A Day in Ottawa

Today was a busy day. We started out at tai chi but left at break time. Dee and Jim came over about 12:30 pm and we headed for Ottawa. We made a few stops to pick up some things but our first scenic spot was Andrew Hayden Park.

Keeley Falls with a Japanese Lilac beside it

Sailboats on the Ottawa River

Little lighthouse

From there we stopped at Hog's Back Falls.

This is a pirate tour boat

Then on to my sister's place. My nephew and godson, Nicholas turned 26 today! He has grown into a fine young man, husband and father.

Happy Birthday Nick!

Here are some photos of his son, Jack.

Sandra & Jack

This is one photo of Jack I managed without red eye!

Great Uncle Gordon and Jack

 And here's a picture I painted a few years back. When we sold the house to go fulltime RVing, I gave it to my sister.

After a visit there we drove downtown via the Ottawa River Parkway, saw the Parliament Buildings (I'll leave the photos of these things to Dee as I didn't take any photos) then across into the province of Quebec to see the Museum of Civilization, back into Ottawa where we took the scenic route down Elgin Street where Gordon and I often used to go for breakfast on Sunday mornings.

We took the Driveway back to the west, through the Experimental Farm to Merivale Road where we had dinner at Swiss Chalet and from there south till we could pick up the freeway to get home.

It was a long day but Dee and Jim seemed to enjoy seeing Ottawa.

Perth and Balderson

Scoon, the pig looks over the local Meat Market and Deli and has been the subject of much controversy here in town but it looks like Scoon will be reigning for a long time!

Last night's sunset

Old shed in Balderson

Rusty old stove

Little red barn in Balderson

Stewart Park, Perth

Another view of Stewart Park

Stewart Park

Tourist information, Perth

Beautiful tree with a field of hay

Close up of above

 

 

 

For what's been happening this week, see Dee's blog here.
 
 When we left Smiths Falls early this afternoon the weather was nice but as we approached the little town of Perth about 12 miles away it was pouring rain. It continued to pour so we drove through town and continued on to Balderson, Ontario.

I had never been in any of the stores there but their Amish Store was great! They had everything from jam to kitchen renovations to furniture. The furniture was beautiful but very expensive! From there we stopped at the Balderson Clothing store. It's a huge store, it would be great if I was still working or going somewhere but I'm not so was able to leave without spending any money.

From there we went back to Perth, stopped at a couple of grocery stores and then at Stewart Park. It had quit raining so Dee also got to take some photos. We drove around downtown a bit, stopped at the tourist bureau and a few times on the way home for some photos.

We've had some severe weather but most of it has been centered on the Ottawa/Gatineau area. So far, we've been ok except for a couple of cracks of thunder and lightning last night which knocked out Jim and Dee's wifi at the campground. We've been lucky!

Trip to Kingston and Some Locks

Today we left Smiths Falls at about 10 a.m. and headed for Kingston, Ontario.

We took the scenic route and stopped at Chaffey's Locks on the way.

On our way from Chaffey's Locks toward Hwy 10, this little fawn was standing in the middle of the road. It was soooo cute!

On Dee's bucket list is a wish to see all the great lakes. She already had Lake Michigan and on this trip so far she's seen Lake Erie so today we headed to Kingston so she could see Lake Ontario. She got her photo however the place was so busy, there was nowhere to park so we just drove around the city. We drove to Fort Henry but they won't even let you in the parking lot anymore without paying the fee. We tried to take the ferry to Wolfe Island but missed it by three cars so rather than wait an hour we left. All in all, a disappointing trip to Kingston. For those of you that don't know, Kingston was the original capital city of Canada. If you want to know more about that, click on the link.

The only photo I took at Kingston was of Jim and Dee at Swiss Chalet. Thanks Jim and Dee for treating us to lunch!

On the way back we stopped at Kingston Mills Locks

And then at Upper Brewers Lock.

When we got back we fixed Jim up with a booster for his computer as he's having trouble connecting with the wifi at the RV park. Hopefully that will help him out.