 Ottawa was a Capital Idea this weekend. The Sudbury Wolves beat the Ottawa 67s 4 to 1 at TD Place Arena Sunday afternoon, with my son registering a point. Thereafter we enjoyed turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, beans, carrots, cranberry sauce, gravy and all the fixings, followed by chocolate squares and pie, at my son's girlfriend's home in Kanata. Amazing meal, amazing company, amazing day!!  Crisp and cool, with lows of 4 degrees and highs of 11 (40 to 50 fahrenheit), the leaves were all burnished and rich. With a sweater and scarf, the walking was beautiful. We stayed near Thorncliffe Park so I wandered with the dog down towards the Aviation Museum and the Ottawa River, then up through the Rockcliffe neighbourhood. The trek was beautiful, and it was a very peaceful walk because it was quiet early Monday morning. Rory had a wonderful time at the Aviation Museum. There were 200 Canada Geese sitting peacefully on the lawn, minding their own business...until 100 pounds of determined dog decided to upend them. The cacophany that ensued with all 200 birds taking flight and expressing to Rory their displeasure with her brutish behaviour brought on a grin. While I was walking, my son and his girlfriend were biking. It was a perfect morning for fall exertion. Ottawa benefits from numerous bikeways and walkways that connect the city's neighbourhoods, and we took full advantage. Rory swam in the Ottawa River, looking out over Gatineau. There were a couple of fishermen catching absolutely nothing along the banks, and a few industrious Asians picking watercress along the route. Walking up Blair Road from the river, I was panting along with the dog, but the houses in that area are lovely and the exertion was perfectly calibrated for the weather...and the amount of food I had to work off.  Midday Monday, my eldest daughter and I wandered over to ByWard Market. Despite the cold breeze, there were a number of people milling about. The outdoor stalls were in evidence, and my daughter decided we needed $45 worth of chocolate from Rocky Mountain Chocolate in the market itself. Security was visible, and the number of diverse restaurants, shops, markets, and interesting sights abounds. Near the ByWard market sits the imposing Chateau Laurier hotel, with pride of place at Sussex Drive and Rideau Street. Ottawa has so many large buildings, many of which are known only by their numbers. I walked past M-55, which brings to mind a John Le Carre novels. My husband and youngest daughter went to the Canadian Museum of Nature. The building itself is beautiful, and the dinosaurs inside delighted my 11-year old. Ottawa has enough attractions to merit a week's stay, but we only had a couple of days. While we were exploring, my youngest son scored the game-winning goal in a match between the Windsor Spitfires and the Oshawa Generals. It was a perfect end to a most enjoyable long weekend. 
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 One of my sons plays defence for the Windsor Spitfires. They were playing the Owen Sound Attack on Saturday and I spent eight hours in transit to go and watch. The seats were great; there were 2,936 fans in attendance; and the arena was small with good sight lines. There were many younger children at the game just soaking up the Canadian hockey experience, meeting the mascot, and eating popcorn. Rinks have an atmosphere all their own and a feel all their own. I am fortunate enough to enjoy the smell of dried sweat and spilled pop in the crisp air that is a hockey barn. That is lucky given how often I am in one.  Saturday was bright and sunny with blue skies, chillly but with no precipitation so a good day for driving. I left at 8:30 am and rolled in front of the Owen Sound Best Western on the water at 12:30 pm, having listened to four hours of podcasts. Seeing my son is a treat for me given his residence in Windsor from September to March. We went to Montana's for lunch. It is such a complete privilege to spend time one on one with him. I had Pot Roast soup and House Salad and Conor had steak and fries. I dropped him back to the hotel for his pre-game nap and began exploring Owen Sound. Frank Lloyd Wright believed that houses should not be "on the hill" but "of the hill." This beauty in Owen Sound demonstrates that concept. It is of the landscape, not on top of it. In admiring it, the house appears to be unoccupied at the moment. Nonetheless, it was a lovely example of Wright's architectural style in the wilds of Ontario.                      The Tom Thomson gallery is small, charming and full of gems. For a $5 donation, his bust greets you as you walk into the exhibit. All of the paintings are small but they evoke his style in its various forms and remind you how great a Canadian artist he truly was. There is an epitaph of sorts after his untimely death at age 39 that speaks to the contributions he made to Canadian art experience. I love his style as it evokes the Canadian wilderness in all its glory. Adjacent to his gallery space was a space with old photographs of Owen Sound. I chose a few that were interesting to me. Sawmill Nordic Centre came calling next. Given how warm the winter has been thus far, cross country skiing was ambitious. More ice than snow in many spots, and some places sporting bare earth instead of trail, the 13 km trail was treacherous in parts. Only my second time out this year, it proved challenging. I paid $10 to go ass over teakettle twice, happy that I didn't hurt myself. Nonetheless, the day was gorgeous and the exercise was needed given the decadent eating that happened thereafter. The clerk at the Tom Thomson gallery recommended The Milk Maid. I made it just prior to closing and bought a cheese sampler platter. It is an amazing cheese shop with all sorts of different types of cheese. Unlike the Monty Python skit, this shop had all flavours available. Four of the five cheeses I had never tried before: Double Cream Brie, Tricolour Gouda, Mango Ginger Stilton, Red Lion and a Chocolate Cream Cheese Truffle. All five were unbelievably tasty, served with grapes and crackers. Would strongly recommend! Mudtown Station was my next stop. Although not a felicitous name, the food was delicious. Curried cauliflower soup, a charcuterie board sampler platter, and corn bread with jelly. This was also a suggestion of the clerk at the gallery, and a good one it was. Far as I could tell, everything available was mouthwatering, all fresh ingredients with lots of local beers on tap.  The Spits lost 6-3 to the Attack, but I had an enjoyable day nonetheless. This massive snowman, larger than the house in front of which it stood, waved me home as I headed east. My day of scouting out Owen Sound over, I declared it a grand success and sang all the way home to stay awake. It was a most merry adventure.
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Norma WaltonEntrepreneur and mom to four amazing kids New Day
Q: Why did the can crusher quit his job?
A: Because it was soda pressing. www.laughfactory.com Archives
February 2024
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