Broken Brain Day.

[swestrup]

I'm having one of those days when all the little voices in my head are shouting wordless imprecations at me from the shadows. I used to have that happen to me a lot as a kid, but its become far less frequent nowadays. I used to deal with it by buying a snack and finding a park bench or grassy knoll somewhere quiet and just sitting and  staring at the world going by as I ate my snack. An hour or two later I'd feel up to rejoining society.

I don't really know anywhere within an hour's bus ride of where I am that I can do that. Peace and quiet are not exactly common on the West Island and finding such places where one can stare mindlessly at some sort of activity are even rarer.

The best I could do would be to go to either the north or south shore of the island and watch the waves goes by. There a lovely spot for wave watching in Pointe Claire, but its on monastery grounds and there's a big No Trespassing sign. I've sometimes thought that I could get permission to enter because  all I want to engage in is quiet contemplation, but I don't even know how one would talk to these people without passing the No Trespassing sign. I don't know about any such place in St. Genevieve, but I've never really explored its shoreline. Then again its difficult as its a maze of cul-de-sacs and private property.

Is it any wonder that my mental design for a dream house includes a promitory leading into the ocean with a little covered bench at the end where one can sit and just quietly contemplate the crash of the waves on the beach below, and the wheeling of gulls above?

The best I think I will manage today is to go to a local cafe and read. It might help, but not as much.

Comments

[http://users.livejournal.com/_grey_knight/]

Barring the fact that the coast is what most people would want in a dream home (thus your inability to actually find the river shore), how about a zen garden, with waterfall, in an wall enclosed inner court yard? Some like this?

[swestrup]

The zen thing might work, might not. The problem is that the place has to be quiet and deserted. An adjunct to a house with multiple people living in it is unlikely to work unless its just one of a fair number of such quiet places built into the area.

[kishiriadgr.livejournal.com]

Back when I lived near U de M, I used to go for walks in the Cimitiere Notre-Dame to straighten my head out. After that, there were some parks in Montreal-Ouest and Outremont along the #51 bus route. Le Montagne might be a bit far, but there are some secluded spots there, too.

[swestrup]

All a bit far for me, especially on a Sunday. Still, I went to a coffee shop, indulged in some cookies and read, and that seems to have helped.

Re: Broken Brain Day.

[capj.livejournal.com]

How about Parc Centenaire, which is an easy bike ride from your place, or even a fairly easy walk? You can sit on the hill and watch the lake, or sit on the grass near the lake. As I recall, it was fairly quiet. It has a patch of woods in which people can hide. Also, a fairly easy bike ride away, more or less diagonally through DDO to Pierrefonds, is Parc des Rapides-Du-Cheval-Blanc, a wilderness park that is pretty overgrown and empty. That overlooks the North River. There was a thin dirt trail through the underbrush. You can hide in underbrush from people and watch the river. Also, a bit farther away, is Parc Bois de Liesse where you can (probably still) seriously hide in the woods and fields, and also take trails an awful long way, past Autoroute Chomedey, to a public dock and boardwalk that overlooks the river. These places were not very crowded, and I used to be able to rip along through Bois-de-Liesse on my bicycle on a narrow forest trail with no fear of meeting anybody. Are these places more crowded now?

Re: Broken Brain Day.

[swestrup]

Parc Centenaire is usually quite crowded on a Sunday. Weekday afternoons its much less so. I did not know about the Rapides-Du-Cheval-Blanc, nor have I ever explored the Bois de Liesse, but both of those would require me to get my bike in working order first. Not a bad plan in general, but a no-go for today.

Re: Broken Brain Day.

[capj.livejournal.com]

I think there's a stream running through Bois de Liesse, so you could force your way through heavy underbrush and forest to find it. You'd have to wear heavy clothes in the summer to protect yourself from Poison Ivy, which is no fun, let me tell you, if you get a serious dose. Same thing with any underbrush. My experience is to wash everything afterwards, especially footwear, and have a shower. It's almost possible to get lost in there, so take a compass and a cell phone.
:-)
Cheers
PS Happy Thanksgiving!

Re: Broken Brain Day.

[ketherian.livejournal.com]

Hi Stirling.

Yes - there is a stream.
If you come up St Regis to the parking lot (just before the Matrox Building on the right hand side) - there's an entrance to the woods right across the street. The path is a bit rough, but it follows the stream until it comes to a crossroads of four other paths. This is the point where I usually get lost. :) Admittedly, when I'm in there, that is my intention.

The 215 from Fairview stops right at the parking lot.