c2c-2023

Zero Days: Ottawa

Jeremy and Skipper spend time in Ottawa with MANY reunions and meetings

Jeremy Stuart

Aug 13, 2023 • 10 min read

Date: Friday, August 4 - Monday, August 7, 2023

I'm far behind on blog posts and so I'm going to make this one shorter, both because I need to catch up and because I don't like sharing too much about my time with friends.

Friday

On Friday Sarah took the day off and we decided to go to The National Gallery. Skipper is an art fan, and I was curious to get his take on our national art gallery. Skipper is also curious to learn more about Canada, and The National Gallery has a great collection of Canadian art which is a big part of our history.

We started by dropping my bike off at a local bike shop as Sarah and Tyler had arranged for a tune up at their local shop. Again...I can't thank them enough.

We set off for a day of exploring.

Stopping to see the National War Memorial

Arriving at the National Gallery (The giant spider is a statue called Maman)

A painting of Owl's Head, a mountain from the area I grew up in

Pic Island, located near Neys Provincial Park (where I camped one night). This is by a Group of Seven painter (Lawren S. Harris) and I saw this island while camping

Statue and self portrait of the artist...with the statue in the self portrait

A chapel that was originally located nearby and taken apart and rebuilt in The National Gallery (all 1200-some pieces). The speakers are an exhibit explained below. It was incredible to listen to!

After the gallery we biked back to Sarah and Tyler's house. Skipper bought them an orchid as a thank you for hosting us.

The evening sun through clouds from Sarah and Tyler's back deck

Photo accidentally taken in portrait mode...

And taken in the correct mode! Dinner on the table!

Saturday

On Saturday Sarah and Tyler hosted a BBQ in my honour! We invited all the people I would usually try to see in Ottawa and this made sure that instead of arranging 14 meetings over 4 days, I could see everyone in one day. Many couldn't make it because it was a long weekend, but I completely understand and will see you all at some point in the near future!

Skipper and I went to get some pastries at a nearby bakery (a favourite of mine) and we had a wonderful breakfast.

Tyler, Skipper and I ran out to do some errands and grab some more supplies for the BBQ. Notice Tyler on his cargo bike! He and Sarah are bike pioneers and it carries everything you want to transport!

Groceries in the cargo bike (watermelon strapped in)

Prepping the BBQ

Beers from Bicycle Craft Brewery in Ottawa!

Here's a collection of some of the people I saw! I should write an ode to each of these people...but I just don't have the time. It was incredible to see each and every one of them. And even more incredible to see them all in one place as many of us went to school together and knew one another. We probably haven't all been in the same place since 2009.

Renee, a close friend from my undergrad and also a fellow House of Commons Page!

Emily, who was a room mate, close friend, got me my job in The Speaker's Office on Parliament Hill, and is one of the funniest and most dynamic people I know

Meredith, my room mate in second year university and one of the busiest, energetic, and fun people I have ever known

Tasha and I worked together in the library at the University of Calgary. She knew what she wanted to do from the first day I met her and after a lot of hard work and determination she got there! Laugh out loud funny, a joy to be around, and one of the most socially minded and just people I know.

Joey and Mac. Joey is my best friend from high school and still my closest confidant. Mac is Joey's wife (and whole human being in her own right. She is an absolute class act and joy to be around.

A big thank you to everyone who came, especially on the long weekend. It was a joy to see you and I spent the end of the day feeling like it had all been a dream! I could write a few paragraphs on each one of these folks, but time is not currently permitting.

We cleaned up from the BBQ and in the evening decided to take a walk.

While walking away from the falls we bumped into my one and only ex-girlfriend. I haven't seen or spoken to her in over a decade. We all made small talk, but I was pretty quiet. I couldn't believe we'd bumped into one another...especially when she said she was also only visiting Ottawa. I spent the rest of the night pretty stunned. The nostalgia and melancholy of this chance encounter left me whirling. So many reunions this day, but this wasn't one I had prepared for. So many old ghosts...

At this point the sun was setting and Skipper, Tyler, and I decided to go see the evening light show on Parliament Hill. Sarah headed home. We walked up to the Hill at dusk and found out that a fireworks show was happening just before the light show. I had worried that Ottawa wasn't as exciting as I remembered it and that Skipper might not be as wowed. The fireworks and light show reminded me of why I loved Ottawa so much.

I stayed up writing a blog posts until the early hours.

Sunday

We woke up and had breakfast. I had to leave for a meetup with a friend so biked west and grabbed donuts at SuzyQ.

I met up with Hope and Peitro. Hope and I grew up in towns that were just down the road from one another, and followed similar paths through elementary school and then were a few of the local kids at the local private high school. She - like others I've talked about in this blog - grew up in the The Eastern Townships of Quebec. We were locals. There's the shared experience of time and place that means we experienced the world through a simliar lens. I feel like I've said this about a few people recently, but Hope is another one of the most intelligent, hard working, and motivated people I know. She's adventerous and unafraid. She's worked so hard for what she has in life, and she deserves every bit of it and more. We've kept in touch and remained friends over the years, and I always make a point of visiting when I'm in town. I always enjoy the time I get with my old friend!

Over the years I've gotten to know her partner - and whole human being in his own right - Pietro. Another passionate and driven person, I always enjoy hearing about his work and recent projects.

After meeting with Hope and Pietro I went back to Sarah and Tyler's house and we set off on a bike ride. A new pedestrian bridge had just opened over the Ottawa River and we wanted to test it out! This brought us to the Quebec side of the river and we biked through Gatineau Park, around back to Ottawa, and then down the Rideau River to the Rideau Canal and back to Sarah and Tyler's house.

I spent most of the ride a good distance behind...I was pretty tired this day!

Coming back to Ottawa from the Quebec side

That evening we had dinner. After dinner we chatted about the ride and Tyler revealed that during his cross Canada ride in 2008 he'd written with a map. Google Maps wasn't really a thing yet, so he carried this:

Monday

It was a long weekend and so Monday was a holiday for everyone. Sarah still had to get work done because she has a demanding career. Tyler and Skipper went to the Canadian History Museum and I went to meet with some friends to play board games for a few hours.

Sarah started the day with breakfast. It was incredible.

Sarah made shakshuka for breakfast. It's a favourite of mine!

After breakfast I was picked up by a friend, we grabbed some lunch, and headed to Joey's place for board games.

Andrew currently lives in Amsterdam and I was lucky to overlap with the time he was spending back in Ottawa for his vacation. Ryan lives in Ottawa, but it's rare that I get to see him. These are two of Joey's friends from university, but having spent so much time with Joey they've also become my friends! These three are probably the funniest people I know, and everytime we meet my jaw is sore from smiling so much. All the time we spend together are good times. I always wish I had more time with them, but I'll take what I can get! Thank you all for the hang out and I hope to see you all again soon!

Back at Sarah and Tyler's in the evening we packed up and prepared for the next day when we would leave Ottawa. I opted to head straight to bed instead of trying to blog. I was so tired and it was time to start biking again the next day. Sleep came quickly and I was dead to the world...