I’ve always said that our small town is a good place to come home to, so I came home for exactly one week in September before heading to the airport and flying away again! This time. my destination was Ottawa where I spent the weekend attending a CNETS (Canadian Neuroendocrine Tumour Society) conference.
When the conference was over, I spent last Sunday afternoon showing my young Alberta Patient Support Group co-lead some of the sights of Ottawa before she flew back to Alberta. Our hotel was located in the heart of downtown Ottawa, so we set off on foot. As soon as we reached the corner of Wellington Street just a block or two from Parliament Hill, we noticed that the street was closed to vehicle traffic and there were police officers stationed at every corner. Curious, we asked what was happening and discovered that we had happened upon the annual Police Officers’ Memorial commemorating the five Canadian police officers and one correctional services officer who were killed in the line of duty over the past year. That explained the large contingent of police officers from various locations across the country who appeared to have been staying in the same hotel as we were.
After lingering awhile to pay our respects, we continued on our way. Centre Block, the main building on Parliament Hill which usually houses the House of Commons and the Senate, is undergoing a massive rehabilitation project that started in 2018 and is expected to last until 2031. I liked the fact that the protective enclosures wrapping much of the building while major masonry and structural work takes place is printed with the appearance of the portions that are hidden.
My companion, who had never visited Ottawa before, was visibly impressed by the massive size and the architecture of the buildings on and surrounding Parliament Hill.
Continuing our walk, we stopped nearby to view the famous flight of eight locks that lower boats from the iconic Rideau Canal down to the Ottawa River. The castle-like Fairmont Château Laurier hotel towers above.
Continuing on, we made our way to the busy ByWard Market district, roughly a four block area that buzzes with shops, eateries and bars. There, we enjoyed lunch on the patio of an Irish pub. Since she is celiac and we’re both diabetic, neither of us indulged in a BeaverTail, the famous Canadian treat made of hand-stretched, deep-fried dough shaped like a beaver’s tail.
On our way back to the hotel to pick up our luggage, we stopped to look at the Women Are Persons monument that usually sits on Parliament Hill, but which has been relocated for the duration of the renovations. The life-sized, interactive bronze statue depicts the five Alberta suffragists who, in the late 1920s, successfully fought to have women legally recognized as “persons” and eligible to hold public office under Canadian law. The monument depicts Emily Murphy, Nellie McClung, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Louise McKinney, and Irene Parlby as they might have responded when their victory was declared on October 18, 1929.
We also stopped at the National War Memorial and paid our respects at the grave of Canada’s unknown soldier.
When our mini tour of the national capital was done, rather than flying back to Alberta right away, I picked up a rental car and drove out to the town of Russell, about 40 km southeast of Ottawa, to spend a few relaxing days visiting a friend that I first met 57 years ago when we both lived in Yellowknife, NWT. Although the sun refused to shine while I was there, we enjoyed some lovely drives around the countryside to see the colourful autumn leaves.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, our small Alberta town is a good place to come home to, but we still have a couple of shorter, much closer to home trips to make. In spite of the fact that the days are getting shorter and the nights colder, we’re going to take the trailer out one more time before hubby winterizes it and then we’re going to be spending Canadian Thanksgiving with our daughter and her family. After that, maybe I’ll stay home for awhile!
Divorced for more than two decades, Yannick and Kathleen have not seen or spoken to one another for nineteen years when they receive the news that human remains have been unearthed on Vancouver Island. Could this be their daughter, Una, who disappeared without a trace over twenty years earlier? This unimaginable shared loss brings them together for a cross-Canada trip from Ontario all the way to the Pacific Coast.
When a friend recommended this historical novel I was immediately intrigued because the setting is a very familiar one. The story takes place near the location of present-day Clive, Alberta, about an hour and a half by car from where I live! The action begins in 1905 with Scottish newcomer, Flora Craigie, jumping from a moving train to escape a disastrous marriage. Depending on where you live, 1905 might seem like fairly recent history, but this was brand new country at that time. The town where I live was established as a Canadian Pacific Railway townsite in 1906 and incorporated as a village in March 1907.
What’s the one thing that every human being wears every single day? Their skin, of course! Unlike our clothing, we can’t buy a new skin when the old one starts to show signs of wear and tear. An effective skin care routine is the only way to protect this most important “garment” and keep it looking and feeling its best.
What’s so Canadian about denim, you ask? Each day, the Canuckle solution comes with a fun fact that explains the Canadian connection. Yesterday’s explanation said, “The Canadian tuxedo is an outfit consisting of a denim jacket or jean shirt worn with denim jeans, or denim-on-denim.”
