One of Those Weekends

This weekend seemed to come and go so quickly that by Sunday evening, I had to think if I got anything accomplished.

Of course, I had, but at the same time, it seems like a lot of time was wasted.

On Friday evening, I convinced DW to join me, downtown, to watch the Sound of Light show that takes place, each year at the Museum of Civilization^*, across the Ottawa River from Parliament Hill. I've taken photos of these fireworks displays many times over the years, and because I stayed away, last year, due to COVID-19, I felt I needed to see them again, now that most people in Ottawa have received at least one vaccine.

The setup.

As with any fireworks display, I never stand in the same place for a show, and though I took some photos near the National Gallery one year, I've never set up my camera so that I had Maman in the frame. I set my tripod up low so that I could look up at my favourite statue, see the Great Hall of the Gallery, and have the fireworks all in the frame. It worked out well, I think, and judging by the gathering by the Shutterbug photography club, who gathered around DW and myself, we chose the right spot.

DW has been using her mirrorless camera more and more, but has never used it for anything other than nature shots or while we've been kayaking. She's certainly never photographed fireworks before and has never used manual settings.

My shot.

DW's shot. I love the red glow on both sides of the Great Hall.

I gave her one of my tripods and recommended some settings—I usually start at ISO 100, f/8, for eight seconds, and then adjust the shutter speed as needed. She was able to get some great shots.

Two-metre flames (or higher).

We started with some chores on Saturday and got some groceries for a barbecue and bonfire at a friend's farm, out near Plantagenet. I offered to cook a cedar-planked salmon, and on our friend's new grill, I have to say it turned out spectacularly.

I'll share the recipe, some day.

The bonfire went late into the night, with our friend burning branches and leaves from some weakened trees that he had cut down through the previous week. At times, the flames almost seemed to reach the stars, and as we looked skyward, we also managed so see several streaks across the sky from the Perseid meteor shower.

Too bad I left my camera at home.

I started Sunday with a long bike ride that took me from Barrhaven to Manotick, over to Greely, down to Osgoode, across to Kars, back up to Manotick, and then home again, taking a few different side streets. This was the second ride that I have gone on this 64-kilometre circuit, and so I had planned a few stops along the way, to stretch, take a bite of a protein bar, and drink.

Total distance: 64.25 kms.

My first stop was planned for the wide driveway to the Greely Sand and Gravel quarry, on the south end of the village. It was my 25K pit stop, and it was here that I discovered that although I had prepared two bottles for my bike—one, containing some iced tea and the other, with plain water (good for washing any scrapes, should an accident happen)—they were not in my bottle holders. I had mistakenly left them in my front entrance, at home.

I wasn't overly concerned. There are times when I pack my bottles but don't drink from them because my body hasn't felt the need to do so. I once cycled 50K without touching a bottle until I was only a few kilometres from home. Before I had set out, I had a glass of mango juice, so I felt fine. I had a small bite of my protein bar and continued on.

By the time I reached Osgoode, I was starting to feel a bit thirsty. I pulled into the Foodland parking lot and wanted to go in to purchase a bottle of anything that would fit in my holders, but I was concerned about leaving my bicycle unattended, without a lock. After a few minutes, in which I stretched and munched a bit more on my protein bar, I felt my bike was too much at risk, and moved on.

I knew there was a general store, further in the town, where cyclists often stop as they pass through Osgoode (I've stopped there a few times when I've ridden with the Ottawa Bicycle Club). But when I reached the store, it was closed, and so onward I rode.

There is literally nowhere to stop for a drink between Osgoode and Manotick, so I decided that I would make it to the café that DW and I often visit on bike rides, the Morning Owl. And so, just over 52K into my ride, I was able to stop for a drink at a place where I could keep an eye on my bike while I placed my order.

Ice-cold lemonade has never gone down so fast. I was also feeling hungry, as I hadn't eaten anything before setting out and had had only a few small bites from my Clif Bar, I decided to get a breakfast sandwich.

The final 12 kilometres were mostly uneventful, except for the guy walking the dog, who stepped onto the roadway without looking (good thing I wasn't a car and was looking ahead) and the jogger, who was running on the road, in the bike lane who moved over to his left when I called out, "Passing on your left."

Ugh.

Sunday afternoon was supposed to be occupied with more chores around the house, but DW and I, instead, started making plans for our first trip outside of Canada since the pandemic, which will hopefully be at the end of this year.

Stay tuned.

It was a busy weekend that seemed to fly by. And while there were many other things we planned to do, they seemed to be taken over with other things that just came up.

How about you? How was your weekend? Let me know in the Comment section, below.

Happy Monday!

^* I've always called this museum by its original name and have no intention to change my behaviour.