a peek inside the fishbowl

In 2022, Mark and I took the train to Quebec City for a wee getaway. It was August. It was my birthday weekend and we stayed in deluxe accommodations. It was glorious. Food! Art! History! Wandering! And ohhh, the stairs. So many stairs! Why is old Quebec City so hilly??? [Answer: because it is built upon Cap Diamond (Cap-Diamant), a dramatic natural promontory and sheer cliff face overlooking a narrow point of the St. Lawrence River.]

I am sure we burned as many calories as we ate.

At one point during this trip we found ourselves at a cafe in a pedestrian square in old Quebec called the Café La Maison Smith Notre-Dame. We sat and enjoyed a slow recaffination with a pretty view.

Maybe I just really needed the boost but the coffee was delicious and I felt my batteries charging up as we sat there.

And perhaps this was a strange thought to have while enjoying a special moment, but as much as I was enjoying this excellent coffee, I found myself thinking about the fact that I also have excellent coffee at home.

Logically, there were a few reasons why THIS coffee seemed better than usual: I was (a) with Mark (b) on a nice holiday (c) feeling happy (d) enjoying the view (e) relieved to be resting my weary legs (f) grateful for the privilege of being able to travel.

Clearly, there was a lot zooming around in my brain contributing to My General State of Being, not just the coffee, although coffee seemed to be the centre of my universe at the moment.

In hindsight I realize that what had happened was that I created a new mindset for myself. This vacation mindset can absolutely be transferred into non-holiday moments. In fact, you can do it anywhere, anytime. And I do, and now it’s become my mantra: Vacay Every Day.

Tiny vacation-type feelings aren’t hard to find in everyday moments. All you need to do is fully focus on whatever pleasant thing that is happening. Really engage your senses. Is a pretty view? Sink into it. Is it a flavour? Really savour it.

ie.“This coffee, it’s vacation-level good.”

And don’t just think it, say it out loud. I think it makes it more effective somehow. Perhaps there’s a different part of the brain that processes and files away what it hears, making sure it takes root instead of floating away.

At its core, this practice is really about recognizing good things and expressing gratitude. It just brings pleasant holiday vibes into ordinary, everyday life in a slightly different way.

Sidebar: The brain is a powerful thing. We are more likely to dwell on bad and sad things than good things, but we can control our thoughts. When we veer off trail, we can course correct. This is not to say that we should live in a state of blind happiness and ignore everything else, no. Bad things still need to be processed and figured out, but we don’t need to needlessly ruminate on things, over and over.

I guess it all comes down to this… the more we are able to find joy in small things, the happier we will be. It’s something I’ve been working on this summer… making memories, and making them stick. Vacay every day, whether I’m actually on vacation, or not.

The August long weekend is famous for cottage getaways. If you’re lucky you may have a cottage escape of your own, or you know a generous soul who will share an invitation to one with you. But what if neither are an option but you just want a pretty outdoor space to sit back and chill on the cheap? AND, what if you want to bring your dog along for the ride? Well for the low, low, price of $18, you can laze around in your favourite camping chair by a pretty lake, and fill yourself to the gills with the sights, sounds, and smells of the forest. And it’s just over an hour outside of Ottawa.

$18 is the cost of a day use pass to Sharbot Lake Provincial Park and it’s worth every penny.

Here is a verrrrry short walkthrough video if you’d like the two cent tour (apologies for my breathlessness, omg).

I have been itching to take our dog Sunny to the beach but never really figured out where to go. There don’t seem to be many nice dog beaches around Ottawa. Maybe I haven’t looked hard enough, but I was keen on a cottage-like experience so Mark and I could recharge our batteries and give Sunny an outlet for her “big dog in a small body” energy. 

Where is the dog beach at Sharbot Lake Provincial Park?

Great question, there is only one designated dog beach at Sharbot Lake PP and it you look at a map of Sharbot Lake PP (and squint, or use a magnifying glass because the icons are so small) you’ll eventually discover the dog beach is at the very southern end of the campground on Sharbot Lake (not Black Lake) close to the boat launch.

The dog beach has its own parking lot, and set of outhouses (which were very clean, AND stocked with hand sanitizer, TYVM), and three full-sized picnic tables.

Here’s the view as you approach the dog beach from the parking lot:

The dog beach is fairly small and enclosed. See how it’s surrounded by forest on each side? A HIDDEN GEM.

The water is shallow to a point, sandy in some areas and rocky in others. (See the aforementioned video tour for a view.) It is weedy a few metres out where it got deep.

Here’s a view looking one way, and the other. (You can click any of these photos for bigger versions by the way.)

We brought a cooler with cold drinks, snacks, and a picnic lunch, and some folding chairs so we were able to sit with our feet in the water and empty our busy brains by staring out at the lake.

This was our setup:

We saw a water snake. No mosquitoes, only the odd horse fly.

The folks we encountered were all very nice, with well-behaved dogs. All were leashed but one, but we had no problems.

It was quiet at the dog beach. Boat traffic was surprisingly minimal for a Friday before a long weekend. Unless it’s someone’s destination, there is nearly zero car and foot traffic here. Even though other folks came and went, I felt like we had our own little spot.

I took the paddleboard out for a spin and spotted a fisher or a marten of some kind on the shore. It was blissful, to say the least, being out there on the water.

We did a lot of wading and poking around. Collecting rocks. Digging our toes into the sand. Watching the fish. Listening to the birds. Exactly the kind of stuff one does when one has nowhere to be.

Sunny, of course, had the time of her life. The Sharbot Lake PP dog beach is truly a gift for all canines… and of course their human family members.

Bonus tips if you’re visiting the Sharbot Lake Provincial Park Dog Beach

• Bring a towel for yourself as well as your dog.
• Waterproof shoes may be a good idea if you have tender tootsies.
• Bring poop bags. And always pick up after your dog! There’s a garbage bin near the dog beach (but far enough away that any wafts won’t reach the beachgoers if you know what I mean).
• If your dog is the retrieving type, a brightly-coloured floating toy is fun to play with and easy to spot in the water.
• Dog people are divided about retractable leads, but I think they’d actually be a good idea here. (It’s worth noting that domestic pets must be on a leash at all times in provincial parks. The fine is $95. Here’s the rule: “For the protection of wildlife and other park visitors, your pet must be under control and on a leash not exceeding 2 metres at all times. You must ensure your pet does not damage or interfere with vegetation or wildlife. You must also ensure your pet does not interfere with others’ enjoyment of the park. Pets are not permitted in the swimming area, on the beach or in a posted prohibited area at any time.”)

Our lovely road visit to Sharbot Lake had a bit of a ridiculous ending. I used the car to inflate our paddleboard. (I plug the electric pump into an outlet in the back.) I was so excited to get on the water that I forgot to turn the car off, hence draining the battery. Eek. We didn’t figure this out until we were packing up the car to go on a hike at the campground. We called the warden for a boost, and he tried his best but was unable to start the car. A kind stranger (and owner of an adorable rescue from Northern Canada!) had the right kind of battery pack and got us on the road. We were too scared to go on a hike because we would have  had to turn off the car so we went straight home. lol. Oh well. I learned a lesson, and besides, it gives us a reason to go back, right?

So I’ve had a bit of extra time on my hands.

I have two freelance writing contracts with two fantastic clients. When I put them together they amount to part time work with odd windows of time here and there. (Am I looking for a full-time gig? That’s a really great question! I don’t have a clear answer just yet. Sigh. Prepare yourself for an upcoming post titled “Reinventing myself.”)

SO. With this change of seasons and the longer, brighter days that come with it, I’ve been taking care of some things here at home that have been steadily bringing me down over the past weeks/month/years, such as closet clean-outs, vacuuming of bedroom baseboards, trips to donate goods to charity etc. I’ve also gotten rid of a few houseplants that were no longer bringing me joy. Look at me Marie Kondoing the sh!t out of things!

One of the tasks we’ve been putting off for YEARS has to do with our peony bushes. Every spring (since, er, 1997) we talked about buying cages and holders and stakes and fancy wire supports of all kinds to keep them upright but never actually did anything about it. Most years, the peonies were ok without them. During rainy years they were less than ok. Their heavy rain-soaked heads forced them to prostrate themselves on the garden path, which eventually lead to their soggy demise.

Well, this year we have finally taken action. (!) I did some research and learned that because our peonies are quite established, standard wire supports wouldn’t be suitable. According to Martha Stewart, we had to corral them with stakes and twine. Here’s her post about it. It’s worth pointing out that she DESIGNED HER OWN METAL STAKES for this job. I remain impressed.

While Martha had hired help, custom-designed stakes, and miles of jute twine that intersected in multiple ways, all we had was what was available at our local Home Depot, jerry-rigged to suit our purposes. We opted for 4′ tall metal posts (called U-posts) that are normally used for chain link fences. They are about $4 each. And then we bought a ball of nylon cord to string between them. This is the result. (Please ignore the enormous amount of weeds. Clearly we need Martha’s gardening team to intervene!)

This was taken just yesterday:

Looks like they may have been successfully corralled!

I wish I had a photo of the row when it’s in full bloom but I’m afraid I can’t find one right now. I’ll update this post with more photos as the season continues.