The Trip part 2

Tulips at Major Hill Park with the Parliament East Block in the background

After a combination of delays and changes, I finally made it in to Ottawa.

We weren't alone on the airport apron (not "tarmac" which I have now learned is the wrong term to use) - a smaller jet was surrounded by black limousines and security. Someone official or important or such was also arriving in the nation's capital.

It was a rainy night and the next day was rainy as well. I still tried to see some of the tulip festival near Parliament but it was a perfect day to spend at the National Gallery of Canada. Visiting here was number two on my list of things to do in Ottawa. Number one was to visit Parliament Hill but I was saving that for when I returned in a week with Dad and Tina.

I didn't take a picture of every piece of art but it seems like it. So many amazing works that I have seen on the covers and pages of textbooks, on postcards and websites. I always look forward to discovering a new artist that I enjoy or a work of art that I just want to spend time with.

Some of my favourites!

Red Currant Jelly by Mary Pratt

This artist was the exhibit I missed seeing in Regina! Love the light! It reminds me of my photo from, Tangled Gardens, a shop in Nova Scotia.

Tom Thomson; Arthur Lismer; J.E.H. MacDonald; and A.Y. Jackson -gorgeous pieces. 

Pavane by Jean Paul Riopelle - this is joy!

Ludivine by Edwin Holgate - I sat in front of this for some time. She is at the funeral of her mother. So powerful.

Artist and Shaman between Two Worlds by Norval Morriseau

Irises by Vincent Van Gogh - so beautiful!

Jacaranda by Alexander Calder

The Hotel Eden by Joseph Cornell - I am a HUGE fan of Joseph Cornell so was happy to see this iconic piece.

A Swedish Village by Harold Gilmer - this makes me want to go to Sweden even more!

Firuzabad (Variation 1) by Frank Stella - a huge bright and happy piece.

"Just paint the picture already!" - Young Woman with a Fan by Pietro Rotari

Okay - I really could have posted many more. I spent my time going from room to room and occasionally sitting and soaking it all in. I love great art galleries!  Unfortunately, I didn't figure out how to turn off the camera sounds until the next day.  So everywhere I went, you could here, click, click, click.  I'm sure the security and other visitors would have been happier if I had known this 24 hours earlier. To see my photos of the art and the gallery I spent my day enjoying, you can see them here on Flickr.   Do you have a favourite?

The room I spent the most time is was the reconstruction of the Rideau Street Convent Chapel. Not only for the beauty of the room but the sound installation of the Forty-Part Motet by Janet Cardiff. I remember reading about this when it was originally exhibited in 2001. It was amazing to sit and listen to. But even more amazing to walk around the room and hear each track on its own speaker as the music was passed around the room.

Amazing ceiling, isn't it?

Here is a video of what the experience is like:

After touring the gallery, I made my way to take in the view from Nepean Point. From behind the gallery, you can look out and see the river with bridges across to Gatineau and look back towards downtown to see Parliament and the locks of the canal. The West Block is currently being renovated - a process that is making its way around the various buildings of Parliament and scheduled to take 30 years. Renovations on the Central Block will be starting in 2018.

Parliament Hill as seen from Nepean Point

I had dinner down at the Elgin Street Diner - open all night which is good because after walking all day at the gallery, I didn't make it back out until after I watched 24 (so happy Jack is back!) and then walked for an hour to find it. Poutine, a salad and a milkshake. Too much food - it was impossible to finish. I read my book and enjoyed people watching and being out of the rain.  

Where I spent my Friday night in Ottawa

The next morning I had breakfast in my neighbourhood - the busy Byward Market with stalls of flowers, vegetables and fruit and arts and crafts.  I enjoyed a croissant and hot chocolate from Moulin De Provence, an Ottawa landmark. I bought some loaves of bread and tulip cookies to take up to Val d'Or. (no camera for this part)

My ride north had a few hiccups (including some generous and helpful volunteers who got me to my bus and a very carsick dog) but I eventually made it to Val d'Or by 9:30 that night.

En route to Val d'Or - rocks and trees and water... (I hummed the Arrogant Worms song all the way up)

 Part 3 of the trip to follow.

The Trip Part 1

En route to Ottawa from Val d'Or with Elder and Sister Rhodes 

It started out to just be a trip to visit the missionaries (Dad and Tina) in Quebec. It grew into a bit more -  Regina, Phoenix, Ottawa, Val d'Or, Quebec and back to Ottawa. Well, I had never visited the capital of our country before and this was something I was definitely going to take advantage of since Val d'Or is part of the stake in Ottawa. Then the timing lined up with my attendance of  the TESL Canada conference in Regina where I was giving two presentations so it was a pit stop on my journey east. BUT then I was invited to join my sister's family and my mom in Phoenix between these two - Mother's Day in the sun. So the trip was set.

The girls in Phoenix on Mother's Day 2014 (mom's pic from Facebook)

It is always nice to come home but I had a great time on the road! Here are the highlights:

Regina: Excellent conference. I attended some great presentations - had some good conversations connecting with colleagues from across the country. Not enough time to attend all the sessions I wanted to see. Gave two presentations (which is part of why I spent my first day in Regina on the computer in my hotel room working on documents needed back at MRU and finalizing my notes and didn't get to visit the MacKenzie Art Gallery), but both were well attended and I felt good at the end of them.  Loved the last night - Nancy found an improv show "Red Hot Riot with Jayden Pfeifer" and coordinated tickets for us. It was just a few blocks from the hotel and was an Improv/Talk show held in a renovated church, the Artesian.  Hilarious! There was even a legitimate guest for the talk show - Lowell Dean, director of "Wolf Cop".  And a musical act, Poor Nameless Boy. I bought his CD at the end of the show - if you get a chance to check him out, do so!

Last night in Regina - Improv fun at the Artesian

Phoenix: I arrived Sunday afternoon for a couple of days in the sun with just the Mom, Janelle and Madi. On Monday we visited the Phoenix Desert Botanical Gardens and saw the Chihuly exhibit!! I'm so glad I was able to see this. It's like I've been chasing Chihuly installations with a number of my trips. Missed it at Chatsworth. Missed it at Kew Gardens. Missed the first exhibit in Phoenix and left Arizona one week before this current exhibit with hopes to get back before it was packed up.  This was now the last week before it was all over. Fantastic pieces and when you look around, there were plants in the garden that could be seen as inspirations for the glass works.

Madi at the Desert Botanical Garden Chihuly art installation
Red and Yellow Assymetrical Tower, 2013 

Summer Sun

Erbium Pink Fiori, 2013

Blue Fiori Sun, 2013

Sapphire Star, 2010

To see more of my photos from the Botanical Garden, click through for the full set on Flickr.

We were then joined by Rob, Tanner, Sam and Jazz on Tuesday for another couple of days of fun.

An early visit to the new Gilbert Arizona temple.

Lots of pool time and I had fun playing with my camera settings.

I took sooo many pictures to get this great shot!

Last night in Phoenix - the full moon

Part one of my trip done... on to Ottawa and Val d'Or in the next blog post. 

Flickr Friday: Cloud

Cloud by Caitlind Brown

For Flickr Friday, I've posted a couple of photos I rediscovered on a flashdrive this week. These were taken at Nuit Blanche 2012, a late-night arts festival held in downtown Calgary one September evening. This event was cancelled last year but will be back this fall!

This was my favourite installation.

Cloud by Caitlind Brown

This installation was in Prague last year and this video shows the interactive nature of the piece.

Portland

Portland is a city I definitely want to visit again! It was my first time here and just a quick trip but it was enough to realize it wasn't long enough. I was there for the TESOL 2014 conference.  I found this great house on TripAdvisor and passed on a sterile hotel to stay here. Stayed in Hawthorne - an awesome neighbourhood with the best bakery at the end of the street.  I visited it every day of  my stay - yummy pastries and delicious soups and sandwiches.

Grand Central Baking Co. on Hawthorne Street

After dropping off my luggage and enjoying soup and a salad at the bakery, I caught the bus to the Portland Art Museum. In the POURING rain. I was more than a bit waterlogged by the time I arrived. But it wasn't snow and with blossoms everywhere, so I didn't care.

Not nearly enough time to see all the floors of art but what I saw, I liked. It included the triptych of Lucien Freud by Francis Bacon (below), the most expensive painting to be sold at auction. It went for $142.4 MILLION at Christie's in November 2013 to an anonymous buyer.  It has been on loan to the museum for the Masterworks series since Dec 21 and only until April 6.

Day one ended with dinner at Kell's , an Irish pub near Skidmore Fountain. 

Dianne, Elisa and Christina - we all arrived at the same time

Dianne and Dan (horrible camera phone pic quality in low light)

Day two was day one for me at the conference (more on my ESL blog about the TESOL convention) and ended with an exploration of Belmont Street and dinner at Dick's Kitchen - delish!

Public Art on the bridge

"Happiness on a Plate" is promised at Dick's Kitchen!

Good food, great company! (Dinner with Christina and Silvia)

Day three was another good day of professional development at the conference.

Silvia, Bonnie, Christina, Elisa, Dan and I

To end off the evening, a group of us headed up to the Pearl district for Thai food in another downpour and a visit at Powell's Books. I had never heard of it and was surprised when we asked locals for a recommendation of what we shouldn't miss in Portland, more than one told us to go to Powell's Books. That speaks volumes about the type of people you meet in Portland and the wonder that is Powell's! It claims to be largest independent new and used bookstore in the world. When you shop, you find the 'room' that has the type of books you are interested in by the colour name of the room and when browsing the shelves, new and used books are all shelved side by side - interspersed so that you see all that they have by an author or on a subject. I ended up there two more times and it was a herculean feat for me not to leave with armfuls of books! 

A huge collection of Nancy Drew (old and new) and on the bottom left, two young boys reading in the Star Wars/ Superheroes aisle.

Day four and the conference came to an end. My last session ended in time to jump on the MAX and head over to the Portland Saturday Market. Another trip to the area by Skidmore Fountain and along the river and another reason to pull out the umbrella. The rain didn't deter a salsa dancing flashmob though!

Back and forth between rain and sun  

Fantastic curiousity cabinets

More wooden utensils (this pic is for you Jill!)

While Dianne and Elisa went on an underground tour of Portland, I enjoyed my second visit to Powell's before meeting them for dinner at Old Town Pizza, an icon in Portland and allegedly haunted although we didn't have any ghostly visitations during our meal. 

Last day in Portland. I headed out to church - a ten minute walk away and held in a historic 1929 chapel.  The Relief Society announced that they would be making cards on the next Thursday, the High Priests announced that they would NOT be making cards on the next Thursday. Someone was accepted into a prestigious Ph.D. program for oceanography and congratulated and the CTRs had the same lesson as my class back home - as evidenced by the young girl who shared her colour choices for her handout from the pulpit during her testimony. Oh, and singing hymns in this ward is an experience. It was a great set of meetings. 

After church, I explored the neighbourhood, the lovely homes and beautiful blossoming trees, and found lunch (at the food trucks) along Hawthorne before leaving for the airport. 

Chicken, cilantro and lime tacos from Neza Taqueria

Dessert from Carte Blanche

"Basketboots" from Carte Blanche

 Okay, I have to describe this most scrumptious dessert.  Pan-fried cornbread, berry-rhubarb compote, salted caramel, sliced apple,and  almond-cinnamon whipped cream. I had read about it on the yelp app and when I found the food truck, two girls were in front of me in line. They started to recommend the sandwich to me and I told them I had come for the dessert I read about. They admitted they had each ordered one and were back for seconds. Clearly a favourite and after enjoying it (during a sunny hiatus after the rain) I understand why.

Everything that makes Portland weird also makes it wonderful. A fun city to visit and explore.  I wasn't able to try out one of their vintage movie theatres or stroll through all the stunning gardens. Next trip!!

Keep Portland Weird (this is also a favourite bumper sticker)