I'm still going to do the big cross-Canada trip I had booked for March 2020, just next fall probably.

Ooh, fun!

Talked to my mom about going to see the annular eclipse next year, so I feel good about that. I expect finding a place to stay to be much less fraught than a total eclipse, but might as well start planning early.

That long train trip sounds amazing!

I’m thinking of visiting Montreal for my next not-family trip. I keep meaning to go to England, but Montreal seems less expensive and with less actual travel time.

I really want to go to Montreal. Some day.

Seconding msbelle’s hell yeah!

here to Chicago because I have never taken that route

I support this plan.

People who are thinking of going to Montreal: Do it, do it, do it! I took the train from Toronto (I was in town to visit colleagues) and it was a lovely four-hour train ride, with very friendly train staff who asked me if I wanted the train announcements in English or French. Being greedy, I opted for both.

My spoken French (learned 35 years ago!) is just barely good enough to be understood in Paris, but Quebec French is just plain beyond me -- it's different enough that I wound up asking people to repeat themselves multiple times, and usually after the second time, they gave up and switched to English. But it was all done in good humour, with none of the haughtiness that I'd feared. And I could read the street signs, which was a thrill and a half. The mass transit is low-key efficient and the subway has rubber tires, which makes it a lot less noisy than others I've been on.

The people were lovely, the walking was gorgeous, and I would go back in a hot minute.

Hi Buffistas! I am back in Florida, and still exhausted from my trip. Brendon was worried I was going to hate the condo, but nope, I love it. Still have to get a lot of things from storage. We were taking turns eating with the ONE plastic fork he had in his truck. I don't really want to buy stuff when I have it in bins. Snagged our coffee pot from his brother's, but he forgot the filters. He also brought the small pot with a mesh filter so we managed that anyway. We have a bed, couch, and I currently have my computer on the dining room table base because we haven't brought up the glass top yet. My desk is still at BIL's. Anyway, it will come together. My patience is helped by staring out the windows at the ocean. It has a wrap around view on the balcony so I can see sunrise and sunset, with ocean and city views. It is an absolute delight. Dog is still acclimating.

The lack of furniture and stuff sounds trying but the place sounds amazing Laura!!