Our only travel glitch happened as we boarded in Calgary. After taking our chances with seat selection before now, I decided to pre-book ours so we could sit together. I chose row 24 D & F. Problem was, they changed the airplane which meant seat E was between us. Fortunately, the woman in E didn't mind changing with Glen (he is good and usually takes the middle seat).
My sister, Lynda, and her boyfriend, Chris were there to meet us when we landed. It's so nice seeing a familiar face when arriving at a destination.
We had a great chili supper and enjoyed chatting and laughing. Sunday, we bought two bouquets of flowers for Monday's party decor and took them out to Mom's senior's residence, Bridlewood Trails, in Kanata. She lives in a lovely apartment on the 5th floor with a great view. We had some wine and a chat before heading back to Lynda's.
Monday morning, Lynda and I went to her swimming pool, Splash Indoor Wave Pool, to do some laps and soak in the hot tub. I can't remember the last time I swam in a pool. My body didn't remember, either.
Mom's party was an afternoon event with tea, coffee, sandwiches, cheese and dessert trays catered by the residence staff (Lynda organized everything) and wine, shrimp rings and a slab cake provided by the family. It was a great party with lots of laughs and teasing and Glen and I got to meet some of Mom's friends as well as touching base with my aunt and sisters. Lynda and Nancy sang a duet which Mom appreciated as music has always been an important part of her life.
Tuesday was shopping day. After checking out a craft store, Lynda decided I needed good, cheap clothes. As anyone reading this blog knows, I'm not a great shopper and buying clothes for myself is always last on my list. But at Value Village, I bought a leather jacket, pink suit jacket, and a red and black top all for $50! I was thrilled and Lynda was glad I had some new clothes to wear. In the afternoon, we walked to Starbucks and stopped to pick up some groceries on the way home.
Wednesday was the first letterboxing adventure Lynda had ever experienced. She had bought a stamp and created her trail name so she was ready to go. With Glen and Chris in tow, we headed to Hog's Back. Glen and I used to walk this part of the Rideau River while attending Carleton University. In the early spring when there is still ice, it is spectacular to photograph. Lynda taught me how adjusting my f-stop would 'soften' the water. I had fun experimenting with various shots.
Glen found the letterbox and that's when Lynda really caught the letterboxing bug. Our next stop was lunch at Pub Italia in 'Little Italy'. This pub is a fantastic blend of Italian and Irish decor with private booths hidden in corners and tables on different levels so it becomes an adventure to go to the washrooms (labeled Adam and Eve). Lynda, Glen, and I had different pizzas while Chris had Irish Nachoes (you must see it, to believe it).
After lunch, we headed to Dow's Lake to find the next letterbox but after much searching, weren't successful. Ottawa's famous tulips were a lush green so it was up to the crocuses to brightened the tulip beds. As I snapped photos, I spoke to a local photo-journalist who needed a tulip for his newspaper story. He refused to take a picture of the crocuses as it was not a 'Crocus Festival'. Too funny. Obviously we were too early to enjoy the Canadian Tulip Festival which celebrates the connection between Canada and The Netherlands (see Tulips!!! which I wrote last year). Queen Juliana lived in Ottawa during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands and to thank the Canadian people, donated 100,000 tulip bulbs to this country. These fill the beds along the Rideau Canal and Dow's Lake.
That evening we headed to Rockland to visit my cousin and his family. Always a fun visit with kids and dogs begging for attention. Vic and Wendy had worked last summer creating a wonderful new front entrance to their home which was stunning. We drove home along the river through a fog that laced the trees in gauze. It was magical.
Thursday, we were off letterboxing again. This time to Bate(s) Island in the middle of the Ottawa River. Glen and his junior field naturalist club used to come here to hunt mud puppies. The spot is also popular with river surfers and kayakers who use the rapids to hone their skills. We enjoyed watching both but came up empty-handed after searching for the letterbox. Not so when we hit the next spot, Strathcona Park.
Here the clues took us past Stathcona's Folly which was an unique play structure incorporating many decorative features from Ottawa buildings and quirky bronzes. Inspired by Mackenzie King's Kingsmere, Stephen Brathwaite (famous for Jacob, his Under the Umbrella Tree puppet) wanted the sculpture to look like those ruins.
Lynda found the letterbox so it became her first. Unfortunately, the finder before us had put in a hitch-hiker stamp and removed the true stamp. I've since contacted the planter and he will rectify this with another carve so we may have to redo this box. I'm not upset as the location was lovely and we enjoyed our walk along the Rideau River back to the car.
Chris suggested we have lunch at the Mill St. Brew Pub. He had had his retirement luncheon there and thought we'd like it. Turns out we had eaten there before -- about 35 years ago when friends had their wedding reception at the then Mill Restaurant. I had wild boar ragout while Glen enjoyed the lamb meatloaf. Lynda raved about her beef dip sandwich (which reminded me of our daughter, Meg's quest for the perfect beef dip) and Chris had their famous tortiere. The beer was also excellent, mine being 7% alcohol (Ambre de la Chaudiere). Originally a grist mill, this 140 year old building sits near the Ottawa River's Chaudiere Falls and is a popular spot.
After such a large lunch, we decided to walk it off by strolling along the Ottawa River near Lynda's house in east Ottawa (formerly Gloucester). We saw a Goshawk and geese which had all our cameras clicking.
That evening we dined with Glen's third cousin, Scott, and his wife, Katherine, at the Parliamentary Restaurant on the 6th floor of the Centre Block on Parliament Hill. Our dinner was fantastic! Katherine and I had onion soup and a Thai dish of green tea noodles with shrimp and scallops. The desserts were to die for and even though Glen had to finish mine, I enjoyed their lemon tart. Scott works on Parliament Hill so after we ate, we did a short tour of the semi-dark hallways. It had a spooky castle feel which was thrilling.
Friday, we headed to Lanark, picking up Chris along the way. Our plans were to do a letterbox in Almonte before having lunch with my sister, Nancy, at her off-the-grid house deep in Lanark back-country. The letterbox could not be found but we did see a Green Heron feasting on frogs. After a great lunch of sausages and salads, we explored Nancy's land and I took many photos of her spring wild flowers.
On the way back to Ottawa, we stopped at the Herb Garden in Almonte. Although they were closed, they did allow us to wander the grounds and do their labyrinth. The paths were bordered with sage and thyme making it smell like a turkey dinner. The letterbox we sought was outside the property but it featured the Scimangada labyrinth. It was my 50th box and was special because I knew the letterboxer who carved and planted it.
Lynda made fajitas for supper, our last one at Indigo Street. They were excellent as were all the meals she served us. I'll miss her scrambled eggs for breakfast (never the same twice) and her wonderful soups. Glen pines for her chili brownies and bacon/chocolate chip cookies. We came home many pounds heavier because Lynda is such a good cook!
Saturday morning we headed to Beechwood Cemetery where Glen's folks are buried. He said he wanted to make sure they were still there. Lynda listened to the stories of Glen's relationship with this cemetery while I enjoyed the peace one always finds there. Although only one prime minister, Robert Borden, is buried at Beechwood, the gravestones are a who's who of Ottawa families.
We spent the afternoon relaxing and packing then headed to the airport early so Lynda and Chris could enjoy their evening together. We had a simple supper of Reuben sandwiches and fries at the Byward's Taps before boarding the plane for Calgary.
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