Point Gatineau in Late September

A few days ago, Terry and I drove over to the Quebec side of the Ottawa River and took a walk along the shore at Point Gatineau... 

It was interesting to see the Ottawa skyline in the distance ... the "big city"! Point Gatineau always seems like a sea resort to me!

It's always relaxing to breathe in the fresh river air.

The lily pads have flourished on this calm side of the river...

They grow so easily and beautifully in nature. Much harder in the small backyard pond I built one year.

There are small marinas on both sides of the river... At one point a tour boat sailed past... (the "loaf of bread" shape on the right side of the photo above)

The weather was surprisingly warm in the heat of the day... (or were we simply overdressed?!) so we didn't walk for long.

I love coming here... to take in the river air and the view. Hopefully we'll be back before the snow falls, when temperatures aren't quite so hot.

Wakefield's Covered Bridge

After eating lunch at Le Hibou Cafe in Wakefield last week, Terry and I drove over to see the covered bridge.

Initially, we planned to walk the few blocks to the bridge, but the day was hotter than we had anticipated!

In horse and buggy days, covered bridges were built so that horses wouldn't know they were crossing over water, something they feared doing.

The river is quite wide at Wakefield. The original wooden bridge burned down, but a replica was later rebuilt...

The bridge was an important part of the history of the village - and remains a symbol of this charming Quebec town.

Leaves Changing Color

A few days ago, Terry and I took a day trip to Wakefield, Quebec.

En route, we noticed that the leaves were beginning to change color.

It would be interesting to drive this road once a week in September and October ...

... to see the full effect of the dramatic scenic changes!

August Walk By the River

Last week Terry and I drove over to my favorite walking path on the north side of the Ottawa River.

It's refreshing any time of the year.

In summer, there are more wharves with boats near the shore.

(In winter the river ice is dotted with fishing huts.)

I wonder if this pipe is taking water into the river... or bringing water out...

I didn't notice any signs warning of poison ivy this year. I wonder if they've managed to eliminate it.

A beautiful place to walk - though one does have to be careful. The sidewalk is a busy bike path, too.

Concert!

A week ago, Terry and I headed over to the Lac Leamy Casino on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River - to hear a U2 tribute concert.

The tickets were a birthday gift from one of our sons.

The audience of fans was enthusiastic. A few of the singers seemed to be from Quebec - they spoke both French and English.

As we drove into the grounds, I couldn't help but admire the flower beds.

A beautiful place to visit for a "date night" out!

River Walk

Yesterday was warm and sunny, so Terry and I headed to Point Gatineau to enjoy a walk along the Ottawa River.

The air always feels fresher here!

There was a lot of ice on the river when we arrived, but it was moving  along quickly.

Half an hour later, when we retraced our path, the river was mostly clear.

We walked quickly to get a better look at a "bump" on the ice in the distance, to see what it was... An abandoned ice fishing hut,  perhaps?

We should have brought binoculars!

It's too early to know if the river will flood this spring. It depends on how much water and ice come down the river from rivers up north. An ice jam could also cause a flood.

Hopefully, all will be well!

River Walk

Last week Terry and I crossed the river into Quebec and headed to one of my favorite local walking paths, along the Ottawa River.

We hadn't been there since early spring.

Now, in summer, boats are moored at various docks along the river.

The river may be shallower now than in spring. For the first time, I noticed what looked like flat rocky patches - near the surface of the water...

... just beyond the lily-pads...

Tents had been set up in a nearby park. Terry thought they might be connected to the annual Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival... but we didn't see any balloons.

Any season of the year, a beautiful part of our area to visit... 

...just across the river from the city of Ottawa.

To Montreal - Then Home!

After our day in St. Jean, on the Richelieu River, we headed back to Montreal - spending the night at a hotel in Brossard, on the South Shore of the St. Lawrence River.

The next morning, we noticed an outdoor market being set up next to our hotel.

We went down to look around - then drove on to our old neighbourhood in downtown Montreal.

Then off to visit a friend who had recently moved into an independent-living seniors' apartment.

It looked perfect for one person.

Lovely to have a patio door with flowers outside.

After a walk through a nearby park to a restaurant, where we ate supper, we headed home. 

Hopefully we'll be back again soon!

Montreal is of our favourite cities - full of memories for both Terry and me.

Traveling Again

Terry and I hadn't been to Montreal since before the pandemic - even though it's only a two-hour drive away. 

(From 2020 till 2022, our road trips were in the opposite direction - to south-western Ontario, to visit children and grandchildren.)

Even those trips were filled with apprehension... Would we get COVID en route?!

So our recent visit to Montreal, last weekend, was a real treat. So much had changed. 

Look! A new elevated light-rail track! Terry was thrilled... Look! The  new Champlain Bridge!

It was different! But I felt nostalgic for the OLD Champlain Bridge - the one I had crossed daily to go to work - for almost four years - when we were living in Montreal and I worked in St. Jean.

It's apparently being demolished.

Hmmm. Yet the much older Victoria Bridge, another bridge that crosses the St. Lawrence River - not that far away - is still in use. 

The first Champlain Bridge opened in 1962 and was taken out of service 57 years later in 2019. The Victoria Bridge opened 100 years EARLIER, in 1860 - and it's STILL in use.

(What does that say about our progress in bridge building?!)