It's been a busy summer with my new job. About the only respite has been the occasional weekend trip to Montreal with Jean. On our last trip, we saw the Body Works exhibit, toured the side streets around the Old Port and enjoyed some incredible dining.

Dave and Jean stroll over to the Fred Fest.

Mr. Aardvark himself. The blurring is really how he looks! Hahahaha.

Try this again. Golfing with my sons early Sunday morning.
Steve, Matt (almost a son), me and Mike. Dad's still the best golfer in the family.

Marsha's not the only one with a garden. Last summer, we planted the first of the perrenials and with a few more added this year, now we are finally getting the colour.

After all the garden work and medical drama on Friday, Saturday was the day to sit on the dock and take in the sun and fresh air.

The Happy Gardeners
Ran into this smiling bunch yesterday. Then we ran to the emergency department and had this branch removed from Pam's finger (what you see has passed through the finger). Two stitches later, the T3s aren't enough. Send sympathy!

What a difference a week makes! Sunday, the grass was greener, the first buds showing on the trees, gentle breezes perfect for golf, long straight drives in the fairways, smooth greens to putt on and ten strokes better than last week.

There are a lot of good views from the bikepath right now. So strange to be riding around in shorts and T-shirt, yet there isn't a bud on the trees. By mid-summer, you have to hike through the trees to see the river.

Last week, this wolf sculpture was seeing the last remnants of ice coming down from the upper Ottawa.

Today, he was seeing +25C and 50 kph winds, again from up river. The wind was so strong that, at times, it was impossible to bike against it, with dust and debris flying everywhere.

As requested by Rob, the Rideau Canal in all it's glory.

I skated 9 kms in my first skate in two years.

The mist rises from the Ottawa River as it descends on a frozen Parliament. -30 something with a wicked windchill. Somebody check that the groundhog's eyes weren't frozen shut.

It's a real winter now after a week of arctic temperatures. Tomorrow, pictures of the canal and Winterlude preparations. In about ten days, we've gone from open water to....well, you'll see.

Not much ice after our first really cold night in ages. Must be the local heat wave, also known as the Senators, who destroyed 'les Habs' in front of my eyes yesterday. Give the thousands of hab fans in attendance credit. They shut up and drank their beer in silence.

It was another one of those glorious sunny days,

perfect for walking along the river.

Jean and I went looking for snow on New Years Day and found some at Bryan and Carol's place in Crown Point, west of Ottawa, on the river. A long hike in very good company was our reward. In my memory, the river's never been this open this late in the season. It felt like late March.

The ice is doing it's best to take hold along the river's edge.

Another beautiful walking day, this time with fresh snow, along the Ottawa River. This would have been a good perch for catching some rays, except that with the higher winter river level, it's several feet offshore.

A little graffiti along the Ottawa River walkway to brighten up a crisp, sunny, perfect-for-a-walk day.

And the other side of the underpass...very appropriate given the proximity to the river.

SherpaBob and Red Greenfield (ever wonder who tapes the trees along the trail?) take a Wine, Cheese and Sausage break somewhere below the summit of Mount Walpole.