Back to Reality

View across a lake toward Mont Tremblant, Quebec.
This panoramic picture is actually made up of about 14 vertical photographs combined.

Earlier in October, Steve and I took a mid-week break and went to Mont-Tremblant. We had some serious stuff on our itinerary, but we also wanted to get in some really good (and easy) hiking with Kane.

More dogs than you can shake a stick at.

Kane in the back seat, on our way to the Kingston Sheep Dog Trials. 

Every August there is a Sheep Dog Trial held just outside of Kingston at Grass Creek Park, and most years (even when we didn't have a dog), we've tried to make it there.

A-glamping we did go!

Almost immediately after my return from two weeks in Europe, my husband Steve and I took off for a little retreat together. Earlier in the fall, I had stumbled upon a Groupon deal for "glamping" (a portmanteau word for glamour + camping).

On further investigation, it turned out that this experience was for a stay at les Refuges Perchés, which literally translates to "perched shelter."

A Traveller in Her Own Land

Captivating skies over highway 407, heading east.

Although I've written about my last full day in Switzerland, I still haven't brought you up to speed on our (relatively) local travels since then. There's something about visiting another country or region that casts a real contrast with what you're used to.

Seen in Passing

Mysterious triangles

Everywhere I go, lately, I seem to find messages left by people who trod the path before me. For example, I showed you the street art that adorns the vacant school down the street from us. Right now I'm kind of fascinated by the triangle in the picture above.

Ordinary Surprises

A while ago, I realized that if I never left home, I would never take any of the pictures that I so admired, taken by people who ventured far and wide. Who trekked the high north, the far east. Who meandered on untrodden paths.

Over the course of this past six months, however (as I've been out and about with Kane), I've come to realize that there are many exceptionally beautiful sights not so very far from home.

A Hot Day in a Cool Place

If you look at the water in the foreground, you can see two currents meeting each other and creating lots of turmoil.

Best thing about retirement: you don't have to wait for a weekend. Earlier this week -- on a Tuesday! -- we visited friends Yves and Paula who live in a gorgeous condo on the St. Lawrence River. They took us out for a personal tour of the Thousand Islands.

Old School Bestiary

The facade of the Grant School

At the end of our street and through a catwalk, there is an abandoned school. Recently, we discovered something interesting there.

Oops

North American Black Duck

As Bugs Bunny might say, I think we took a wrong turn at Albuquerque. Kane and I went for a beautiful, long walk on Easter Sunday and somehow ended up in the no-dogs zone.

Winter Mist

We are having another cold snap. As in: sweet cinnamon beavertails, that's cold! The thermometer on our front porch read -45 C. Which can't possibly have been true.

When I looked outside and saw steam rising from the sewer vents, I knew I had to get down to the Ottawa River and snap some pictures for you of the mist rising off the frigid water. I was not disappointed.

I took Kane with me, of course. That dog behaved as if it were a pleasant spring day. He is completely immune to the cold, it seems.

Most of the river is frozen, except here, where there are rapids. Kane would gladly have leapt into the water. I was having none of that.

I'm not fond of cold weather, but I do think winter makes up for it by offering up some spectacular scenery!

Isn't it mesmerizing? Even with all my layers, I was starting to go numb, so we made a quick U-turn back to the car.

Would you look at that? Winter can even make a parking lot look pretty!

When we got home, the thermometer on our front porch was reading -19C, which seems more reasonable. Kane seemed satisfied enough with his excursion that he lay down for a good nap.

What's your favourite season? Are you a lover of winter?
 

Another Snowy Day

A bit of open water on the Ottawa River

In case you've been hiding under a rock (In which case, you've likely frozen to death. Sorry. I'll miss you.), you've heard that Ontario has been hit by a serious cold snap, with temperatures in the negative double-digits (Celsius).

It's been so cold that you could see steam rising from the open water on the Ottawa River, steam that quickly edged every twig and leaf in a delicate lace of frost. It was spectacularly beautiful, but I did not have my camera with me to take pictures of that cold, cold world. I did have my camera with me when Steve and I went for a walk on Saturday afternoon, expressly to take some pictures of the mist rising from the water.

Unfortunately (fortunately?), the temperature had risen to a balmy -11 Celsius (11 Fahrenheit). It was still bloody cold to be out walking, but the mystical weather effect was not on display.

Nevertheless, I found some beautiful sights. We parked at the War Museum (almost typed it as Warm Museum! Subconscious slip!) and made our way as close to the Ottawa River as we could. Our parking meter gave us 48 minutes, which was plenty in this weather.

Out behind the museum, we saw this:

You see abandoned bicycles often, and it always mystifies me.

It was only three in the afternoon, but the sun was already low on the horizon, just dipping below the clouds.

There were a few sculptures along the path, of voyageurs, or coureurs de bois, (translates as "runners of the woods"), the early settlers who plied Canada's rivers and forests in the fur trade.

This one wears the more typical toque with a pompom:

The scenery really was beautiful, even without the mist on the water.

But the walking was a little treacherous as the trail had not been plowed. Other wanderers had been there before us, including a cross-country skier. (I think I will check Kijiji for some cross-country skis.) But it required careful stepping to prevent twisted ankles, so we kept our heads down a lot.

My destination was a bridge I have seen as I've driven by, but have never approached up close.

This is an old disused rail bridge -- not the bridge that I'd wanted to reach, which was too far for our 48-minute time limit.

This bridge actually connects Ottawa to Gatineau, on the Quebec side of the river, and the rail lines run right beside the building where Steve works. If a train still ran on it, it would shave 20 minutes off his commute.

However, instead of serving commuters, it serves graphic artists.

It was time to turn back.

Facing directly into the wind now, we really kept our heads down. I saw this, mostly.

Following in his footsteps.

We were both very grateful to get back to our warm living room (not a warm museum). I will try to get the other bridge on another day.