With winter approaching, we realize our outdoor walking days are numbered!
A few evenings ago, we headed to our favorite river walk just as the sun was going down...
Geese were gathering in the ponds.
There was a chill in the air... Yet I wanted to linger...
The pink sky made everything look so beautiful!
Others, taking pictures like we were, stood shivering. The world around us was so lovely, it was hard to turn and leave!
What did I before I carried around a digital camera in my cell phone?!
If I saw something I wanted to remember, like the above afghan pattern, I jotted quick notes to myself in a notebook I carried in my purse… Sometimes I made quick sketches.
I’d probably have done both to remember the above pattern: light colour, a mix of light and dark, then a strip of dark.
The camera makes it so much easier - especially when there is no obvious pattern.
But like the notes I carried in my purse, the pictures in my “camera roll” sometimes get lost among all the other pictures I take.
Glad I came across these again… for ideas and inspiration.
The afghans were in a charity shop that sells vintage items like dishes and furniture.
Next time I go there, I expect they’ll be gone.
The college in our neighborhood has an outdoor soccer field that is covered with a plastic dome in winter, creating an indoor space that is used as a gym.
With the arrival of Covid-19, a year and a half ago, the space was shut down...
Last winter, the dome wasn’t put up at all. It felt strange not to have it there.
A few mornings ago, my neighbor’s dog, Casey and I watched the field with interest...
What was happening?!
Before long, the dome was up again... They obviously plan to use it for indoor activities this winter.
I wish I felt as confident as they must about the safety of indoor spaces. I haven’t gone to my gym in over a year and a half... And I really miss it!!
But two days ago - as I was heading home from an appointment, stopped at a red light - the clouds to the west opened up, brightening the sky.
While to the east, an ominous mass of grey clouds filled the sky... right in the direction I was headed!
What to do?! I was planning to go shopping...
A quick change of plans! I headed north... HOME! Shopping could wait!
Everything was covered with hail!
My neighbor Mary had taken some pictures, too...
So glad I missed this all coming down! Fortunately it didn’t stay around for long.
On our last walk at Andrew Haydon Park, I noticed that the trees on the Quebec side of the river had a pinkish hue.
Their trees must still be in colour...
Why not head over to Aylmer, and see for ourselves?!
That’s exactly what we did, a few days later. There weren’t many red-leafed trees.
At the Aylmer marina, which is almost exactly across the river from Andrew Haydon Park, there were no boats to be seen.
All had been taken in for the winter.
But we were surprised to see a dozen kites in the air above the choppy water...
In spite of a cold wind, kite boarders were skimming across the waves, wearing wet suits.
As we watched them coming and going...
...I couldn’t help but think what a thrill it would be to challenge oneself, riding over the choppy waves, holding on for dear life in the wind!
A few evenings ago, when we were walking at Andrew Haydon Park, we saw something I’ve never seen before...
A cat walking in the park - on a leash!
She appeared to be having a good time...
Her owners said that she especially loves to watch - and try to chase - the birds! I’d guess that she was trained from an early age to walk with a leash… But what fun for her now that she can enjoy the sights and sounds of the park!
I am always looking for new walking adventures - so I was delighted when, last week, Terry and I discovered a new path by the Ottawa River that we had never taken.
We drove to Andrew Haydon Park, as we often do, but this time, instead of walking around in that park, we took a path in the opposite direction towards a neighbourhood called Britannia.
I’d be interested in knowing the history of that name!
As we walked next to the river, we could see places where snow boarders had skimmed across the ice last winter, kite boarding on the river.
It had been such fun to watch them!
We also noticed that a river wall had been built - recently, I’d guess - to prevent flooding in spring.
Interesting to see so many walkers and cyclists on the path.
It evidently is a popular place to come.
When we reached the arena at Britannia park, we turned around and walked back.
I wonder where we would have ended up had we walked to the path’s end.
