Master Seaman Bailey keeping lookout as the Halifax approaches St John's, Newfoundland
Plowing through the waves during one of February's massive stormsA Canadian naval frigate that enforced United Nations sanctions off the coast of Yugoslavia and hunted for Al-Qa'ida operatives in the Persian Gulf after 9/11 is in Montreal on a public relations offensive this weekend.
Just under 11/2 football fields long, with an engine large enough to power a city of 5,000, and armed with Sea Sparrow missiles, torpedoes and .50-calibre heavy machine guns, HMCS Halifax will be open to the public this weekend in the Old Port.
Its 209 crew members, 19 of them women, will be on hand to greet visitors - if they're not on shore leave enjoying Montreal.
With most Canadian naval bases located abroad, it's difficult for most Canadians to see what the navy does, Bishop said.
"This ship can do up to 30 knots (about 55 kilometres an hour), but the fuel mileage is lousy," he deadpanned.
The first of 12 such helicopter-carrying frigates built in Canada in the 1990s, the Halifax is known as the workhorse of the Canadian navy, a multi-role patrol frigate equipped with anti-submarine technology as well as defence against surface and air threats.
In addition to combat, training and diplomacy, the ship is used to patrol Canadian waters and enforce fishing zones.
The Montreal stop is the first of several for HMCS Halifax along the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes over the next month. The visit here has been highly anticipated by crew members eager to take in the city, and some eager to come home.
Ordinary Seaman Alexandre Lebrun, 27, of Laval's Ste. Dorothee district enlisted about two years ago to see a bit more of the world. Despite the fact he discovered on his first naval voyage that he gets seasick easily - "The first few days of every trip are bad" - he is loving the life of cramped quarters and high seas.
"Before this, I hadn't left Quebec," he said. "Now, I've seen a lot of Canada, and I'll see the world."
Rough waters shouldn't be a problem this weekend. If they are, the Halifax is known to withstand seas in excess of 10 metres high, and is designed to right itself if it capsizes - or at least remain afloat if it doesn't.
HMCS Halifax is docked at Alexandra Pier in the heart of the Old Port. Visiting hours are 1 to 4 p.m. today, tomorrow and Monday.
The sailor's memorial, downtown Halifax
Jeanne and I, hanging out in Friday's beautiful weather, down on the waterfront
Look: teeth!
Jeanne in her Easter bonnet
Yes, this is from the Easter weekend, not Christmas.
Pretty dress. Oh, and in case you didn't hear, Jeanne got her first two teeth over the Easter weekend.
Jeanne is so obsessed with playing with the TV remote (I guess it's because she sees us 'playing' with it all the time), that we took the batteries out of an old one we weren't using and gave it to her. I think she's a little disappointed that it doesn't actually do anything.
Jeanne isn't actually crawling yet, but somehow managed to get under this chair the other day, all by herself.
I was talking on the phone the other day while Jeanne was bouncing, and I turned around and she'd fallen asleep. So cute!
Tearing up the floor (again!)
The final bunny prototype, as I've been promising for quite a while.
The bunny and the kitty I made before, to show scale (bunny is a little smaller than kitty, as you can see).
Oops, meant to post this a couple of days ago. Looks like Jeanne's got a future as a punk rocker! Thanks for making this, Sarah; it's awesome! (gotta love photoshop, eh?)
Hi everybody!
Jeanne has all of a sudden decided that she will no longer drink rice from her bottle, so we've had to start spoon-feeding her (without a lot of success, I'm afraid). While she thinks the process is hilarious, she doesn't actually want to swallow any of it. Yes, I know I should have had a bib on her, but I was doing laundry anyways, plus we were about to stick her in the bath.
Nothing like a nice hot bath before bedtime!
For those not in the know, my sister Sarah, who just learned how to knit, made this squid hat as a Christmas present for Jeanne. Then it ate Jeanne's head (who knows, maybe thats why she's drooling.) The pic of Sarah as a pirate (on her blog, The Squid Cave), features the Jack Sparrow wig I made her for Christmas.
The squid queen blesses her many fans with squiggliness!
Here's a couple of pics of Jeanne playing on her new piano (a baby grand, also courtesy of her Aunt Sarah), which she absolutely loves. She really enjoys listening to the little songs it plays, and she's even starting to press down on the keys herself.
All dressed up for Christmas dinner, in her new Bumbo seat (these things are amazing!) I swear, it looks like she's been drinking.
All dressed up with Mummy (yes, I know she looks like a boy, but we got it as a hand-me-down and I just couldn't resist the little Scottie dog on the front - so cute!)
Jeanne's first taste of solid food. Just this past week we've started giving Jeanne some rice, and she has really taken to it. She doesn't like the spoon yet, so I've been giving her some mixed with breast milk in a bottle every night. From the very first night we started doing this she's just gulped it down with no hesitation.
Finishing her nightly bottle - most of the time she even holds it herself.
