Renos, trail running and fall colours

Since Thanksgiving made for a shorter week, we'd decided to both take the week off. First we had plans to go to Vegas for a few days, but then got smart (well...), and decided to stay put, and do some renos. I guess it all started by our shopping spree where we'd bought new blinds and lights. And of course to make them look nice, we really should do some more painting. And so we did.
We ended up painting our bathrooms (ensuite and powder) and the hallway upstairs. Especially our hallway was a bit of a challenge, since we have a circular staircase with tall ceilings, it was a bit of feat. But we did it! Once it was all painted we (well, Nolan) put up lights in the bathrooms, hallway and all the bedrooms. With some fairly small changes, our house looks so much better! Well worth the week.

The weather has been very fall-like lately, but we definitely have the nice days in there as well, and no snow so far, so really we can't complain! We went for some nice walks in the Greenbelt to catch the last few call colours before all the leaves are gone.

This morning I ran a cross country run (5.5 km) which was a lot of fun! The organization was great, and the mud was plentiful! I was not a 100% fit (fighting a chest cold), so wasn't in the best shape of the world, but still had lots of fun, and will definitely come back next year. Maybe Nolan will even join me :)

And finally, meet our newest accountant...

Nolan's birthday!

Yesterday was Nolan's birthday, and I had promised him a while ago that I would make him a special birthday cake. I even took the day off to do so (well, plus a 100 other things). See photo below for the result. Not bad, if I may say so. And in case you're curious, we managed to NOT set off the fire alarm with all those candles. Although that makes you wonder about our fire alarm...

And that really funky light I was talking about last time? This is what it looks like:

Pretty cool, eh? Next week we're planning on doing more work around the house. More painting, more lights, getting the garden ready for the winter and maybe, just maybe I might clean our windows..

Jam-packed

That is how you can describe our weekend. It all started with a surprise birthday party for JoAnn, who will turn 40 early October. We had all gathered at Ann and Tom's and I think JoAnn was indeed surprises when she realized it was a birthday party, rather than an end-of-summer get together. It was a lot of fun (and a lot of food and drinks...). Margaritas anyone??

The next morning I got up a little earlier than I'd wanted (well or so my body thought) to go to the Renfrew County Outdoor Woodlot conference. When I woke up it was pouring rain, and by the time I got to Renfrew it was still very, very wet. Luckily I could park along the road, so didn't have to worry about getting stuck (good thing they had tractors on display, since a lot of people got stuck in the mud!).  However, by the time the event went underway and the first tour left, it had cleared up nicely and there were even hints of some sunshine! I didn't stay very long, but was glad I made it there and caught up with some people I hadn't talked to in a while. So it was worth it.

I was back in Ottawa early afternoon, since we had to get ready for the NAC gala that evening, where Lang Lang would be performing, while also trying to prepare for the Army Run half marathon the next morning.  While I was away, Nolan had put up our new light for in the bedroom, and it looks amazing! I'll try to take some pictures next time.
Then Nolan had the brilliant (and slightly obnoxious...) idea to try to get a last minute deal on  a hotel room downtown. And it worked! We found a cheap deal for a 4-star hotel two blocks away from both the NAC and the start of the Army Run.
So we checked in to the hotel later afternoon on Saturday, and then headed to the NAC. We watched some 'celebrities' enter the building on the red carpet, including Lang Lang himself. The evening itself was wonderful. The music was absolutely breathtaking and Lang Lang is just amazing. The was he moves his fingers and plays the piano is simply out of this world! Definitely a great night out!

Afterwards we walked the whole 2 blocks back to the hotel, instead of going back to Kanata. We both slept really well and were well rested for the race. For some reason we were both a bit nervous. Not sure why, but I guess we'll never get used to running races...  Nolan decided to run with Ann, and I would try to run with Debbie and Nancy, whose pace is slightly faster than our pace. No wonder I was nervous!

We started a little too far back, close to the 2:30 pace bunny, and the first km we were just weaving through the people, passing other runners left right and centre. It took energy trying to dodge people, but it also gave energy passing people! However, we still had a long ways to go, and I tried really hard to pace myself. However, that was somewhat unsuccessful. I led Debbie and Nancy for most of the race, and was waiting to crash. Hard. I have a tendency to start out too fast and then crash and burn. But we kept going and passed the 2:15 and then the 2:10 pace bunnies. Well, I did crash, but not until the 18km mark, so with 3km more to go. Not too bad, but 3km is incredibly long if you feel like you're going to pass out!  But Debbie and Nancy pulled me through! Nolan did really well too. He and Ann ran together up until 15km, and then Nolan started to speed up. He finished a few minutes behind us, and Ann was able to take 5 minutes of her previous time. So we all rocked this weekend!
It turned out I ran a personal best, and shaved over 4 minutes of my previous best time!! Not bad considering my training was less than perfect... So maybe that 2hr barrier is within reach with some serious training?! It's definitely motivating!
However, my legs are screaming at me today, so not sure when the more serious training schedule will kick... First a little break :)

DIY

It's been a little quiet here lately, but that is mainly because I don't have much to say. Well, at least nothing interesting... That doesn't mean that we haven't kept busy! We spent a great weekend in Toronto for Riley and Tina's wedding. It was an absolute fabulous weekend, with many friends that we hadn't seen in a long time (or that I had never even met yet!). Tina and Riley are an amazing couple, and I couldn't be happier for them. Nolan was the MC for the day and he did a marvellous job. Someone to be proud of! Tina told me I was the 'hottest guest' of the day. She totally meant that as  a compliment, but of course, we're both red heads so slightly biased!

The view from our window of the hotel. Not bad :)

In other news... Jack hasn't been around for a while. I hope he has moved somewhere else, and nothing has happened to him. Maybe he found better tasting almonds??  Murphy is still keeping an eye out for him from his newly discovered favourite place. He also has bright white teeth again, after visiting the dentist, ehm, vet today. We should add him to our insurance plan. Or become a vet because apparently they make good money!

Our pepper plants did really well this year! Will try again next year.

We've been saying for a while that we should update some items in our house, such as light fixtures, blinds, paint more rooms, etc. Well, last weekend we started to make due on some of those ideas... We went to check out blinds and bought new ones for the large side window in the staircase, dining room windows, and living room windows and patio door. We've started putting them up (hence the DIY, Do It Yourself), and it makes a huge difference!
After checking out (and buying) all the blinds, we went across the street to look at light fixtures. Maybe not a smart thing to do, since we were, apparently, in need of some shopping therapy. We checked out the light fixtures, and found the ones we had put up in the old house that we loved, but weren't able to enjoy since we sold the house... We decided to use the same fixtures for the hallways, bedrooms and bathrooms. We also bought a new fixture for the dining room, and a funky light for our bedroom! So we have our work cut out for us! After we put up a couple of the blinds in the dining room, we realized how badly some areas need to be painted. We both took a week off in October, and were thinking of going on a last-minute trip, but now we're thinking that maybe we should just stay put and really put a dent in all the work that needs to be done around the house (and that we want to do!). We can always go away on a trip later on (we do have a nice trip coming up this winter as well!), but now we're in the mood to get things done around the house! Make it really look and feel like our house :)

This coming weekend is the Army Run, a half marathon that we signed up for, and thus are planning on running. We haven't had the best training in the world, so we'll see how it goes. Right now, we're just praying for not too much rain! We're also going on a date the night before to see Lang Lang. I'm really looking forward to that, but thought it would be just him playing, but now it turns out to be a full blown gala. I guess we'll have to dress up again!

Meet Jack!

I have a new friend! A blue one!
It all started last week sometime, when Nolan noticed a Blue Jay sitting on our front porch. He didn't think much of it, we tend to have a lot of birds around... And then on Saturday I went outside to get the newspaper, and this Blue Jay comes flying from the tree on our front lawn, and it is pretty clear that it wants some food. So I grabbed some birdseed and he took it, almost eating out of my hand. He looked in good health, but young. Probably this year's chick.
A couple of days later, I was about to leave for work and I hear a Blue Jay's call. And low and behold, there he is! I fed him again, and this time he would eat out of my hand. He was going after the sunflower seeds (don't all birds prefer those sunflower seeds?), so I figured he liked nuts... I grabbed some almonds and he immediately fell in love with them! He's been back most mornings since, and the last couple of days he's also showed up in the evening for a bed time snack.
He grabs the whole almond out of my fingers, in flight if I don't give it quick enough, and then puts it in between his claws and starts picking away at it until it's completely gone.
It shows that at least he is somewhat wild. He will get quite close, but you can't touch him, which I think is actually a good thing. He should stay somewhat wild. But we did decide to give him a name. So Jack it is!
Below are some pictures, to show how close he is, and what Murphy thinks of it all...

Besides Jack, life is pretty much back to normal. I actually have my second weekend in a row off! We got quite a bit of rain, so at least our lawn is starting to look green again, and we actually had to cut it today! However, it's not enough to restore water levels, and for most farmers it came a little too late. But I guess that is nature?

My first week of being 33...

Was spent in the bush! But first, of course, my birthday :) It was somewhat low-key, but really what I wanted. We went to see the musical Wicked, which was indeed wicked good. Very well done, and very professional cast. Before the show (it was a matinee), we went out for lunch with Perry, the lady that sits besides us when we go to musicals, which was really nice, although the food and service was disappointing... But it didn't ruin our day! Sunday morning we celebrated by going out for breakfast with our running group (almost complete!), which was also nice.
Nolan got me some really nice earrings. I guess my small studs (I have studs and small hoops) were starting to drive him nuts, so he decided to upgrade to some nice real diamonds. Don't they say diamonds are a girl's best friend? Not sure I agree, but those earrings are darn pretty! He also got me some beautiful roses. Looking familiar?

As I mentioned before, it's been very dry, and any rain we've had so far has always been accompanied by lots of lightning. And lightning is a number one cause of forest fires. The Thursday before my birthday, the students up in the fire towers at the PRF spotted a large fire on CFB Petawawa. By Friday, it had grown to over 100 ha, en Sunday it was up to 200 ha, and the east entrance of Algonquin Park was closed. The fire was close to the main entrance road, but also close to the PRF. Staff at the PRF was starting to burn out after many days spent in the towers or patrolling the forest for fires, so they asked me if I could help out. And why would I say no to a week in the field?! Indeed, no reason to say no! They also asked me to come out since I have a reputation of bringing lots of water. Remember from last year? Read here...  Well it worked, within an hour of arriving at the PRF, the sky opened up, and we got a short downpour. Which resulted in 4 mm of rain. And lots of lightning... So not a good scenario. A couple of days later several fires had started in Algonquin Park, but luckily nothing too major. I actually spent half a day up in the tower the day with most fire activity in the Park, and it was actually really cool to watch the fire bombers dumping the water on the fires. I was glued to my binoculars!
Below are some photos of the view of the tower, as well as some photos to show how dry it really is...

Pretty bad... Luckily we didn't have any fires at the PRF itself, but if something was to break out, it could spread very quickly, and that's why we're so alert.
After a week at the PRF, I went back home on Sunday and started my intensive French training right away: every morning for 4 weeks, after which I'm supposed to do oral exam. It's tough, but it's also going quite well. My French did not get as rusty as I thought it would be. This week it's actually only four mornings, since I'm back at the PRF, working another weekend (and a long one this time, Civic Holiday!).  Luckily Nolan is coming up for a few days as well, so at least he's not a bachelor again this weekend. We did get some rain on Tuesday (and lightning), but the fire index is back up, so the students are back up in the towers as well. They are calling for some rain this weekend, but also lots of lightning. Hopefully we'll get some real rain in the near future. And not just for us, also for the farmers and others in the region that need this rain so badly. Let's all do a rain dance!!

Road trip!

In case you missed it, but we spent the last week and a bit on a road trip, touring the NE part of the States, including Burlington VT, Boston, and the White Mountains. It was a great trip and a welcome opportunity to unwind, disconnect and just spend time together without having to worry about anything else, except for maybe find out where to eat. The weather was definitely in our favour, with no days under 25 degrees, no rain (although we are desperate for some rain here in Ottawa) and lots and lots of sunshine. So really, a great time!
I don't want to bore people with elaborate stories (who wants to hear that anyway?), so I'll just post some photos with some describtions. Makes my life easier as well!

The bridge heading into the US.

Talking about crazy lights! Of course they were swinging in every direction due to the wind. Hard to keep track of which one is yours...

Some cool carvings in what we thought was marble, in Burlington, VT

Boston!

General Hooker's entrance...

Of course, the Cheers restaurant!

The 'penthouse' view from our hotel room. Not too shabby!

Boston Common, a beautiful park right in the midst of Boston, and a stone throw away from our hotel.

Make way for Ducklings!

A giant pumpkin

Some people just have tooooo much money

A maritime variant of the dog house

Looking out over the Boston Harbour

Trying to decide what to drink, eh, eat...

Scientology in Boston. Didn't get sucked into it...

This is the part of Boston we really liked. Old homes (Boston has lots of history!!), big trees, and lots of character.

Fenway Park! Home to the Boston Red Sox

Now we're in Portland, where we took a boat cruise of surrounding islands and harbour. These are some of the most expensive houses in Eastern US. I believe it...

The famous Portland Head Light  

Harper Seals!

The last two days were spent in the White Mountains, which was absolutely beautiful

A gorgeous little waterfall. Nice walk to get to, and best of all, no tourists!

Proof that Nolan was there as well

Looking back you can see Mount Washington, the highest mountain in Eastern US

Since it was somewhat hot (32 degrees...), we decided to take the gondola up, and walk down Mount Wildcat (4000 ft). Turns out that walking down a mountain is still pretty strenuous!

At the top, we had another beautiful view of Mt. Washington

And one of our now-famous self portraits.

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Not bad, eh?

On our way home, we stopped to feed the ducklings, which were competing with the fish. At least the fish didn't eat the ducklings.

Mount Washington Resort looks beautiful from a distance, but up close it was obvious it is in need of some updating...

And after a wonderful trip, we're back home again (and even worked a full week!).

Some photos to show how that looks like:

Our tomato plant is growing out of control, but we're loving it!

Murphy's new favourite place to sleep. Not sure we're very happy with it.

And here is proof that we need rain. Badly... Our lawn is as dead as can be, and the city if now encouraging people to water their lawns to reduce fire risks. It seems weird to waste water in a drought, but I really don't want to have a grass fire on our lawn, and then have it spread to the house. So the sprinkler will be on tonight...