Fathers and Sons and Wives and Sisters and Brothers

It was another action-packed week, making this my busiest June on record (well, if you consider this blog the record). Early Monday -- appropriately, the morning after Father's Dad -- Dad picked me up for what I hope will become a regular event: a father-son trip. For our maiden (boyish?) voyage, we headed for Ottawa.

I hadn't been to our nation's capital in a decade and was looking forward to checking out the city's impressive list of galleries and museums. In particular, we were both looking forward to the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography; unfortunately, it is currently closed for major reconstruction.

Instead, our first museum stop became the National Gallery of Canada. Their single contemporary photography exhibit doesn't compare with an entire museum of photographs, but we did very much enjoy the feature exhibit of Renoir paintings. Further to my Met visit earlier this month, I'm becoming quite the Impressionista. So inspired, and craving more contemporary photos, I took this picture of a fountain in the Gallery's lobby. Consider it a limited edition Wichman.

We also explored the Canadian Museum of Civilization, where I enjoyed seeing many of the Inuit artifacts featured in a book I recently finished editing. But it was the Canadian War Museum that really blew us away (pardon the pun). We spent an entire afternoon there and only made it as far as World War II before closing time. We were particularly fascinated to learn more about Canada's role in the Boer War. It was the first time Canadian soldiers served in an conflict on the other side of the world, and the citizens of our newly formed country were divided as to how they felt about it. Sound familiar?

Apart from the museums, a real highlight of the trip was the fine dining we enjoyed in the evenings: the restaurants Beckta and Signatures (the latter is run by Le Cordon Bleu culinary institution). The food was stunning, both litearlly -- I was stuffed almost to the point of pararlysis -- and figuratively; I can honestly say that Beckta served the best foie gras in a mushroom terrine with white truffle oil and an apple-sherry jam that I've ever tasted. After full days of museum tromping, it was wonerful to sit and enjoy such fine meals and good conversation with my father. Thanks, Dad. Here's to more such trips in the future.

(That's a paper boat sailing down the Rideau Canal. For the purposes of this blog entry, consider it the equivalent of riding off into the sunset.)

But the fine dining wasn't over yet. No sooner was I home from Ottawa that Jeanette and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary with a meal at our favourite neighborhood restaurant Kamasutra. For the record, flowers are the traditional gift for the fourth anniversary so:

I gave Jeanette a bouquet of her favourite peonies. Happy Anniversary, my love!

But wait, there's more! My sister Leighann and her partner Marianne were in town with some friends and a busy agenda of their own, including the True Colors tour, a conference in Guelph, and Toronto's Pride Week.



Between our busy week and theirs, we managed to see each other for two dinners and a brunch. Are you sensing how much we like food in this family?

And finally, this weekend was also the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Toronto 2007 Celebration of Friendship picnic. This year had a pirate theme, so every kid received a pirate hat. Alfredo loaned me his when I grew too pooped to play more soccer.



While I was content to look like a dork on the sdielines, Alfredo looked cool (and kept cool) by continuing to play even with a sno-cone in hand.


He scored a goal without spilling a drop. Let's see Zidane do that!

All in all, a busy week filled with fun activities with people I adore. And that also makes it one of the best Junes on record (even beyond the record of this blog).