Gaspe' and the Perse' Rock
August 11, 2005, Quebec




At a welcome center, this alluring lass awaits
the return of Ray Bolger in the "Wizard of Oz"

We have reached St. Georges de Malbaie on the tip of the Gaspe', home to the Perse' Rock formation. A rock larger than
anything imagined by Elizabeth Taylor and only slightly older than Liz. 375 million years at last count, it stands an imposing 288 feet high and 1545 feet long.




Kayakers enoying an up-close and personal view



Our boat excursion took us close to the rock then encircled Bonaventure Island, home to the largest and most accessible gannet colony in North America. Sixty thousand we're told, but they never sit still long enough to be counted. The birds, sheer cliffs, small beaches, and basking seals form scenery so stunning no visitor can remain indifferent. If your concept of a return to nature was a trip to the GNC store or the Whole Foods Market, it's time to get out more often.

A boat cruise that ended too soon was followed by a gourmet luncheon downtown. Lynn and several others had the grilled shark. In the tradition of Seinfeld's legendary Elaine Benes, I opted for the lobster bisque. Perce' is the (select one: Gatlinburg, Branson, Shipshewana, Frankenmuth) version of Quebec tackiness. But the rock prevails.


Bob Cook tells Bert Kalet a clean joke.
Doc doesn't get it, but Shirley Turner does.

Aaahh Quebec. Where the home exterior color schemes are based entirely on digestive enzymes. The official provincial symptom is irregularity.




Bob and Marianne Batey, refugees of Tennessee,
but now incarcerated in Florida, await the sea
cruise.




After the inebriation of so much intense natural beauty, we are now leaving Quebec, and I have a few critical observations about the Quebeco'is ( pronounced kay-bay-kwaa). The social system here allows any citizen to work ten weeks a year and then the government pays them a stipend (salary) for the next forty-two weeks. This instills an attitude of (a) laziness, (b) disincentivism, (c) idleness, and ensures permanent high unemployment. The sound of flushing you hear is the massive provincial debt.


Vada Dodge, Conna Whittmore, and Shirley
Wittman paint unsuspecting rocks





Their license plate says it all, "je me souviens", or in anglais," I remember". Remember what ? What it was like to be productive and work for a living? They speak proudly of separation from Ottawa, of becoming a sovereign nation. Well it isn't going to happen as long as you have the largest welfare state north of East St. Louis and give every sloth 294 vacation days a year. They have so much worth embracing, truly one of the most gorgeous landscapes ever, a warm people worthy of much more, but it's going to take more than a few hugs. I'm a peaceful guy, but these people are sorely in need of a civil war.