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Val and I would like to thank David Deacon, Media Coordinator for The Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) www.animationfestival.ca; he went out of his way to make sure we could attend the maximum amount of OIAF events. Mr. Deacon, like all of the Canadian citizens made us feel like part of their family. Thanks, Dave.

11:00 PM

On our walk to the OIAF’s Opening Night Party, we ran into Cinavale Media Inc.’s Michael Kerr, a voice actor on the animated show “Ripping Friends”. We chatted as we walked to Mother McGinty’s Pub. The party was awesome, with a huge buffet and large selection of on tap and bottled beers. The band Samba Ottawa performed their special brand of Brazilian music with driving percussion and traditional vocals. We talked to Samba Ottawa’s Julek Meissner, an Englishman in Canada doing Brazilian music; he told us that the band was more like a club, which met weekly, with members from around the world coming together to create the bands unique and infectious sound. There was a good crowd, like a Friday night in Kentucky, everyone was doing their own thing and having a great time. As Val and I mingled, we talked to animators, artists, and writers, even one guy from Ohio who just came to see the animated features and shorts. Later, we shared a drink with Kevin Gillis and his assistant Stephanie from Breakthrough Animation, Kevin is the executive producer of “Atomic Betty” for Cartoon Network in the U. S. and he was a speaker and moderator the previous day at the OIAF. In 1991, Kevin was executive producer on “Robocop: The Series”. We also met Stephanie Yuhas of Shinygrape Studios. She is producer and co-creator of The Twenty1 Film Festival where 21 teams have 21 days to create a short film based on a common element. Animation people sure know how to party! We stayed till about 1:30 am and by the end of the evening I began to get snookered, so we decided to get back to the hotel for some much needed rest.

Thursday, September 21

8:00 AM

Val and I enjoyed a scrumptious breakfast at the hotel restaurant Café Nicole. The buffet consisted of bacon, sausage, ham, French toast, scrambled eggs, eggs benedict, home fries and a variety of fruit juices, not to mention croissants, bagels, Danishes, and some of the best coffee I’ve ever drank. Our waiter was great and went out of his way to make sure we had everything, even bringing Splenda sweetener (not on the table) for Val from the kitchen. We ate till we were stuffed, luckily the mornings OIAF event, “Meet the Filmmakers,” took place in the restaurant. We met Media Coordinator David Deacon and told him how much fun we had at the opening night party. The Q & A session was very informative, giving us incite into the creation of the animated short films exhibited the day before.

11:00 AM

We left the hotel and walked to the historic and beautiful Fairmont Château Laurier hotel for the “Pitch This” event, located at 1 Rideau Street. The hotel has been host to celebrities and dignitaries from all over the world -- from Winston Churchill to Jack Benny. Charles Melville Hays, who died when the Titanic, inspired the design of the hotel. Contact at (613) 241-1414 or www.fairmont.com/laurier. “Pitch This” is an OIAF event where producers present their projects to a board of big name representatives from various companies such as Lucas Arts, Cartoon Network, and Nicktoons. The session was informative and illustrated how people get the big money to fund projects from film, television, and music industries. Outside, we met Jean Raymond Lemieux from Toon Boom, a software company specializing in programs for the creation of animation for film and web applications. He was very helpful and showed us examples of work done with the software.

1:00 PM

Val and I walked to the Animated Short Competition 5 at the Bytowne Cinema. The theater was very dark when we first arrived so we had to be led to our seats. I was blind as a bat. The films were really cool, especially “The Brothers Pistov” about two angry dogs with Russian accents being violent to each other, also “Never Like The First Time” four stories about different characters and how they lost their virginity.

2:45 PM

Back to the Café Nicole for a late lunch. Val had a grilled New York Strip steak with sweet potato fries and field greens; I had chicken vindaloo with cucumber slaw. The lunch was served gourmet style and looked as good as it tasted.

4:00 PM

After our delicious lunch, we made our way back to the Chateau Laurier for “Roundtable: TV Producers Guide to Feature Films”. The discussion, lead by Rick Mischel from Mainframe Entertainment and Frank Gladstone of Starz animation, centered on the state of feature film animation in the market place. It seems that in the U. S., animated films only do well if they contain funny furry animals. Mr. Gladstone spoke of his involvement in the distribution of the new animated Rob Zombie musical film, “El Superbeasto”. He believed it was a low risk venture, due to Rob Zombie’s built-in audience.

7:30 PM

After freshening up at the hotel we departed to find a place to eat. We ended up at Roasty Jack’s located at the Rideau Centre. We both had a delicious, down home meal of roast beef, potatoes, corn and green beans. The Rideau Centre is a large mall located in downtown Ottawa, with many shops and restaurants. Due to its central location, on cold windy days it can be used as a shortcut to just about anywhere in the city.

8:30

On to The National Gallery, but first we took a detour to stop by Zaphod Beeblebrox at 27 York Street, known as the pub at the end of the universe. Many performers have graced the stage including Southern Culture on the Skids, Monster Magnet, Nickelback, Ben Harper, and The Rolling Stones, just to name a few. The Stones filmed the music video for “Streets of Love” here in 2005. When in Ottawa, you definitely have to visit Zaphods and try the world famous Pan Galactic Gargleblaster as well as other exotic galactic cocktails.

9:00 PM

When Val and I arrived at The National Gallery for the OIAF Feature Film Competition, we were surprised at the size of the theater in the museum. Similar to an IMAX with steap stadium style seating, modern design and great sound. The film was titled, “The Book of the Dead”, and was animated in stop-motion with hundreds of miniature models. The story and traditional Japenese music were great, with an uplifting religeous message of power through faith. After the film, we had the opportunity to shake hands with the creator Kawamoto Kihachiro.

11:00 PM

We stopped in at a Starbucks for coffee, located in Chapters Book Store. Man, my feet were sore! We sat and talked for a while then left and walked back to the hotel. We stopped in the lobby to check emails on the hotel computer.

12:45 AM

Our friends Tamar and Robbie arrived from the states. We chatted a while and made plans for the next day. Val and I went back to our room for some much needed rest.

Friday, September 22

8:15 AM

We met Tamar and Robbie for breakfast buffet at Café Nicole. I drink some much-needed coffee. After we finished, Val and I called a cab to take us to The Canadian Museum of Civilization. The number for Blueline Taxi for downtown Ottawa is (613) 238-1111

9:45 AM

As we arrived at 100 Laurier Street, I was impressed by the architecture of the museum. With curved white blocks and large fountains, the design was amazing. We checked our coats and met our guide Richard, a walking encyclopedia of Canadian history. He took us outside to observe the Japanese Zen Garden, made from cut stone from Manitoba containing many fossilized vertebrates, snails, etc. dated from 250-300 million years ago. The garden is home to 34 species of plant life. Next, we entered The Great Hall, Richard pointed out that the ceiling was canoe shaped, the columns were paddles, and the rough glass windows represented glaciers. The large room was filled with sculptures, totem poles, weapons, tools and dwellings representative of various tribes from Canada’s early history. The standout was the large white sculpture by artist Bill Reid of mythic figures paddling a canoe, which can be seen on the back of the Canadian 20 dollar bill. The museum had many sections, each depicting a different period, from the early Vikings to the prospectors of the Northwest Territories and the invention of the snowmobile. Contact the museum at (819) 776-7000, 1-800-555-5621 or www.civilization.ca.

12:00 noon

After the great tour Val, and I made our way to the museum restaurant, The Café Du Musée for lunch. The restaurant had a unique modern design of wood and metal. After being seated, we couldn’t help but notice the breathtaking view overlooking the Ottawa River. Our waiter was friendly and very professional. Val had the house salad with shrimp, I had the Penne Pasta with shrimp and for dessert we had white chocolate mousse cake and my favorite, maple sugar pie. I ate so much, I felt like Junior Samples – seriously, you must visit The Café Du Musée, for more information (819) 776-7009.

1:30 PM

After lunch, we entered the exhibit, Petra: Lost City of Stone. Seen at the end of the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”, the lost city of Petra was forgotten for hundreds of years. We viewed a documentary depicting the timeline of the cities existence. The photo and illustration exhibit had many pieces showing excavations and restoration projects from over the years. Most important were the many artifacts consisting of tools, jewelry, statues, parchments, etc. Look for this traveling exhibit or visit The Canadian Museum of Civilization. After the tour, we visited the fantastic gift shops, where I bought a cool arrowhead necklace for my nephew Ian.

4:30 PM

Val and I took a Blueline Cab back to the hotel. I was plum wore out and needed to lay down for a while. I turned on the TV and watched some pretty cool French rock videos before passing out.

6:30 PM

We got a call from Tamar reminding us about dinner plans at 8:30 pm. We had a couple of hours to kill so we went to find the hotel swimming pool. The pool and spa area was fully equipped with a whirlpool hot tub and a full gym. We went back to the room, showered and dressed, then met Tamar and Robbie downstairs in the lobby.

8:30 PM

We all took a short stroll to The Black Tomato restaurant at 11 George Street and met with two members of the band Black Boot Trio, Steve Fai and Stephanie Bennett and their friends Michael and Natalie Jemtrud. As we waited for our table we had some drinks at the bar and got acquainted. We were seated near the front door. I ordered jambalaya. The waiter tried to warn me that it was hot and I said, “bring it on”. Val ordered black pepper filet mignon. I was so stuffed that I passed on dessert, but Val had peanut butter pie; she said it was delicious.

11:00 PM

After dinner, we all walked to Vineyards Wine Bar and Bistro for drinks. This place had it all: I was overwhelmed by all the different beers. Val ordered Amstel Light and I got a Newcastle Brown. I talked to Steve and learned that Black Boot Trio was influenced by Johnny Cash’s music. Stephanie, the band’s drummer, recommended that we come back and visit in the winter months. She told us that the seven mile canal around Ottawa freezes and is used as a giant ice skating track. We stayed till closing time, discussing music, sports, movies, and our respective countries. A great time was had by all.

1:30 AM

We staggered back to the hotel. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

Saturday, September 23

8:30 AM

Breakfast with Tamar and Robbie at the Café Nicole.

9:00 AM

Tamar, Robbie, Val and I took a Blueline Cab to Preston Hardware at 234 Preston Street for The La Vendemmia: Italian Harvest Festival – Winemaking Workshop. We arrived early and had enough time to grab some cappuccino at a nearby coffee shop.

11:00 AM

Luigi Giannetti led the seminar. He took us step by step, through the winemaking process, from vine to bottle. Luigi demonstrated grape pressing, fermentation, and bottling, even the different types of corks. Preston Hardware sells everything you need to make your own wine.

12:30 PM

Val and I made plans to meet dinner later with Tamar and Robbie. We called a Blueline Taxi and had the driver meet us at the corner of Preston and Somerset.

1:00 PM

We arrived at The National Gallery of Canada at 380 Sussex Drive. I was immediately impressed by the mammoth bronze spider sculpture in the galleries plaza. The building was truly amazing, constructed of glass, stone, and metal; it looked like something from a science fiction movie. We started the tour in the contemporary art section. The coolest thing was a giant realistic baby’s head, with hair and visible veins under the skin. There was a musical exhibit with a boom microphone that rotated and triggered strange electronic sounds. Notably, they had on display Andy Warhol’s famous Brillo Pads. The gallery also housed works by such masters as Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Monet, Ruebens, Renoir, Cézanne, Picasso, Degas, Bruegel, and many more. There were sections dedicated to specific styles including landscapes, religious, modern, sculpture, portraits, and even historic early Canadian folk art. Val and I stopped in at the gallery cafeteria for delicious cheeseburgers and potato salad. We spent hours viewing painting after painting, I’m convinced that we missed a few. You would have to go to New York or Europe to see such a diverse collection. I strongly recommend that you visit The National Gallery of Canada contact them at (613) 990-1985, 1 (800) 319-2787 or www.national.gallery.ca.

4:00 PM

Val and I walked down Sussex towards the hotel. We took a shortcut through Rideau Center. Inside we stopped at the Orange Julius/Dairy Queen. Val got a Skor Blizzard and I got a hot fudge sundae. We continued on to the hotel.

5:00 PM

We quickly got ready and walked to The National Arts Center for the OIAF Animarket Tradeshow. We met people from such animation giants as Disney, Pixar, and Nelvana, and representatives from animation and art schools like The Art Institutes, and The Vancouver School of Design, both offered courses in art, 2D and 3D animation, music for film, web design, character design, and video game design. The Disney booth presented a sneak peek at the upcoming animated film “Meet the Robinson’s”. From what I saw the movie looked awesome. Paul West from Algonquin College took time to show us examples of work from previous students who attended the school’s 3-year program.

7:00 PM

Val and I walked to the National Arts Center Southern Hall for the Bob Clampett Retrospective. Bob Clampett was one of the early directors of Warner Bros. Loony Tunes animated classics. The creator behind Daffy Duck, Tweety Bird, Sylvester the Cat, and many more. The cartoons were hilarious: we watched ten shorts including “Duck Twacy”, “Tortoise Wins by a Hare” and “Coal Black and the Sebbin Dwarfs” which was banned for racist subject matter.

8:00 PM

We met Tamar and Robbie at The Fairmont Chateau Laurier for dinner. The reservation was for 8:30 at Wilfrid’s, the award winning restaurant inside the hotel. We were seated by the hostess and handed the wine list and menus. Tamar ordered a bottle of Ice Wine. Shortly, the waitress brought the bottle of wine, which was very small (about 4 glasses) and poured for us. We finished the excellent, sweet wine and ordered. Val and I both had the house salad and beef tenderloin served over potatoes, Robbie had roast duck and Tamar had pheasant. Before we got started, we got a visit from Deneen Perrin, Director of Public Relations for the hotel. She asked if everything was okay and wished us well. We ordered another bottle of wine and then the waitress brought the food. The salad and tenderloin was wonderful, the meat was tender and cooked to perfection. After we ordered the dessert sampler, which included chocolate-orange ice cream served in a drizzled sugar shell, fresh raspberry torte, and maple crème brulee. When you’re in Ottawa and you want a dinner with that extra special touch, you must visit Wilfrid’s -- you will not be disappointed!

When Val and I got back to the States, we looked through our pictures from the trip. The pictures reminded us of all the great bars and restaurants, that feeling of being in a new place, and especially the new friends that we made. You have to visit Ottawa, one of the greatest cities of North America.

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