New Camera, Picnic, Nap

How can a beautiful bright sunny morning turn so cloudy, gloomy and rainy? When I went for my walk this morning it was bright and beautiful with a cloudless sky.

I found out when I checked my email this morning that Schmap California is using my photo of the Museum of Man in San Diego in their on-line travel magazine. Click here to see it. That's two of my photos that they've used but no compensation, credit only. Bummer!

Today we were meeting Gordon's friend, Jim who currently resides in Clinton, NY. Jim and his family are moving back to Ottawa and have bought a house south of where we are. This week Gordon had purchased a camera from a photographer friend in New York City who had shipped the camera to Jim and Jim had brought it with him to Ottawa as they are looking at their house today. We met them at Manotick Station about 12 km south of the RV park.

The day was rapidly turning cloudy so we went back to Manotick (we had stopped there earlier on our way to meet Jim) to a park on Long Island and took some photos there. I had packed a picnic lunch so we had our picnic at one of the tables.

On our way home, we had a few sprinkles of rain. By the time we got home and after I had moved to the couch to read my book it started to rain off and on which seemed to lull me into a nap......

More Errands, More Sightseeing

The smell of lilacs is what was most prevalent on my morning walk. Lilacs are out early this year. They're not usually in bloom until June. I also saw these dandelions that have gone to seed already.


Since this weekend is our Victoria Day (Queen's birthday) long weekend and we needed a few things from the grocery, I decided to go today rather than brave the crowds on the weekend. I went to the south end of the city as I rarely go there since we moved from that area in 1993.

When I returned, Gordon decided he wanted to go for a drive as he needed a photo of the day for his pbase.com site. So we fired up Miss Pinky (note we have now decided to change Pinky, our GPS to Miss Pinky) and away we went. We drove south out of the city down toward the little town of Manotick. I guess it could be called a suburb of Ottawa although it's a bit farther out than most suburbs. It's a very pretty little town with lots of very expensive new homes as well as your typical run of the mill houses.

We wound up at Watson's Mill and took some photos around it as well as A.Y. Jackson Park. For those of you that don't know about Canadian Artists, A.Y. Jackson was one of the Group of Seven who are quite famous world-wide for landscape art. They have all passed away now but are still very famous and my brother-in-law, Garth has quite a few of their original paintings. I used to have a few of their prints hanging in our house as well.

Watson's Mill is a beautiful building. Lots of paintings have been done of this structure.

Pretty flowers




Miss Pinky performed well again today and we're very happy with her. I still haven't gotten around to doing any geocaching and this weekend doesn't look like it will happen either. The forecast is for rain until at least Tuesday.

Medical Appointment and Pretty Trees

I was up earlier than usual this morning. Today was mostly a 'medical' day. No walk this morning.

Since we know we have to do bloodwork we usually fast on the day we go to have our medicals. The lab is in the same building that our doctor is in so it saves a trip. By the time our medicals were over and we had been drained of blood it was noon and I had a mammogram scheduled for 1:00 p.m. and since you're supposed to arrive 20 minutes early, it's lucky I packed us a lunch as we wouldn't have time to eat otherwise. Both of us have medication to take that we usually take first thing in the morning that you have to wait 1/2 hour before you eat.

All the news was good on my medical. The doctor tells me it will probably be well over a year before my foot heals and she's still not planning on casting it.

The results of Gordon's CT scan show that the Valley Fever has cleared except in one lobe of his lung so it is improving albeit, slowly. At this point whether we will be able to travel this year or not is pretty iffy. He is to be seen by our family doctor and also by the infectious disease specialist in three months and will also have another CT scan.

We got home just around 2:00 p.m. Pinky, our GPS did very well guiding us to and from the doctor's today.

Gordon decided we should go to the Dominion Arboretum when we got back and get some photos so we spent an hour or so there. The flowering trees are all in bloom and lots of people were out sunning themselves in the lovely spring weather.

Below are some photos. I just had to take a photo of the little yellow Smartcar. They are sooooo cute!







When we came home, I tried sitting out to read but the breeze was pretty strong making it quite cool although the temperature was 20C (68F).

Although it's always nice to see our doctor, she really is a very nice lady and a great doctor and I asked her, no, she is not taking new patients, I'm glad that's overwith for another year!

Chores and Lime Kiln Trail

Today started out bright and sunny but pretty windy. I went for my walk and instead of staying on the side road that the campground is off I walked back along Prince of Wales Drive. It's only two lanes at this point but it's busy!

Morning traffic


This morning my job was to get the laundry done so I got that together. Gordon went out to get a drill bit he needed to finish up his job getting the bathroom vent back in and the motor replaced. He was also looking for strap wrenches so he can get the sewer hose apart. He wasn't gone long and got at his jobs right away. I finished up the laundry around noon and he finished his jobs shortly after that. We now have a working fan after over two months!

Gordon decided that since his job was done that he wanted to do something fun so away we went to walk the Lime Kiln Trail. It wasn't as pretty as the Jack Pine Trail, nor did it have any critters. We did see some ducks, lots of robins and redwing blackbirds and a few butterflies but no squirrels or chipmunks. Lime Kiln Trail has some historic significance in that in the 1800s the lime kiln was actually used and lime sold to factories and farmers. It started to cloud up just as we were heading out to walk the trail but it was a nice walk anyway.

Pink Trillium


Wild lilacs in bloom

Really big White Trillium

Lime Kiln

Lime Kiln Trail





Today was also the maiden voyage for "Pinky" our new GPS. She did very well once human error was corrected. We even took some incorrect turns and she was able to get us back on track. I still haven't done any geocaching and tomorrow is a full day so we'll have to see what Friday holds at this point.

When we got back I made a pot of stew as it's supposed to be cooler over the next few days with some rain forecast for tonight.

We reached 24C (75F) today so it was a very nice day until the clouds came in.

A New Haircut, Groceries and a Nap!

I just got an email from my sister telling me I should go out and pick up a copy of Ottawa Metro and I would be surprised. I had no idea what Metro was so I googled it. It's apparently a magazine for the larger cities in Canada. Since it's online, I didn't go out and buy one but on the front page one of the photos is of my niece (at the bottom) and her friend Jeff (with the dark hair) at Musicfest! To see it, click here. Unfortunately the banner is covering most of Danica.

When I went out to walk this morning the new fence was up. Oh well! I could just jump up on the wall behind us and get into the parking lot next door but instead I walked in the park and out on the road outside the park.



After breakfast and a shower I headed out to get my hair cut. I had no idea where I was going to go. I stopped at one salon but the girl didn't come in till noon and it was only 10 a.m. and I had wet hair. I continued on and stopped at Zellers (department store) and only waited about 5 minutes. The girl who cut it said I had badly split ends so she cut it really short in the back. I haven't had it this short in years!

Then I got groceries, stopped at the bank to 'wake up' a dormant account and came home. Here I am sitting outside with my new haircut. Then both of us had a nap!



While I was gone Gordon started on the repair of the vent. He got the new handle put on but will save the motor to the fan for another day. But he did get the trap in the bathroom sink cleaned out, thank goodness. He said it was all my hair that was clogging the drain. Won't be a problem now, as I don't have all that hair!

We Got It!

I found out on Friday that it's the campground that is putting up the fence between us and the cleaning plant next door. Apparently the young guys try to take a short cut over the curb and through the campground to get out onto the road rather than line up to get out at the light. So I walked through the industrial area this morning.

After breakfast the sun was shining and although it was still a bit windy I decided to sit outside and read for a while. I needed my blanket but I sat out for a bit. There was a lot of 'fluff' blowing around. I thought it was from the dandelions but it's too early for them so it must be from the trees. Anyway it kept flying in my face so I came inside and read.

See the white spots flying around between the satellite dishes.



After an early lunch we headed back to Stony Swamp and the Jack Pine Trail. This time we walked the outer part of the trail. There weren't as many red squirrels today but still a few and a few chipmunks and a deer. We saw ducks and the father goose was still guarding the nest that mother goose was sitting on and he was still warning the other geese to stay away.

Stony Swamp


Two male mallard ducks

Deer running away

Chickadee

Violets

Trail

Flowering tree


We continued on to our RV dealer in Stittsville, Vos Trailers and picked up a motor for our bathroom fan and another part that we needed to fix the vent so it will open. We drove back to the RV park a different way. There sure is a lot of building going on around this city!

As we were driving along I asked Gordon if we were going to buy the GPS that I had seen on sale at The Source (formerly Radio Shack). He suggested we go and look at it and guess what? We got it! We now have a pink Garmin Nuvi 250! Now to get it charged up and learn how to operate it!

New GPS just out of the box.

Happy Mother's Day

I want to wish all the mothers out there a Happy Mother's Day!

My sister had invited us over for lunch today but Gordon decided he didn't feel up to going so I went by myself. Danica is part of the National Concert Band this week (this is her third year) so she was given the week off from her duties as a 'fish slaughterer' at the University of Ottawa. She is part of a funded government program this summer for which she is being paid! Two young guys from out of town had stayed at their house overnight and were just leaving shortly after I arrived so it was just family for lunch.

Jasper.



Danica and the Jasper blanket.



Nick and Becky (below) arrived after church. They're dog sitting for Becky's parents this weekend as her parents have gone away for Mother's Day.

As usual, John and Margie prepared an excellent lunch and Danica's Reese's pieces cookies were a great desert followed by one of John's muffins. After lunch we sat around and let our food digest and talked for a while.

Then Nick went out to turn over the garden for his Mom so she can plant her flowers.

And when I got home my stepdaughter called to wish me a Happy Mother's Day all the way from Columbus, OH!

A nice family day!