Chapman Mills Conservation Area

Earlier this month, I wanted to show Terry a Rideau Canal lock that I had visited on my cruise earlier this spring.

Hunting for it, we discovered the Chapman Mills Conservation Area.

We walked along a lovely path and board walk with a view of the Rideau River. 

A lovely place to visit!

Late Summer Flowers

Most of the flowers in my garden bloom in late June and early July.

Over the years I've made a point of adding later-blooming perennials as much as possible.

Right now the brown-eyed Susans (above) are in bloom, as well as the pink windflowers.

Sedums are turning pink...

A few white anemones, that bloom in early summer, have appeared again.

Most of the phlox blooms are gone, though there are still some around the yard.

At this time of year, I appreciate every spot of color!

Summer Quilt Finished!

In the heat of the summer, I pulled out my fabrics and started a new quilt...

The pattern was simple, and I decided to machine-quilt it...

So it didn't take long before it was done!

Ants on the Move...

At this time of year, we sometimes notice large groups of (tiny) ants on the move...

Have they outgrown their nest?

Have they multiplied so much over the summer that they need to form a new colony?

I don't know, but we caught these spilling over the driveway.

If we try to get rid of them, are we unbalancing nature?! It's hard to know what to do!

Article on Richard Gill, Potter

A few summers ago, I took a pottery workshop with Richard Gill in his studio in the village of Burnstown, a forty-five minute drive from Ottawa.

During the workshop, I made this wall plaque of Peggy's Cove - based on a photo I had taken on a visit to Nova Scotia.

Over the years, I have bought several of Richard's pottery pieces. I particularly like his book ends... With so many books around, I find them useful and attractive.

Recently, going through some of my mother's old magazines before throwing them out, I was surprised to come across this old article on Richard Gill in a 1982 edition of Canadian Geography!

(He looked a little younger then!)

Interestingly, his pottery style hasn't really changed...

I'll have to put this copy aside to give to Richard next time I visit his Burnstown studio - perhaps next week some time when his latest pottery creations will be on display, starting this coming Saturday.

Thoughts on Prayer

A while back, I came across some interesting thoughts on prayer in Barbara Brown Taylor's book, An Altar in the World.

She mentions how personal each person's experience of prayer is: ... divine response to prayer is one of those beauties that remain in the eye of the beholder. What sounds like an answer to one person sounds like silence to another... The meaning we give to what happens in our lives is our final, inviolable freedom. Only you can say whether God answered you... Are you still waiting for God to answer you, or is your life the answer you have been seeking, hiding in plain view? 

Quilting Again!

When the weather is rainy - or too hot to be outdoors - I've been quilting...

Fluctuating between a "crumb" quilt - made with lots of little pieces...

... and a new one I'm making - similar to this picture I saw online.

I've managed to finish the squares...

Now I'm in the process of organizing their layout...

Once this quilt top is done, I have several ideas for quilts - thanks to pictures I've found on Pinterest! This fall may be a productive quilting season!

What to do with cassette tapes?!

Our long, hot summer, wasn't always comfortable for gardening. So I've been trying to work indoors a bit, doing some organizing... and tossing.

I turned my attention to some old cassette tapes... I used to use them in teaching.

I'd record the morning news - then play it over a few times in class, discussing vocabulary students weren't familiar with.

Don't need those any more - so toss!

But a few cassettes did catch my eye... Old "mixes" made by my kids when they were young.

I stood next to the TV to record those songs, one of my sons commented.

They date back to the early 1990's...

Now those are hard to toss!

Enjoying Montreal's Quartie des Spectacles

One of Terry's favorite places to visit in Montreal is the open plaza in the Quartier des Spectacles, a pedestrian walkway during the summer.

We sat watching children play in the erupting fountains...

Students from the nearby university were doing their "Frosh Week" antics...

Eventually we wandered into the nearby Place Desjardins shopping center... where almost a dozen years ago, I accompanied one of my sons to a job interview... We took the bus together to Montreal as he didn't know the city. Every time I come here, I think of that day...

We enjoyed watching performances by dancers from India...

There seemed to be lots going on... wherever we went!

More Gallery Exhibits

While at the gallery in Montreal - to see the Pompeii exhibit - we were able to see a display of posters by famed French artist Toulouse Lautrec.

They seem very modern, even though they were painted in the 1800's.

Afterwards Terry and I relaxed in an atrium, enjoying the lovely space.

(Walking around a gallery or museum for several hours can be very tiring!)

Pompeii Exhibit in Montreal

A few weeks ago Terry and I drove to Montreal to visit the Pompeii Exhibit - that was due to end Labor Day weekend.

It was impressive but sad at the same time. The city had been prosperous, as this lovely jewelry shows.

In the middle of everyday life, the end came. On display were petrified round loaves of bread that were found in the ruins.

Archaeologists estimate that about two thousand residents (out of a total population of twenty thousand) were trapped in the falling ash and died. These petrified ashen rocks retain the mold of the people who died in them. (If plaster is poured into the mold, an exact replica of what the person looked like at the moment of death is made.)

This child seems to have tripped and fallen.

Apparently the volcano was active from time to time, so residents were complacent when the volcano erupted.

Disaster struck on the second day, when hot ash covered the city...

Sculptures and art work found in the ruins are very impressive.


Impressive also is the fact that only two-thirds of the ruined site has so far been excavated. One third remains for future generations to uncover - and discover more of what was once the bustling city of Pompeii, Italy.

Favorite Baby Toys

In a basement toy box, I've come across some soft toys my granddaughter Ivy can play with next time she visits. Both are washable plastic.

There's a hockey stick that squeaks when you squeeze it. And an equally soft book about a penguin who likes fishing.

Both were favorite toys of my son, Ivy's father, when he was young! I wonder if he remembers them!

Sunday Visit to Merrickville

Football season is here, so Sunday afternoons are dedicated to football viewing - for Terry and any of our sons who happen to be around.

Not being a football fan, I usually head to bed for a nap or to read. But this year my cousin Rhonda from Edmonton is studying in the city.

She doesn't live far away - so last Sunday, while the games were on, she and I headed to picuresque Merrickville to enjoy a sunny day in that historic town.

She did some shopping - while I relaxed on the shady side of the sidewalk, enjoying the last of summer.

Bunny Eating... Flowers?!!

I recently noticed a rabbit munching happily in my backyard flower bed.

I hope he's eating weeds, I told Terry. There's a lot of gout weed back there that I'd like to see eaten!

But no, he was eating Coreopsis (tickseed) stems!

Oh, well. Their blooming season is over. Maybe this is nature's way of pruning!

Black Tomatoes

A week ago I bought large green and red tomatoes at the Algonquin College vegetable stand, assuming that they were not-quite-ripe "beefsteak" tomatoes.

They haven't ripened yet, I told the vendor when I went back to buy more veggies a few days later.

Those are black tomatoes, she informed me. They don't turn totally red. Turn them upside down. If the bottoms are red, they're ripe. That's how you know they're ready to eat.

Oops! I guess these are ready - maybe even over-ready. Glad I asked!

Meeting Baby Emerson

A few weeks ago, I attended a baby shower for the daughter of a friend, a girl I've known since she was a child. A few days later, her baby boy arrived... a few days early.

It was lovely to meet little Emerson recently, now four weeks old...

(In comparison, our four month old granddaughter looks so much bigger!)

They do grow big fast!

Delicious Ribs

On a recent trip to Perth, Ontario, Terry and I came across a barbecue stand that served delicious ribs.

Terry ordered a full rack.

I had a sausage cooked in corn husks.

Both were delicious...

The stand may be moved to Stittsville, next summer - which is a lot closer to our home. We'll be watching out for it!

College Vegetable Sale

We live near Algonquin College, where students often sell the fruits of their labor. Terry has bought baked goods made in cooking classes...

This year, for the first time, horticultural students were selling produce from their large garden beds, every Tuesday and Friday in September.

On Friday I headed over on foot through their lovely gardens, hoping to find tomatoes.

Business was brisk, but I bought a few.

I'll have to head back again today (Tuesday) to see what they're selling.

Unfortunately, we don't need as much food these days - cooking for only two!