I went on vacation - but forgot to tell you about it.

Well, not that I forgot. I was thinking of you all. It just seemed more important to be concentrating on events as they were unfolding.

On board the Regatta we sailed from Montreal to New York. Usually at this time of year the turning of the leaves is a major attraction, but this year the weather has been so warm that the colours had barely started - green everywhere.

I was the odd one out in our group in that I had never been east of Quebec City, and my only visit there was 40 years ago. Everyone else has spent time in the places we visited, mostly for work but also as a tourist. It was great to have so much expert advice at hand!

It was pretty exciting to see iconic sights:

The Chateau Frontenac peeking above the Old Town in Quebec City. This is a popular cruise route at this time of year - there were 5 ships in port this day, with 10,000 passengers checking out the city.

In Halifax we climbed up to the Citadel to check out the view, but not before enjoying the sculptures on the boardwalk:

Tipsy light fixtures?

My mother was born in St. John's, NB, and amazingly enough the house she lived in as a child is still there. The city is almost unrecognizable to her, but sometimes you can go home again!

Not only was the house still there, but it was in beautiful shape.

And of course, if you get us all together there's going to be shopping!

As you can see we were extremely lucky with the weather - warm for this time of year and no rain.

And so , the Stoneman family cruise of 2015 is in the books!