Petits Sablés Nantais!

I finally have a photo of my LCB creations! The other things we made were just dough--a savory one such as for a quiche and a sweet one for a fruit tart. I'll have to make something out of them later when I have access to an oven. The photo is of Petits Sablés Nantais--French butter cookies with a coffee egg wash glaze on top. I've been pretty busy trying to find another place to live for the summer (and I have succeeded; I move in on Tuesday) and roasting in my room...I thought Canada was supposed to have 70 degree summers....not so much...

En Route to Ottawa! (part 2)

I just went for a nice bike ride through the neighborhood, and my legs thought it would be a good idea to sit for a while, so I decided to add more to my journey. After seeing Niagara falls, we went to Fort Niagara which has a wealth of cultural and historical value, showing the buildings that were under French, British, and American control over the years. The workers there provided nice demonstrations on past warfare, baking, and life in the fort. Later, we drove through Toronto, which is a beautiful city that I'd like to visit one day, yet we managed to get there just as the after-work traffic rush was starting and didn't make it past the outskirts for nearly two hours. I now know why they all use the OC Transpo...
We camped at a nice provincial park and drove to Ottawa the next day, camping in Le Parc Gatineau (Québec) at Lac Philippe. It was actually cool and rainy when we toured the city, but we went inside the Fairmont Chateau Laurier and toured the Parliament building. I plan to go back soon for a full tour and a trip up the Peace Tower, for Her Royal Ambassador to Parliament (?) was there and we only saw the library (though it does host a magnificant 4 story collection of books, all under a beautiful dome ceiling).

En Route to Ottawa! (part 1)

Now that I'm up here in Ottawa, I have internet access and can add some details about my trip up here. We left early Sunday morning, driving through many green valleys and picturesque run-down victorian-style towns. We stayed in a Pennsylvania state park. The next day, we got up early and drove through New York, which I found to be not nearly as pretty as the southern Pennsylvania farmlands, until we reached Buffalo and the Niagara Falls region. We camped at Niagara Falls State Park, which has many sites right on the edge of Lake Ontario. At night, we could just barely make out the Toronto skyline from across the bay.

Of course, we rode the Maid of the Mist, which is almost like those boat shows on TV where the captain is getting soaked while the ship rocks back and forth. It was an amazing experience and all together beautiful. The Canadian Horseshoe Falls are much prettier, yet the American side of the falls is much more peaceful, less crowded, and less tourist-y.