The Boat, Critters, And Buskers

Outside the Museum, a boat can be found, permanently dry docked. The Missinaibi is a boat Canadians have all seen at one point or another. The Canadian one dollar bill that was replaced by the dollar coin featured a view from this shoreline out onto the Ottawa River below Parliament Hill, where the Missinaibi was among the logs of a spring log drive. That image was taken from a landscape photograph taken by Malak Karsh. His brother Yousuf Karsh, the portrait photographer, took a photograph of Queen Elizabeth that formed the basis of the other side of the bill. Today the boat can be explored by children, as was happening when I was here on Canada Day.

In one of the shelters on the grounds, there was a wildlife expert with two animals. One was down having a nap in an enclosure- a groundhog. After a few moments, he or she stirred. I'm used to groundhogs that look more tan than dark.

The other was in his hands- a garter snake. I can affirm that a snake is quite dry to the touch.

Heading off to go back across the river, I paused to photograph these two women, step dancing to fiddle music. The shirts and sashes are something that wouldn't be out of place on the voyageurs of a century or two ago. The yoga pants, on the other hand, would be rather odd among historic voyageurs, but they really danced well.