Gimpse into the 19th Century

This past weekend Glosette Girl and I took Margot and her friend A to see the RCMP Musical Ride. The event was held at Wesley Clover stables, where Margot does her horseback riding. I think this was one of the last touristy things in Ottawa that I had yet to do.

Other big Ottawa touristy items I have visited before:

• Parliament Hill - the seat of power in Canada
• The Governor General's residence
• Gatineau Park (not the best park in Canada by any means, but pretty decent by local standards)
• A visit to one of what I consider to be the big museums around here: Nature, History, War, or the National Art Gallery (we also have "National" Science and Tech and Agriculture and Food museums but I find them more geared towards locals). There's also the Aviation and Currency museums for those with more specialized tastes.
• Walk next to, or skate, Ontario's only UNESCO world heritage site, the Rideau Canal
• Visit the Byward Market, one of Canada's oldest and largest farmers’ markets.

One thing that struck me as I watched the RCMP Musical "ride" (it's not a ride you sit on by the way, it's a ride that you watch. Kids call these types of "rides" lies :))  was that it really felt like I was getting a glimpse of how life used to be in Canada and around the world about 120 years ago.

Margot and A pointing out the action

Just think about it, at the turn of the 19th century, the horse was still more important than the car for moving people around and doing all sorts of work and was still heavily used in World War 1 combat. That's only just outside living memory!

It's a strange but wonderful idea to imagine horses as being that central to daily life. What a world it must have been. Perhaps a bit stinkier! But also a world where people were closer to the animals and plants of the earth. Ironically a world with more horses was probably more... human.

Those days are long gone now and I appreciate all the technological advances that have been made over the last 100 years. But getting this glimpse of the past certainty made me pause and remember where we have come from as a civilization.

King of the Cats!

A month ago we got a new cat after another cat we had, the big puffball Marshmallow, died unexpectedly. We replaced Marshmallow with an even bigger and even puffier puffball, which we have named PANDA.

How would you describe the mood of this cat?

I hadn't mentioned anything yet because for the first two weeks it was a bit of touch-and-go as to whether we would keep him. He meows a lot. He used to hide from us.

But since then he's come out of his furry shell and become a member of the family. He lets Margot give him tons of hugs, his paws are like big fat mittens (but surprisingly dexterous) and he likes sitting near us (usually on whatever paperwork we are working on) and just hanging out. Not only that, we think he's at least part Maine Coon, which is a special type of pure bred cat that is considered the only longhair breed native to the United States. In other words, Panda is...ROYALTY!

Welcome to the family, your Majesty!

Home of the Handy Man

Like some of the other stores in this area, like Dowd Supply and the local video store, Morris Home Hardware is a mainstay of my neighbourhood that is a bit of a relic from a bygone era.*

It's a small store, which has lots of Mr. Fix It supplies you need, from screws to light bulbs, but doesn't pretend to have the capacity of some of the big box stores you see in the suburbs. That said, it does have an impressive array of convenient services (the kind that you don't know until you need them):

• Key making;
• Knife/lawn mower sharpening; and
• Skate sharpening (yes, this is Canada)

I have a special place in my heart for Home Hardware. I have vague memories of going to this store with  my dad when I was a kid and thinking that it was the kind of place that had "potential" Maybe it was the fact that it seemed to sell a lot of stuff, like Christmas tree ornaments, that weren't quite toys, but which were kinda interesting. 

Anyways, on my visit to Morris Home Hardware I picked up a hose faucet head. Not sure if that qualifies as "potential" in Margot's eyes!

* According to this website, the store dates back to 1922 and has been at the same physical location for 60 years! Not too many stores in Ottawa can say that.

If you Build It, They will Come

Canada is a big place. And Ontario is a big province. And like many families, my relatives are scattered far and wide across this vast nation. Actually, I'm luckier than most: my family is either here in the Ottawa/Gatineau area or in or near Toronto. But that's still 5 1/2 hours apart. Peanuts by Canadian standards but half way across France!

I once blogged about how dull the drive is between Ottawa and Toronto is. Nine year later, what's the verdict?

It's still dull.

However, on my latest family to Toronto, Margot, Glosette Girl and I stopped in at the BIG APPLE. A classic Highway 401 landmark. Amazingly, despite driving this highway for many years, I've never stopped here before.

So what is there to do at this place exactly? Well, besides having a big apple to jump around at, there is a smorgasbord of apple-related products and paraphernalia to buy. And a petting zoo.

Massive roadside landmarks is such a quintessential North American thing. There are giant geese, big axes, huge potatoes, and enormous coffee pots. They are cheesy and goofy but man I can't help but smile at them.  And by heavens they make driving on some of our flat endless highways little less dull!