Canal Christening

Isabelle's dad might have thought that today was Day 1 of the Drive for Speedskating Gold in 2028 but in reality this was just about Isabelle's first day on skates on the historic Rideau Canal. At first she was simply intrigued about walking actually ON the canal rather than alongside it as she is accustomed, but after a few steps back and forth she deemed it to be too "swippery". So she hopped on a bench and had her bobskates strapped to her boots and ventured out on to the ice on the Blades of Glory. The glory was short-lived, however, as even though she clung on to her dad the whole time, she wasn't used to such an unstable feeling and wanted to be picked up. She was coaxed back down for a few photos but after a sit-down/fall she decided she would rather explore the wintery landscape on foot. And she did and was so happy to do so.

Next time out we will see where the silver blades take our quick learner and soon we will be spinning yarns of her skating prowess, especially now that the canal is open to Dow's Lake and she is literally moments away from the biggest practice surface any kid could ever imagine. When we first moved here, the proximity of our home to the canal meant a lot to us. Now to have Isabelle grow up with the skateway at her doorstep it means even more. What fun we will have every winter!