An Adventure with Alec!

One of the bonus benefits of house/pet sitting is that we get to know some of the neighbours and friends/family members of the home owners. This happens all the time, and we are just so appreciative of the fact that we continue to attract wonderful people into our lives.

This pattern continued last week, while we were looking after Lexie, a beautiful cat whom we had the pleasure of being with a couple of years ago. They also have a lovely dog, Bella, with whom we had a whole day and night all to ourselves. For the rest of the time, her Mom's sister cared for her - and she lapped up every moment!

Beautiful Bella

Lexie

The home owners are very well known to us. I met Anthony's family during my first year in Canada (1989), as I was given their contact info. by a mutual friend in the U.K. His parents, Ann and Alan, who just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, and his sister, Kathy, have become firm friends over the years and, even after all this time, we are still bowled over by their love and generosity. Mark and I have spent many hours with them, and they have been present at many significant moments in our lives.

Alan and Ann - the most generous people you could possibly meet

As the family has expanded, we have embraced the wonderful choices Anthony and Kathy have made in life partners.

Shannon and Anthony - our homeowners, and dear friends

Derek and Kathy - also dear friends

It was in Anthony and Shannon's home, in Ottawa, that we were happily ensconced for just over a week, with Lexie. We arrived there a couple of days before they were due to leave, so we were able to enjoy being with them and their two absolutely marvelous daughters, Avery and Hanna. These two sisters are so much fun to be with, and have often entertained us with their singing, dramatic presentations, and their natural joie-de-vivre.

Avery

Hannah

So, back to the original point I was making... Shannon's sister, Kelly, and her family, have often attended the same family events at which we have been present, and so they were familiar to us. However, as is often the case with larger groups, we don't often get the opportunity to really know some of the other attendees. That changed, superbly, last week.

Kelly, and her amazing son, Alec, came over a couple of times during the week and, after chatting, we thought it would be a great idea to take a trip together to Downtown Ottawa and dust off some ambitions that we had nurtured for quite a while. It just so happened that Alec also had the same wishes, so we arranged to spend the day with them on Saturday.

Alec, who is 10 years old, is an absolute delight to be with. His natural curiosity is captivating, and he is so interesting to talk with. Both Mark and I were enthralled with him, and really enjoyed his company. It has to be said that a big plus is that he laughs at my funny antics, and is becoming quite the expert at replicating some of my tricks!

Alec masters a new trick!

Many of you may know that I am mad about trains, (as is Alec), so we both wanted to go downtown on the relatively new, O-Train, part of Ottawa's transport system - similar to the 'Tube', in London, the TTC Subway, in Toronto, and the Metro, in Paris and Montreal. The O-Train mostly travels above ground, but it's still fun, and we set off, with excitement, on our journey.

We had decided that our main event, downtown, would be the guided tour on the Amphibus - a one hour tour on both land and water. Tickets had been purchased online, the day before, so we just joined the line-up and waited with happy expectation of a new experience.

After the bus had emptied itself of the previous tourist load, we were escorted through the rear door and given our seats, in accordance with the social-distancing protocols in place.

Tourists board the Amphibus at the rear of the vehicle

Once everyone was settled, we set off, while the bilingual guide shared her knowledge about the various points of interest: The Chateau Laurier Hotel, Parliament Hill, The Supreme Court, The War Museum, and many more.

Chateau Laurier Hotel

Parliament - East Block (Senators' building)

Peace Tower

The Supreme Court

Crossing a bridge over the Ottawa River, we entered the Province of Quebec, and made our way to a boat launch, where the land bus became a floating vehicle which made its way along the river so that we could enjoy some of the same venues from the river, which gave a different perspective of these familiar sights.

The Parliamentary Library - as seen from the river

Rideau Canal Locks - from the river

Supreme Court - from the river

Chateau Laurier Hotel - from the river

Both Alec and I had been wondering how it would work and how deep the bus would be in the water, so we were thrilled when it all became clear and we were able to enjoy the experience.

The Amphibus afloat

Returning to the same boat launch, the amphibus, once again, became streetworthy, and we were treated to some more sights with which most Canadians would be familiar.

After sitting for an hour, we agreed that a good walk would be in order. So, we made our way along Parliament Hill, where we encountered a respectful demonstration, and took a look at the Eternal Flame, which was surrounded by children's toys and games in honour of all the Indigenous children, whose mass graves had recently been discovered in various Residential Schools throughout Canada - a sad part of our country's history, which had been brought to the surface over the last few months.

The Eternal Flame - decked with children's toys in memory of the deceased

Mixed emotions included the awareness that, in a free country, people can express their opposition to government policy without fear of redress, so long as they are peaceful in nature.

We left the area in silence and then descended some steps to walk along the river on a path that follows the waterside for several kilometers, on both sides of the city.

Hundreds of steep steps from Parliament Hill to the river below

While there, we saw the Amphibus on its next tour, and waved to the captain and the tour guide.

Reaching the base of the steps alongside the Rideau Canal Locks, we climbed them and made our way to the famous Byward Market, before heading back to the O-train station.

Rideau Canal Locks

Alec wanted to travel the whole length of the line, and I was in complete agreement with him. So, we took the train to its Eastern Terminus, and then stayed on for the return journey to the Western end of the line (showing red on the map below). Lots of fun!

With great enthusiasm, Mark and I had accepted Kelly's kind offer of a meal at the end of our day out, so we went back to her home where we met Alec's brother, Stephane, and his dad, Lionel. Seeing this wonderful family interact with each other, it was easy to see why Alec was such a nice young lad. The meal was delicious, the company was entertaining, and our friendship was cemented.

We were full of appreciation for the opportunity to get to know this family, and so grateful to Anthony and Shannon, who made this possible.

Shannon and Kelly - twin sisters who are as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside!