Lise's Ramblings

In winter months, firefighters rely on guide markers to help them locate fire hydrants buried beneath snow. Boaters count on navigation markers to steer cruisers and sailboats through narrow or rocky channels. We all use guide markers from time to time. Perhaps you install temporary markers at your lawn’s edge to make sure you don’t mangle your grass as you rid your driveway of snow and ice.  Or, maybe you’ve hiked remote trails and relied on guide markers to lead you through dense forest.  When the usual doesn’t suffice At least trees, driveways and fire hydrants stay put. In Canada’s Far North, the landscape changes, so guide markers are a matter of survival. Inuit cope with extreme winds and cold, shifting ice, near-zero visibility, extensive periods of darkness and other challenges. Mere flags, sticks and posts cannot withstand or be seen in such harsh conditions. That’s where a rock inuksuk (pronounced ee-nook-sook) comes in. Towering up to a metre or more in...

The Brits have the Great Clock atop Elizabeth Tower , Westminster Palace , London . Although that clock’s four faces are affectionately known as Big Ben, that’s actually the Great Bell’s official name. Canadians have the Tower of Victory and Peace , which is more often called the Peace Tower , with its imposing gargoyles high above the Centre Block of Parliament Hill, Ottawa . Despite how large and bright today’s digital clocks shine, they pale compared to those classics. Digital clocks are easy to read, but more often than not, they’re too bright ( Times Square comes to mind). Then there’s the clamour of it all: alarms squawk, speak the hour or blare tunes at you. How I long for the mechanical metronome-like pendulum tick-tock-tick-tock ticking accompanied by chimes, cuckoos, gongs and tolls. They’re loud, yet somehow soothing. I grew up in households graced by those sounds, thanks to the two traditional timepieces shown here: the grandfather clock that towered in my grandpa...

Statistics Canada reports that Canadian commuters spend an average of 52 minutes daily traveling roundtrip to work. In major centres such as Montreal and Toronto, more than a quarter of Canadians spend at least 1.5 hours commuting back and forth every weekday. Ugh. Commute times grow when you add one or more of the following: construction, bad weather, police spot-checks, a sinkhole, an accident or long-weekend crowds.  Any wonder the international Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) rates shorter commute times as a key variable in studies of health and quality of life.  There just aren't many upsides to long commutes, apart from time to listen to podcasts, music or audio books. Sure, dozing, reading, writing and other activities are possible when public transportation is available, but still you aren't spared from delays and lengthy travel times.  I'm grateful for my short d...

Tourists and residents take advantage of the Confederation Trail , Prince Edward Island's former railway line. The system spans the length of Canada's smallest province and includes offshoots to villages and attractions.   Trail in the Gatineau Hills   I'm lucky the Confed Trail cuts through campus, so I can get exercise during my lunch break. I can also spot chickadees and warblers nearly as often as I see red foxes and bald eagles. On the opposite side of the country, my sister and brother-in-law build and maintain trails for mountain bikers. Unlike PEI's pastoral and shore views, the North Vancouver trails cut through mountain terrain dotted with towering Western Red Cedars and potentially dangerous wildlife. When I lived in la belle ville , trails lined the Lachine Cana l to lead Montrealers and visitors to tourist hot spots and commuting destinations. (Thank you, Parks Canada!) I love that the metropolitan city also had trails up Mount Royal, where I...

By far, one of my favourite things about Ottawa is the Rideau Canal. It has earned several designations: National Historic Site of Canada (1925), Canadian Heritage River (2000), Guiness Book of World Records holder (2005) and UNESCO World Heritage Site (2007). The 202-kilometre waterway, which connects the Ottawa River to Lake Ontario, was built from 1826 to 1832 for military needs. Today, area residents and tourists from across the country and around the world have varied uses for the canal system.  photo source: canadascapital.gc.ca on Flickr  At this time of year, a 7.8-kilometre stretch of the Rideau Canal serves as the world’s largest * , naturally frozen, outdoor skating rink.  According to the National Capital Commission, the skateway equals 90 Olympic-sized rinks (165,621 square metres). This amazing  outdoor rink i s a major draw for the National Capital Region’s Winterlude Festival (Bal de neige). Avid skaters who brave th...

Sniff, sniff, sniff. Who hasn’t been lured to a mall food court by scents wafting from a Cinnabon? Even if you don’t cave, that sugar-and-spice combo causes your nose to perk up. Cinnamon donuts (mini-beignes) and cinnamon rolls at farmers’ markets and mom-and-pop bakeries are that much more enticing. You fool yourself into thinking the treats are somehow wholesome, because of where you buy them. Then, since they’re small and delicious, you wolf down far more than you should.  Source: BeaverTails media kit www.beavertailsinc.com  Well it takes a whole other level of self-restraint to resist BeaverTails ―a.k.a. Queues de castor―in Ottawa , Halifax, Vancouver and other Canadian cities. That smell of warm cinnamon causes even the healthiest people to crave a cinnamon, sugar, dough and butter delicacy. You’re even more likely to give in to those BeaverTails when you smell them late at night and if you’ve been out drinking. Come to think of it, I ate my last Beaver...