New Year's walks

Yesterday, we walked the loop from the Gatineau Park visitors' centre at Chelsea with Elva and Laurie, meeting families out for some fresh air all the way, and eventually quenched our thirst with tea from the only drinks place open in Chelsea for New Year's Day, a fairly new outlet staffed by inexperienced youngsters, too busy to serve everyone wanting service, though they were doing their best. The building used to be a clothes boutique called Delilah, but it closed last year. We sat on the plastic Muskoka chairs on the verandah outside to sip our drinks. In our padded coats, it didn't seem too cold for this.

Elva on the walk at Wakefield

Today Elva, Chris and I rode in Carol's car to Wakefield for the sake of a walk up and down the hill, through the woods to the cemetery following the yellow trail markers and back into town via the mill, most of it a slippery walk, like stepping across sand dunes (we should have worn snowshoes), but the surroundings were lovely, with low rays of sunlight slanting through the pine trunks. Coffees afterwards this time with some carrot cake from the cosy, popular café, Le Hibou.

Carol on the snowy hill at Wakefield

We had a magical view on our way back to the car from Le Hibou, because fog had begun to radiate from the Gatineau River's patch of open water near the far bank making a white smudge that blurred its edges. Chris had been waiting for radiation fog on the Ottawa River to lift from the vicinity of Rockcliffe airport earlier today; he went flying this morning, once it did start to lift.

Tomorrow's weather isn't going to be so good: freezing rain is forecast to start at 4am, lasting all day.