a peek inside the fishbowl

Sure, not every mural is special. But they address blank walls, & some are simply remarkable. #Art HT @PabloSChillon pic.twitter.com/4E0SOByQtU

— Brent Toderian (@BrentToderian) May 7, 2016

• Sunsets and solace at Westboro Beach (plus bonus pics!), kitchissippi.com
• The Worst Thing That Could Happen to Facebook Is Already Happening, inc.com
• The Secret Language of Campus Squirrels, slate.com
• Spoiler Alert: Game of Thrones Will Never Stop Hurting You, wired.com

If you were to ask me what my favourite season is here in Ottawa, I’d say:

SPRING: because of the tulips and the explosion of green and happy people everywhere.

SUMMER: because there is so much to see and do: festivals, music, beaches, patios!

FALL: because of the fall foliage and excellent hiking.

WINTER: because winter is so beautiful, and the skiing and skating, and I LOVE SWEATERS.

Every season has lovable things about it, but because I’m trying to live more in the present I will say that I am especially happy to see spring this year. Perhaps spring is the most fleeting of seasons. One day the crabapple trees are in full throttle, and the next day the sidewalks are full of petals. There are years that we forget to take in the tulips: hey, we were busy that weekend etc. etc. 

Well, this week we decided to get up, go out, and fill our eyeballs to the brim at Dow’s Lake.

Parking was easy (hello Booth Street!). We wandered until our hearts were full and our feet were aching.

Do note that dogs aren’t allowed amid the festivities at Dow’s Lake for the duration of the Tulip Festival. (We were visiting before it all started.) Piper is good at posing, don’t you think?

On the way home we stopped for bubble tea on Somerset. The perfect ending to a lovely outing.

There is some fun stuff planned for the Tulip Festival this year. Will you be checking it out? Some highlights:

May 14-15: Heritage WWII Display on the Great Lawn outside Aberdeen Pavillion
Vintage WWII vehicles, re-enactors and encampment depicting the life and equipment of Canadian liberators in the Netherlands, including a dynamic display of action during the Liberation at 2 p.m May 14.

May 14: Tulip Relay Rowing Regatta on the Historic Rideau Canal at Lansdowne
Hosted by Ottawa Rowing Club, Canada’s oldest rowing club established in 1867. Rowers racing over a 250m distance of the historic Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, between Fifth Avenue and Lansdowne Park. 10 a.m.-noon

May 13-23: Floral sculpture garden experience, including the “Princess Tulip Sculpture,” commemorating the birth of Dutch Princess Margriet in Ottawa, the only royal personage ever born in North America, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. inside the Aberdeen Pavilion. Also, children’s entertainment, with “Doo Doo” the clown and street performers, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Continuous performances of international dance and music on the International Friendship Stage, 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. daily.

We’ve been trying to focus more on Doing Things As A Family, which was easier said than done over the winter. Well, the weather is better now (er, sort of) so it was time to get off the couch and press the pause button on Netflix. Literally.

Sidebar: the girls are older now, and much more independent. It’s easy to assume that they don’t want to hang out with us – they have so much on the go – but they do still enjoy a family outing. (!) I am pleased and surprised and I hope that it lasts.

Last week we decided to catch the Jungle Book at Lansdowne Park. We’ve been through the area a couple of times as a family, but dropping by in the middle of winter isn’t quite the same as seeing it when it’s alive with people. And it really was alive! We arrived early with plenty of time to wander. I was surprised to see patios were packed with people, the playground full of families young and old, and kids of all ages on the skateboard ramps or just hanging around.

The sun was setting so we made our way back to the theatre, where we played a four-person game of Pac-Man (I lost)…

… and the girls did a virtual high-speed tour of Spain on a motorcycle:

As for the movie? It was great. I definitely recommend Jungle Book and I am actually looking forward to seeing it again. And Lansdowne? I feel like this is a place I can get used to again.