I just got home from spending a week in the Ottawa area visiting my brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew, and assorted critters. The getaway was a welcome change, despite the incessant rain and cool dampness that haunted us through our adventures.
Bob and Pat have built a gorgeous “granny suite” onto their daughter/son-in-law’s home in the outskirts of Ottawa. It’s bright and remarkably spacious with loads of area for the two of them to indulge their passions for gardening, cooking, entertaining, building, and creating.
The sun did shine periodically so I took full advantage of it. The gardens adjacent to the walkway to their front door are just beginning to flourish – and it’s going to be lush and gorgeous shortly.
The first hint of what lies within is the adorable garden bench created by Pat.
Skipping (ok, walking slowly) to the back of the house, my “buoy” and I explored the screened-in outdoor kitchen/dining area and the amazing garden enclosure/raised garden beds – practical and private! Pat’s creativity is everywhere, including the beautiful butterfly painting on the tables that were built by them, lovingly sanded (multiple times) and finished with a mat spar varnish for durability. The smaller table can be added to the larger one (surprise, the dimension fit!) to create a big eating area for a crowd if needed.
Inside, bright white cabinetry and high ceilings added to the sense of spaciousness and cheeriness.
They treated me far too well – lots of excellent food and we took several day trips. One day we joined Roger and Lisa for a lovely supper at #Joe’sItalianKitchen in the basement of an old mill that has since been converted into condos, other shops and a restaurant. It’s situated in the town of Almonte, adjacent to the Mississippi River (no, not that one) with a roaring waterfall to drown out any road or traffic noise there might be.
Another day we returned to Almonte and visited the Mississippi Valley Textile Museum. It was fascinating to tour the former wool mill and to realize just how much work went in to creating skeins of wool and woven fabrics. Young children were employed for much of the dangerous and dirty work including cleaning out the machines and crawling beneath them to clean or fix things. Today’s kids think they are hard done by if the internet is down for five minutes!
Another day we toured the boat locks at Smiths Falls. Although the boat traffic hasn’t begun yet, it was interesting to see the depths of the series of locks and the mechanics that go into filling each with water, raising or lowering a boat into the space, raising or lowering the gates between the locks so the boats can float through.
My visit coincided with the annual Tulip Festival. We did make the effort to go to downtown Ottawa to see it and there were THOUSANDS of tulips on display. Unfortunately, the distance between the parking facilities and the main section of the Festival was further than any of us codgers felt we could manage comfortably, so we did a drive-by viewing. The vast variety of colours in the various beds was astounding. We also visited a very busy garden centre!
No visit would be complete without including the furry family members. I missed Lisa and Roger’s dog Zoe, but I did capture their cat, Fitz, and, of course, my “nephew” Barclay.
It was a wonderful week and I brought home many happy memories.
Capturing Cherished Memories 