C-Pearl (aka SeaJamm): Down the Rideau with Dad, Anna, and Molly

Hello from Sea Jamm! This is Anna Johnson writing to you from Kingston, Ontario. This blog will be a little different from usual because Mom has not been with us on this leg of the trip. My granny was in the hospital, so Mom had to go to Tifton GA to be with family and tend to Granny. Molly and I had just arrived in Ottawa for a long planned trip shortly after mom left and we waited to hear from her about Granny's status. Sadly, Granny passed away on July 3. Molly, Dad, and I were unable to leave the boat to be in Tifton. Mom was greatly missed, and it was hard to be away from her during this sad and hard time.

Anna and Granny

Saturday, June 30

Ottawa

Molly flew in from Atlanta, and I flew in from Louisville. We met at the airport and caught an Uber to the Westin hotel where Dad met us and took us to the boat! It was already late, so we went to bed early to make sure that we were well rested for Canada Day in the capital city!

Sunday, July 1

Ottawa

We explored Ottawa on Canada day. It was very very hot. We went to the National Gallery of Canada in the morning. At the museum, Molly liked the artifacts, I liked the impressionist paintings, and Dad liked the air conditioning! We had lunch at a pub in Byward Market. The pub was so empty because of the heat that there was a performer in the club who sang just for us! After lunch, we walked back to the boat and rested for a bit before taking on the town that evening.

That evening, we walked to Parliament Hill to watch a concert. From there, we walked to Major's Hill Park where we saw another concert by a girl named Charlotte Cardin whom Molly and I really ended up liking a lot. The night concluded with one of the biggest firework shows I've ever seen. It was a fun and full Canada Day in Ottawa.

Monday July 2

Hurst Marina, on the Rideau Canal

Dad wasn't kidding when he said we would have to take the boat through a lot of locks. The locks on the Rideau are a tourist attraction because they were built in the 1800s and are operated by cranks. Tourists come from all over to watch the boats go up and down in the locks. At one point, there were 20 bikers on a bike tour photographing me while I tied the boat to the lock. They stared at me as their legs dangled over the edge of the lock wall. Our day ended at Hurst Marina after driving the boat through a thunder storm. We had dinner at a local pub called the Swan on the Rideau, and I had one of the best sandwiches of my life.

Tuesday July 3

Smiths Falls, on the Rideau Canal

We woke up before 7am and set off for Smiths Falls. The weather was slightly cooler, but still pretty hot. We went through lots of locks. We met “The Next Chapter,” and they helped us dock our boat. When I commented on the boat's name, the man jokingly said, “I just hope it's not the last chapter!” We went to the grocery store to get Molly some cherries and to stock up on food, and we ended our night at the Hemlock Pub. That evening, Mama called to tell us that Granny passed away. I'll always remember and love my Granny Tapp.

Smith's Falls

Wednesday July 4

Davis Lock, on the Rideau Canal

Lots of locks and lots of fun. We stopped in the middle of Big Rideau Lake where we had tacos for lunch and swam off the back of the boat! We paddled around on kayaks and enjoyed the 80 degree water which was a relief from the 100 degree weather outside! Dad even let Molly and I jump from on top of the boat!

Anna makes a splash!

We ended up at Davis Lock where I went swimming again with Dad. Molly watched as the fish followed dad around in the water. I saw a porcupine in the wild and was pretty excited until I realized that's a pretty normal thing in Canada! We cooked a fabulous salmon and asparagus dinner on the boat and followed up dinner with a fun game of Pirate Fluxx (thanks Katie and John!). Argh matey!

Thursday, July 5

Lower Brewers Falls, on the Rideau Canal

The day was marked by more heat, more locks, and more fun with the family. We ended up at Lower Brewers Falls where we made steak on the boat and went for a swim. I kayaked down the canal a bit, and it was really beautiful.

Friday, July 6

Kingston, at the end of the Rideau Canal

I'm writing this on Friday. It was our last full day on the boat together, and it was a lot of fun. We rode to Kingston where Molly and I explored the city. It just happened to be the day of Kingston's busking festival which was very fun to see! We watched over four busking performances on the streets of the city. Tonight, we are going to get dad to take us to the Kingston Brewery restaurant for dinner, and I imagine that we will see even more busking performances! Mom is on a plane to Ottawa right this minute, and we will be driving in a rental car to meet her in Ottawa tomorrow morning. I can't wait to see her. It's been hard to be away from her on this sad week for our family, and it will be so good to be with her even if it's just for a minute.

Conclusion

On the first day that we were in Ottawa, we went to the art museum, and this was one of my favorite paintings that we saw. I don't remember who it was by, and I don't remember its name, but I do remember what it made me feel and think.

This painting forces my mind outward. I feel myself trying to take the whole painting in. My thoughts press into the corners and push the edges of the painting outwards. This doesn't usually happen when I look at painting. What makes this painting different?

It has no focal point.

The absence of a focal point lets you take in all the different parts of the painting and frees your mind to focus on many different things instead of just one. I feel like this yacht trip did this same thing for me. It was just what I needed. It is so easy to get hyper-focused on all the tasks we need to get accomplished in our day to day lives. These tasks become our focal point in our day to day lives. We think about our to-do lists, relationships, and responsibilities, and as we hyper-focus on ourselves, we lose our ability to see all the beautiful things going on around us. I'm thankful for how God used this trip to take my focus off myself and to remind me of all the beautiful and fun things happening all over the world even as I live my day to day life.

Until next time,

Anna

Alan adds a few images from Ottawa and the Rideau: