Around The Gaspay ... Gaspe, Actually

I don't have any accent marks for the French "e" at the end of the word. So “Gas-pay” will let you know how to pronounce the thing at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River that looks a lot like a tongue. I guess it’s appropriate, looking like a tongue at the river’s mouth. Anyway, we have to go around it to get where we are going.

It’s the final turn on the way up, from Boston to Montreal. We’ve left Prince Edward Island, gone under the Confederation Bridge (just, with a couple feet to spare) and headed north. Or, it’s the first turn on our way back to Boston as we leave the wide part of the St. Lawrence and head out to sea, as it appears.

I don’t know what’s out there on the Peninsula; apparently, not much. No big cities and, for that matter, no small cities. Just little villages and a road that goes ‘round the area.

Mostly you figure going down a river is all nice and stuff; you see things on either side and it’s picturesque. Not so the St. Lawrence: it’s wide as can be up top and you can’t see from one shore to the other. The captain says you’re in the river, so you believe him; he should know. You hope he does, anyway.

But that’s all a memory now and I’ll have to wait 47 more weeks until it becomes a reality again. I found I need two fewer day shirts and one less evening shirt; that cuts down on carry-on space. Maybe just four ties instead of eight, but carefully chosen to match all the shirts I bring. Gotta start thinking about packing.