Willey Year in Review Part 3

The Willey Year in Review (1998 Part 3)

[January to March] [April to June] [October to December]

July

It is well known (?) that people in the Ottawa area talk about the weather. Small talk normally consists of "looks like rain" and the classic "it's not the heat, it's the humidity". Well, being from Ottawa I can't disappoint. The weather this summer appears to be wetter than normal. There have been numerous severe thunderstorm watches and warnings, accompanied by massive downpours. One such localised storm caused flooding a few kilometres north of my house. But on the plus side, we have had more than our share of hot days.

The month has been relatively quiet, activity-wise. I went to Parliament Hill on Canada Day for the evening show and fireworks. As usual, the Hill was packed with good natured revellers. The show was good but not spectacular. The fireworks are no longer launched from behind the Parliament buildings. For the last number of years they have been set off at Major's Hill Park, which is a little lower than the height of Parliament Hill. As a result, if you go to see the show, you don't get a good view of the fireworks since they are partially hidden by the buildings. The best view on the Hill is on the East side looking between the East Block and the Centre Block.

On the 19th, Danielle and I spent the afternoon exploring the Rideau lakes area of Ontario. We first stopped at Smiths Falls where we walked in Confederation Park and watched the boats using the locks. After lunch (mine was "frozen fish" which is another story) we took the opportunity to visit the Hershey's Chocolate factory. Trying to keep the chocolate we bought from melting, we drove to Portland and took a break at the docks. We passed through Westport on the way back to Ottawa. Unfortunately, the many boutiques in Westport had just closed by the time we arrived. In one sense that was good since we didn't spend a lot of money. It was a wonderful day exploring a beautiful region close to home.

Christopher spent a couple of weeks at the RA Sports Camp. Each week participants try two sports chosen from a fairly extensive list, so over two weeks they have tried four sports (not bad math for an accountant). Christopher then spent two weeks on vacation with his mom.

The Ottawa Buskers Festival took place the last week of July on the Sparks Street Mall. There were street performers from across the country taking part. At lunch time there were crowds of onlookers taking in the excellent performances.

August

On the first we started celebrating Danielle's parents 40th wedding anniversary with a visit to the Casino de Hull Fireworks Competition. Camped out on the shore of Lac Lemay we enjoyed the almost 30 minute show.

The next day we continued the celebration with a surprise brunch for her parents. They were surprised to see all their relatives who had driven from all over Québec to be there on that special day. We were also celebrating Danielle's birthday which is the same as her parent's anniversary.

Christopher and I spent the next two weeks travelling to (and from) the Maritime provinces. Check out the details of our 6,000 km trip on The Willey Travel Guide.

Christopher spent a week at the University of Ottawa Science Camp before resting up for the return to school.

September

There is a definite feeling that Autumn is at hand. The nights are getting cooler and backyard pools have been closed to all but the most hardy.

On the Friday of the Labour Day weekend Danielle and I went to the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival to see Luce Dufault, a well known French-Canadian (Québecoise) singer. It was a great show held outdoors on a cloudless night and under a full moon. Two days later on Sunday, Danielle, Christopher, David and Guillaume took the Wakefield steam train to ...Wakefield. There were some nice views of the Gatineau River and the walk around Wakefield was very nice. The entertainment on the train was excellent with two groups of musicians working the train and getting passengers to participate in sing-a-longs...in English and in French.

On the 12th, in a well-played final game, Christopher's soccer team, the Gators (photo), won the Cumberland United-Unis Under 13 championship.

The agenda for the following weekend was quite full. On the Saturday morning I played my usual soccer game. Unfortunately, our goalkeeper was unable to make the game so I volunteered. Early in the second half I was bowled over (with what I believe was a deliberate shoulder to the chest) by one of the opposing players. I had the wind knocked out of me and my side hurt but I played the rest of the game. We won 2-1 with the guy who hit me scoring their only goal late in the game.

Later that afternoon, Danielle and I went to Almonte to celebrate the wedding of Martin and Kim. Held in beautiful sunshine at the Mill of Kintail, the open air chapel made a stunning backdrop for the ceremony. The party continued until late in the evening and, despite continued soreness from the hit in the morning, we danced the night away.

At 10 am the next morning, Christopher and I donned our in-line skates and participated in the annual Terry Fox Run. The Run is in memory of the one-legged runner who attempted to run across Canada in a Marathon of Hope to raise funds for cancer. Terry Fox died about half way through his run when the cancer that took his leg came back. We enjoyed the scenery by the Ottawa River but we were both tired when we crossed the finish line. It appears that the organizers lengthened the route this year making it closer to 11 km than the normal 10 km.

The following week saw the start of the volleyball and curling seasons. Danielle and I have decided to try curling this year. I have always played in our Office bonspiels but have never joined a club, until now.

After my soccer game that weekend I began to realize that my ribs still hurt. It turns out that my ribs had likely been cracked or broken by that vicious hit a week earlier. I had to take a few weeks forced vacation from sports.

Continued on next page.