An autumn afternoon at the arboretum

A friend recently posted a photo on Facebook of the green, vibrant campus of a Florida university. "When I see pictures of Florida," I commented, "I think, 'I live in Ottawa because...?'" Summer is decidedly over, here. Some days, though, remind me why we enjoy life here.

We took an outing yesterday afternoon. An honest-to-goodness, physically active and educational outing. Ottawa has an urban farm, the Central Experimental Farm, and it includes a sizeable arboretum. It's 26 hectares, which is about 64 acres making it around 1/13th the size of New York's Central Park, but it's large enough to be quiet and calm and get a good stretch of the legs.

Autumn in Ottawa being what it is, it was a gorgeous afternoon. The fall foliage was colourful but still mostly in the tree-tops, but the unseasonably warm weather made it a perfect day for running around outside.

We watched mallards on Dow's Lake.






We walked. We ran. We followed some dogs around. We climbed on large rocks.





We enjoyed the sunshine.
Bubby was there, too, of course.

Before we left, she needed a nurse. 

I asked Peanut where we should sit. "Which tree should we sit under?" I asked her. 
"Under the yellow tree." Hickory it was.

I love this city. And I love my girls.