waterfront restaurants

If you enjoy spending a sunny summer day on a restaurant patio, then check out  Guadalaharry’s Tex-Mex restaurant on Dow's Lake. Kick back with a cold beer or a margarita and munch on nachos while gazing out on the water. The food is affordable, the servers are cheery, there's lots of laughter and there’s free parking at the lot across the street.

For more information check out my article in the Ottawa Citizen Travel section

WAKEFIELD - a drive in the country

My cousin was visiting for the weekend and I wanted to show off Ottawa. It was a rainy, cold spring day so anything outdoors was out of the question and she was not into museums.  What to do?

We took a leisurely drive to the country and ended up in Wakefield.  Along the way, we stopped to show her the Wakefield covered bridge.  To our pleasure and surprise there was a wedding ceremony taking place and we were there just in time to watch the bride walk down the ‘aisle’ from the road to meet the groom waiting undercover of the bridge.  How special!

The rain did not stop us from wandering in and out of the funky little shops and then stopping for lunch at my favourite eclectic restaurant, Le Hibou.  All in all, a great afternoon.

Perth Festival of the Maples

Want a great way to usher in spring?  The Perth Festival of the Maples, held the last Saturday in April in the heart of the maple syrup capital of Ontario, celebrates the end of the maple sap run with a bash that attracts 15,000 - 20,000 people annually.


Stroll, shop, listen to live music, watch a sheep-shearing demonstration, check out antique cars, sample maple products...or just enjoy a spring day. Perth is only 75 km from the west end of Ottawa, about an hour's drive.

for more information check out my article in the Ottawa Citizen Travel section.
Daytripping: Perth’s sweet spring bash