Surrounded by history

A day spent at the Canadian Museum of History steeped in the stories of the Vikings and the First Nations people was mesmerizing. The building is magnificent and peaceful. 

I was surrounded by more children than I have seen in a long time. The young families filled the museum with excitement and lots of noise. Bright eyes taking in everything with patient parents in tow. It reminded me of the many times my mother took me and my three brothers to the Royal Ontario Museum. 

As we got older, she would drop us off with me in charge and I would try in vain to convince my brothers to leave the knights in armour section to look at the medieval dresses. Nice to be able to look at what I want now! It seems that even the Vikings were entranced with beads like I am. Can't wait to dive into my beads again soon. 

Day 2 of the New Year ended with a blues session at the Rainbow Bistro. Interesting crowd of middle aged folks and young blues hopefuls. Live music draws us all together. 

The New Year Begins

2016 is a new adventure. I have regained inspiration after a few months of focus on other things. I am no longer tied to the world of working to make a living. What kind of living lies ahead? 

A road trip on the first day of this new life is a good start. The snow in the cedars and slim white birches with rolling hills in the background provided a truely Canadian winter scene as we travelled the iconic highway 7 to Ottawa. The road of the pioneers cutting through the rocks that mark the end of arable land. The miners fared better than the farmers north of this road. A toast to the new year at the Chateau Laurier Hotel followed by a magical light show on the Parliament buildings was a perfect end to the day. 

The elegant Chateau Laurier Hotel

Light show on the   Parliament Buildings