If you remember my first attempt at blogging, you will recall that we settled up north in the Quebec Laurentians in the town of Morin Heights. This quaint little town is a cozy blend of old english sods, artsy fartsy artists, stuck-in-the-sixties hippy like off-the-grid anarchists mixed in with a dash of nouveaux riches for good measure. So for this blog,I decided to take a walk and give you a small glimpse of our fair town with a few snapshots.
MH has it's own municipal beach, right at the entrance of downtown Although I dare anybody to find one grain of sand there. It's more of a swimming hole than anything else, but it seems quite popular even with all the the restrictions.
Of course some people prefer the privacy of their own pool. Especially if you have a thing for huge inflatable dogs and the town is already abuzz with rumors of you and your plastic best friend.
The downtown core itself is extremely minimalistic with one sidewalk and three churches a few meters apart on the same side.
Which leads me to believe there must be a massive pile up on Sunday mornings. The Methodists, the Catholics and the Anglicans all bumping in to one another in their Sunday best. Judging by the cemetery, it would seem there are more people buried than living in town. Also, they seem to be anticipating a deadly plague of some sorts by the look of the numerous unoccupied graves.
We also have our fair share of restaurants. You have to remember that Morin Heights is crossed by the 329, the scenic route from Lachute to Mont Tremblant. Very popular with motorcyclists, RVs and the occasional lone cyclist with a cause.
In the centre of it all is Mickey's. Mickey's is an institution here. They have a weird combo business consisting of a diner, a laundromat and a shoe store. They also sell BBQs and propane gas and the owner drives the town's only taxi vehicle when he's not selling mukluks or fireworks.
There's a local bar where all the yokels hang out. This place has probably seen more assholes than a proctologist. When I took the picture I was immediately summoned by a beer soaked regular to take his picture in not so many words. I declined....of course. Don't have enough film I yelled. Thinking that numeric photography was at that moment, light years away from his alcohol reduced brain.
If you take a walk around away from hustle and bustle of the city core onto the side streets, you'll find amazing little old style wooden houses on hill sides, ripe with flowery gardens, huge trees and birds galore.
We even have our own Crescent street (see pic).But you won't be seeing any Porsche bunnies or cigar smoking sugar daddies ogling the huge breasted, stiletto heeled thrill seeker.
Morin Heights is very quiet and sleepy. It's also the perfect outdoor recreational small town year round. It has a community feeling to it that beckons the heart and soul and frees the mind. I often laugh at it's shortcomings having lived in a metropolis for a long time. On rare occasions, I do miss the adrenaline filled rush of a teaming big city with bright lights and endless nights. The anonymity of the faceless crowd and the abundance of man made temptations. But truthfully, I'm glad we landed here and wouldn't live anywhere else on this planet... for now.
