Ottawa, Canada has played a big part in our lives. James lived in Canada’s capital for much of his formative years, and we first shared an apartment together there in 1984 during a Co-Op student work term. When we lived in Toronto in the 1990s, we often visited for the Winterlude winter festival. But we’ve not returned for decades.

We were drawn back recently to visit with Dr. David Parnas, our software engineering professor at the University of Victoria (UVic) in the 1980s who James also worked for as Co-Op student one summer. David had a deep influence over how James approaches problems and thinks critically that remains strong today. And while in town, we took the opportunity to explore some of our old haunts, visit some new places, and enjoy a Hamilton family dinner.

Below are highlights from October 17th and 18th, 2025. Click any image for a larger view, or click the position to view the location on a map. And a map with our most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.

10/17/2025

Fall Colors Position: 45°20.13’N, -75°37.29’W Vibrant fall colors as our flight to Ottawa is about to land. We’ll be spending the weekend in Ottawa visiting family and friends.

Ottawa Marriott Position: 45°25.20’N, -75°42.22’W Our home for the weekend at the Ottawa Marriott.

Ottawa River Position: 45°25.20’N, -75°42.23’W We picked this room at the Ottawa Marriott for its sweeping view to the Ottawa River and the Parliament buildings, and weren’t disappointed.

Hamiltons Position: 45°25.97’N, -75°40.36’W An excellent meal with great company at a Hamilton gathering in Ottawa. Clockwise from James’ left are his uncles Gord and Neil, Neil’s spouse Jackie and Gord’s spouse Karen.

10/18/2025

Cliff Plant Position: 45°25.20’N, -75°42.21’W The Cliff Heating and Cooling Plant along the Ottawa River was built in 1918. Construction on a modernization project is nearing completing, with the plant completely hidden in the cliff, a park built on the roof, and the two cooling towers enclosed in stainless steel to form striking “sculptures”. We’ve never seen an attractive cooling tower before.

Sparks Street Position: 45°25.16’N, -75°42.27’W Jennifer forming the missing ‘T’ in an Ottawa sign on vehicle-prohibited Sparks Street in Ottawa. We first lived together in 1984 during a Co-Op student work term in Ottawa. James was working at the National Research Council east of downtown and Jennifer at Bell Northern Research to the west, so we split the difference and lived downtown, where we frequented Sparks Street.

Ottawa Bronze Relief Position: 45°25.18’N, -75°42.43’W Bronze relief Parliament Hill and other Ottawa landmarks, outside the Library and Archives Canada.

Christ Church Cathedral Position: 45°25.15’N, -75°42.52’W Christ Church Cathedral opened in 1873, built on property donated to the church by Ottawa’s first settler, Nicholas Sparks.

Fall Colors Position: 45°25.18’N, -75°42.66’W Fall colors along the Ottawa River as we walk out to lunch.

Mill St. Brewery Position: 45°25.17’N, -75°42.75’W At the Mill St. Brewery, housed in an historic grist mill building. The pub’s name derives from its location, but not this location. The chain brewery was named after its first establishment at 55 Mill Street in Toronto’s historic Distillery District.

Patio Seat Position: 45°25.19’N, -75°42.75’W Enjoying some delicious pints over lunch at the Mill St. Brewery, overlooking the Ottawa River. In the background is an old sluice that was used to send logs downstream, bypassing the nearby Chaudiere Falls.

Hydrapulpers Position: 45°25.12’N, -75°43.11’W Old hydrapulpers, used to separate fibers from raw material using water, preserved from an nearby defunct pulp and paper mill.

Chaudiere Falls Position: 45°25.18’N, -75°43.28’W Chaudiere Falls supplied power for industries such as paper mills since the 19th century, and later were harnessed for hydroelectric power plants. The falls weren’t accessible to the public until 2017, when a park of the same name opened after the mills all closed. While still supporting power generation, much of the area is being repurposed from industrial to mixed-used residential and commercial.

Portage Power Position: 45°25.23’N, -75°43.20’W Portage Power’s hydroelectric plant at Chaudiere falls came online in 2017 with a capacity for 29MW. The powerhouse is entirely underground to minimize aesthetic impact.

Interzip Position: 45°25.25’N, -75°43.13’W Interzip bills itself as the only inter-provincial zipline in the world. Staring in Ontario, you can soar across the Ottawa River to Quebec.

Royal Canadian Navy Monument Position: 45°25.25’N, -75°42.63’W The Royal Canadian Navy Monument at Richmond Landing along the Ottawa River is a tribute to those past and present who served in Canada’s naval force.

Supreme Court of Canada Position: 45°25.27’N, -75°42.29’W The third Supreme Court of Canada building opened in 1946, replacing their second building just west of Parliament Hill where the court operated from 1882. That second building was deemed a fire hazard and demolished in 1955, the only building on Parliament Hill to be removed.

Lester B. Pearson Position: 45°25.44’N, -75°42.08’W Statue on Parliament Hill of Lester B. Pearson, the Prime Minister of Canada from 1963 to 1968. The toe of the left shoe is polished from all the people touching it for good luck.

Queen Victoria Position: 45°25.45’N, -75°42.07’W One of the hundreds of statues of Queen Victoria that stand around the world. Canada has at least a dozen, while Britain has at least 175. Queen Victoria reigned for 63 years, from 1837 to 1901, ruling a greatly expanding British Empire, and is one of the most memorialized people in the world.

Library of Parliament Position: 45°25.52’N, -75°42.08’W The Library of Parliament houses 650,000 items, managed by a staff of 300. This is the main facility, established in 1876 adjacent to the Parliament Buildings, with several branches in other parliamentary buildings.

National Gallery of Canada Position: 45°25.56’N, -75°41.97’W The National Gallery of Canada is one of the largest art museums in North America by exhibit space (133,000 sq ft, or 12,400 sq m). The institute was established in 1880, and the current building completed in 1988.

Parliament Buildings Position: 45°25.45’N, -75°41.85’W The iconic Peace Tower, in the Center Block of Canada’s Parliament Buildings. The clock tower stands 302.5 ft (92.2 m), and replaces the Victoria Tower that burned down with much of the Center Block in 1916. The crane-surrounded Center Block is undergoing a $5-billion 20-year preservation, rehabilitation, and modernization project that is expected to be completed in 2030-2031.

National Arts Centre Position: 45°25.39’N, -75°41.70’W Canada’s National Arts Center, just southeast of Parliament Hill. When we lived in Ottawa, James took Jennifer there to see Canadian rock artist Kim Mitchell for her 19th birthday.

Bank & Laurier Position: 45°25.12’N, -75°41.94’W We went looking for the apartment building at Bank & Laurier, where we first lived together in 1984. We didn’t have the exact address and couldn’t find anything that looked plausible. But the building at right was built in 2009, replacing a small apartment building that possibly was our building.

3 Brasseurs Position: 45°25.27’N, -75°42.09’W Taking a break from walking at 3 Brasseurs brew pub along Sparks Street.

L’Oree du Bois Position: 45°30.07’N, -75°48.76’W A Citroen 2CV6 Special parked outside the restaurant L’Oree du Bois, where we’re having dinner. The restaurant is just outside Quebec’s Gatineau Park, and the name translates literally to “the Edge of the Woods”. Built between 1972 and 1985, the car still runs and the restaurant drives it around for advertising.

David Parnas Position: 45°30.06’N, -75°48.75’W A memorable meal at L’Oree du Bois with David and Mrs. Parnas. David was our software engineering professor at the University of Victoria (UVic) in the 1980s, and James worked for him as Co-Op student one summer. David had a deep influence over how James approaches problems and thinks critically that remains strong today. We both have a deep respect for Professor Parnas and that influence has helped us both through the years. It was fun to fall directly into the same deep technical conversations that we used to enjoy several decades ago. The evening was special for us, and we really enjoyed the opportunity to see them both again after so many years.

Click the travel log icon on the left to see these locations on a map. And a map of our most recent log entries always is available at mvdirona.com/maps.