Canada

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The Best Pizza in North America (or, at least, Canada & the US)

I think pizza buffs will agree with me that there is one pizza against which you measure all others. In all my travels across Canada and the US, I have yet to find a pizza has good as that offered by Tre Colori, a restaurant situated in my hometown of Chambly, Quebec. Imagine that!

Tre Colori’s pizza sauce is savory, but not, too pungent. The cheese is greasy and generous. The crust is what makes this pie stand out. Under the pizza, it is thin but not crispy, and at the edge it is doughy and yeasty. I like most pizzas with a lot of toppings, but Tre Colori’s has to be eaten plain.

the box hasn't changed since I can remember

the box hasn’t changed since I can remember

my half is plain; the other half has onions and mushrooms

my half is plain; the other half has onions and mushrooms

close up of the texture

close up of the texture

close up of the yummy dough ball they use to keep the lid away from the pizza

close up of the yummy dough ball they use to keep the lid away from the pizza

The restaurant has been in business since 1967 and I have eaten there all my life. It was one of my dad’s favourite restaurants, so I celebrated many milestones there, most notably my thirteenth birthday. The decor has changed over time, but the food is the same. They serve pasta and non-Italian dishes, but it’s only the pizza I crave when a wind blows me back into town.

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I Love Flying!

I am in Calgary and approaching the end of my last layover.

Airport security procedures continue to suck. I was subjected to an incredibly invasive pat-down in Penticton, but once that was done, it was smooth going. I’d never done a cross-country flight with layovers, so I didn’t realise I only need to do the security thing once. When I’ve flown to the US with layovers, I had to clear customs while still on Canadian soil, so there were two security checks.

But once the security hassle is over, I remember why I don’t mind going through it. There is something about flying that gets me every time. I just love that little hitch in your throat at the moment of takeoff; it is so exhilarating. I was seated right next to the landing gear on the flight to Vancouver, so I had a chance to see how it works. It was cool to actually see the plane bounce at touch down!

Everyone needs to both drive and fly across the continent once. By tonight, I will have seen the Pacific Ocean, the Rockies, the prairies, and the Canadian Shield before descending into the familiar St Lawrence Lowlands that were home for thirty years.

The layover in Calgary turned out to be a most pleasant respite. I had a nice lunch at the Chili’s restaurant, then caught up on some work. I need to pack up now and go off in search of snacks since I’ll be landing in Montreal at 11PM local time, which is dinner time for me!

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Almost Packed and Waiting for Morning

I’m leaving for Montreal first thing in the morning, which is absolutely surreal! Since I am taking three flights both ways and do not trust Air Canada, I’ve decided to try to carry on all my luggage. When I checked-in an hour ago, I did say that I would be checking one suitcase, in case they decide not to let me carry on. Had I selected the ‘no checked luggage’ option, Air Canada would charge me $50 if they deemed it necessary for my luggage to be checked! Crazy!

Air Jazz, the puddle jumper that’s taking me from Penticton to Vancouver will require me to put my luggage under the plane at the point of embarkation because of the lack of cabin space. I went through that routine when I went to Chicago in ’99, so I know what to expect.

I’m allowed my suitcase, a laptop case, a small purse, and a coat, so that is what I will need to juggle through the airports tomorrow. My suitcase is very nice and has a place from which to hang the laptop case, so at least I won’t need to carry myself in most cases. Needless to say, I am going to have my eye on it the whole time!

I read the updated rules about liquids and noticed a new clause–the liquids must be identifiable. Last time I carried on my luggage I transferred my products to small bottles and they went through fine. But this clause makes me think that I need to be carrying original bottles. So, I went to Shopper’s Drugmart today and bought $10 worth of travel sized bottles. *sighs*

I have not decided to what extent, if any, I will be blogging about my trip.

I’m off to finish packing since I need to hit the road for 7:30. *yawn*

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Study Curtains

I spent an hour this afternoon putting together the curtains for one of the study windows. I’ll do the other two when I get back from Quebec. I frosted the large window as well as the one on the filing cabinet side, so they’re not as urgent. I didn’t want to do the one on the desk side since I like to see what’s going on outside. However, guests of this park are extremely rude and walk through my site to get to the facilities on the other side of the meadow. I wouldn’t mind if they walked on the far side of the site (it’s double-wide), but they walk right by the rig and take plenty of time to peak into windows. Yuck!

At any rate, I don’t sew, but I am well equipped for sewing. The other day, I took my cutting mat and tool (looks like a pizza cutter) and I went to the laundry room where there is a large table. I spread out the fabric, measured, and cut out all my panels.

Sometime in the spring, I bought some fusible hemming tape to try out in lieu of hand sewing. It’s a small roll, so I didn’t think I’d have enough to do all my curtains, but when I opened up the package I discovered that it’s a very fine product, kind of like a spider web, and that a roll will go a long way.

First thing to do, set myself up for ironing. Hmm… Oh, I’ve got it! Board down on study mattress, dish towel over board, and a damp absorbent cloth to substitute for an ironing cloth:

I started with the bottom, since it had a finished edge that would allow me to make a perfectly straight edge, which would guide me for the other sides. I did one panel, then used it as a guide to get the other one the same size.

The fusible tape is extremely easy to work with. I worked with foot-long sections at a time, folding the hem over it, applying the damp cloth over top, and pressing firmly with the iron for ten seconds. It was slow going, but the crisp edges were worth the effort.

For the top, I simply made a much larger hem so that the pole could fit through the top section. I got simple tension rods which fit snugly. For added protection, I had them rest over a valance bracket to give them a bit more support:

The fabric is long enough to cover these windows, but it is about two inches too short for the picture window. The fabric is just so perfect and there was exactly enough of it, except for those two inches, so I’m glad I have the valances to make up the rest!

End result: