Oh (Ottawa) Canada...

I like to cross the U.S. border at least a few times a year and luckily we are not all that far from the Canadian border. We've been to Montreal a few times but decided to venture further into British Canada. 

Next stop: Ottawa! The capital of Canada with one of the world's most picturesque parliaments, Ottawa turned out to be one of the nicest, friendliness, and quietest capitals I've ever been to.

The neo-gothic architecture of Parliament Hill was astounding. Incredibly detailed inside and out, the buildings combined influences into something that in uniquely Canadian.

The Rideau Canal is the oldest continuously operating canal in North America. The lock system used to move boats up the incline can be witnessed up close - and because this isn't America, you can actually climb on and across the locks...and get way too close to the edge.

We did the free tour of Parliament and saw the House of Commons, which is nearly outgrowing the space.

...and the Parliament library which was beautiful and heavily air conditioned (I'm sure it's better for the books, just not for patrons).

Our very handsome guide stopped us for a viewing of the royal family portraits before turning us loose.

Ottawa is a great place to visit and the weather cooperated so well, I got to break out my new pinafore!

North American Safari: Parc Omega

We left for Ottawa at 3:30 in the morning, determined to beat all the traffic and make a few stops along the way. After making record time to the border we made a beeline to Parc Omega. 

Ta-da!

Parc Omega is a self-guided drive through park showcasing a variety of North American wildlife in recreated natural habitats. You can visit the locals through wooded forest, open plains, rocky outcrops, and wetlands. Even better, you can feed many of your new friends!

Stop at the lodge to grab a bag (or 5) of carrots and get your map ready. You can tune your radio in either French or English to a station that tells you about the park and it's inhabitants as you cruise, but we were too excited to keep our voices down for long.

Carrots, check.

Excitement at it's finest.

You're met at the gate by some pretty clever deer who demand homage before you are allowed through.

There are feeding stations which prove distracting for a little bit...

But this guy wanted to get in and come with us.

There's a variety of deer, elk, wapiki that readily approach cars. Some animals are better viewed at a distance like bison...

and MOOSE (the holy grail of the trip)

...arctic wolves...

...and bears! A Momma and two cubs were scampering about, an electric fence between us and the happy family.

Tenacious Elk does not allow passage without payment.

Or you at least have to listen to one of his jokes.

Is that not a 'get it?!' face or what?? 

Parc Omega is located an hour-ish west of Ottawa and about 2 hours from the VT-QC border crossing (traffic depending). We were there over two and a half hours and probably would have stayed longer if we had thought to pack a lunch...and dinner.

Empire State of Mind

Since it's - sorta - close, we headed down to NYC for the day last weekend. 

We of course arrived before 7:00 AM and took in the early morning on the highline.

In our travels uptown, we came across some type of German / Bavarian cultural event pouring out of St. Patrick's Cathedral. 

Being that I was dragging from work, we took in a leisurely, carb-filled brunch at Lillie's Victorian bar.

No day in New York City is very leisurely, but we did our best to find the quieter corners of the city and take it all in. I always love going to 'the city' but I love coming home too. 

Animal Tales & Birthdays

Labor Day weekend marks the unofficial end of summer in New England and thus is the last hurrah before school starts and work gets (more) serious again. My birthday typically falls during or near Labor Day, so I always treat it as an excuse to celebrate for three days instead of a measly one.

We kicked off the weekend at the freshly renovated Aquarium,

then took an inaugural ride on the new Greenway Carousel.

After adventures with our animal friends, we moved on to finding an appropriate birthday meal before the weekend is out.

Independence Day

The 4th of July, or Independence Day is big business in Boston. As the cradle of liberty, the birthplace of the revolution - and quite a few smaller revolutions post-1776 - Boston takes the Fourth of July seriously. Millions of dollars in fireworks displays. Reading the declaration of Independence from the same State House window as it was back in 1773, marching bands, musket rallies, battle reenactments, we've got something for everyone. History buff? Family with small children? Chowder lover? Check, check, check.

Harborfest is a week-long celebration of early American history and the American spirit of independence resplendent with Revolutionary battle reenactments  walking tours, open houses, and a clam chowder tasting contest, which unfortunately fell on one of the hottest days of the year this month. We decided to try something new this year and sojourned seaward.

One of the hidden gems of the city is the Boston Harbor Islands, a collection of tiny land dots scattered through the outer harbor of Boston and Massachusetts Bay. Amongst these 34 islands there is a Civil War fort, the oldest continually operating lighthouse in the U.S., and a surprisingly collection of history and wildlife. The immersion experience is camping on an one of the islands. We took it a step further and ended up on a very southerly island with no running water; Grape Island.

The trek from home was a T ride, two different ferries, and a short hike through the newest version of New England weather: muggy tropical jungle hot not dissimilar to the surface of the sun. We managed to set up the tent before we threw ourselves in the ocean which seemed remarkably warm for July. We feasted on nutella and peanut butter sandwiches and cheese and crackers before hiking every walking path on the island.

As the day worn thin we ventured to the coast to see the sunset and scope out a firework viewing spot. The bugs chased us to the beach, where we took up residence on a rock; as high tide crashed at our feet we watched over a half dozen firework displays from around the harbor light up the night sky. To cap off the night we made a fire on the beach and roasted marshmallows. After a night of sleeping on the ground (which I last did in the aftermath of my 22nd birthday and would like to continue avoiding, thank you very much) we trudged back home in dire need of a shower.

It was a great trip filled with all the adventure of camping in the wildness right in downtown Boston's front yard. I think next time we’ll aim to get a place with running water though.