Sunny Day in Merrickville

Terry and I recently drove to Merrickville - one of my favourite towns along the Rideau Canal. We hadn't been there in a while.

We actually thought that Canal Fest might be back, with its crafters' market and free canoe rides - but when we got there, there were lots of visitors, but no organized events...

... though at least one vendor  had set up shop outdoors!

We headed to our favourite bakery - Violet's On Main - and enjoyed some treats.

Then we went to the park next to the canal and watched boats going through the locks.

It's always interesting to see.

 

I was surprised to see more young women than men working on the canal locks this year. Opening the locks is a physically demanding job!

Before leaving town, we just had to have some locally made ice cream!

It was a perfect day... Ducks and geese were enjoying it, too!

Looking Back...

Last August was very dry - in fact, we had very little rain all summer in 2025.

But my photos - dated by my phone app - remind me that during the previous summer - 2024 -we had A LOT of rain.

These pictures, taken in August 2024, two years ago today - show a corner of a cornfield totally flooded... And a very active pump that's trying to keep it dry!

I wonder how wet the field is this year. We had a lot of rain last month. I wonder if the pump is running to keep up! From year to year it's different.

Blushing Philodendron?!

Last summer I picked up this plant at a table marked "FREE," in Old Ottawa South.

I thought it was a rubber plant - because of the shape and shininess of the  leaves.

It sat indoors all winter - then I put it outdoors this summer - where it has received abundant direct sunlight and lots of rain - perhaps too much!

But recently my camera phone identified it as a "blushing philodendron" - which, apparently develops large fragrant blossoms. That would be lovely!

It also resembles this photo of a philodendron 'black cardinal' whose leaves eventually turn black. No mention of flowers.

Now I'm going to check online for more information... since these two versions of AI don't agree! (Imagine that!) 

My hope is that it's a blushing philodendron that will grow beautiful, fragrant flowers!

Unforgettable!

I subscribed to a New York Times e-newsletter a few years ago - during COVID. I was curious to know how people in other places were coping. 

I still get the e-newsletter and peruse the headlines (though some stories are hidden from me, since I'm not a paying subscriber).

One free article that intrigued me last week was about how therapeutic it is to breathe fresh air and hear birds, even through an open window. 

I can't argue about that! 

But I was surprised by one of the therapeutic outdoor activities mentioned... 

Quilting outdoors!

I've quilted a lot over the years - but I've never plugged in a sewing machine on an outdoor picnic table (for fear of being electrocuted)!

Or cut fabric on the grass!

With cows and goats nearby, was there a fear they might come over to investigate?!

All problems aside, I'll bet - for those who attend these two-day outdoor quilting workshops - the experience is truly unforgettable!! 

(But I'm not sure it's for me!)

Crumbling Boulders

At the end of the street are six boulders - meant to deter drivers from taking shortcuts along pedestrian pathways on the college grounds. The boulders have been there for years - but most are now crumbling.

Strange as it sounds, there once was a small truck in the neighbourhood that made this opening his secret shortcut.

Once college gardeners realized what was happening, they added the boulders.

Since then, the large rocks have been hit many times - usually by snowplow drivers who mistake them for mounds of snow in winter. Each crash makes them crumble more!

A few cars have crashed into them as well... and not only when there was snow on the ground.

(What were the drivers thinking?!)

Most recently, a small car tried to muscle through at 3 AM. Terry heard a loud bang. 

He grabbed his flashlight and went out to see what had happened. Several people were getting out of the vehicle, which had stopped a few meters away, leaving tire tracks in the grass.

Terry returned home to call college security.

Half an hour later - at 4 AM - the phone rang. A police officer wanted to ask Terry a few questions - since passengers and driver had all disappeared...

I guess that means that no one was seriously hurt! Good!

(But how do you fall back asleep after an eventful night like that?!)

The Month That Was

Our summer is half over!

As I review my phenology calendar for last month, it's the weather that stand out - the rainstorm that brought flooding to our street on July 1...

And two 3-day heat waves - the first starting the same day as the flood. 

A second 3-day heat wave followed two weeks later.

No animals noted on my July 2026 phenology calendar - though squirrels and chipmunks continued to scurry around the yard, and one even stole a few almost-ripe tomatoes from my son's two tomato plants. 

I guess I was too busy with post-flood recovery to notice!

Mystery Solved!

I'm currently on a virtual walk in New South Wales, Australia.

Some of the paths I've been (virtually) travelling on have "street views" - though they are too steep and narrow for vehicles to drive on... 

How do they get the street view of the area for the google maps?! Elsewhere, most are photographed by a camera on the roof of a car.

Perhaps camera drones?! I wondered...

But then, on one "street view" in the woods, I noticed a camera - and a black baseball cap!

Someone appears to be carrying the google camera on his or her shoulder!

Here's another - this time the person is wearing a hoodie...

So that's how they photograph "street views" on narrow mountain paths?!!