Ottawa, Ontario - Christmas lights

A view of Christmas lights from our balcony. I just thought it looked kind of cool with barely visible fingers of clouds reaching from behind this nearby building, and lights glowing against its silhouette.

Ottawa, Ontario - By the Ottawa River

The bike/walking path near our home runs through a gorgeous parkland area and spans the whole Ottawa valley. It also branches off to another path that goes right along the Ottawa River. Walking the path is wonderfully relaxing because it's not "done up" like a public park; other than keeping brush clear of the path, it's left in a natural state and one can see many birds and squirrels throughout. Here we took a walk and went under the bridge to see the river, which is mostly frozen. It's so beautiful and yet very strange-looking, at least to us.

Ottawa, Ontario - Canada Post and 7-11

You read it right... from what we've seen here in Canada, the post office is frequently not just a post office. It's in a mall, grocery store, drugstore, or in this case... a 7-11 convenience store, replete with post office boxes. Now you can buy some chips and a Slurpee, get a newspaper and lottery ticket, pick up your mail, and send off Aunt Bertha's Christmas gift, all in the same store. Never say we're not all about convenience up here.

Ottawa, Ontario - American Thanksgiving with the young'un

Bryan, my dear offspring, came up from the States to visit for American Thanksgiving (the Canadian one passed a month ago, heh). Here we are with our little Thanksgiving spread.

Ottawa, Ontario - Parkland by the Ottawa River

We are never alone when we walk the path by our new home. Someone is always there to greet us.


The fork in the bike/walking path that leads under the Ottawa River Parkway (a thoroughly enjoyable scenic drive, by the way) to the river bank.


Along the south bank of the Ottawa River

Sick for over a year now

Yep, you read it right. We have been sick for over a year. For the majority of that we were **violently** ill, as in completely bedridden. We are only now starting to get a little energy back and start taking proper care of things. After dozens of tests all the doctors could find is that something did extensive damage to the entire length of our digestive systems. But they simply could not find the cause for the wildly varying range of crazy symptoms - everything from debilitating fatigue to severe abdominal pain to splitting headaches to bruises on our legs, and an overwhelming number of other bizarre and disabling symptoms.

A year of our lives, gone as if we've been in a coma. But this slow recovery is surely an answer to our many prayers for health. It's so strange, having been here for a year but having experienced so little of the outside world during that time, that it feels like we just arrived in Canada and are just starting out. Still, it's a glorious feeling to be getting out there, getting on with life, and enjoying ourselves again.

Peterborough, Ontario - First snow

Today, unbeknownst to the meteorologists, was the first snow of the season here. And it was not messing around. It was supposed to just be cloudy and 6° C today but instead it dipped down to 1° C, started snowing heavily around 10:30 a.m. and pretty much didn't let up until this evening. The ground is still too warm for snow to build up, but it left a respectable coat of it on the rooftops. It's weird because last year the snow started in little flurries here and there, so we thought that's how it goes here. But this year it just started in today with a vengeance. One day it was fall, the next it was like the middle of winter. Snap, just like that.

Good thing I brought the truck in for winterizing and winter tires last night!

For one thing, we didn't have to worry about slipping and sliding if we found ourselves needing to drive today. Second, many people wait until the first snow to get their winter tires instead of when the weather hits 7° C as you really ought to, so you can bet that after the onslaught this morning all the tire dealers were booked solid for days. What perfect timing! Thus, when the surprise snow storm hit today, I was feeling prepared and confident and very smart. (Shhhh, don't burst my bubble!)

Here are some pics from 1:00 - 2:00 this afternoon.

Peterborough, Ontario - Fall colours

Beautiful fall colours in the park by our home. Ya gotta love fall...

Peterborough, Ontario - Otonabee River - Ducks

Do you have all your ducks in a row? We do...



These ducks are in the Otonabee River.

Peterborough, Ontario - Driving tour

We took a drive with our buddy Jimmy and saw some great scenery along the way.



There were wildflowers everywhere, with diversity like we've never seen. This picture really doesn't do them justice. There was just no way to capture it all.


This is such a gorgeous view. I love the plant in the foreground, too - green at the base and red at the tips.