Tulip Festival 2010

Yesterday was the first day of the tulip festival – my favourite festival in Ottawa.
I ventured out to Commissioners Park, the tulip site I visit the most during the festival, a week before it all started to see how the tulips were doing and was able to get some shots of the early bloomers. You see, like the tulips in my backyard, the Tulip Festival tulips also bloomed early, I suspect due to the odd weather we had at the end of winter/beginning of spring.
Dave and I went out on the starting day of the Festival as we had the day off from work (a nice reward for working 20 hours the weekend before – 14.5 of which were consecutive). There weren’t too many people out and about as it was a Friday, but there were enough that I actually had to be patient and wait for tourists to take photos with their iPhones and of course the obligatory self-portraits.
I was able to get a few good shots, though not as many as I would have liked.
Anyway, the point of this post was to direct you to my photography blog and my Flickr site as both will have numerous tulip shots from the festival for the next little while. Photos on my blog will be interspersed with 100 Possibilities shots and a few other things I have done recently, but worry not as the tulips are out in full force and my camera is more than ready for them.

Above Photo: White Stuff

Busch Gardens

When I went to Florida with my family 18 years ago, we spent a day in Busch Gardens. To be honest, it is one of the parts of the trip that I remember completely on my own (in other words, without the assistance of photos). This is because my Mom exposed the film to the sun when trying to swap it for a new one and all the photos were ruined- including the ones of the koalas that were there on a special exhibit (and no Chris, there were no koalas at Busch Gardens, unfortunately they just cost way too much in upkeep for most zoos).
Dave and I went to Busch Gardens during our recent trip to Florida as well and it was awesome. First things first, we got adults tickets at the price of children’s tickets because we got them through CAA/AAA. If you plan on going anywhere for vacation in Canada or the States you should definitely check out their website to see if they have discounted tickets.
Secondly, we went on a Wednesday and there were very few people there. School groups normally wait until Fridays and families wait until the weekends. The locals have to go on the weekends because they work during the day. It was an excellent idea, and the weather helped too. It was sunny and quite nice, but a little chilly and I think it rained in the area before we got there because some things looked like they were just finishing drying up when we arrived.
One of the first things we did was a ride – oh yes that is right people you heard right, I went on a few rides while in Florida. At Busch Gardens on went on the Gwazi Tiger (the lion which runs along with it, was closed). It was a wooden roller coaster and had no flips or anything like that, but I still didn’t like it.
Next we went into the bird enclosure (which I insist are obligatory in any Florida zoo park). Dave bought some nectar for 5 dollars and few the birds which was really neat. There was only one other person doing it, a small girl, and since Dave was so much larger than her, the majority of the birds went to him (they did go to the girl once Dave’s nectar was all gone, so don’t feel bad for her). We then walked around the park looking at all the animals. Every once in a while Dave would go on a ride that I was completely uninterested in. He went on some crazy ones that went upside-down or dropped you straight down into a cave.

My favourite thing about the park though are the animals. They are well looked after (well they seem that way). Unlike some parks, you can actually see the animals in their exhibit and the park has a rail system and a sky tram that move you about the park nicely and enable you to see the animals really well.
Speaking of the sky tram, Dave and I loved that thing. It went from the top of the park to the bottom and back. It was the easiest way to move about the park, there was never a line, it was quiet and provided a nice view of the park.

And of course there was the obligatory self-taken photo of Dave and I while we were on the sky tram. This was actually take on our last trip on the tram as we headed out of the park after we got off this time.

Post Cottage 2009 (aka Vacation #3)

The receipts have been counted and tallied, the car has been washed, vacuumed and generally de-sanded and the photographs (for the most part) have been downloaded to the computer. Now comes the process of editing and retouching and displaying the memories.
Cottage 2009 was a very successful trip and was definitely a great vacation #3. It did well as the final summer vacation of 2009 and, like every year, I am very thankful to Chris and her family for allowing us to join them at their cottage.Friday afternoon we headed out of Ottawa with a very full car and drove Erin out to Belleville. We then had the worst Pizza Hut experience ever as it took 2 hours to get, eat and pay for our food, for which they attempted to overcharge us. Driving the rest of the way was pleasant and we got into Paris at about 11 after picking up Justin from Brantford. Saturday morning we drove to Long Point and arrived at the cottage at about lunch time.
I love Chris' Cottage - it is so pleasant and peaceful. The moment you walk through the door you are instantly calmed and all the troubles of the real world are lifted from your shoulders. Sunday morning Dave and Justin headed to his family reunion while Chris, Jerrica and I went sailing with Chris' family. It was an incredibly windy day and despite the fact that I was perfectly fine on the boat last year, I got sea-sick. I did not get physically sick though, which is good because according to Chris' uncle no one has thrown up on the Meridian yet (he would know since he is one of the owners of the boat). When the guys got home we made a fire and had delicious smores. (pictures to come at a later date - stupid SD card).Monday was the Too Late for Canada Day party, an event we usually miss as we have to head back to Ottawa that day but since we were staying extra long this year, we got to participate. Dave made a little buddy very quickly and learned even faster that this particular little buddy was not the type you want to have. We ended up hiding out in our room playing Guitar Hero for a little bit to relax and by the time we came out, the little buddy was gone. I practiced my night photography a bit more this night but am not entirely pleased with how they came out.Tuesday was pretty low-key. We went swimming as we had every day and played a fair bit of Settlers. We went grocery shopping and made Pad Thai for dinner, which I am told was pretty good. A little more settlers later and the night was over.Unfortunately we have come to Wednesday, which was the day we left. We drove back to Ottawa sad and tired. Dave and I had to keep switching as we were both really tired and neither of us could drive for very long. Oh and as a side note, never go to the Brantford bus station unless you really have to - that place is so sketch!

Leftovers de Montreal

This is just a couple additional Montreal items that aren't really enough for individual posts.

Dave and I stayed at the Holiday Inn Express on Renee-Levesque Blvd. It is right near China town but also right near some sketchy alleyways, which made for an odd dynamic. The Hotel itself was really nice. It was super clean and the people were really nice. Like most Holiday Inns, it had free hot breakfast in the morning which usually consisted of eggs, cinnamon buns, some sort of meat (it changed depending on the day) and then the typical breads, waffles, yogurts and cereals. There was also free coffee, and other hot beverages, available throughout the day. I booked our room not really knowing what I was getting, or what I was doing. I just picked the lowest price for a queen bed. In the end we got a really nice room. It had a little kitchenette in it which was really convenient since I ended up making us a microwave lasagna our first night and we were able to buy some fruit and water and keep it in the fridge. The bed was comfy and the TV had cable which was a nice treat for Dave and I. The view wasn't anything spectacular but it was nice, and the fact that we had an actual full door (though no terrace) was rather nice. All in all, it was a nice hotel and I would go there again. Though the valet parking was a little annoying as once we parked the car it was a little annoying to get it back shortly thereafter, though the attendants didn't make it seem like one.
A big feature of the Montreal skyline (well part of it) is Parc Olympique and the tower therein. You can go up the Tower and see the city from above, which would have been really nice, but when we first got there the sky was not nice and later on we were tired and didn't really want to go up. I think there is also some sort of museum at the base of the tower, but I am not sure as we didn't go in. I was able to take a bunch of photographs of the tower from both near the base and from the Botanical Gardens as well. I enjoyed that part for sure. We did however notice that the tower could do with some repairs. A few of the side panels had fallen off and/or were very damaged. It could also do with a fresh coat of paint, but I guess Montreal Tourism money goes elsewhere.
Montreal was great, and we will definitely be going back again - though we may use the transit to get around next time (at least on weekend nights) as the traffic was crazy!

Botanical Gardens

So I have been saving one of the best locations for last. I partially saved it for last because it is the place where I took the most photographs and therefore had the greatest amount of editing to be done.The Botanical Gardens was absolutely gorgeous. It was a slightly rainy day, but that didn't hinder the photography or the experience at all. The foliage within the greenhouses were vibrant and beautiful and despite the fact that you are not allowed tripods within the greenhouses (for space reasons) I was still able to get some nice shots. Dave and I were also able to set the camera up on rocks and take some semi-long exposure shots. There weren't very many people there, so that helped with the longer shots as well.I think one of the more interesting greenhouses was the ones with the bonsai and the Chinese equivalent, penjing. There was a little robin in the one area that I thought was fake. I stared at the little guy and moved my camera near him and he did not move. We walked on and when we did walk back, he had moved to a new location and was wandering around the little trees. It was very spooky, but he was adorable so I forgave him for it.We eventually found our way out of the greenhouses and walked around the exterior gardens. They were just as nice and they were in extreme humidity so both Dave and I were able to stop sweating so much and my camera was able to stop fogging up every ten minutes or so. We walked around the 'normal' gardens and found our way over to the Chinese exterior gardens. They were simply breathtaking in their beauty. Dave asked me to take as many shots as possible of the architecture around the gardens and I did not object. I'm not entirely sure what my favourite shot is from that garden, but I am putting these ones on this blog and I am sure the rest will eventually make their way on to my photography blog in the near future.We then walked over to the Insectarium which is located on the garden grounds. It is a small little pavilion similar to those at the Toronto Zoo, and is absolutely stuffed with one man's collection which he donated to the gardens. They have since added to it and are displaying live insects as well, but the majority of it apparently all belonged to one man whose name I forget right now. There were some really neat looking bugs on display, both alive and dead, and some absolutely massive ones! It was pretty neat, though I hope I never run into the vast majority of that collection in the wild.

Rick Mercer Weather Rant

I meant to post this almost a month ago after the snow melted and it seemed like Spring was around the corner - but since it is Canada, more specifically Ottawa, it snowed. It was also right after I watched a news report about BC citizens (it was so long ago that I forget the exact city - but I do remember that it wasn't a small one, possibly Victoria but I;m not positive) having big problems with a recent snow fall. They had received about 5-10cm of snow or something tiny like that and the place seemed to grind to a halt. Elderly were afraid to go outside and people stayed home from work. School were closed and the city was on the brink of declaring a state of emergency.

I am not okay with this!!

So I got up just now to use the restroom and on my way back noticed something horrifying --- it is snowing. Today is April 6 and it is snowing. I am 100% NOT okay with this. April is the time of rain and the onsets of Spring - the snow turns that disgusting grey colour and slowly disappears. It does not accumulate. This snow better not last because if it does I am going to snap and be outside with a hair dryer.

Fall

Fall is my absolute favourite season for many reasons. The first of which is of course the beautiful fall colours. They give pictures a wonderful backdrop and pop that the regular greens do not.

A perfect example is the above photo that I took this past weekend at Beechwood Cemetery here in Ottawa.

I also love the season because it gets to the perfect temperature - not too hot or too cold. You can wear a sweater and not sweat to death and you can go outside for long leisurely walks without fear of getting burned. The only thing I dislike about fall is that it means that winter is coming soon and my photography seems to dwindle a little in winter - although this year I plan on making more effort to keep it alive, I still believe it will decrease significantly with the cold weather and mass amounts of snow. Snow is really only pretty in pictures if it is perfect, crisp, white snow, but here in Ottawa we get a lot of mucky, rock-filled, grey snow slush piling up beside the streets and it leads to ugly photos.

For now, however, I plan on taking full advantage of my favourite season while it lasts and going out to different places every weekend with my camera in hand.

Cold and Alone

I got back into Ottawa yesterday (through a big storm) only to be greeted by nothing and no one. The house was freezing and took a while to warm up to even a live-able condition let alone a comfortable one. Dad didn't spend any time at the house since he wanted to get back on the road before the storm got worse (luckily he made it home safe and sound in about 1.5times the length of the normal trip). None of the roommates are back in town until the 3rd of 5th, I forget which, and classes start on the 7th (so I am told) so they will definitely be back by then, but until then I am left all alone in the 5 person house. I keep hearing sounds from the neighbouring townhome as they walk around and live their lives. I don't usually hear them since my roommates make noises that cover them up, but when there is no one else to blame the noise on I had to make up excuses for them. My imagination is still really good even at age 23 and I kept dreaming up intruder scenarios and when the snowplow went by I thought someone had broken in for sure. Oh well, people will be back soon and Dave get back into the country on the 8th, back into Ottawa on the 9th or 10th. That's right, I am semi-counting down to his homecoming. Mind you we only get to spend 4 or 5 days together until I take off for London and then if he gets the Mississauga job we might only get a couple of days together when I get back until he has to move, but I am not thinking about that too much right now.

It was -27 degrees Celcius (with the windchill) this morning and I wore several scarves, my mittens and my hat to the bus stop. I put on two pairs of socks to keep my feet warm in the insualted boots I have but unfortunately forgot to further cover my legs so they were freezing by the time I walked from the bus stop to my building. Itook about 2 hours to fully warm up in here and I suspect it will take even longer by the time I get myself home tonight. I need to do some running around my little neighbourhood getting things that I need for the next couple of days, like bus tickets since I am not getting abus pass this month (the math doesn't add up). I left the heat on a tiny bit when I left this morning so I am hoping that my room won't be an complete ice box for me but rather just a chilly fridge or something. Perhaps I will do my exercise as soon as I get home with my coat on and everything to warm the place, and me, up faster.

Snow

There have been two major snow falls in Ottawa, both of which left a substantial amount of snow in our backyard. The patio table was conpletely covered with a big mound on top of it and the charis which are piled in the corner were also completely covered. So much snow!

End of Summer 2007

Summer 2007 is over now.
I have started classes and therefore can't ignore the fact that it is now longer summer.
Fall, my favourite seasion, is starting -- I noticed the leaves on the tree outside the house were starting to turn red. This makes a vast majority of people sad since it means it will be getting colder, but I personally like the cold weather over the warm. In my opinion you can always put more clothing on -- but there is a limit to how much you can take off particularly when you are in public.

Fabulous Weekend

Friday night Chris came over (as previosuly mentioned), despite the crappy-stormy weather, and as planned we played Settlers with the guys and generally hung out all night. We then went to Cora's the next morning for brunch (though it took us a while to get there because we missed some buses because we were chatting at the house) - it was the best meal I have had there the fruit was so fresh and yummy. We then spent the rest of the day at St. Laurent Shopping Centre at which I spent way too much money but bought a new skirt, sweater and a pair of pants (for work), I also got two new movies: Lucky Number Slevin and The Notebook. After that we decided that we wanted chinese for dinner so we went to the Buffet on Merivale (just the two of us since none of the guys were really interested - at least none of the ones who were home when we called). Then we headed back to the house and ended up playing yet another game of Settlers. Sunday morning Dave and I drove Chris home so taht she could go to work for 11. It was a really great weekend.
It made me realize how much I miss living with Chris. We used to chat all night or randomly go shopping fairly often when we lived together. I enjoyed spending time with her then too but didn't really appreciate it fully until now since she's not in the room next to mine.
After Dave and I dropped Chris off on Sunday we eventually went to the Real Canadian Superstore on Innes. We bought some clothes there (the Joe Fresh Style line - really good prices for basic items) I got some tank tops and Dave got some polo style shirts. We also bought some groceries there and on the way out we went to a store for me and I ended up buying a dress that I had been looking at the day before - it was a little pricey (for me at least) but it looked so good - like it was made for me. Chris had seen it the day before and said it looked like a greek goddess dress and when I showed Dave he really liked it too. I had to get it - a special gift for myself I guess. But that dress pretty much ends my spending for this month and probably next month too, but I don't care because it is so pretty. :)

Something to look forward to

Chris is coming over tonight and I am reallye xcited. I haven't hung out with her in quite some time. We are playing Settlers with the guys and then going to Cora's for brunch tomorrow. Cora's is really yummy - kind of pricey but yummy nonetheless.
It is supposed to storm here in Ottawa tonight and I hope it holds out long enough that Chris can get to my house safely and as dry as possible.

Summer?

May is gone and June has come and still it doesn't really feel like summer. There have been a couple warm/hot days so far but lately it has just been raining. Isn't it supposed to rain in April? I bought a new dress for work when I was home last weekend and haven't been able to wear it due to the weather - I hate it when that happens. Mind you the lightning and thunder last night was really nice to fall asleep to, though I did have to get up unplug computers and set backup alarms in case the power went off. Perhaps the weather will get warmer next week and it will start to feel like summer although when that happens I will probably end up complaining that it is too hot and humid or something along those lines...