Is there a special place you love to visit when you want to feel centred and peaceful? A place that you never tire of? We found such a place one summer recently, and the glorious thing about it is that it is right on our doorstep.
This place is just east of downtown Ottawa, on a stretch of the path along the Ottawa River, next to the Sir George-Étienne Cartier Parkway. There, the path faces an island in the river, which blocks out the view of the houses on the opposite bank. Many evenings, we brought a picnic, and we sat for up to two hours to watch the sun set and look at the afterglow in the western sky.
We had two favourite spots for watching the sunset, depending on the position of the sun on the horizon. Our picnic site earlier in the season (mid-August to end of September) is right at water’s edge and conveniently there is a raised flat rock there that serves beautifully as a picnic table. The spot we graduated to as Fall approached gave us a clear view of the sunset along a broad straight stretch of the river, with the Gatineau Hills in the distance.
As we sat by the river in peace, we could contemplate the beauty of our surrounding and we watched with interest the antics of insects, birds, and fish. Each evening as we left the riverside, we always cast a glance over our shoulder to get one last look at the glowing sky before we headed home. The feeling of mellow relaxation always lingered with us long after we got back to the house. That’s why we refer to this place as “our haven of peace” by the Ottawa River.
One evening, as we were waiting for the sun to set, we were approached by two ladies paddling their kayaks upriver. One called to us and said that she had taken a lovely photo of us that she uses on the lock-screen of her smartphone. We were curious to find out more. She told us that she had passed behind us along the footpath the previous weekend and she was quite taken by the sight of the two of us sitting side by side, holding hands by water’s edge, watching the sun dip down behind the Gatineau Hills.
We exchanged emails. She promised to send us the image and she did. We felt chuffed to have provided this lady with an image of tranquility that resonated with her. We sent her a picture of the two of them paddling towards the setting sun. Fair exchange!
(This is a revised version of a post originally published on John’s old blog.)