Happy Birthday, Matthew!

Matthew turns two today. He likes bunnies. We have a family of rabbits that hang around the neighbourhood, which is nice.

ok, one more wrestling post

Matthew's Brush

Matthew's Brush, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Matthew turns two next week. He needs a stool to get up to brush his teeth. It's fun watching him grow every day.

WWJW

What Would Jesus Wear?

Canada Day Crowd

Canada Day Crowd, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Fans line up along the fence on Parliament Hill to catch a glimpse of VIPs like the Governor General, the Prime Minister of Canada, and numerous popular Canadian musicians who perform on the Hill to celebrate Canada's 141st birthday.

Stuffed

Rockcliffe Plane

Rockcliffe Plane, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Plane taking off from Rockcliffe Airport, 17 July 2008.
______
Ottawa/Rockcliffe Airport or Rockcliffe Airport, (IATA: YRO, ICAO: CYRO), a former military base, is a non-towered airport located on the south shore of the Ottawa River, 4 nautical miles (7.4 km) northeast of downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The airport is the home of the Canada Aviation Museum, which owns the field, and is used and maintained by the Rockcliffe Flying Club.

Whitewall

Whitewall, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Wednesday Cruise Night, 5-9pm May to September at the Rideau Carleton Entertainment Centre / Raceway on Albion Road.

1-2-3-4 Counting with Feist

1-2-3-4 Counting with Feist

Bytown Beer and Wine Company

Bytown Beer and Wine Company, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Today, during a moment of weakness while Julie was buying baby stuff next door to this place, I sauntered over to the Bytown Beer and Wine Company and brewed up a keg of 'Dublin Stout'. It's made in the style and taste of the famous Guinness beer. May God help me. It'll be ready in two weeks.

Ira Glass on Storytelling

Here is Ira Glass of "This American Life" talking about the building blocks of a great story. Be sure to watch all four parts. Here's the first part.

The Game Begins

The Game Begins, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

The bike polo game begins when all players throw their mallets into the center of the court. A designated player from one team (Pierre shown) divides them ramdomly in half and tosses the two bundles into opposing directions. The players enter the court to find their mallet which decides their team. Play commences on "Go!" That's when the fun starts.

Yellow

Yellow, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

I read the post this morning on Greater Ottawa blog by David Reevely of the Ottawa Citizen where he mentions the yellow spray painted house. Check out the brief article by Mohammed Adam of The Ottawa Citizen.

Bike Polo

Bike Polo, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

It's a quiet game. Don't know why I originally thought it would be a loud, vicious game. As a spectator you hear the gentle hum of rubber on asphalt, the sound of eight bicycle chains grinding, the almost silent swish of the homemade ABS pipe polo mallets converted mostly from old ski poles as they scratch the court, and the occasional yell of either profanity or cheers in the elation of a goal scored.

It's a co-ed game as well. Ottawa bike courier, book editor, and friend Jennifer Books was out on Sunday playing with the boys. She dishes it out as hard as the next guy, too, let me tell you. She takes no shit from anyone as long as you play hard and fair on the court. Shown in this is photo is Patrice going for the ball at the start of the game. Will post more pics over time I hope. I hear there is an annual tounament the first weekend of August.

Oliver Jones & Oscar Peterson

Oliver Jones & Oscar Peterson, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Jazz pianist Oliver Jones plays a tribute to the late, fellow Montrealer and pianist, Oscar Peterson, Canada Day on Parliament Hill.

From wikipedia:
"Oscar Emmanuel Peterson, CC, CQ, O.Ont. (15 August 1925 – 23 December 2007) was a Canadian jazz pianist, vocalist and composer cultural icon. He was called the "Maharaja of the keyboard" by Duke Ellington, "O.P." by his friends, and was a member of jazz royalty. He released over 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, and received other numerous awards and honours over the course of his career. He is considered to have been one of the greatest pianists of all time, who played thousands of live concerts to audiences worldwide in a career lasting more than 65 years."

Pierre & Patrice

Pierre & Patrice, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Pierre chases down Patrice in a pick up game of bicycle polo on Saturday evening. They play in the park across the street from Di Rienzo's sandwich shop on Beech Ave. in Ottawa. See you there Sunday afternoon? I am going to try and check out the game around 2pm.

Fans

Quite possibly my most favourite photo of 2008.

Jim Cuddy - Blue Rodeo

Jim Cuddy - Blue Rodeo, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo just after a duet with Kevin Parent on Canada Day on Parliament Hill.

Pascale Picard

Pascale Picard, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

What a sweetheart of a singer. The Pascale Picard Band played their song Smilin' on Canada Day on Parliament Hill, July 1st 2008. Hear the song here:

www.myspace.com/pascalepicard

Order of Canada 1 July 2008

By the way, there are *other* members that were invested to the order:
George Elliott Clarke (Officer), Audrey Thomas (Officer), Elke Inkster and Tim Inkster (Members), etc., etc., etc. Congratulations to all!

Dry

Dry, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

A passing cyclist is geared up to keep dry on this rain soaked Thursday morning in Ottawa.

Snowbirds - Canada Day 2008

Snowbirds - Canada Day 2008, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

Canadian Snowbirds - Canada Day 2008 over Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ontario.

Snowbirds Fly Over Parliament Hill

Hope you didn't blink...
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds flew over Parliament Hill on Canada Day at roughly 12:33 pm. Their fly-over pattern was much wider than in previous years. Luckily, I had my wide angle lens to capture the nine Canadair CT-114 Tutor jets as the sped by.

Here they are as photographed in 2007.
And in a previous flight in 2006.

Serena Ryder - Canada Day 2008

Serena Ryder - Canada Day 2008, originally uploaded by johnwmacdonald.

What can I say? Her Canada Day performance set was way too short. Too bad. She's a talented singer.