life with more cowbell

Okay, so now that I’ve more or less recovered from my vacation week/Labour Day weekend – though, to be honest, I could use a week off to recover – thought I’d share some moments from my time away. And, no, it was not me who got married in Ottawa.

The first part of my vacation was a celebration in Ottawa: my friend Lesley’s wedding to her guy Derek, in a cosy, intimate ceremony in the lovely Italian restaurant, Il Vagabondo: http://www.ilvagabondoottawa.ca/. I cab-shared with our friend Maria and her husband Brendan (who were also staying at the Lord Elgin), and we were greeted by the restaurant owners with drinks and tasty finger food. And, shortly after we arrived, the bride arrived – on foot! Don’t know how Les managed that walk (though their place is only minutes away) in those fabulous heels she was wearing. Damn! 

The vows were especially nice, chosen by Les and Derek from a selection offered by the presiding Humanist/non-denominational female minister. And then we partied! The food was amazing and our hosts were wonderful. Since it was an early gathering, a bunch of us retired to Les and Derek’s condo for more celebratory beverages (i.e., booze). And when things wound down there, it was only around 9 p.m. or so – so Maria, Brendan and I decided to go out to an Irish pub near the hotel that they’d been to earlier in the week.

So the three of us stopped by the hotel to freshen up (and so Maria could change into pants and flats) and headed out. We heard music playing down the street, so we went to check it out. Turns out, the music was coming from an outdoor stage over at City Hall – set up for Ottawa Pride! After inquiring about the beer situation there, we paid our cover and had a couple of beers. It was great fun – and a nice surprise to stumble upon Pride – and we managed to catch the last few acts (a burlesque troupe, and bands Apocalypstic and The Cliks) before they had to close at 11 p.m. (damn those noise bylaws!). Still up for a pub, we moved on to our original destination and had a couple more beers (with potato skins to soak up the alcohol). And the early wedding festivities turned into a late night of post-celebration for three folks from T.O.

Needless to say, I was a bit hung over the next morning for the next part of my trip. And I was seriously wondering if my flight to St. John’s was going to be grounded or delayed, as Hurricane Irene was heading toward the Maritimes.

More on my vacation adventures soon. In the meantime, here’s one of my favourite pix from the wedding (left to right: Derek, Lesley and Lesley’s son Chris):