I'm originally from Montreal and have been in the Ottawa area for about 18 years. I built a house on 25 acres and lived there for about 10 years. I now live in Carleton Place in a Victorian a short walk from the Mississippi. I've been renovating this past year, which is an interesting experience. I share the house with Lightning, my golden retriever. I've been an independent consultant for a decade working on IT contracts. I'm very involved in photography and travel - recently I was in Cuba and I spent three weeks in Paris, Moscow and London. I take time off and go canoe camping or hiking.