Caledon, decaying
rolling fields, seldom walked morning mist, apple orchards, pig farms "Ooh ooh ooh, looking out my back door" quiet farmers, unimpressed by sophistication, people I took for granted land being sold, partitioned and forgotten; loved ones buried beneath town homes memories moved, shuffled and distorted; losing ground, returning is always just fantasy a lonely house, white washed walls, children playing in fields tall, straight, firm, booming; shrinking, bent, frail, meek don't wait, it's not worth it washed out clay hills my childhood still rests on that land
0 Comments
Ayano and I wanted to finally get out and see some of the city other than Parliament and downtown, and we were lucky enough to pick a perfect day. I've always heard how beautiful, relaxed and charming Ottawa is, and for the past two weeks, I'll be honest, I hadn't fallen in love with the city yet. Something pretty amazing happened today though :)
So while we walked along the Rideau Canal and River, we passed the gorgeous Carlton campus, waterfalls, swans, parks and forests. The sun was out, that beautiful end of summer weather was in full swing, and everything seemed idyllic. As we stopped for a quick chocolate snack on a bench in the woods, we noticed just how many small animals and birds were around us. Squirrels, chipmunks and starlings came bustling out of the underbrush and were eager to see who we were. I was pretty amazed by how brazen they were, as the small birds darted in and out around our heads, even stopping to sit near my shoulder on the bench. The chipmunks ran right up to our feet, placing a tentative paw on our shoes and looking up eagerly at us. Amidst all this action, I decided to try my luck, stuck out my finger, and waited to see if any birds would land on it. In less than a minute, one actually did!! I was ecstatic! I couldn't believe it just flew out from a tree, hoped onto my finger, and rested there for a good 20 seconds. This happened not just once, but TWICE! Ayano managed to grab a blurred photo of it resting on my hand, but photos can't express how happy I was :D I really can't wait to go back there and try it again :D I'll definitely be stopping in during the winter months with some bird seed and hopefully help my new found friends brave the cold. Well, if I wasn't gushing over Ottawa before, I definitely am today. Slowly we're discovering neat little cafés and stores, small gems hidden on side streets and tucked behind parking lots. That's probably my favorite part about moving to a new city, being able to just wander for days always finding something new and interesting. It's not as new and intense as Busan or Seoul, nor as unique, trendy and MASSIVE like Tokyo, but Ottawa definitely has some pretty cool things going on; and none of those other big international cities had birds flying onto my fingertips! (sorry for the low quality photo's, didn't take my camera so these are just from a cellphone) I know it's only been one week of school, but I was definitely in need of a break from all the registrations, orientations, being up-beat, running around, moving in, etc etc etc. I'm loving Ottawa, but a chance to head out to Quebec City with my favorite young family is something we couldn't pass up :) It was also Ayano's first time there, and I knew she would love the ambiance, the architecture and the vibe of old Quebec City :) We had an amazing time and now I'm definitely ready to hit the books again and get back to work :D
|
Archives
October 2016
Categories |