Bonjour from Quebec!  This week’s post is a brief update from my current road trip to the province of Quebec, Canada.  It’s primarily photos with a little context ― the abbreviated format allows me to share this adventure while its underway.

Who doesn’t love a good road trip? Especially when you’ve done the homework and mapped out the ideal itinerary — one that balances the must-sees with a little “let’s-just-see-what-happens”.  There’s nothing quite like the freedom of tossing your gear in the car, queuing up a great audiobook and hitting the road.

It may be a real estate cliché but some realtors swear by the practice of baking cookies before open houses and showings.  They believe filling the house with a warm, welcoming scent makes it feel more inviting, comforting and homey.  For many people the smell of fresh-baked cookies reminds them of happy memories from their childhood ― a nostalgic trigger realtors hope will entice prospective home buyers to stop and linger.

Is incense its own specific scent?  Or can any smell be incense?  I’d always assumed the former but, surprisingly, it’s actually both!
Despite spending considerable time in Southeast Asia, where burning incense is part of daily life for the majority of the population, I failed to take notice of this fascinating subject.

Who doesn’t love a good story?  Good stories engage, entertain and educate.  They spark our imaginations and create connections.  Talented storytellers know the importance of setting a scene, breathing life into characters, creating the mood and building a strong storyline ― from introduction, through a plot of interconnected events, to climax and conclusion.