Montreal - Los Angeles 2004

13th August 2004

Hello again all.

Well, this is it. My last email from my holiday adventures and next time I email you all I'll be back at work and back in reality.

Last time I wrote I was leaving NYC and heading to Montreal to meet Jen for her brother Bill's wedding...well, that was a complete success and lots of fun.

met Jen last Thursday in Montreal and we decided a night out in Montreal was on order before we were to head across to Cornwall for the wedding. We had a very entertaining time as a good friend of Jen's had recommended a restaurant called Bonne Notte for dinner and that was quite a good recommendation as it turned out. The food was great, the waitresses and waiters were all model material, the hostess with the mostest looked like Naomi Campbell but did nothing and Jen and I spent a good few hours enjoying dinner and marvelling at the patrons who were singing Frank Sinatra very badly and basically it was all very surreal.

We decided a night on the town was a good idea as well and of course we found the bar with the most people and the most fun. Needless to say we had to play the game of lining up in the "nobody" line whilst all the friends of the doormen got in ahead of us. For every 20 "friends of the doorman" that got in, one person from the "nobody" line would get in so it took about an hour to get in....good to see that some ridiculous traditions are constant worldwide....it would have been too easy to just walk right in. We drank and danced to trashy 80's songs and had a great time. The crowd was good value and we packed it in relatively early considering.

And that was Montreal and off to Cornwall it was for the wedding. It was about an hour away from Montreal and we had a great laugh when we arrived. We went to meet Bill and Sara and it was the first time I had met Sara and all I can say is that they both seemed completely smitten with each other which was great to see. The families were completely welcoming and I had a laugh with all of them Friday. The pre-wedding family dinner was a great success and as Jen's "date" I got to go to that which was a lot of fun. So much fun that the post dinner party in Jen's parents room got shut down!!! Always the sign of a good party!!!

And the wedding Saturday was fantastic. It rained for around 20 minutes before the wedding but cleared up really well, the service was great, the bride and groom were happy and everyone really enjoyed it. The reception was in a large tent in Sara's parents backyard and everyone had a great time. Jen and I have been commended for being such party catalysts but it wasn't really that hard at all...

On Sunday I made my way back to Montreal as I had a plane to catch Monday so I headed out for dinner and a few drinks....no major excitement but fun nonetheless.

And Monday was my nightmare day! Up at 4am to get to the airport by 5am for a flight to Dallas. I got there at 10am, went into town and headed to the JFK memorial in Dealy Plaza, the site of his assassination. Was great to wander around there considering its historical significance, I had my picture taken on the spot where JFK was shot (as every other tourist did) and it was time to head back to the airport for my flight to LA before I knew it!

Got to LA around 6pm and my sister Sue picked me up from the airport and we had dinner with her and the family at their house. Was great to see them and hang out for the evening but I packed it in relatively early.

As Sue & Harry had taken Tuesday and Wednesday off work to hang out with me, we decided to head to "Big Bear Mountain" with the kids for a couple days get away. Big Bear Mountain is around 3 hours away from LA and is an Alpine Ski report in Winter and a getaway in the summer where waters ports on the lake are a key attraction. It was great fun. We hired a boat and spent some time on the water (about time my boat license came in handy), we went to the slip and slide water park and went tobogganing at the fun park as well. My niece and nephew loved it and it was a great time had by all. It was probably the best thing we could have done to enjoy some time together considering the short time I have here in LA!!!

And that's it. Sue & Harry are at work today so I am babysitting my niece and nephew. We are about to head down to the local park for a bit of pitch and putt golf and then we're just going to hang out for the rest of the day until Sue & Harry return. Tonight I'm going to go see "Donnie Darko: The Directors Cut" and then I head back to Oz tomorrow. Had a dream I missed my flight and I had to stay here which unfortunately wont come true but I can keep wishing.

So that's it for my holiday adventures folks! I hope they have provided some entertainment for you all. For those of you in Oz, I can't wait to see you all in the flesh and catch up. For those of you overseas, thanks for being part of my holiday and making it so memorable. It was great fun!!!

Cya soon

Dave
xxx