Shelter from the storm

Perhaps the best part of reporting is meeting people you might not have met otherwise in your day-to-day life in a city. Yesterday I attended the 75th anniversary open house of St. Mary's Home, a non-profit charity in Ottawa that provides residential and drop-in programs for young pregnant women, new moms and dads, and their small children.

The event drew hundreds of people, including this woman, whose story gets to the heart of what St. Mary's Home is all about.

As an aside, the six of you who read The Capital Letters may have noticed another shift in its evolution as of late. Because I'm writing a lot for The Ottawa Citizen now, I don't seem to be posting as many of my personal exploits in the city. Part of the reason is because I'm busy and therefore not having as many adventures, but more it's because much of what I'm writing for the Citizen engenders an even greater understanding, appreciation and - at times - frustration for what brings Ottawa to life and what makes it tick.

The personal exploits and opinions won't disappear completely. In fact, I'm hoping a weekend road trip will help free up some mental space to put some order to my scattered thoughts about the Polaris Prize and, more to the point, why Veda Hille's latest record This Riot Life should be amongst the ten finalists announced later this year.