Day 2 in Ottawa

Our second day in Ottawa was as good as the first. Jay had to visit the dealer so Lori, Arabella and I had a fun day to explore some more. We took our time getting ready and then walked through the Byward Market to Sparks Street for a late breakfast. I think that my favorite meal to eat out is breakfast, it was so good and we all enjoyed every bite.

Me and my Little Bean at breakfast!

After breakfast, we walked to the "Dinosaur Museum" or the Canada Museum of Nature. It was a nice walk through the business and a residential area. It was perfect weather so it was nice to be outside and get some fresh air. Arabella was very excited to go to the museum and this was the first time that she had seen dinosaurs, except for on TV or in her books.



Our first stop once inside was, you guessed it, the dinosaurs. Arabella was so amazed by them and she wasn't even scared one bit. She loved checking things out and playing with the interactive displays. It was a great learning environment and this museum was well worth the $10 admission price.




After the dinosaurs, we went to the area dedicated to sea life. They had some amazing specimens and the great blue whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling was impressive. I am still amazed at how huge they are. Arabella had fun playing in a submarine and looking at all the sea life.



We also checked out the mammals, birds and an exhibit about the earth. The museum really reminded me of the Museum of Natural History in New York City, but on a much smaller scale. It was the perfect size for the amount of time we had and it was nice that they had so many hands on things for Arabella to do. She really enjoyed the bird hospital on the 4th floor and we spent a while there just letting her play before heading to get some lunch. This is when we also felt the 5.9 earthquake that was centered in Virginia. At first we had no idea what it was, and we figured it our after the fact when we went to eat lunch and the workers in the cafe asked us about it! Pretty freaky! We had a great time and if we are in Ottawa again and need something to do, I would defintely go back!






Taking care of her birds and dinosaurs.
This is where I was sitting when I felt the earthquake!

Thanks Jay for taking us along with you. We had so much fun!!

Trip to Ottawa

Earlier this week, Arabella, Lori and I decided to join Jay on a road trip to Ottawa. I knew that it wasn't too far to Ottawa, but I didn't realize how close of a drive it really is...it took us less than 2 hours to get there. Arabella was excited to get out of the car, so our first stop was looking for lunch in the Byward Market. We ate outside which was nice since it was sunny day, but not too warm. Byward Market is a great area full of restaurants and shops that was right near our hotel. Lori and I took a walk around the area on Monday night and I wish we had stayed longer, it is such a fun area that I would have loved to explore more. There were so funny yummy looking restaurants and cute shops.


Perfect weather for a drive thru Canada farm country to Ottawa.
Byward Market...not the best shot...

After lunch we headed over to Parliament Hill to do some sightseeing. The blending of old architecture with modern buildings is beautiful. I was amazed by how large Parliament is and the architecture of the building is amazing. (I will do a separate entry on Parliament since we were allowed to take pictures during the tour.) We walked around for a little while before getting tickets for our tour and then Jay and Arabella headed back to the hotel for a nap. Lori and I decided to stay behind and explore some more. We also found a few great shops and picked up some fun things.
Lori, Jay & Arabella in front of Parliament


ParliamentLori, Arabella and I in front of Parliament.

While "exploring", Lori and I can across the Canadian Tomb of The Unknown Soldier.






After the nap, Jay and Arabella joined us back at Parliament for the tour, which was so interesting. After the tour, we played around on the lawn before heading out for some dinner.




We had a great day. It was so much fun and Arabella was so excited to get back to the hotel and go to sleep since on Tuesday we were going to the "Dinosaur Museum" a/k/a Canada Museum of Nature!

Rainy Sunday

Today it has rained off and on all day - at times pouring down - and right now it is storming out. But the weather didn't stop Jay and Arabella from making a run to the park before nap time. I love this picture of her in the wagon holding her umbrella up (and it wasn't even raining at the time).

Summer Saturday

I have not been feeling well...unfortunately, I have bronchitis, and after a trip to the emergency room and then the Statcare Clinic again this morning, I finally feel on the mend. However, since I was under the weather, Jay had to take Arabella to her friend, Kyla's birthday party yesterday. It was a princess & pirates party and Arabella had a fun time. She did great too since it was her first ever drop-off party - Jay left her and went and did a few errands and then went back to pick her up. And because of this, we don't have any pictures of the party. But I was able to grab a before and after party shot...



While Jay & Arabella were out having fun, Lori and I just relaxed on the patio and enjoyed our books. We would have gone out, but I haven't been feeling up to much lately and just want to get over this sickness. Jay took this picture without us knowing when he got home...so sneaky!


Last night, we decided to take a ride into Pointe Claire to see the fireworks for that were being set off for the Pointe Claire Days and in celebration of their 100th Anniversary. It was a fun night and we all enjoyed the fireworks in the perfect weather!

This is a picture of the Montreal lights in the far distance...I never noticed it before and all the little white spots are bugs!

Just us girls waiting for the show to start!

Moving On Up

Last Thursday was Arabella's last swim lesson for the Summer at our pool. It is bittersweet to see Summer coming to an end and knowing that the cooler Fall weather will be here before we know it! It also means that in a little over 2 weeks, my Little Bean will be starting pre-school...I can only imagine how emotional I am going to be that day! But back to swim lessons - she did great this summer! She loved both of her teachers and had a great time in class. She looked forward to going everyday and worked really, really hard. She was determined to swim without her bubble no matter what! Both of her teachers were great, but I have to say that she seemed to thrive under her teacher this session, Emilio. She couldn't wait to jump in the pool when her lessons started, my guess is that he made it seem fun and that is what it takes to get kids to learn. So when she got her report card on Thursday after her class, I was surprised and very happy to see that over the past 3 weeks, her determination and hard work has paid off! Goodbye White Level, Hello Yellow!

She has the backfloat/starfish down! Look at that smile!
Kicking and going for a ride!
And a great big hug for Emilio!!

US Economy...

I wouldn't normally post on politics since that is not my cup-o-tea. However, I came across an article today that caught my eye. We receive a two weekly newspapers and for the most part, they don't tell too much. I glance through them quickly for information on swim lesson registration, to see what is on sale at Adonis, community happenings. But today when I was reading The West Island Suburban, there was a small article entitled Rein it in a bit Washington. The title caught my eye since most of the time I feel so far removed from US politics and news stories...and in some respects I am OK with that. I don't miss all the stories in the war in Afghanistan, shootings, crime stories, and political wrangling. I perk up when I see a Canadian take on what is going on back "home" and since this once makes sense, I decided to share it with you. Let me know what you think about what David Lisbona, B.C.L., LL.B, MBA, FMA, who is an investment advisor at RBC Dominion Securities, says.

"Like most pre-teen boys living in Montreal in the late '70s and early '80s, a transistor radio resided permanently under my pillow so that I could get my nightly fix of Sports Rap with Ted Tevan. I was saddened to hear of his passing last Friday, as this is yet another chapter closing in Montreal I remember from my youth.

Ted, while being the consummate entertainer, was always the man in control, if he didn't like what a caller had to say, the machine guns were unleashed and the caller was unceremoniously dismissed. There was little room for dissent in Ted's world, it was his way or no way. You always knew who was the boss.

By contrast, the lack of leadership in the U.S. is troubling to say the least. It is a rudderless ship with everyone, yet no one at the helm. The United States is in a heap of economic trouble, I don't believe you need a degree in economics or finance to come to that conclusion. One of the reasons for their dysfunction is their political system. While some may be praising the effects of democracy for the recent debate over the debt ceiling, the incessant threats and grandstanding from their political actors simply made an anxious world even more so; to put it mildly, it was not one of America's finer moments. Regrettably, our neighbors to the south have even less faith in their politicians than at the time this whole mess began. Even more regrettably, those same politicians did very little to restore faith in the system and worse still, their inaction on cutting the massive debt may have been a contributing factor to the market correction we have been forced to endure over these past two weeks or so. The Democrats and Republicans weren't rearranging the deck chairs on a rudderless hip. They have been taking pick-axes to the hull and facilitating the ship's demise.

Say what you want about Warren Buffet, but earlier this week, he made it clear that the politicians are acting solely in the best interest of a select few wealthy Americans and that it is time for the "super-rich", as he calls them, to pay their way as part of the "shared sacrifice" in bringing the U.S. debt under control. Unfortunately, Congress continues to protect the wealthy minority in the U.S. which will continue to impede true debt reduction and ultimately serve in postponing the tackling of their fiscal problems. President Barak Obama has even agreed with Buffet's tax proposal, however, he is powerless to implement any measures that are required.

The oft-cited refrain has been that we are simply taxed too highly in Canada, perhaps that is true, but could it be possible that Americans are not taxed enough, to the point where they are unable to sustain all of their entitlement programs without something giving way, and soon?

I'm not that discouraged, notwithstanding the clear inability to reach consensus in Washington up to now, I have no doubt that they will come to their senses one day and address the debt crisis with the fervor and diligence it requires. Otherwise, it may be time for American electors to "790" their politicians, just like Ted would do."

Article taken from the Business section of the West Island Suburban, Wednesday, August 17, 2011, Page 15.