The Brown Knowser

The sun sets earlier than a month ago. I need to remember that for next time. Of course, by the time I find the time to seek out a sunset photo, the sun will set even earlier than it did last night. I never get bored of visiting Andrew Hayden Park to watch the dying light. I'm not alone. On the other side of the tree that stood to my left, two women stood with a camera on a tripod. I wasn't eavesdropping, but I could catch snippets of conversation, where one of the women was giving photo advice to the other. Passing on tips and words of wisdom: even if you have lots of light, a tripod will always give you a sharper image... the smaller the aperture, the greater the depth of field, the longer the required exposure... Bats flew overhead, coming so close to me that I could hear the flapping of their wings. But I wasn't bothered: they were keeping the mosquitoes at bay. The steady stream of sailboats, their sails lowered, under engine power, were returning to ...

There are few times where I regret having done something but I would rather regret an action than have a regret for having an opportunity to do something and not doing it. When I learned that several people from my graduating high-school year were getting together, I was initially reluctant to attend. Years ago, I realized that any high-school friend that I wanted to keep in touch with was someone that I already keep in touch with. My best friend throughout my secondary-school years is still my best friend, today. He was the best man at my wedding: I was the best man at his. We have travelled through Scotland together, in search of Roland Axam's home . We have roamed the streets of New York City, in search for the best cups of coffee. Some friends that I knew in elementary school and continued our friendship through high school are still friends that I reach out to today, even though we live in separate cities. It was one of my high-school friends—still one of my good frien...

I'm allergic to cherries. But that's okay, because I've never been a huge fan of them, except when they're candied. Call it a sweet craving. So, you're probably asking yourself, why would I bother to review a cherry ale? And a sour one at that? (If you may recall, I don't like sour ales .) When I visited Kichesippi Beer Company, last week, my intention was to try another seasonal that they had released: the Remic Rapids West Coast IPA. But the person behind the counter started talking up another seasonal so much, I had to give it a try. I may not like sour beer or cherries, but I can still be objective when I try an ale that is both, can't I? Can I? Laura's Sour Cherry Wheat Kich Staff Pick No.7 (4.5% ABV) Kichesippi Beer Company Ottawa, ON Appearance: an unfiltered peach-pink with plenty of effervescence in the pour, with a white, bubbly head that immediately dissipates, just as though I was pouring a soda. The large bubbles clung to ...

The store closed in 1983. I knew that I had seen it, in my teens, but it would have been in the final years. The very first Dominion grocery store that I had known was in the K-mart Plaza, on Merivale Road, in Nepean. My house was one of the many garden homes behind the store, separated by a field, a grove of trees and bushes (known as Hippie Hideout), and a creek. As a young kid, my dad would write a note for me to take to the store, with a couple of bucks, to get a pack of smokes. I was allowed to keep the change. For 10 cents, I could buy myself a bag of Hostess Potato Chips. I usually went for barbecue, though I distinctly remember that for a brief time, I was hooked on grape-flavoured chips. When our Dominion store eventually closed its doors, I thought I would never see the stylized D again. But in my mid teens, I saw it again, in the ByWard Market. National Archives photo, circa 1970. Today, that space is occupied by the Blue Cactus restaurant. Though the letters ar...

I know. This project is really late. Back in January, I had a craving for a burger that went unfulfilled. And so, I swore that I would search for what I thought was the perfect hamburger in Ottawa, figuring that I would take a couple of months and report my findings at the end of March. I quickly realized, as I ate beef patty after beef patty, that I just couldn't eat enough burgers in a two-month period to make this taste test worthwhile. For me, eating more than two burgers a week is a bit of a stretch (even more than one burger in seven days was a chore). Because of my current mobility issues that make bicycles or treatmills turn into torture devices, eating that much fat was not helping my waistline. (I swear, as soon as I recover from my surgery, I'm shedding all the pounds I've packed on.) When I began this search, my criteria was pretty simple: visit as many pubs and restaurants as I could and order a hamburger. The burgers all had to contain bacon and chees...

It was about time. For the first time in more than a dozen years, Dave Matthews Band came to Ottawa, where they rocked the Bluesfest for two and a half hours. I guess it was worth the wait. The dynamics of the band, with their raw talent, was phenomenal. In the early hours since I've returned from the show, I'm speechless. So maybe I'll just post some of the photos that I captured. My many thanks to J.A. (you know who you are), who got me into the show with my D-SLR. I am forever grateful. Dave said that he'd like to come back next year, if the festival organizers will permit him. Get on it, Bluesfest folks.