Two lesser known waterfalls of Ottawa - Princess Louise and Wateridge

The lovely Manon has been very indulgent with my affection for waterfalls and has been willing to accompany me to Hog's Back Falls, the Chaudière Falls and even the Rideau Falls.

And this past month, she agreed to visit two waterfalls that I only learned of very recently.

I must be clear that neither of these falls appear on lists with titles like Canada’s Most Breathtaking Waterfalls or The 14 Most Amazing Waterfalls in the World. However, the first one I will mention does appear on both the 15+ Waterfalls to Visit in and Around Ottawa and 8 Breathtaking Waterfalls You Need to See near Ottawa.

The Princess Louise Falls

The Princess Louise Falls might not actually be breathtaking, but they are pretty and are conveniently right next to St. Joseph Boulevard in Orleans. 

What to do there: You can get really close to the falls to enjoy them. It is a nice spot to go to have a snack or to do some thinking. There's also a path through the woods that would likely reward a little hiking. 

Parking: We parked on Taylor Creek Drive and walked about 400 metres to get to the base of the falls, but it looks like you could park across the street at the Ottawa Uyghur Center and basically be right there.

More information: 

• Lots of history from Linda Seccaspina at The Mysterious Princess Louise Falls
• Google Maps 

Wateridge Waterfall

The Wateridge Waterfall (also known as the Aviation Museum Waterfall) is across the Promenade Sir-George-Étienne-Cartier from the Aviation Museum.

It might be a dramatic waterfall in the spring, but it is definitely not dramatic in the middle of July. Especially because there is a big fence that prevents you from getting close.

I'm having trouble finding historical details about this waterfall, but it looks like it's part of municipal drainage from about a hundred years ago.  

What to do there: There are some unshaded benches along the pathway to the waterfall, so I suppose you could sit on one and read your new Louise Penny novel or jot your thoughts in your diary. 

Otherwise, it's take in the local wildlife (which in mid-July included lots of wild flowers, dragonflies and pretty yellow birds) and verify that water really is trickling down. 

Also you can pat yourself on the back for having seen Ottawa's fifth and most obscure waterfall.

Parking: The nearest unpaid and legal parking requires you to walk a kilometre each way. It is on C.H. Airport Marina Road by the entrance to a path that appears to be popular with dogs. The walk is probably very pleasant when you are not taking it in the middle of a heat wave.

The paid parking at the museum is about 300 metres closer but you have to walk next to the Promenade to get to the falls.

Google Maps 

It also looks like you can stop on the Promenade at the blocked off pathway entrance so you only have a short walk, but it might not be legal parking and doesn't look safe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watch Lynn Miles from your couch!

One of the great things about living in Ottawa is how often you can go see a Lynn Miles show. 

With the pandemic, these options are more limited, but now Lynn is doing shows from her living room that you can see in your home anywhere in the world.

She did a wonderful show this past Saturday. It had the same intimate feeling as her shows used to have at Rasputin's.

She'll be doing three more, on Saturday nights at 8:00 pm, EST.

$10 tickets are availabe through Sidedoor.

If you are so deprived that you're unfamiliar with Lynn's music, this video will help. 

You can find more videos of Lynn performing on the internet, but they won't give you any appreciation for what she says between songs. 

On the technical side: The shows are broadcast on Zoom. So they'll show up on any internet connected computer. We like to watch on the big TV screen, but to do that, we had to connect a computer to the TV with an HDMI cable. Using our Chromecast was not an option.

Update: Great article about Lynn from CTV

Cooking with Manon Episode 3 - Grilled Cheese Night!

 Grilled Cheese Night is my favourite. I should only eat one, but I always ask for two.

Cooking with Manon Episode 2 - Falafel Night!

Let me tell you, I was very happy when Kathy asked Manon how she made falafels! 

Wouldn't one of you like to know how she makes genuine Lac St. Jean tarte au sucre?

New Video Series! Episode 1 - Manon's Veggie Burgers

 

It was a happy day for me when I learned that if people ask Manon how to cook something, she finds it easier to make a video of the food while actually cooking it instead of laboriously writing out a recipe.

The only problem is that nobody has asked her how to make sugar pie.

2022-01-23 Update - Here's the recipe in Manon's handwriting:

Please vote for Kaye

Kaye took this photo by dropping a marble in front of the camera just as she triggered the shutter. If you agree with me that it should be in the National Gallery, you can vote for it using your Facebook account.

Click the photo or this link.

Free Arts and Culture Events

Did you know that there are many free art and culture events happening this weekend? I suspect you didn't because I only found out from Collective (Gulp) and didn't see it any of my other email and RSS listing subscriptions.

It's all part of Culture Days and it's happening across Canada. There will be performances and exhibitions as well as participatory and learning opportunities. In Ottawa, heavy hitters like the NAC and Arts Court are involved.

This is a link for a search page that lets you look for events by region and category.

This is a link for the Ottawa results.

Explaining Roller Derby

If you are a serious fan of this blog, you may have noticed over in the sidebar, in David's shared Google Reader items, the announcement that there is big Ottawa roller derby action this Saturday night at the Sandy Hill Arena.

If Manon and I didn't have a previous commitment, we'd be going. We are serious fans.

I even have a rudimentary understanding of how the sport works and if you are in a restaurant with me, I will be happy to explain it to you using water glasses to represent the pack and salt and pepper shakers to represent the jammers.

If you do not have a chance to dine with me before you go to the roller derby, you might want to try this 2 minute video.

There are some questions I hope to learn the answers to before or during my next roller derby:

• Why would a jammer whose team has a commanding lead end a jam before the two minutes are up?
• Does a jam end if the other jammer passes the lead jammer?
• What's the deal when a jammer gives her star helmet cover to a blocker?

Propeller Dance - Shedding Light - Friday and Saturday

Tell your friends and buy your tickets to Shedding Light, Propeller Dance's annual performance showcase and silent auction.

Last year's Lift sold out and was named the best dance performance in Ottawa by Ottawa Xpress. Shedding Light

Friday, June 11 and Saturday, June 12th; 7:30pm

Arts Court Theatre, 2 Daly Ave, Ottawa ON

Tickets - $25 (Students or Low Income - $15) Box Office - 613-564-7240 info@artscourt.ca (2 Daly Ave, Ottawa, ON )

Silent Auction - doors at 6:30pm; payment by cash or cheque only

Go see On the Razzle

Guess what! I am in a play this week at the Great Canadian Theatre Company, Wednesday through Saturday.

It's Tom Stoppard's On the Razzle and it's this year's lawyers' play. In past years, I've ignored the casting calls from the County of Carleton Law Association, but this year they specifically asked for musicians to play in the brass band called for in the play's script. As far as I know, I'm the only lawyer in Ottawa who actually belongs to a brass band, so I thought it would be churlish not to offer my services.

I passed my audition, perhaps because I played Will Your Anchor Hold, an upbeat hymn from my old Salvation Army tunebook and a favourite of my grandfather's.

Here are some reasons you might like to see On the Razzle:

• With 29 cast members, it has a lot more people on stage than you usually get to see at the GCTC;
• There will be a reception after each performance;
• On the Razzle is a funny play with lots of clever word play and nothing horrible happens to anybody;
• Money raised by the performance is going to the GCTC and the very worthwhile Immigrant Women Services Ottawa;
• The $100 ticket price gets you a $50 tax receipt;
• Your photo could wind up in the society pages of the newspaper; and
• The play is set in and near Vienna during a craze for everything Scottish.

On the Razzle by Tom Stoppard

CCLA/GCTC Lawyer Play Fundraiser May 13-15, 2010 at 8pm

Irving Greenberg Theatre Centre, 1233 Wellington St. W (at Holland Ave.)

Tickets: $100 with $50 tax receipt (preview May 12, $35)

Box Office: 613-236-5196

Facebook Event Page

Thursday Night: Breaking the Mould

This Thursday, March 11, 8:15pm-11:30pm at Roosters Coffeehouse, University Centre, Carleton University:

Julie Keon of Ottawa Belly Casts has put together an exhibit of 14 casts of women (including my sweety, the lovely Manon) from a variety of ages, experiences and stages in life. Each cast is accompanied by the woman's personal story or statement.

"Breaking the Mould seeks to educate and inform the community on how to challenge and criticize current popular ideas of the body beautiful. The group hopes to unite all bodies in hopes of changing the perception that some bodies are more valuable than others. Through the power of art and the spoken word, their hope is to mobilize social change."

Fringe Festival: Singing at the Edge of the World

Last week, the Ottawa Fringe Festival invited a bunch of us bloggers to a wine and cheese. As you know, I love free stuff, but what really got me there was (a) an opportunity to meet some of my favourite bloggers without them thinking I was stalking them [Even though bloggers tell you their favourite hangouts and where they are going, they may get freaked out if you show up at those places and introduce yourself]; and (b) guaranteed posting material.

In addition to excellent refreshments, they also gave each of us passes that were good for 2 shows. Plus there were bloggers there that I wanted to meet and we had a really fine time. [It turns out that Milan is as knowledgeable in person as he is on his blog. He's not just cutting and pasting. For example, we started talking about the solstice that occurred the day before. Someone asked, "does it happen at the same time all over the world, or does it go with the rotation, so if it's 5:00 in Halifax, it's 5:00 here and so on." I just said "no, same time all over" and before I could figure out how to explain why, Milan said, "If you think of the length of the day at any point on Earth as a sine curve, the solstices are the maxima and minima." Skylark said, "Oh, of course. Those would be the points on the curve where the first derivative is zero."]

Now that you know the kind of things we bloggers talk about when we're together, and you know of my possible conflict of interest, on with my review.

So far, I have seen two shows at the fringe. I didn't enjoy one of them much, so I won't tell you about it. However, I enjoyed Randy Rutherford's Singing at the Edge of the World. I think everybody who sees his show likes it. To find reviews from people much better than me at reviewing, you can just google.

In the next play, the one I didn't like, I tuned out a bit and reflected on the experience of seeing a play compared to going to a movie. Watching a good movie can be a wonderful experience, but watching a good play is somehow better. There may be glitches, we may not see the best take of twenty-five for every scene, but somehow it's more real and we are part of the performance. So how come there were probably more people at Ottawa's smallest cineplex on Friday night than there were at the entire Fringe Festival?

I think the problem is that people are reluctant to try something without a reason for thinking they will like it. It's pretty rare for a person to order tickets for whatever movie starts next. We pick movies because they have a star or director whose work we've liked before, because the trailer looked appealing, or we've heard a review. A review from a professional is good, but one from a friend is even better. (I went to Iron Man because Kathy and Roy said it was good. Well also because somebody I know thinks Robert Downey Jr. is hot.)

Fringe shows don't stick around town long enough for us to get recommendations from friends. There are no previews. The thumbs up guys on TV don't tell you which shows to go to.

You have to take chances.

And here's the thing... You might as well. How often do you hear a movie is great, the previews look compelling, its got stars you love, and then you really don't like the movie? More often than it should be, right?

So, take chances. I tried two plays at the fringe. One of them was the sort of story that could change your life. The other one, not so much, but it was only an hour and I still got something out of it.

And if you're in Toronto, Saskatoon or Victoria, you can still see Singing at the Edge of the World this summer.

Links

• Ottawa Fringe Festival: Sunday Schedule Best in Fest
• Festivals in Ottawa
• Xpress Theatre Listings
• Randy Rutherford - 4:32 worth of the show
• July 3-12 Toronto
• Aug 1-9 Saskatoon
• Aug 25 - Sept 2 Victoria

Note: My apologies to Milan for not only misquoting him, but having him say something ridiculous. His quote is now accurate.

You'd think I could quit my day job...

Between this past Friday and this coming Friday, I will appear in front of audiences five times.

Friday and Saturday, it was the Brass Festival. [Pictures on Flickr]

Tuesday and Wednesday, I'm supposed to talk up the Silent Auction at the Propeller Dance shows. You should go. Seriously. I guarantee you'll be glad you went. Guarantee. [Info Here] [Also stunning photos from our Launch by Steve Beaton on Flickr]

Friday, I'm accompanying Sally Robinson on one song in her performance at Rasputin's. You might think that Sally has so many of us join her because she wants to sell out Rasputin's. But the fact is, she would sell out anyway. She brings us in because she loves trying out different things with the songs she does. She has been writing songs like a maniac lately and they are really good. It's like she's channelling the Gershwins. I'd tell you that you should go to this show also, but you're probably to late to reserve a seat.

In other news, after a year of having a digital voice recorder, I now know how to download and edit recordings with it. This means I could become a podcaster!

Brass Festival

Karen Donnelly and Elizabeth Simpson of Capital Brassworks

The first night of the Brass Festival went really well. I especially enjoyed being in the audience to hear Capital Brassworks play. They are awesome. Even though they have a French horn instead of an alto horn.

If you are reading this on Saturday before 7:30pm, you can hear more fabulous brass tonight. Click the Google Calendar button for details.

More details on the Festival

Propeller Dance is coming to the NAC

Propeller Dance Performance and Silent Auction June 3 and 4, 7:00pm to 9:00pm NAC Fourth Stage [53 Elgin St Ottawa, ON]

Innovative and inspirational Dance Performance by members of the Propeller Dance Performing Group and Students in Propeller Dance training programs.

Students in the Monday night class will perform on Tuesday June 3rd. One of those students has never performed dance in front of an audience and is somewhat nervous about it. This means that he is not going to explicitly tell people that he will be performing.

Propeller Dance provides dance training and performance opportunities to people with and without disabilities.

Tickets $20 available at the NAC Box Office, through Ticketmaster and from Propeller Dance members (like David Scrimshaw.) Links:

• propellerdance.com
• propellerdance.blogspot.com

The Brass Festival is Coming: Get Your Tickets Now!

The Maple Leaf Brass Band is sponsoring two nights of exceptional music here in Ottawa. Friday, May 30: The Maple Leaf Brass Band and Capital Brassworks

• Two concerts in one, the Maple Leaf Brass Band followed by
• Capital Brassworks (warning: Capital Brassworks has French horns instead of alto horns).

Saturday, May 31: Soloists: Karen Donnelly, Nick Atkinson, and Nick Hudson; backed by the Maple Leaf Brass Band

• Karen Donnelly, Principal Trumpet NACO
• Nicholas Atkinson, Principal Tuba NACO
• Nick Hudson, Principal Trombone of the Williams Fairey Band Both Nights: 7:30pm to 10pm St Matthias Church 555 Parkdale Avenue, Ottawa, ON Tickets (1-night/2-night prices) (available from band members like me): ADULTS ($15 / $25) SENIORS ($10 / $15) STUDENTS ($10 / $15) FAMILY ($30 / $45) http://ottawabrassfest.ca/

Kaye's Christmas Movie

Young Kaye and her friends have completed an epic new Christmas movie: A Very JK Christmas.

This 21-minute epic follows two pairs of friends. Kaye and Jay-Tee wind up trapped in an ice cave after going to the woods for a Christmas tree. Meanwhile, at the store for decorations, the muzak makes Spence go into some sort of seizure that Jimmy can't bring him out of.

If you're like me, you'll want to skip past the cannibalism scene, but the rest is well worth watching. Especially the scientific analysis of rock, paper, scissors. I'm hoping they'll let Astronaut Love Triangle cover the song.

p.s. I'm serious about the cannibalism.

Giant Pumpkin Race

Lake Pesaquid pumpkin paddlers

Although I've never tried to grow a giant pumpkin, I'm always interested in the news about them. This year, a new world record was set by a 1689 pound (766kg) pumpkin in Massachusetts.

I've learned a number of things about giant pumpkins and the people who grow them this year:

1. Growing a champion pumpkin is not an accident. People who grow giant pumpkins for competition are as obsessed as anyone you can imagine. They spend hours a day on their plants. It is nothing like growing peace lillies.
2. I don't know what they call their pumpkins while they grow them, but afterwards they refer to them by their weight in pounds (e.g. "I didn't do anything different for the 1446").
3. In an effort to get more entertainment value out of the pumpkins after the weigh-off, many communities now have pumpkin regattas in which the pumpkins are hollowed out and turned into boats. Most are propelled with kayak paddles, but some regattas also have a motorized class.
4. The nearest giant pumpkin regatta appears to be in Pembroke and occurred two weeks ago.
5. Although at least one grower has attempted to cross an Atlantic Giant Pumpkin with a Pink Banana Squash to grow a "sleeker" pumpkin. I have found no indication that anyone is working on a Zucchini Kayak.

Links

• Want to start growing your own? Maybe you should join the Giant Vegetable Growers of Ontario
• Don't believe me that the growers are as obsessed as anyone? Read this: Alan Eaton and his 1446 lb World Record Pumpkin
• Want to buy seeds? Seeds: World Record - Special Selections 2007
• Information on the the Pembroke Race at Hugli's Farm
• A Channel Video: WeighOff the day before the Pembroke race
• Excellent Story and Video about the race in Windsor, Nova Scotia where the pumpkin regattas started: Wall Street Journal: Out of Their Gourds? Paddling Pumpkins On Lake Pesaquid
• Local coverage with video from the Windsor NS Regatta: Regatta 2007 a wild ride in Windsor!

Cozy Art from Karina Bergmans

I'm reluctant to suggest a trip to Nepean to the bulk of my readership, but if you find yourself near Ben Franklin Place in the next little while, you should go in and see Karina Bergmans' exhibit in the Atrium Gallery. I found it to be full of things that made me smile and want to live in a Dr. Seuss world.

Sitting in my living room this evening, I found myself looking at the couch and the chairs thinking... how could I make all this be like Karina Bergman's art?

Vernissage: Sun (Oct 7) from 2:00pm to 4:00pm.

Atrium Gallery 101 Centrepointe Drive, Ottawa Monday - Thursday 8:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. Friday 8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m Sunday 1-5 p.m The show runs until November 7th.

Kathy Cook's Stolen Angels out soon!

I am happy to report that Kathy Cook's new book Stolen Angels: The Kidnapped Girls of Uganda will soon be in bookstores. I have two selfish reasons to be happy about this. The first is that Kathy may now have more time for hanging out with her friends. (Although I suppose there is an equally likely chance that her newfound fame will give her even less time for us.) The second is that a long, long time ago, Kathy let me read the draft of a chapter. My hair stands up on end when I think about what it described.

After the girls were kidnapped from their boarding school by soldiers of the Lords Resistance Army, a nun and one of the school workers followed the trail into the bush in order to confront the soldiers and bring the girls back.

The soldiers of the LRA are not known for their compliance with the Geneva conventions. I cannot imagine what sort of nerve following them must have taken. I really want to know what else happened.

There will be a formal book launch at the Writer's Festival on Sunday, October 21 at 4pm. I've put details on Google Calendar.

Links:

• Writers Fest
• Penguin Books
• You can order from Singing Pebble
• Order from Indigo