The English are distinctly country and western in their musical dialect. The French on the other hand have a strong Acadian presence in their music, from their heritage.

The music is lively with a strong ‘beat’, rarely melancholy. Even when they sing about the hardships of the sea, it becomes fun music.

House parties have changed over the years on the islands. People would gather at the home of someone with a large kitchen. A guitar, a fiddle, a mandolin, an accordion, even a set of spoons would be brought and the music would begin. Homemade beer or wild berry wine would be passed around and a lot of cigarettes would be smoked. No one worried about health problems back then, they simply opened up a few windows and doors when the smoke got to thick to see through. The party would go on until the wee hours.

Often the lyrics and music are written to dance beats. The dances had names back then; the two-step, the ‘jive’, the polka, the waltz…, even a version of the square dance which was a house party favorite.

Now-a-days, the homes are different and not suitable for house parties. Money is put into the luxuries that our parents and grandparents couldn’t afford.

 Expensive oak dining room furniture has taken the place of spruce benches behind a hardwood table that had seen better days. Hardwood floors have replaced the cheap linoleum or the rough board floor that had to be bleached every week one knees with a scrub brush. Swanky leather couches have replaced the straw filled wooden divans and kitchen chairs that had lost their backs.

Now when a party is held, the great hall is rented and a band is hired. Food is prepared on site and set up as a buffet, in the corner. The music has an open air. It becomes cold in the vastness of space.

I loved the parties of old! I loved everything about them. I loved the way people interacted. I loved the pot-luck that found a place on the kitchen table. I loved the warmth of the atmosphere. I loved sitting or standing in the corner and watching the people.

In this modern day of computers and high tech…, luxurious homes and yet disposal living, the music, although still vibrant, more varied and attainable to more people is…, different.

I love Magdalen Islands music! The music of the 60’, 70’s, 80’s and now the millennium music too!

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Buck Park, Magdalen Islands or ‘Parc Buck, Iles de la Madeleine’ starts off with a stop at the kiosque to learn more about the park, why it was created, some of the plant and animal life found there and the description of the park.At almost every turn, there is a park bench where one can stop and relax, listen to the birds, crickets or frogs and contemplate moving on to the next bench. The tranquility of the park makes moving on difficult.

Picturesque signs let visitors know exactly where they are in the park and what they can expect to see on each of the paths. The signs also give the number of kilometers (meters) of each path.The marsh path can go around some marshes…,and through other marshes…,

Before entering the woodland paths.
Trees can reach 70 feet in height in the park and have a trunk with the diameter of three feet or more. Not a bad feat for a wind swept salt island. My largest camera is sitting on the branch to give some scale to the tree but it is too small to be seen well.
More signs are found at the beginning and ending of all the paths so that the visitor can sit and think about where he/she might like to go next.Throughout the park there are charming steps and boardwalks to ease the path of the visitors and to protect the wildlife.One of the most exciting parts of Buck Park is the woodland walk to Lake Quinn or ‘Le Lac’ as it is called. Squirrels scatter across the path, playing and searching for grain and seed that the plants have dropped. They have a healthy curiosity about the visitors to their home.Lake Quinn is the embodiment of pure tranquility. The manganese mine of the 1940′s….

Find a nice wavy patch of untrodden sand and write a word or a phrase while on the beach with visitors from elsewhere.

Take a photo of each word, then continue on to the next word, leaving the previous word intact.

After a dozen or so words…, look back over your handiwork.

It is almost guaranteed that some of the visitors are taking photos of your work or creating their own memories to take pictures of.

Some people were curious and asked what I was doing. It is a great conversation starter. What fun!!!

This hill along with all the others of the Magdalen Islands have, for centuries, been places of solitude and gentle, peaceful walks for the settlers of the islands. During the fishing seasons, people would go to the tops and watch the boats bobbing on the seas of the Saint Lawrence. Women would go to the tops to pick the delicious wild strawberries that grow plentifully upon the sides of the hills. They still do watch the boats and pick the berries, whenever they aren’t threatened with prosecution.

Because House Harbour is the center island of the Magdalen Islands, it is possible to see each individual island that makes up the Archipelago of the Iles de la Madeleine. The only exceptions are the Ecological Reserve of Brion Island and the Sanctuary of the Bird Rocks. The Bird Rocks are probably too distant and Brion Island is neatly tucked in behind Grosse Isle Island.

The cross has almost 80 incandescent lightbulbs around the outside. At night it looks like a constellation in the shape of a cross because it is so high up.The first landing area on the way to the top of the hill. Entry Island in the distance.Goldenrod, Laurentian Aster and Butter & Eggs brightens up and otherwise dull opening in the trees.The back roads of House Harbour.A rope to the top is almost a necessity for many people climbing the hill.House Harbour with groomed pasture land.Entry Island and the Alright Lighthouse.
If anyone is interested, the yellow house in the foreground is for sale. It is called “La Maison des Falaises”. It is a relatively new B&B, 3 stories with a full ensemble suite on the top floor. It is beautiful inside, though in my opinion, it needs landscaping, to soften the hard lines outside.

Les DemoisellesThe CrossWelcome to the Cross Hill

This was the port of entry for Jacques Cartier, who in 1534, erected a cross upon the hill to welcome weary voyagers during their passage to the Magdalen Islands.

On the 15th of August each year, on the occasion of Assomption, the patron festival of the Acadians, there ia a mass at the little chapel with prayers, processions and songs.

From here there is a magnificent view of the Pleasant Bay and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.

La GraveEntry IslandThe Big Lady’s backsideAmherstThe Little Lady’s backsideHavre-aux-Basques (The Basques Harbour)

Grindstone IslandHouse Harbour

The Bassin

From the top of the Big Lady (Le Grande Demoiselle), on a clear day, Entry, Grindstone, Amherst, House Harbour and Grand Entry can be seen clearly. Because of distance and the other islands, it becomes more difficult to distinguish Grosse Isle and it blocks the view of Brion Island and the Birds Rocks from Les Demoiselles.

The Magdalen Islands Conservation Society (SCIM) Societe de conservation des Iles-de-la-Madeleine is happy to welcome you to these hills. The Big Lady Mountain is without doubt one of the most pleasing geological and geomorphological places of the Archipelago and a major piece of environmental history. It’s summit offers a wide view of  most of the islands and Gulf of Saint Lawrence. It was acquired on October 15th, 2001 by the SCIM.