Tag: Ottawa

Ottawa Heaven

Here are my pics from the Ottawa trip. We had so much fun while we were there, and these pics are only a taste of what we saw and did.

The ice sculpture shots were difficult to shoot. It was bright out, and there was lots of snow, so I added +1 to the exposure so the snow didn’t look too gray. It was also very cold out, and I can’t operate my camera with bulky snow gloves so when I wanted to get a shot I would take off the gloves, shoot, put the gloves back on. I didn’t spend a lot of time checking my shots so there were a lot of throwaways due to bad exposure. Woulda, coulda, shoulda. If I had more time I could have done more justice to the works.

Flying out of Victoria

My daughter hamming it up for the camera

Some tulips on the counter. I accidentally shot this in black and white, but I love how it turned out.

Ice sculptures near Ottawa City Hall. Very incredible works of art, and this is something that could not be done in Victoria due to weather. While we were there, we even got to see a friendly competition between carvers.

All sorts of tools are used to make ice sculptures.

Hot chocolate at the ice sculptures. Looks like my son is in heaven.

Skating on the canal. We went many times and each time it was a blast.

The fox family enjoying their trip.


Mmmmmm, beavertail!

All decked out for the cold.

Hockey on an outside rink.

The only snowy day we experienced in Ottawa. It was very cool to see so many people outside on the canal while it was snowing.

Pulling the sled this day was more difficult due to the fresh snow. Skating was fine but there was a lot more friction than I needed.


Ottawa Home

Yesterday was our final day in Ottawa. We flew out around 6 meaning we had to start making our way to the airport around 4:30.

What to do to fill the time? We had been tobogganing, skating, seen museums, and been to the ice slides. What else was there? The ice sculptures!

We piled into the van and headed down to a park near city hall where the sculptures were set up. Very cool. There was also a competition underway for us to watch. The sculptures were amazing, and I still find it amazing that a week long display can be left outside. Ottawa certainly has a winter season, unlike Victoria.

After poking around a bit we then got another tasty beavertail for Elliot and I (so, so yummy). We then had to boogie home so Elliot’s cousin could make it to a birthday party on time.

We packed, relaxed, ate lunch/dinner then headed to the airport. The kids were pretty amazing on the flights once again, but it was certainly a long day for us adults.

I will post some pictures once I get them processed.

Snowing Taffy

Today was another great day here in Ottawa. We took it easy this morning and didn’t do too much. It started lightly snowing which was nice to see.

In the afternoon we headed back to the canal for some more skating. Elliot was in the toboggan again, and Amy was in the stroller. It was snowing pretty heavily which was interesting to skate through, but hard to pull the toboggan through. Every once in a while I would hit a deeper patch of snow almost stopping me in my tracks. We skipped the beavertail for today since the lineups were so huge.

We took a side canal at one point and came a across a crowd of people. Once we got closer I realized it was a wedding in progress. Pretty cool venue for a wedding, and it was neat that it was snowing for them. Definitely unique.

Back at the house, while dinner was cooking, Sox’s brother in law started making maple taffy. You take a bunch of maple syrup ad start it boiling. When it gets to a certain temperature you pour it on snow and wrap it around a popsicle stick (or tongue depressor if you are around doctors). Mmm, tasty but very, very sweet.

Tomorrow we head home. What to do before we leave though. Another skate? Ice sculptures? Beavertail? Nothing and relax? Not sure, but I do know we need to return our rental and pack up.

Beavertail Slides

Today I had my first beavertail. We had gone to Gatineau in Quebec to a park where they had set up a wonderful snow park. Slides maede out of ice, a snow maze, some snow sculptures, ice fishing, and more.

I took the three boys (Elliot, his cousin, and a friend of Elliot’s) down a couple slides. The four of us linked our arms as we went down. With my weight going down, I dragged the boys further and faster than many of the other kids were sliding. They liked that.

The park was overrun with school groups that were honestly quite misbehaved. The kids were running around with no supervision, pushing, shoving, cutting in line, and generally dampening our spirits a little. It was sunny though and the park was fun.

I kept eyeing the line for beavertails. Once our gang had regrouped someone mentioned a snack so we got in line. Mmmmm, so tasty. We had ours with cinnamon and sugar, but some of the other toppings sounded good too. I was tempted by the maple butter though.

Amy sure is enjoying the snow, but she does not like getting dressed up for it. She would rather be out there with no gloves and not hat. Today Sox took her out skating again in a different stroller. They had a great time and when they got back, Sox and Amy stayed outside in the snow a little longer.

Elliot also had been having a great time in the snow, and doesn’t mind dressing up. It helps that his cousin does all this with no problem.

Tomorrow we plan to go tobogganing, and I am having lunch with a friend that used to live in Victoria. A few more days still, then we fly home. That will be interesting.

Museum Canal

Today we hit up a local children’s museum that was just across the border in Quebec. It was awesome. Elliot and his cousin ran around looking and playing with everything. Amy followed a bit, but she found her own favorite things to play on (like sitting in ann Austin Mini, or in the bus). Elliot’s favorite was the crane that he could operate and use to pick up mock cargo.

After nap time and just before dinner we headed back to the canal for some more skating. At first it was just going to be Sox, myself and Amy, but at the last moment Elliot decided he wanted to come too. Above is a shot of the Fox family on the ice. Still no Beavertail, though I did see a shack selling them! So close.

Elliot is having a great time with the snow. I think he really missed it this year at home. I am glad he is at least experiencing it here.

Ottawa Beavertail

Yesterday we flew to Ottawa to visit some family. The flights with the kids were fine, and strangely enough, the kids didn’t sleep at all. Normally this might not be a problem, but by the time we landed it was 10pm Victoria time. Amy did this with no nap on the day, which, if you have young children, you could understand my apprehension.

Today was a fun day. There isn’t a lot of snow here in Ottawa, but there is some. It is also cold, but not very cold. The low for the week is around -5 which is perfect for getting outside and doing things.

Things like skating on the Rideau Canal.

I have never skated on anything but man made ice in a rink so this was a unique experience. It was a lot of fun, and we made sure that we skated into the wind at the start, and with the wind on the way back. It was also a nice and sunny day too. Absolutely perfect first day here. There will also be a Beavertail somewhere along the way.

Things planned for the rest of the week include museums, ice slides, ice sculptures, more skating, swimming (indoors), and maybe a playground or two.