Drift Away: Ottawa

We woke up to beautiful sunshine and enjoyed breakfast and coffee before heading off to the Byward market. Abby came along and I rode the bicycle with Abby over to the market. She first went for a mile run down the canal to wear off her excess energy so she would be better behaved in the market. Abby always draws lots of attention and the two questions we get asked daily are "What kind of dog is she?" and "How do you get the motorcycle up on top of the boat?" It happens at least 10 times a day. Wendy met a golfing buddy in the market who makes and sells beautiful jewelry. We bought fruits and veggies, cheeses and flowers for our 16th wedding anniversary. I had been smart this year and actually had a card. Thats always in my best interest!! There was a French bakery that had wonderful danishes and croissants that we stocked up along with some baguettes to make bruschetta and sandwiches.

We returned to the boat after enjoying Panaini's and Donner's at the market on an outside patio with Abby under the table in the shade. I had my first Poutine of the year and it was great.

Later in the afternoon while the girls were napping I went for a bicycle ride around the Parliament buildings and down the other side of the canal. There were hoards of tourists and lots of preparation going on for Canada Day. I took a picture of the boats coming up the locks and on my way back to the boat I stopped by and gave the picture to the owners who ended up coming over to Drift Away for hors d'oeuvres and cocktails. We exchanged stories of our adventures and then retired to the salon for spaghetti and salad. For the last two evenings the Jazz Festival was going on across the canal and we were treated to live music both nights.