Day 149 of a 365-Day Portrait of Canada: St. Fulgence Ice Fishing Village, Quebec

One hundred and sixty ice fishing cabins crowd together on the river create an ice fishing village of sorts. Complete with two parking lots, roads and outhouses, all on 36 inches of ice. People have come from all over the region for 20 years to rent a cabin or just a spot to setup their own ice fishing cabin.

Every ice fishing cabin has an individual style.

True love is ice fishing together, with some ice fishing cabins no bigger than a walk-in closet!

Four holes drilled through 36 inches of ice, wow!

Smelt was the catch of the day, one fella told us he caught 3300 smelt last year.

Heading out for a day of ice fishing.

These boys are studying to be pilots in Chicoutimi and they came to ice fish for the weekend.

Catching Some Rays.

Every cabin has its own special character.

Smelt, the catch of the day!

What was once a tent trailer is now an ice fishing cabin!

Five gallon buckets cut through the floor, act as fishing holes.

Friends gather to fish and enjoy a sunny day on the ice.

Ice fishing with the cousins!

Tim got a big kick out of the uniqueness of this ice fishing village.

Ice Fishing Village

Everybody has their own customized setup with their snow machines and gear.

Heading home after a day of ice fishing.

As darkness fell, it became quieter in the village.

The setting sun.. we stayed the night out on the ice, knowing full well it was going to get cold, but minus 30? Ouch! The furnace would kick in every six minutes!

Day 148 of a 365-Day Portrait of Canada: Chicoutimi Carnaval and St. Fulgence, Quebec

Sleigh Rides at Chicoutimi Carnaval

Looks like fun!

Vintage Snowmobile Races – The skidoos had to be at least 30 years old to race!  

Working at the Carnaval

Happy Couple Enjoying the Chicoutimi Carnaval 

There are so many Habs fans all over the place! 

Impromptu Hockey Game

This little farm (in a horse trailer) cost a dollar to visit. We didn’t pay since we have our two dogs around, and they are almost the same as having a little farm (but in the van). We are actually thinking of selling pony rides with Bo as the pony. 

Kids Quad Ride 

The Quebec Military had a tent at the Carnaval. 

“Le Gros Party” in the Chalet du Pere Alex. 

There were slices of “tarte au sucre” (sugar pie) for sale, and it was all I could do to resist a piece. So sweet, yet sooo delicious! 

There was line dancing and French songs…he even played the accordion! 

Wagon Wheel of History

Day 146 of a 365-Day Portrait of Canada: St. Anne-De-Beaupre, Rural Quebec and the Edison Phonographic Museum of Canada

It was freezing and windy today when we went for a walk. The ice was built up in thin, razor-sharp layers on the shore of the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Looking out across the vast expanse of snowy land, it felt like we were someplace way in the Canadian North.

Even without leaves, these trees are elegant.

Rural Quebec

Out For an Early Evening Walk

This is one of the many stone houses that can be found in rural Quebec.

Somebody needs a haircut.

Hippie Cows

Lise with her dogs woody and Belle

Showing off his prized work horse, Bijou.

These fun-loving fellas were just hanging out in the barn, shooting the breeze.

Splitting wood is a big part of the rural Quebec lifestyle, with many of the houses heated with wood burning stoves.

Quebecois Woodsmen

The Phonograph Museum

The owner of the Phonograph Museum was extremely knowledgable about the history of the phonograph. We were even lucky enough to have our tour of the museum in English!

About 250 different phonographs at the museum made for a very striking collection!

Recording Cylinders

The Dictograph

Early recording cylinders were used in talking dolls – many of them were from France and Germany.

A Portrait of Edison Who Invented the Phonograph

This museum has been around for 38 years and it is the only phonograph museum in Canada. Many old phonographs are kept in private collections rather than being put on display.

You could pick up the receiver and listen to Pope Leo the 13th give his Benediction as it was recorded on February 5th, 1903.

Day 143 of a 365-Day Portrait of Canada: Quebec, Une Belle Ville

Quebec Flag of the Day

The cutest bus ever! These electric buses are free to ride around downtown Quebec city.

A 150 years together!

Maggie the horse sports a Fleur-de-Lys.

A Silent Canon on a Wintery Day

In Quebec you will see thousands of these temporary car ports, sheltering cars and saving hours of shoveling time.

The second major snowfall in a week has caused some people to lose it. This lady was out of her mind and very very mad about having to shovel more snow.

Historic Quebec City Post Office

National Museum of Fine Art of Quebec

In Quebec, people of all ages are active all year long.

Faces of the Day – Deux Quebecoises

Tobacco Shop

Tourist Shop

‘Tis the season

Skiing her heart out!

Parka Party in the Park!

Canadian Coast Guard

Canadian Coast Guard Yard

Heading home after a day of playing hockey.

Day 140 of a 365-Day Portrait of Canada: Quebec City Digs Out

Horse-drawn carriages are everywhere in Quebec city, all year round, adding an old-country charm to the streets.

Guard at the Citadel

Welcome to Quebec City!

Flag of the Day

Tourist Pointing Out Over the St. Lawrence River

A container ship heads off to sea with cargo.

Just getting off work on a Friday afternoon –  perfect.

The World-Famous Hotel Frontenac

Another Beautiful Winter Scene

The Quebec Parliament Building

Shoveling roof tops must be dangerous, one of these workers took a pretty good spill while I was there shooting this shot.

Ummm…Honey there’s a big drift lurking outside the kitchen window.

I met Kristell in a parking lot looking for her car which had been towed the night before. Apparently the red light flashing signals that the snow plow is coming and you had better move your car ASAP.  This light was unfortunately around the corner and out-of- sight from where Kristell was staying while visiting friends. As a result, her car was towed to a neighboring city lot and ticketed $100. Kristell explained, “I’m from Montreal, and we don’t have these red lights in Montreal. I had no idea even where it was on the street. This really screws with my schedule.”

Ever seen a daycare take a trip to the tobogganing hill in the middle of a blizzard? Well, in Quebec city that’s completely normal!

Maple Cones! I had one and went back to the sugar man for a second! So good.

These were the sleds that you can rent for $2 a run to go down the ice slide. 

People snowshoe all over Quebec city, not just for fun, but for a means of transportation. This is definitely one of the best ways to get around, as the snow is knee-deep otherwise.

Faces of the Day

Day 139 of a 365-Day Portrait of Canada: Quebec City Gets Hit With a Major Blizzard

My first step out of the van this morning was into a knee-high pile of snow that the snow plow created in the early hours of the morning. I had heard the plow go by twice during the night, but I had no idea that I would be totally boxed in with 30 inches of snow all around me! After a half an hour of shoveling I was able to pull out and drive around the corner, parked in a plowed parking spot. When it snows in Quebec, parking spots become a premium, and there seems to be some sort of unspoken word as to who gets what spot.We’ve covered a lot of snow days in the past couple months, but this by far has been the biggest blizzard that we’ve been though. Our cameras survived a mere hour and a half before they became to damp inside and out, meaning our shooting for the day was over for the day. We’ve found that the best way to photograph a blizzard is from a vehicle, where the cameras are protected and dry, however today was not a driving day in Quebec city…too dangerous. Enjoy the view from the warmth of your home!

If you don’t have to drive anywhere today, then don’t because the roads are icy. On a day like today, the mandatory snow tires become even more vital and important!

Just getting to this mail box required both snow boots and snow pants.

A Postie Gets the Mail Delivered

The Quebecois know the importance of moving the snow within the first few hours, otherwise the snow packs down, gets hard and is five times more difficult to move. This guy was taking his snow across the street to the neighbors to deal with. Illegal snow dumping?

A nice warm place to spend the snowy day. No school today kids!

A mother watches from the warmth of her house as her daughter shovels the sidewalk. In Quebec you can find generations living within the same household.

Proud to shovel the sidewalk for his family!

A trail runs through it, wow! I can not believe the six feet of snow on either side of the sidewalk, I’ve seen it on TV, but didn’t believed it. Back at home in Alberta we’d get only a foot of snow in a good snow year.

Pausing from digging out her car, a big job. An even bigger job if the plow boxes you in.

Yet another funny french sign, Quebec has some odd signs, they love their signs and rules.

Taking Home the Groceries

Really? How many people would throw their child on a piece of hard plastic and drag it through the snow? It just seems odd to me, even though it is a typical Canadian scene.

The extendable snow brush – oh, what a lovely invention! 

Day 138 of a 365-Day Portrait of Canada: Quebec City

With 20 centimeters of snow on the way for tomorrow, I thought that this icy Canadian flag with tire tracks over it summed up the time of the year here in Quebec city.

With Quebec city built on a hilltop there are so many great views to capture.

Pretty much every government building in Quebec city consist of massive slabs of concrete with small windows. Quebec seems to have a love affair with concrete. I wonder if it’s to do with the need to feel a sense of permanence and stability after a rocky start for the French with so much conflict and fighting.

There are certainly way more Quebec flags flown here in Quebec city than Canadian flags.

The taxi drivers say business is good for them in QC.

This is what comes off of the roads….I found this under a bridge. Quebec loves to use huge amounts of salt on the roads; no gravel out here in the East… just straight salt!

Blind and brave! In Quebec city motorists will actually slow down for you if you’re crossing the street. In Montreal, on the other hand, they speed up for you.

Proud to be Canadian! This woman made this toque for her son’s ski team.

Somebody has too much time on their hands during their lunch hour.

Just two days ago this was the site of Carnaval where 1000’s of people laughed and had a great time. Today it’s back to being a frozen wasteland.

The Hotel Frontenac has got to be one of the most stunning of the Fairmount hotels from across Canada with its castle-like architecture.

This has to be the most amazing sled run I’ve ever seen. You get going really fast as the whole run is made of ice. The kids really scream on this one and with reason.

Two ferries crossing in the night.

Tug Boat in Icy Waters

Grocery Store in Downtown Quebec city