Spring has begun, but it still feels like winter in Toronto. The only difference is that the snow has left us. But I can still smell late fall in the air. I'm hoping for spring. Birds have started chirping and I keep dreaming about crocus popping up through the muddy dirt.
March 6th was Shannon's birthday. It was my turn to plan and pay and celebrate. Most of his gifts were not completed. They are still not completed, but hopefully I can send him off to Australia with them. I took him to Piccolo's on Carlton for his birthday. It was this great little Italian restaurant. We drank red wine, ate salty cheese and had some fabulous pesto-covered gnocchi. I treated him to a private dessert of mini cheesecakes and iced wine. He had a good evening, so I achieved success and had great food. You can't go wrong with great food.
March 8th and 9th I found myself whisked away to the nation's capital of Ottawa. If it possible, which is most definitely is, Ottawa was far colder than Toronto. I mean 9th level of Dante's hell colder. What a beautiful city, but the beauty is lost when you can't feel your fingers after the first five minutes. I was happy to be able to retreat to the glass interior of the National Gallery of Art.
There, we were taken to see the photographic treasures of the NGA. I remember the images perfectly. I walked in there and I'm pretty sure my jaw dropped suddenly to the floor. There was Talbot and Negre's very famous "3 Chimney Sweeps" laid out there. I saw Diane Arbus, Frank, Winograd, Walker Evans, Frederick Evans (SIGNED!), Siskgand, Weston, Bourke-White (with heaps of "silvering out" going on), Lisette Model, Strand, Mr. Ansel Adams and a Larry Clark photography from his "Tulsa" series. I may or may not of wet myself a little. It was incredibly exciting. To top off the evening, we were given free tickets to the gallery and since walking around Ottawa was not an option, this was perfect.
Apparently, the canal in Ottawa is the longest outdoor ice skating rink. However, I wonder if people ever skate on it. When I took pictures of it, I think I saw one crazy person on it. I am sure that after that, they suffered hypothermia. I know I was, my little nubs could barely press the button on the camera.
Parliament Hill was also beautiful at night, although my hands were shaking so bad, none of the photographs came out. I pretty much ran the rest of the way home. The rest of the evening was spent in bed watching terrible documentaries on the Discovery channel. I think we would have gone out, but getting up at 5:30am sort of kills the party factor. We did get to see Byward Market, but in winter, it doesn't look very busy. However, it looks like a great place to go in the summer, outdoor stores, vendors, cafes and the famous Beavertail stand, which I braved the cold to have one. They are sweet treats a bit like fried dough, but they are shaped like beaver tails. If you're in Ottawa, search out the stand at Byward Market.
Day 2 of the program's Ottawa trip didn't start until 7:30am, but I skipped breakfast for more sleep and a long shower. We headed to the Gatineau Preservation Centre just over the Quebec border. I'll save the trip for another time, when you really feel like reading about the temperature and relative humidity of vaults and about book conservation. It really is quite fascinating. You've seen those doors before, but you never get to see what's behind the vaults. and now, you can. A secret revealed.I've been back for a while now and life is starting to get hectic with final projects looming ahead and Kat's visit back to the True North. Spring better be here by then. Or at least it better be breathing down Winter's neck to take a hike. I was doing my laundry at the laundry mat the other day. When I looked up and out the window, I saw a fat little raccoon lumbering across the roof of a slightly disheveled house. It scrambled over--in broad daylight--to the dormer in the roof and climbed into a crack between the roof and the window. After watching for a while, I saw two. I must have watched them for almost 30 minutes and not one did I see a single person look up to see these two raccoons climbing around the roof. And climbing in it for that matter.
It makes you wonder, do people notice anything? Do those people know they have a raccoon family in their roof? I should hope so.
You know, with all the work I have to do, I have still managed to read five books in the past month. Five books, not all of them contemporary.
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