Frentures- Day 2!

AKA Holy Sea of Humanity!!!!!!!


The day started off with a lovely cup of coffee in the vinyard, where the sun shone bright and the company was excellent!

Francois and Flicka, coffee and sunshine! Note that at 10am, it is 25 degrees in the shade!

Alexa then drove us over the river from Gatineau into Ottawa, and dropped us off at parliament hill. We got there in time to line up and see the governor general's little cavalcade parade.  It was full of horses and black official cars.

Anyone remember what his name is?

It was lunch time, so we went in search of food. There were about 50 (seriously!) food trucks all over the place, and the only thing available was POUTINE! Not that we have anything against poutine, but really? With all the options available out there, why have 50 places selling the same thing??  Maybe that is all that Ottawans will eat... Anyways, we did luck out and found a food booth manned by the chicken producers of Canada and got fine chicken burgers and chicken caesar salad.

See the plugged ears? That is because the snowbirds are coming!!!!

Now it is time to find some real crowds, so off to the main stage we went!  Simple Plan, Roch Voisin, Danny Parenteau were all there to entertain us.  Of course, we had to stop for a little Canada Day decoration.

So then we wandered a bit, watched some buskers and entertainment, Avery obsessed about ice cream a lot... and marvelled at the crowds and the heat.

So that was enough walking for awhile. We found a boat tour down the Rideau Canal, and eagerly bought tickets. The leisurely trip was lovely, and the tour guide had all kinds of interesting tidbits about the canal and city to share.

Mark even snuck in a little nap!

even with all the traffic on the canal, it was still a tranquil interlude in our day

Off the boat, it was time to prepare for the evening's concert. First stop- supper.  Poutine.  Bet you didn't see that coming! Then we staked out our place with plenty of time to just sit and relax. Avery finished her book, and I had a little nap.  The evening concert saw all the same performers from earlier, with the addition of Jully Black, Marie-Mai, and maybe someone else. 

The sun was starting to set, leaving all but the flag in shadow.

And then... off to see the fireworks. Along with the entire population of Canada. Holy crowds. Lots of intoxicated, cursing young men. Avery gave the report on the way home that she counted 32 men without shirts that day. Lineups for the port-a-potty were about a half hour. Once you got in, there was no paper left. And you didn't even care, because you made into the port-a-potty!!!

And that was the Canada-est Canada Day ever! Well played Ottawa. Well played.

Frentures- Day 1!

Frentures? What on earth is that???  Simply french adventures! We have embarked on a three week journey to and around Quebec. Our journey began with a flight to Ottawa...

Avery couldn't get herself to look at the camera- she was too busy watching the baggage carousel for our suitcases!

My cousin dropped us off at the airport, we really had no lines at all anywhere, and boarded our plane without a hitch. The flight was smooth, although the landing was a little bumpy.  Avery had a green stomach after lurching through the cloud cover on our descent.

We rented a car for our first few days here, and while we were walking to the kiosk, we got the big idea to see if they might have a convertible that we could have instead of the boring sedan we booked.  Of course they didn't, but the fellow offered a sports car for the same price.  Mark was pretty happy with that, although I was a little confused at the maker.  Who knew Volvo made sports cars??  It is pretty cute though, with only 4000 km on it! After all, we are on holiday and why not have a little treat?

Not exactly a car girl, but as good as it will get in this family!

Avery is eager to ride shotgun.  We will make sure she gets the chance.

Happy man driving a sports car:0)

We are staying with family friends in Gatineau QC, and they gave us a route from the airport to their place that went past the cool Ottawa buildings.  I am a little embarrassed to say that I was shocked (shocked!) at how BIG the parliament buildings are.  I've only ever seen them on money or pictures and they look really tiny there.  Considering that they were built when Ottawa was still a swampy outpost it makes the scale and detail even more amazing. Of course, we took some drive by photos...

We'll be spending the day here on Canada Day, celebrating 145 years of Canada!

After supper (which finished with a 'bienvenue Avery' cake), we took little Flicka out for a walk. I think we saw a marmot. We did see a beautiful sunset. 

Hey look! Arret!

Scrap update

Catching up...

This layout was published in Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine, in the summer 2012 issue. I have no idea why, but using kraft paper is a challenge for me.  I twisted and turned and struggled, and in the end wound up with this layout. I love it!    

Attention!!!!! ALL scrappers who like to win things...

... this post is for you!  DCWV has teamed up with Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine with the intent of awarding 3 prize packages.  Here is what the DCWV blog has to say...

Canadian Scrapbooker Website

In 2005, two enthusiastic ladies in Canada (Jackie Ludlage and Katharina

Doyle) created Canadian Scrapbooker magazine. Their quarterly "book" is chock-a-block with inspirational projects, stories, and technique-rich step by steps. Plus, it is gorgeous! Their loyal fan-base looks forward to each issue with avid anticipation. It is a magazine that readers have come to collect and cherish for years. 

Throughout the past 8 years, Jackie and Katharina have created the perfect balance between being a mom and loving the work they do, working from their home-based offices. They are sisters in the truest sense, with family and friends-old and new-cheering them on. These two ladies had a dream, and together with a strong team, they made it happen, while creating an exciting new world for themselves along the way!

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So now that you have know a little more about their great company, we would love for you to enter our giveaway! Head over to their Canadian Scrapbooker Facebook Page and "like" them! Come back here and leave me (not Jayme me, but DCWV me. This is a copy from the DCWV blog) a comment saying you did so and you will be entered in a giveaway! Monday we will pick THREE winners who will each get 3 of the newest stacks coming to Michaels next month! Be sure to leave your comment on this blog post to be entered!!

This is the last day to enter!!!!!!! The draw is tomorrow!!

And while you are there, take a look at today's post! An exciting invitation for their new design team!