Relaxing with Friends

• Colleen.killorn's Profile
• About this blog
• Entry from Ottawa

Trip Start Aug 18, 2008 Previous
Entry Trip End Ongoing Next
Entry

  Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Thursday, August 21, 2008

Yesterday was another travel day. We were both very tired after not sleeping very well the night before with the cats up most of the night and waking us up often through the night. At least we were able to get breakfast and earlier start on the road. The Comfort Inn in Levis had only been open for one month, and it was a lovely place to stay. We took advantage of the Breakfast Room and helped ourselves to some extra bread, peanut butter and jam, cheese and apples so we would have lunch for on the road. Before leaving Halifax we purchased a cooler for the truck that can plug into the cigarette lighter (but it is also collapsable - very good choice).

Cocoa was very unsettled during the drive from Levis to Montreal. She cried much of the way. We made a couple of stops along the way to allow her time out of the vehicle to see if that would help...it really didn't. She was just not a happy camper. When we got into Montreal, we stopped to visit Colleen's Nephew Mackenzie Ogilvie...Colleen's sister Patricia's oldest son

Cocoa at Comfort Inn Levis, QC

. It has been more than 5 years since seeing him so we were looking forward to a short visit. With the assistance of our iPhone GPS, we were able to get to his house with little difficulty.

Gonzo was not wanting to socialize so he stayed in the truck while Steve took Cocoa to a little park across from Mac's place, and fortunately we were able to park the truck and trailer right there so we could keep an eye on Gonzo...making sure the truck did not get too hot for him...we would never leave the cats in a vehicle unattended. Colleen got to go up to Mac's place to see it, then he joined us in the park for a nice visit (only about a half hour). Going anywhere for coffee or lunch is out of the question with the cats in tow...so it was great that Mac lived so close to this small green space where we were able to have a relaxing visit..we did not know in advance where he lived or what the situation would hold...but once again, everything worked out perfectly.

Once we left Montreal we were in traffic on Highway 40 until we were out of the city. It was the first real traffic we had encountered on the trip. Cocoa finally settled down and slept the rest of the way to Dave and Mary Wilson's place on the west side of Ottawa. They have a beautiful home with a large property

Colleen, Mac and Jack in Montreal

. The house has four bedrooms and their daughter Sarah is presently living out west so her room is vacant for the time being. Also at home is son Matt (17), three dogs (Macie - 1 year old, Riley - 4 years old and Abbey - 13 years old) and two cats (Finn who is only 4 months old and Jasmine - 18 years old). Gonzo and Cocoa are going to have Sarah's room as their kennel for our stay. They are a bit freaked out by the other animals. Macy has found a way to get into the bedroom to eat their food and for any of you who know Gonzo, he is hiding under the bed - Macy has just gone under the bed to have a visit...much to Gonzo's dismay.

Dave made us a wonderful dinner of Greek Salad and his home-made Hummus. We sat around and chatted for the evening - it was great to relax. We had the guest room to ourselves...no cats for the night. We both had a much better sleep. We're not sure how long it will take to get caught up on sleep. We both still feel exhausted. As I am writing this, Steve is still sleeping so I think he might get caught up before I do.

Today we are going to just relax. We plan to go out to dinner with Dave, Mary, Andrea (my best friend from Elementary School), Terry (her husband) and Jim (a high school friend of Steve and Dave). I am hoping that Jeannine (a school friend of Andrea and Colleen) and her husband Bob might be able to join us as well since it has been a couple of years since I saw her. At least we can leave the cats in a secure environment for the evening and not have to worry about them so we can go out and enjoy the sights of Ottawa.

We miss everyone from home and yet we both are in a bit of denial that we have moved away...right now it still just feels like going on vacation...with a bit more complication.

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Steve and Mac chatting	Dave Preparing Dinner	Real Dog or Toy?	Steve Relaxing with Macie
Finn Caught in Action	Unlikely Best Friends

Slideshow Print this entry Share

Previous Entry Next Entry