Greek Music and Dance

Ottawa's annual Greek Fest - a fund raiser for the Greek Orthodox Church and its many activities - is held over two weekends in August.

Terry and I attended both weekends, taking our grandchildren - and their father - the second time.

I regret not taking more pictures - of the loukoumades, for example - the tiny Greek doughnuts sprinkled eith cinnamon, which we watched them cook - and later ate fresh out of the pan.

 

Later on, we did get up close to the music and dancing... and watched a young man do a traditional dance.

Fun for all!

Comedy... in the Rain!

I was looking forward to the Great Outdoors Comedy Festival here in Ottawa.

My favorite American comedian - Nate Bargatze - was the headliner - and my son and his wife had bought tickets for Terry and me as Christmas gifts!

I was so excited...

The day was lovely... but one big cloud hung over the festival grounds... and didn't move!

The first two comedians finished their routines... and it was time for Nate to do his. A few minures into his act, rain began to fall. Then it began to pour!

In true stoic Canadian style, most of us stayed... but I wondered WHY I hadn't bothered to bring an umbrella or raincoat. There was no rain in the forecast... but that big cloud in the picture (above) had given us fair warning! We had left our umbrellas in the car!

Greek Fest 2024

Yesterday Terry and I headed over to Greek Fest - to enjoy the music and genuine Greek food.

I haven't been for a few years - so it was nice to be back.

Terry enjoyed a souvlaki dinner with salad and a locally-made Greek style beer.

I had a chicken wrap...

...and a piece of Greek custard pie (called "galaktoboureko" - a word I won't even attempt to pronounce!)

Later we went into the Arts Court - where a potter I know had some items for sale.

Then we headed up unto the church and sat for a few minutes. 

We admired the paintings of saints on the domed ceiling.

I looked around at all the ikons, trying to find one that looked like the ikon I made. The one above - a portrait of Jesus - bore some resemblance to the one I made in Toronto 5 years ago.

It was a lovely afternoon... punctuated with showers. The festival will be held this weekend and next. 

Glad I was able to go.

A Walk in Britannia Park

My older son and I recently went for a walk in Britannia Park - on the Ottawa River.

It was a lovely evening - and the park was very busy.

The first thing we we noticed was a red-headed woodpecker. I headed after it, in search of a perfect picture. 

He wouldn't let us come too close - but I managed to get his silhouette.

There were a lot of activities going on - among them beach volleyball and children's swimming lessons - but the people attracting the most attention were those kite-surfing on the water. 

There was a breeze - so the kite surfers managed to keep up a steady clip. We saw this guy leaving, carrying his equipment. It looks awkward and perhaps heavy to carry!

It was fun to watch them in the late afternoon sun.

I'm glad one of us suggested a walk in the park....

Pizza Fun

A family meal at our favourite pizza restaurant was made even more interesting when the chef gave little balls of dough to the kids.

It was so much fun to roll it out by hand...

It reminded me of when our kids were little - letting each child make his or her own treat with biscuit or bread dough, adding sugar, cinnamon, raisins or chocolate chips. Then baking it.

Creativity - and eating...

Two of  life's simple pleasures!

Downtown... on a Sunday Morning

A few days ago - on Mother's Day - Terry and I headed downtown to attend church at the Anglican Cathedral, not far from where our daughter lives.

We hadn't attended a service there in a long time ... 

We also wanted to visit the columbarium where my mother's ashes lie.

Later, outdoors, we spent s few minutes admiring the views all around us.

A peaceful Sunday morning.

Market Walk

Last Friday's warm weather inspired Terry and me to head downtown to wander around and enjoy the ambiance - something we hadn't done in months. 

We weren't sure where we would walk - but I had a bakery destination in mind...

We passed over the Rideau Canal, en route to Parliament Hill...

Checked out Sparks Street...

Visited a beautiful new hotel lobby...

Then we headed to the Byward Market for coffee and pastry.

It was a perfect way to spend a pleasant winter afternoon!

Ice Sculptures and More!

Last Friday Terry and I headed downtown for a walk - our first time this winter. We were interested in looking at the ice sculptures.

We saw several art displays that were NOT made of ice/ - like the luminous wolves (above) on Sparks Street...

The weather was mild - so the Rideau Canal skate-way had been shut down. 

Would the ice sculptures that are a traditional part of our February winter festival survive the melting temperatures?

Some were wrapped to protect them. And a few ice artists were working on theirs.

Visitors were milling about...

The media was there too: Are you disappointed that the weather is so warm?

No, several of us replied... We're loving it!

(If they could only find a way to keep the ice sculptures from melting away!)