Aero Gatineau - an interview with Carol Pilon

Our teen blogger David has been a fan of the snowbirds ever since he first saw them while visiting his grandparents in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. He is looking forward to seeing both the snowbirds and Carol Pilon perform during Aero Gatineau September 15-17. David is back on the blog with an interview of Canada’s first and only professional wingwalker.

With the annual Aero Gatineau show approaching, many will be watching as planes perform aviation acrobatics. I got to speak to Carol Pilon- a performer at the Gatineau Air Show and Canada’s first and only professional wingwalker- to learn more about her and her craft. Here’s what we talked about.

photo credit Eric Dumigan.

You’ve been a professional wingwalker for over 20 years. How do you become a wingwalker?

Well, for me, it was simple. I was at that point in my life when I did not want to go to college because I had no clear path ahead of me. I took a couple years off to really think about what the next step was, when I saw an ad for my local air show. I saw a wing walker on the screen and at that moment I thought “well that’s gonna be the rest of my life”. From that point on, I educated myself about the wingwalking industry and spent the next 7 years harassing all the teams in North America until they finally gave me the chance, and the rest is history. There are no wingwalking courses, it's all about independently getting a good mentor and joining an established team.

What all goes into the preparation and performance of wingwalking?

Really, it's as simple as attaching yourself to a harness and walking on the plane. I can teach you any number of theoretical tips and tricks on the ground, but as soon as you're up in the air, you’re on your own. The biggest safety protocol we have, believe it or not, is the pilot. Their job is to make the flight as smooth and suitable for your performance as possible. Getting the right pilot is 95% of the preparation.

You’ve been to many places, done many things as a wingwalker. What was the most memorable experience you’ve had in your career as a wingwalker?

How do you pick one? I’ve had many great shows, met many great people, and realistically, any day I get to go wing walking is an absolutely fantastic day for me. 

With all your travels, how does it feel to be performing at the Aero Gatineau show two weeks from now so close to where you grew up in Masham, Quebec?

This is a little known fact, but as an air show professional, you’re always warned about doing hometown shows. There will always be increased attention from the audience because of friends and family member’s being there, and it can be a distraction from the task at hand. I’m really excited to be back home, but I gotta balance that with being able to say “hey guys, I gotta go work now”. 

Finally, what does the future look like for you? Any goals, is retirement on the horizon?

You will see at this show that I have developed a new routine in order to hire and incorporate two new wingwalkers. My goal right now is really to educate and mentor the next generation of wingwalkers to carry on the craft. In fact, we will be hosting one young lady to try out wingwalking at this air show to see if she likes it and possibly have her join the team. I’m really focused on growing the field right now. As for retirement, that's not happening any time soon. 

Carol Pilon will be performing at the Aero Gatineau Legends of the Sky show from September 15-17. Tickets must be bought online and are $35 for adults and $15 for kids. For more information, visit Aero Gatineau Ottawa.

Green Corners Farm

A visit to Green Corners Farm is one of my family’s favourite activities during Spring, Summer and even into Fall. We’ve been making trips to the farm for the past 3 years and find ourselves there at least once or twice per season. Green Corners Farm is Ottawa’s largest pick-your-own flower farm and is found on York’s Corners Road. The farm is the official floral supplier for the Canadian Tulip Festival. The owners, Manja and Al are always on site to help welcome guests and provide tips on picking the best blooms for a beautiful bouquet.

Green Corners Farm is perhaps most well-known for its incredible fields of tulips that burst into bloom early May but while the tulip season is short, the following flower seasons shouldn’t be missed. My daughters absolutely love heading to the farm to wander between the rows of various types of flowers. We often pick a few bouquets to share with family and friends and the kids are in charge of which flowers they’d like in their bouquet as well as the arrangement of the bouquet.

Upon arrival, you’ll be welcomed by a staff member who will check you in. It is recommended to pre-purchase your “picking” ticket through the Green Corners Farm website https://greencorners.ca/product-category/u-pick-bouquets/ or if you’d prefer to take in the views and enjoy the flowers, you can select a “looking” ticket. Tickets may also be purchased on site but you’ll save a bit of money by purchasing online (and entry is not guaranteed if they are full.) Each “picking” ticket has a value of 25 points, with all flowers worth 1 point except for the sunflowers, which are 2 points. You can mix and match your flowers to create a unique bouquet.
Every guest ages 5+ must have either a “Picking” ticket or a “looking” ticket.

Once checked in, you’ll get a quick lesson on how to cut your flowers (you’ll need a certain length of stem) and then you’ll pick up a basket and clippers and be off to explore the many fields of various types of flowers. If you’re looking for photo ops, you’ll find colourful benches and chairs throughout the fields. The flowers provide a spectacular backdrop! After you’ve selected your flowers, you’ll head over to the white tent where you’ll find tables with buckets. This is where the creativity happens! You’ll remove the extra greenery from your flowers and make your arrangement. There’s fresh basil on hand to add to your bouquet (it smells divine!) and when you’re happy with your arrangement, you’ll tie it off with twine. The final step is to admire your beautiful bouquet! 

If you are looking for a beautiful field of sunflowers, this is the place to be! There are several different types of sunflowers to be picked or photographed whether you’re looking for bright golden petals, pale yellow or even a rusty red. Sunflowers are currently at their peak and are available until the first frost in September. Snapdragons, zinnias, marigolds, calendula, statice, strawflower, celosias and strawflowers are just a few of the seasonal flowers available for picking. There is a Bouquet Stand on site that is stocked with seasonal bouquets.

For those who love tulips, daffodils and other spring bulbs, they are available for purchase. Bulbs can be pre-ordered over the summer and are ready in the Fall for pick-up or delivery. Green Corners Farm also offers flowers for Valentine’s Day and Easter. My family purchases the forced tulip bulbs that we grow in vases on stones. They are a lovely addition of colour during the snowy months!

Green Corner Farm
Hours: Thursday to Monday - 9am to last entry at 11:30am and 4pm to last entry at 6:30pm.
Bouquet Stand hours: Friday-Monday 9am-7pm

Candace is a mom of 4 who loves exploring the city and trying out new activities with her adventurous kiddos. Note: the family were gifted their bouquets but all thoughts are their own.

Rideau River Kayak

Kayaking has always been a pleasant activity for me to do on sunny summer days. I enjoy seeing the scenery, flora and fauna and doing a bit of exercise throughout. The only issue is that whenever I go to a kayak rental place, their entire fleet is limited to one boat launch. If I really want to visit somewhere else, there are a few rare instances of them allowing us to strap one of the kayaks to our car and bring it elsewhere, typically at a higher cost. 

This time, I wanted to explore the Rideau River, but found that there were no kayak rentals in the area that interested me. Luckily, Riverview Mobile Kayak had a solution.

We arrived at the Brantwood Park Boat Launch in the mid afternoon. It was sunny and not particularly windy, perfect weather for kayaking. Unlike most kayak places, Riverview Mobile Kayak brings the kayak to the boat launch, meaning they don’t have just one permanent location. 

The owner, Sylvie, kindly provided a briefing on the use of the kayak and recommendations on my route. I then put on my lifejacket, put my phone in the dry bag and launched into the Rideau River. I opted to paddle fast and hard against the current for the first 15 minutes, which was already relatively calm. Once I got upstream to the Billings Bridge, I relaxed and allowed the river to slowly bring me back to the boat launch, while paddling to adjust. It was then that I was able to truly appreciate the combination of scenery and wildlife on the Rideau River.

First, I saw a group of around five painted turtles lying on a log on the shoreline. I was able to stealthily approach them before they consecutively plopped into the water like dominos. As I floated further downstream, I was able to see a diverse array of birds. Canada geese and mallards dotted the waterline, but the highlight for me was seeing two herons. Surprisingly, I managed to get incredibly close to one of them while remaining quiet. After a few moments, it fluttered away and I continued paddling.

I spent around 1 hour and 45 minutes on the water, finding the kayak stable and easy to maneuver throughout. Eventually, I landed on the boat launch where Sylvie was ready to pull me back in. All in all, it was a relaxing trip through the natural heart of urban Ottawa. 

If an afternoon of paddling at one of a diverse set of locations around Ottawa sounds like a nice summer activity, Riverview Mobile Kayak is available at 10 boat launches on the Ottawa and Rideau River. These include Petrie Island, Britannia Beach, Mooney’s Bay and others. The minimum age is 7 years.  The price is $60 for up to 3 hours on the water but if you book for 2 or more participants, the price drops to $45 each.  That’s a good deal. Riverview Mobile Kayak Rental is insured and a fleet of paddleboards is also coming soon. For more information, visit https://www.riverviewkayak.com/.

David is a fifteen-year-old aspiring adventure and travel writer living in Ottawa.  Skydiving is on his bucket list. He received a complimentary rental for this post, but all views are his own.

VR Adventure - video game fun for teens and tweens in Ottawa

When my family found out about VRAdventures.ZONE there was no hesitation that everyone was interested in checking it out. Our household has a lot of video game experience and a fair amount of VR experience but we’ve never had a chance to all play together in a VR space and we really wanted to give it a try.

VRAdventures.ZONE is located in the Merivale Mall (park at the back of the building) and was even more impressive than we expected. We first walked in and saw a few small areas designed for people to play solo games, but once we went around the corner we realized just how big the space was and how many group games they could accommodate at once!

We decided to take on a virtual escape room. My family are becoming quite the pros at figuring these out, and we loved the idea of trying one in a VR space.

The VR escape room was more about finding things and moving them (even a spaceship!), unlike traditional escape rooms which tends to me more about solving puzzles to unlock padlocks.

What we loved

We really loved getting to this together. At home we only have one VR headset. Getting to all be in the same space and interacting with each other to solve the puzzles was a LOT of fun!

We really loved having lots of space. Having a big enough room for 5-6 people to all be walking around without bumping into walls and furniture is a struggle in most homes, even if you had that many VR headsets. We were able to move freely and it really felt like we were in the room!

As a parent I like that VR gets my kids moving while they’re playing video games. It’s a nice mix of what they love and not sitting and vegging too much.

They broadcast the gameplay on screens outside the room so even if you aren’t personally participating you can see what players are doing.

What we loved a bit less

Watching the group’s gameplay from the outside

You can get pretty hot in the headsets, so make sure the not dress too warmly and hydrate a lot.

There are a lot of flashing lights and VR can sometimes make you a bit dizzy. One of my kids needed to take a break and sit for a bit.

Overall it was a great experience and all of my family members would be happy to visit again!

What else do they offer?

VR Adventure Zone has a variety of kinds of experiences for every level and interest type, including arcade games and experiences (imagine trying out scuba diving or fly in space!)

They also offer birthday parties and even host corporate events!

VRAdventures.ZONE

Location: 1642 Merivale Rd Unit 300 (Merivale Mall)

Cost:

Pricing differs based on which experience you choose and how long you play, but expect about $25-40/person.

Hours:

They are open daily from 11am-10pm and on weekends they stay open until 11pm.

Important to know:

Kids must be at least 7 years old to play and anyone under 18 needs a waiver signed by a parent to participate.

Interactive Picture Books for Kids - Ottawa Public Library

Want some new and interactive picture book ideas for your kids - here is a list of favourites from the Ottawa Public Library. Let us know if you’ve read any before and which are YOUR favourites.

When I was child, I used to love interactive picture books. Where’s Waldo, The Jolly Postman, The Hungry Caterpillar and Ted and Dolly’s Submarine Surprise. I enjoyed those books so much because I was able to participate in Storytime, I could flip flaps, find Waldo or move the submarine from page to page. As I got older my love for being a part of the story did not waver, I moved onto choose your own adventure books and would read them and re-read them till I got the ending I wanted.

I am all grown up and now get to introduce children to these books each week during Family Storytime. These books will engage the audience, make them laugh and hopefully inspire an excitement for literacy. I have put together a list of my favorite interactive picture books, which are available to borrow at the Ottawa Public Library.

This Book Can Read Your Mind

This hilarious interactive book plays on the idea that when you're told NOT to think of something, somehow it is all you can think about. The book begins with a scientist switching on an incredible new invention: a mind-reading machine!

Press Here

This book instructs the reader on how to interact with the illustrations to create imaginative images.

Tap the Magic Tree

Invites the reader to tap, rub, touch, and wiggle illustrations to make an apple tree bloom, produce fruit, and lose its leaves.

Bunny Slopes
In this interactive picture book, the reader must help Bunny stay on course as he skies down the slope.

Mix It Up!

Using no special effects other than the reader's imagination, simple directions lead the reader to experiment with mixing and changing colors on the printed page.

Don't Push The Button!

The only rule in Larry's book is that the reader not push the button, but when no one is looking, it may be irresistible.

Count The Monkeys

The reader is invited to count the animals that have frightened the monkeys off the pages.

Crunch, The Shy Dinosaur

Crunch The Shy Dinosaur advises the reader on how to interact with a very shy dinosaur.

Touch The Brightest Star

An interactive picture book showcasing the beauty of nighttime.