OTTAWA, CANADA EXPEDITION!

I first heard about the Rideau Canal when I attended a tourism meeting in 2015, called BeinvenueQuebec (www.bienvenueqc.com).  On a more recent visit to Ottawa, Canada,  I was very thankful to "accidentally" come across the lower section of the Rideau Canal,  that leads into the Ottawa River, as I was coming off of Parliament Hill, and walking on the sidewalk of the Plaza Bridge.  The locks were right below me!

After scanning the landscape to see how to walk down beside it, I saw the sign near some  steps that led downwards, to a pedestrian area beside the canal.  After observing a person actually walk across the canal on top of one of the locks, my curious nature inspired me to do the same.  After a quick camera exchange with some other ladies venturing across, we snapped photos to prove we had been on the "cat walk" above the water.  Such a moment deserves to be remembered with arms uplifted to heaven, in gratitude!

We also took photos where we pretended to be working the hand crank, that operates the gates of the locks. 

The canal was an engineering "miracle" when it was completed over one hundred years ago, and as such, qualified to be named a World Heritage Site. 

The end of these canal locks empty into the Ottawa River

When one is at the bottom looking upward, you can see the famous Fairmont hotel, called Chateau Laurier on the left, and the Rideau Canal Museum, on the right.

The Chateau Laurier Hotel (shown below) is one of several built over a century ago, by railroad companies, with the goal of increasing use of their railway cars by tourists, taking the train to visit previously "hard to reach" scenic areas.  I have had the wonderful blessing of getting to visit several of these hotels across Canada.  My first was the Banff Springs Hotel, which my son and I visited when we attended the 1988 winter Olympics in the Calgary area.  A decade later, my husband and I enjoyed a Mother's Day Tea at Banff Springs Hotel.  The other historic, transportation-connected properties seen by me in person include: The Empress in Victoria, British Columbia; Chateau Lake Louise; Prince of Wales Hotel near Glacier National Park; Chateau Frontenac in Quebec City; Le Manor Richelier overlooking the St.

Lawrence River, and The Algonquin in New Brunswick,Canada.  I can imagine a future where transportation companies that want to encourage travel in outer space, will build magnificent, interstellar resorts to encourage space travel to "a galaxy far, far away" (as the famous Star Wars quote references)!!??  

For those interested in boat rides on waterways of Ottawa, several are available, as evidenced by the Captain's Wheel billboard beside the steps leading down to the water.   Imagine you were transported by a time machine, back one hundred years, and see this same billboard.  You know both the English and French languages, but the white squares with black scribbles in them would be very puzzling!  You can read the part of the sign that says "Scan", so you scan the entire sign with your eyes and full concentration, but still know very little about what the billboard is trying to communicate!

 

Fortunately, a walk beside the canal revealed the docking location of the two types of boats available, making it easier for a "time traveler" (or anyone else without a smart phone) to discern the ticket purchasing procedures/costs.

If a visitor is more inclined to include burning calories with their sightseeing, both kayaks and two-person foot-pedal boats are readily available for rental.  

 

Another way to navigate the Ottawa waters (as well as the city streets!) is the Amphibus (www.ladydive,com).   In 2015, at the BienvenueQuebec tourism conference, I visited at length with the lady involved in developing the Amphibus tours in Ottawa.  There were many "hoops to jump through" for approval, but any tourist in Ottawa will probably see their bright red vehicles around the city.

Earlier in the day, our group had started their Ottawa tour in a most appropriate way---inside a beautiful house of worship, called Notre-Dame Cathedral/Ottawa (www.notredameottawa.com).  It has a convenient location across from the National Gallery.  While there, it was a time to pray and reflect and give thanks, for the safe travel and magnificent weather, our group had experienced in Canada. 

From the Cathedral,  we continued a short distance to the beautiful grounds of Rideau Hall, where this familiar-looking "rock sculpture" was located. 

The photo above does not indicate its size, so photo below shows an actual human being, standing beside the structure. 

I had become familiar with design, because it was also the logo for the 2010 Olympics I attended in Vancouver, Canada.  The placard below describes in several ("languages"), that the Inuckshuk, represent the "Silent messengers of the Arctic."

A red maple leaf is the prominent feature of the Canadian national flag, so it is not surprising that the gardens of Rideau Hall had numerous maple trees (some even planted by U.S. government officials).  One of the maple leaves even "posed" for its photograph!

From our motorcoach I snapped this photo of the War Memorial Museum (www.warmuseum.ca) in Ottawa.  The windows on the side of the building represent the dots and dashes of the Morse Code, with a phrase to say, "Lest we forget".

Originally, Ottawa was named after Colonel John By, and the Byward Cafe is a reference to his name.

 

 

I happened to be in Ottawa on Orange Shirt Day (www.orangeshirtday.org), also called "National Day for Truth and Reconciliation", which is a national holiday in Canada.                                                               

In 2024, there was a special emphasis on remembering the children of First Nations people who had been sent away to boarding schools, but never returned home.

I was able to meet one of the First Nations government representatives, and have my photo made with her.

The event where I met her had several gourmet foods available, all with the goal of being a nod or tribute to the indigenous foods of the First Nations peoples.  

The squash cake was delicious.  The card beside it tells about its history.

The building below is on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.  I read its design is called "civic gothic architecture".

The sacred fire is a custom among indigenous people of Canada.

Often when I am out doing photography, I am looking for images that will help me remember one of the memory verses for a healthy living program I participate in called First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com).  In Ottawa, I saw a bronze war memorial sculpture that included both old and new army weapons, and at the time I saw it, was framed by a metal fence, with a spear-point design.  That is the photo I am using for my memory verse from I Samuel 17:45, that says, David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied." 

War memorials can be seen, not just in the city of Ottawa, but in locations across the globe, and usually express a hope, for peace in the time going forward.  The source of true, inner peace can be found on the pages of the Holy Bible.  Knowing how "HIS"story ends gives me a "MILES OF SMILES"!!  Tricia

FLORIDA THANKSGIVING EXPEDITION!

 The folks in this photo have their luggage packed to the ceiling, and are headed out on a road trip, from Arkansas to Florida, (like thousands of others in the USA!), to gather with loved ones, for the purpose of celebrating the national American holiday of Thanksgiving.  For purposes of this blog, I will use initials to identify us, to save excessive typing.  Front row left is JMTR, and beside her is JPR.  Back left is me, PST, and to my right is JTR.

 After many hours of comparison shopping on the Internet, JMTR booked this large and expansive rental, in Sea Grove Beach, Florida.

The blue dot on this map shows the rentals' convenient access to the beach, and the greater Sea Grove community area.

The Florida highway known as "30A" is such a well-known transportation corridor in this area, there was even a version of the Monopoly game, appropriately called "30Aopoly", that was available in our rental.  In addition there were numerous other table games available for group activities.  For those who might be navigation-challenged in an unfamiliar location, the sign above the door, instructs visitors to walk to the right, to get to the beach. 

These very photogenic individual desserts were "imported" from the Jacksonville, Florida, area and brought to our location by the family that lives on the opposite coast of where we were.

JMTR also "imported" festive Thanksgiving decorations and candles from Arkansas, to give the table setting a fancy appearance,( even though all of it was single use items, and hence, no need to wash dishes afterward)!

Sometimes big corporations employ an event planner, to arrange a team building activity for groups.  I experienced one of these culinary team building events, at Frederik Meijer Gardens in Michigan, where our group of 20 was divided into teams of five each, to be in charge of a particular aspect of the Italian-themed meal.  The group I was in, was given the task of preparing (from scratch!), stuffed ravioli!  Since I had never made pasta from its flour and water beginnings,  let alone stuff little squares of pasta with filling, it was a steep learning curve for me!  However, in Florida, our event planner was JMTR for the 2024 Thanksgiving feast, and she had carefully thought out the "division of labor", so that each person would have a chore suitable for their skill level.    She got the meal started on Thanksgiving morning, a short time after her husband, JPR, had arisen very early, to get the huge turkey in the oven.  In this photo, KD and ED are just observing, but that was a very temporary thing, as they were quickly given team tasks!

This photo shows that ED was given a job, beside her daughter-in-law, KMRD, as vital members of the culinary team!  Hostess JMTR and host JPR gave me big smiles for this photograph, after a little prompting.  One thing that made me feel right at home in this kitchen, was the fact that the refrigerator was covered with decals advertising 30A attractions.  It reminded me of my refrigerator back in Arkansas, full of souvenir magnets from places I have visited!

Rounding out the culinary team, was KD and LD, who were given the task of carving the turkey.

I think it was grandson JTR, who  got an iphone set up on a tripod, so that we could have a photo memory of everyone seated together at the Thanksgiving meal.  Before we started, JPR had led us in a prayer of Thanksgiving, for the opportunity to be together on this day, giving thanks and praise to God, for the many blessings of the past year.  I am using this image as the visual aid for one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses that says, "Come, let us sing to the Lord.  Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.  Let us come to him with THANKSGIVING .  Let us sing psalms of praise to him."  Psalm 95:1-2

Since we had enjoyed our feast around noon, (and there was no dinnerware to wash!), there was still time for us to enjoy a walk on the beach together.  KMRD made the collage below, for her Instagram post on that day.   Upper left is KMRD and JMTR; upper right it ED and KMRD; lower left is KD daughter, and KD dad, ED, LD, and KMRD; lower right is KMRD, PST, and JMTR

I think the mother/daughter photo below, shows that gorgeous females, is a dominant gene in this family!

After the sun went down on Thanksgiving Day, we traveled to nearby Pier Park, in Panama City Beach, to see the movie, Wicked.  Over a decade earlier, JMTR, KMRD, and I had traveled to Little Rock, Arkansas, to see together, the Broadway production of Wicked.  So it was gratifying to be with them again, to see the movie version!

The guys in our group were not so much interested in the movie the gals were seeing, so they went to see the new release of the movie, Gladiator.  The theater was giving out free "thumb mittens" for the movie, so I got LD and KD to pose for a photo with their thumbs, before the movie.

Just as I am straddling this small tributary stream into the Gulf of Mexico, I am thankful all the loved ones pictured in this blog, "straddled" the miles between Florida's Atlantic Coast and Northwest Arkansas, to celebrate the goodness of God, on Thanksgiving, 2024!  This expedition gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!  Tricia

MONTREAL EXPEDITION!

Montreal means "royal mountain", and refers to the mountain overlooking downtown Montreal, Canada, that is called Mount Royal, and has an elevation of about 800 feet.  Mount Royal, and the cross on top of it, serve as my visual aid for one of my First Place 4 Health (www.FirstPlace4Health.com) memory verses from Psalm 24:3-4 that says,

"Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in His holy place?  The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god."

There is a 103 foot tall cross on top of Mount Royal, that serves as a landmark for the city, and intended to testify to answered prayers, from a time when floods from the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers, were having devastating effects on the Montreal area.  The military officer, Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve, is credited with the first cross erected on top of Mount Royal in 1643.  He was the founder of Ville-Marie, a religious mission that means "City of Mary", in what is now Montreal, Canada (www.MTL.org)

Our group got to ascend this "royal mountain" and enjoy a view of the city from a scenic overlook, as well as a stroll through the park there, that Frederick Law Olmsted had a part in designing (the same landscape architect associated with Central Park in New York City).  The park is called Mount Royal Park, and was started in 1876.  The photo below shows Beaver Lake, which is a small artificial lake.  It also has numerous hiking and biking trails and cross-country skiing trails. 

St. Joseph's Oratory (www.saint-joseph.org) sits on the slopes of Mount Royal, and is a National Historic Site of Canada, and is Canada's largest church.  It has one of the largest church domes in the world, and you can see a photo I took of it on the blog I published, called "Canada Motor-Coach Expedition!", on October 24, 2024. 

 

Our guide told us that "oratory" basically means "prayer", which is what people do there, including me! It was the miracle-working prayers of Father Andre, in the early 1900's, that began to draw attention to this place of prayer and worship.  Religious pilgrims from all over the world come to this sight, and many of them climb up the wooden steps shown in the center of the stairwell, on their knees, as a sign of devotion.

Many people who went to Brother Andre, to ask  him to pray for their healing, were indeed healed of a variety of maladies.  There is a display of crutches and canes (ex-votos) left behind by those who had been healed, during the lifetime of Brother Andre's ministry, in the lower level of St. Joseph's Oratory.  Brother Andre died in 1937, and after his canonization, became known as Saint Andre of Montreal.  {Sometimes, lighting a votive candle can be used to signify fulfillment of a vow (Latin, votum)}

Brother Andre had a pious devotion to Saint Joseph, the husband of Jesus' mother Mary, and as such,  Joseph could be called the stepfather of Jesus.  There is a venerated statue of St. Joseph, in the Votive Chapel of St. Joseph Oratory.  The white letters of the glass votives, remind visitors that Saint Joseph is the patron saint of Canada. 

Our group used Dorchester Square as the  drop off/meetup location  for exploring downtown Montreal.  It is a lovely place to stroll around, reading the plaques below the numerous statues, to learn a few aspects of Canadian history.  There are also places to sit under a sun umbrella, ride a bicycle, or languish on a park bench. 

From Dorchester Square, our group walked towards one of the many entrances to The Montreal Underground City.  As we walked, we passed dozens of workers, who were busily engaged in putting down new bricks into the street.  I was fascinated with the precise measurements I saw a worker taking, as he had to cut bricks to fit around a circular manhole cover in the street!  It seemed everywhere we went in Canada, there was renovation, construction, and repairs taking place.  Our guide told us that the harsh winters in Montreal wreck havoc on their infrastructure, so there is a massive push during the warmer weather months, to get as much work as possible completed, before the snow season hits. 

Those harsh winters are one reason there has been so much development in what is known as "Montreal Underground City".  Our guide warned us that it is very easy to get lost in the sprawling complex of shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues.  Later, I noticed that sentiment expressed even in one of their advertisements that called the underground city mysterious and CONFUSING!  I was looking forward to working toward my 10,000 steps per day in such a haven for window-shopping!   However, I was very careful to not stray too far from where I entered the underground, so that I would not miss the designated meet-up time our guide had given us.  The photo below shows just a tiny part of the expansive space. The pink figure at the bottom, is a part of a unique art walk featuring fifteen temporary pink sculptures, collectively known as Monsieur Rose ("Mr. Pink") and are the emblems of Mignonisme, by Philippe Katerine.  Mignonisme (from "mignon" or "cute" in French) is a philosophy or way of seeing, that promotes bringing out the beauty in the ordinary.   (I also saw several Mr. Pink installations when I was walking around Quebec City.)

Fortunately, everyone in our group was able to exit the underground city, and meet our guide, as planned in Place d'Armes square, in front of Notre Dame Basilica (www.basiliquenotredame.ca).  One of the Basicilica towers was surrounded in scaffolding, undergoing repairs.  Notre Dame is a French phrase that means "Our Lady", which is a title for Mary, the mother of Jesus.  There are several places that bear the name "Notre Dame" besides the one in this photo--most notably, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, and Notre Dame University in Indiana. 

The interior of the church has been described as one of the most dramatic in the world, and regarded as a masterpiece of Gothic Revival architecture  It is filled with hundreds of intricate wooden carvings. 

The meticulous carving of the wooden circular stairway leading to the pulpit, also has sculptures at its base, as well as above it.  When the church was completed in the late 1800's, it was the largest church in North America.  The church is a Canadian National Historic Site, and was the setting of Celine Dion's wedding in 1994.  Just 22 years later, it was the site for her husband's funeral service. 

Another area where our group had free time for lunch and wandering was Place Jacques-Cartier.  I had a magnificent time strolling the streets, and snapping countless photos.  It seemed no matter which way I pointed my camera (aka, iphone), there was a picturesque scene to capture!  The fact that the weather was what we would call a "Chamber of Commerce Day", in the USA, multiplied my enjoyment!

I came across some of my travel buddies as I was exploring, and we exchanged cameras to get photos of our visit to this unforgettable location. 

Our wonderful Montreal guide (www.NORMANBOIVIN.COM) had told us there was every kind of restaurant imaginable within this district, and he specifically mentioned a creperie.  Since crepes are so famous in French cuisine, I was delighted to get to see their chefs in action, making the delicious-looking delicacies.

I thoroughly enjoyed the art gallery that featured sculptures from First Nations artists.  I had become familiar with the Inukshuk, because it was used on the flag for the Canadian Territory Nunavut (a place my son taught me about, when he went on a rock climbing expedition on Baffin Island).   Also, when I went to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Canada, an inukshuk was the mascot emblem used.  (An inukshuk is a figure made of piled stones or boulders, constructed to communicate with humans throughout the Arctic.  My apologies to experts on the topic of inukshuks, because I learned when I was researching this topic, there are variations on their design, nomenclature, and spelling,  that are important to the Inuit people, but thoroughly confusing to a hillbilly like me!).  The lovely lady at this gallery was very patient with all my questions, and even let me take her photo with one of the inukshuk art pieces she had on display! 

In 1976, the Summer Olympic Games were held in Montreal, and the construction of the 541 ft. inclined tower aspect of the stadium, (shown in the photo below) forever changed the cityscape skyline of Montreal.  It is the world's tallest inclined tower, and was not completed until ten years after the 1976 Olympic games.  The original design concept was for the round stadium to have a retractable roof, which was to be opened and closed by cables suspended from the huge tower.  Sadly, the design was better in theory, than in actual practice.  It continues to be toublesome to maintain, but even more troublesome to demolish---hence, being called "The Big Owe" by insiders.  For more information on tours, visit their website at www.parcolympique.qc.ca

Our group had supper at a restaurant that was located between the Olympic Stadium, and the (former) Olympic Village that housed the athletes, shown in photo below.   (Seeing the Montreal Olympic Village, reminded me of the opportunity I had in 1988, when a professional dietetics associate arranged for the two of us, to tour the food service facilities of the Olympic Village in Calgary, Canada.  It was a fascinating experience, with the highlight getting to see Prince Albert II of Monaco, who was there for Olympic bobsleigh event.)  These buildings below in Montreal that once housed athletes, are now apartments and office spaces.

Yet another feature of the Montreal skyline is the Biosphere (www.espacepourlavie.ca), shown in photo below.  Originally, this was the United States pavilion constructed for Expo 67.  The sphere's geodesic dome was designed by Buckminster Fuller.  The dome was the inspiration for the design of Spaceship Earth at EPCOT Center in Walt Disney World, in Florida.  While the one in Montreal is a three-quarters sphere, the one in Florida was expanded to create a full sphere appearing to be balanced on legs. 

If you have any nautical knowledge, you probably recognize that this sign at the Port of Montreal uses the "nautical flag alphabet" to spell out "Grand Quai" (quai is the French word for "dock").  This is the location where our group connected with the vessel that would take us on a cruise up and down the Saint Lawrence River. 

The announcer that told the group what we were seeing (in both English and French), told us this structure, which looked like dozens of brown boxes stacked on top of one another, was built for the World Exposition of 1967.  It is called Habitat 67, and was designed by Israeli architect Moshe Safdie.  This is the same architect that designed Crystal Bridges Museum (www.crystalbridges.org) in Bentonville, Arkansas.  Folks can tour the facility, and if I ever go back to Montreal, it is on my "must see" list!  More information is available at www.habitat67.com

The photo below shows me with uplifted arms, in gratitude to God, for the wonderful experiences I had  on this St. Lawrence River cruise, and for the glorious weather!  In the past I have been on trips where a boat ride was planned, but had to be cancelled due to inclement weather.  So the beautiful blue skies on this day, and my entire time in Montreal, gave me "MILES OF SMILES"!!  Tricia

: