What a trip!

It all started with John's decision to renovate the (only) full bathroom and his hint (well, it was actually an outright request) that it would be easier to do if I were out of the way.  Without too much persuasion, I booked a trip to Ottawa to visit a long-time friend, Allie, and the National Gallery.

Of course, Opal the studio cat was determined to join me.

I managed to get away without her and started a journey by car, plane & bus.  One of my biggest kicks was seeing Deryn Collier`s book, Confined Space, in nearly every bookshop and kiosk I entered.  Deryn is a recently-transplanted-to-Nelson, BC writer whose book is centered in a well-known Creston brewery - it`s a dynamite read!

It was sheer pleasure to reconnect with Allie, and we spent an inordinate amount of time catching up on our lives after three or four years.  We walked, talked, played (more about that in a future post) wined and dined our way through a week that went very quickly.

My first full day in Ottawa saw us attending an outdoor art-in-the-park event in downtown Ottawa, a very colourful 30+ day!

We spent some time afterwards in the Byward Market in the heart of the downtown area, where I took this shot for John.  His heritage tomatoes are at least as vibrant and plentiful as these.

As always, I`m delighted by the renovated mostly-brick buildings in Ottawa.

This sculpture in front of the National Gallery is a special pet of children and adults as they start their gallery tours.  Our particular mission was the Vincent van Gogh exhibition which was on until September 3.  Unfortunately, photo-taking is not permitted in the gallery.  Had it been there is no doubt that there would be some of me drooling on the paintings - they were truly amazing.  It was an incredible experience to see forty-five of his works in one place, from still life to portraits to landscapes, and view the intricate brushwork and palette knife slashes first hand.

The cathedral across the street from the gallery was beautiful, outside....

and in, especially with the wonderful stained glass.

I`ll be dreaming about those seven days for a long while - rich, colourful, vivid and heartful.  Thanks, Allie, for being such an amazing hostess and showcasing your Ottawa..