back to the beginning. I'm up relatively late (8:00AM) after a great night of sleep. The sky is cloudy, but no rain, and the weather report via my cell phone indicates clearing skies and a sunny day.
Ed's been up for awhile, so I figure the sooner that I get coffee going, the better. I roasted a few batches of beans last night, so we've got a fresh supply...and...with our electrical hookup, I can use the coffee maker...quick and easy. In a few minutes, Ed and I are sipping coffee and planning the day. For me, the number one priority is lunch, and I've identified a potential target restaurant called "Panache"...my guidebook indicates that Panache specializes in "up-scale Quebec/Canadian cuisine"...perfect. Ed's main goal today is to get some movie camera footage of the city. When he was last here in the 70's, he bought a series of prints depicting various landmarks, and now he wants to film them.
By now, the sun is starting to come out, and I'm feeling like this is going to be a great day. My phone is in the Escape charging, so I decide to go get it and check messages, emails, etc...big mistake, because my phone is the Maguffin" that sets this promising day on a decidedly downward spiral.
Wow...I've got a bunch of voice mail messages...better check those first. The first several are from Spike, and her tone can only be described as "frantic. My mom's boyfriend, Ace, has left a bunch of messages on my home answering machine, and his tone is desperate. My mom's physical and mental condition has deteriorated considerably in the last several weeks. She's trying to get into an assisted living place, but they insist on her taking a "cognitive abilities test" before they will let her sign a contract...and she has "flunked" the test. I'm going to have to sign on her behalf. So...I call Ace...number is "disconnected". I call my mom...number is disconnected. Now I'm really worked up.
Then there's a message from a nurse/social worker who has been working with my mom and Ace to coordinate home care and the transition to the assisted living place. She has left a number, so I call that. This lady is very helpful...yes,my mom is in bad shape...how soon can I get to Florida to sign the necessary "papers".
Now comes the "bombshell"...my brother, Jim, is there. This is the guy who has not communicated with me or my mom in, probably, fifteen years...for my mom, not even a birthday card. He's been looking for realtors to sell the house that my mom lives in...interesting since my name is on the deed. He's been trying to line up someone to come in and auction off the contents of the house...interesting since that property belongs to my mom.
Emotionally and, as a practical mater, this is (for me) the equivalent of getting a root canal on your birthday.
So...I spend the next couple of hours talking to the people who's advice I most value. My friend, Mark, agrees to keep trying Ace's number and let me know if he reaches him. Mark also helps me identify issues and prioritize them so that I can come up with a "plan". My cousin, Bill, offers to go over and see what's going on, but we agree that this will only create more problems. My friend, Roger, offers to help in any way possible.
By now, it's close to noon, and there's not much more that I can do at this point. So...Ed and I head over to the Aquarium and get our bus into the city. Panache turns out to be an "upscale" spot, and Ed and I are...well...we've been camping and we look like we've been camping. Still, the staff is friendly, even though they place us outside on the patio discretely out of sight of the other diners. The meal is outstanding...Ed and I get the "Duck Rillettes" appetizer...a pile of shredded duck atop some field greens in a light vinaigrette and surrounded by thin slices of duck salami and some tempura-battered vegetables. We wash this down with a couple of glasses of French Viognier...perfect. For the main course, Ed and I both order the "Boeuf"...in this case, a "shoulder tenderloin" grilled and served with a red wine reduction sauce and sauteed baby vegetables and boiled new potatoes...it's a fantastic dish, all the better with a few glasses of Coteaux de Languedoc...a French blend consisting of mainly Syrah...perfect again.
Our thirst for wine still unslaked, Ed and I get a cheese plate...and more red wine. Dessert is a "plat du peche", or "peach plate"...a tiny piece of peach tart, sliced fresh peaches and a scoop of peach ice cream...a sublime ending to a great meal.
Ed needs movie shots and I need cigars...so...after lunch, we walk "uptown" out of the walls of the old city to an area next to the Plains of Abraham. This is the site of the famous battle between Generals Wolfe and Montcalm in which the British scaled some huge cliffs during the night, surprised the French on the plains of Abraham, and inflicted a defeat that ended France's dominance in North America.
Along our journey uptown, we stop at a few cafes for...what else?...more wine. Several hours later, Ed's got his movie shots and I've got my cigars...time to head back to camp.
All day, I've been thinking...what needs to done for mom, and how to do it. By the time we get back to camp, I have a tentative "plan"...get Ed to the airport on Saturday, then head south for home. I can make it to south of Toronto on Saturday, camp, and be home Sunday afternoon. Then, I can take a couple of days to unpack, do laundry, repack...and...head for Florida.
We're still full from lunch, so dinner is a small plate of leftover pasta...and some more red wine.
Ed and I talk late into the night...then it's time for sleep. It's an uneasy sleep for me...but at least I have a plan.
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