Wild Tiggers Of The Rideau

A few months before we moved to Ottawa in 2002, we flew out here to find an apartment. In the Chicago aiport we met a lady from Toronto who was also flying to Ottawa. When we told her that we were moving to Ottawa she said, "Why would you want to move there?" Apparently, she didn't think Ottawa was a very lively town.

On our trip we found a great little apartment. We also found one really good reason to live in Ottawa -- it was right outside our apartment window: The Rideau Canal.


The Rideau Canal is part of the Rideau Waterway, which connects the Ottawa River to Kingston, Ontario. The system was constructed in the early 1800s as an alternative to the St. Lawrence Seaway, should war break out with the United States. The war never came, but the Canal was finished in 1832, and it is now the "oldest continuously operating canal system in North America." In the winter, an 8-km section of the canal freezes into the longest skating rink in the world.


Friday we went down by our old apartment for a walk along the canal pathway. Starting at the Hog's Back Locks, we made our way down past the gold-domed Ukrainian Catholic Church before turning around to come back. Had we gone a little further, we would have arrived at Dow's Lake, which is where we took the tulip pictures a few weeks ago.

The entire time we were out, we were followed by a sinister-looking animal -- a lot like a tiger, but much smaller. I've heard of such animals on TV and in books that I've read. I believe what we saw was a Tigger. Although it appeared very sleepy at times, it pounced on me once we got home. Then it smacked its lips and made several cute cooing noises.