Was that a great weekend or what? Three perfect days with mild temperatures, sunny skies, and the changing leaves.

I had the early shift this morning, so I packed the kids in the car after breakfast and headed up to the Gatineaus. I wanted to get there early to avoid the hoardes of tourists who overrun the park later in the day.

We headed straight to Champlain Lookout, which offers a great view of the valley and the escarpment. The leaves are quite pretty right now, though perhaps not breathtaking. There’s a lot of yellow and gold, with the odd hit of red.

The trail is only about 1.5 km, but it’s a bit difficult with a one-year old on your back and a three-year old in your arms. Aidan eventually decided he could walk after all, and we enjoyed a nice stroll through the woods.

It was a good way to bid adieu to the last vestiges of summer. I would be surprised if we have a three-day stretch of weather like this before April.

Just to clarify, I have nothing against Thanksgiving. I just don’t see the need to celebrate the fall harvest by eating an ugly bird.

For the record, here’s what we had for our Thanksgiving dinner: green salad; pork loin with roasted potato, onion, and garlic; sesame-ginger asparagus; squash; pumpkin pie (how did that sneak in?); and pavlova.

I got a free pass this year, but I think Bronwen will exercise her dinner veto next Thanksgiving. She prefers the traditional turkey and fixin’s. I’ve got 364 days to develop an appreciation.