Today we went to a couple of our geocaches to advertise a new mailing list I set up. When we were at the lakeshore there were many swallows flying all around us. We also saw a search & rescue helicopter. I guess it was the coast guard.
In Ottawa this weekend we went letterboxing on Parliament Hill. It was lots of fun:
10 bucks is where you need to begin. Head 40 degrees and count 12 lanterns toward “peace.” Step down to the 2nd stone building. Observe the area until you are parallel with the 3rd gate up. Cross it but wait on black. Take a reading of 45 degrees and see the group of four. Be discreet.
We stamped our logbook and the box’s logbook when we found the letterbox. I think I like letterboxing better than geocaching, but there are only 9 letterboxes in all of Ontario, compared to 1825 geocaches.
The next day we drove to Embrun and paid our respects to Celine’s grandmother. Then Gisele showed us where she learned to swim.
I have posted some old photos. Look at the entries for April 11, 18, and 25.
We went to the cottage last weekend (chipmunk, dragonfly, frog, trillium). We paddled the canoe from “the pond” to the main part of Potspoon Lake. There is a family of beavers that live in the pond and we went along the paths they made through the reeds. When we got to the dam we had to get out and pull the canoe across it to the higher water.
Later we put the canoe on Celine’s car using some foam blocks and special straps that she bought, and drove to Third Depot Lake. Banjo liked it there. We paddled around the lake, found an island with 5 or 6 osprey nests on it, and stopped to do some exploring. One of the nests was occupied and the mother osprey chirped and squawked at us when we got too close!
The construction of the house has begun! There are now stakes in the ground which represent where the house will be. Celine said that when her parents saw how much of the yard was left, they hastily modified the blueprints to remove 5 feet from the family room!
We are going to Ottawa tonight.
Thursday after work our friend Duncan took us rock climbing at the Kingston Mills lockstation. He picked an easy 25 meter cliff and rappelled down, leaving us at the top. Trial by fire, I guess. Celine conquered her fears and went next. I waited till she reached the bottom, then it was my turn. Afterwards, we climbed back up and rappelled down again. I hid a geocache on the side of the cliff.
Celine and I both really, really enjoyed this. We’re going to ask Duncan to take us out again!
The house was torn down yesterday morning. It only took about an hour [8:04, 8:15, 8:23, 8:29, 8:32, 8:40, 8:42, 8:43, 8:48, 9:01, 9:29, 9:34]. Most of the neighbourhood came to watch, as well as Celine’s family. Her mother was excited, but Kid seemed a bit nervous.
By midafternoon all that was left was a pile of limestone in a big hole in the ground, and part of the floor. Today even the limestone is gone. At least the shed is still standing.
Today the windows and doors were removed from our old house [front, back, side]. It feels very surreal to stand inside and look out through these new openings in the walls. All the plumbing, lights, and baseboards are gone too. The house is scheduled to be demolished on Thursday. I might have to take that day off from work and watch.
Celine and I feel bad for not keeping the blog up-to-date, especially since Sheera and Fitzi seem to enjoy it so much. We’ll gradually start adding photos from our adventures over the past month, so keep an eye on the old entries.
Kevin and Rachel came buy to eat chocolate and drink cognac. It was fun.
Celine and I went geocaching on a peninsula in Colonel By Lake. Banjo jumped in some smelly mud and we made him clean up in river. We stopped to rest on a rocky mossy plateau with a pretty view.
The next day we rented a canoe from the store downstairs from our apartment. It was big but light. We paddled to Cedar Island to check on the geocache we adopted there. There was a wedding on the island. (Check back on our March 13th post.)
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