beauty. Ottawa In The Summertime

for the past 3 summers i have been more than pleased to take off for work in the forest the second my school duties are complete.
i have packed up my life and jetted out to Northern Ontario for the summer months without so much as a glance over my shoulder to see what i am leaving behind.

you see, i am studying in this amazing field that provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to hunt for rocks out in remote places over the summer.
and for all of the summers i have spent in Ottawa, i was quite pleased to get out of here for a few months, breath some fresh air, get a new perspective and rejuvenate in the refreshing surroundings of nature's playground.

this is the first summer in 3 years that i have been grounded here in Ottawa, having come back from SE Asia only a couple of months ago, i have plenty of catching up to do on my masters research and it was determined that we would only need to spend a couple of weeks in our study area near Musselwhite mine this summer.
now, i am not sure if it's a renewed appreciation for the beauty this city radiates in the summertime, or a shocking new realization having experienced a toss up of such beauty and underdevelopment in SE Asia that Ottawa seems so incredibly stunning in comparison, but either way, i'll take it.. and can actually admit that i do not want to leave.

maybe it's the patios and street-open face concept of the pubs and resto-bars that line Elgin, Bank, and the streets of the market.
maybe it's that the usually unhappy civil servants have also found something to be happy about under the sun in the late afternoon.
maybe it's that everyone seems to be moving, excited to be able to get some exercise outside for a few months.. capitalizing on every opportunity to get some fresh air.


this city is so nicely set up for beautiful bike rides or rollerblading along the canal and the Ottawa river, or getting up to gatineau park to do some trail-riding, canoeing, or even some camping not too far from the city.

and on a more personal level, i have started playing ball hockey in the Ottawa Vanier Women's Ball Hockey League and the girls on my team "the pink panthers" are so awesome!  we hang out after games drinking beerskis in the parking lot, and sometimes we all go out to the bar together.  this is something that i didn't even notice i was missing, but i'm all too aware of it now because it feels so nice to have a good group of girls to hang around and enjoy this summertime feeling with!
i have also been climbing at Coyote Rock Gym 2-3 times a week, i got a summer membership and it's got me really driven to be fit and get strong.

anyways, on sunday i fly to Thunder Bay and then we're off to Pickle Lake from where we'll take a float plane into a remote area and set up camp for a couple of weeks!  i know that as soon as i get out there, i will once again feel i'm home.. with the smells of the forest and the beauty of the sunset over the lake.