28 December 2013 / #miscellany 18 of our favourite OttawaStart Blog posts from 2013In no particular order, here’s a list of some of our favourite blog posts from 2013. Big thanks to all of the writers and photographers who’ve been a part of our blog over the past year, including our Weekly Round-Up contributors, and guest bloggers Rose Simpson , Christopher Ryan , Christophe Ledent and Andrew King . 1. ** [ PHOTO: Old smashed up piano on Hinchey Avenue ](http://ottawastart.com/photo-old-smashed-up-piano-on-hinchey-avenue/) ** There was something compelling and beautiful about this photo of an old smashed up piano, taken by NikMaack. [ ![](/legacy/02648.jpg) ](http://ottawastart.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/BMWLziQCUAAUz4Q.jpg) 2. ** [ Ottawa photo of the day: Commuters help push an OC Transpo bus out of the snow ](http://ottawastart.com/ottawa-photo-of-the-day-commuters-help-push-an-oc-transpo-bus-out-of-the-snow/) ** This says alot about a) the resiliency of OC Transpo and b) the upstanding residents of Ottawa. 3. [ ** Up for auction: Two 12-foot fiberglass rabbits, Mussie the “Muskrat Lake Monster”, and more from Storyland ** ](http://ottawastart.com/up-for-auction-two-12-foot-fiberglass-rabbits-mussie-the-muskrat-lake-monster-and-more-from-storyland/) If you bought any of these items please let us know. 4. [ ** 14 Ottawa Instagrammers who I like to follow ** ](http://ottawastart.com/14-ottawa-instagrammers-who-i-like-to-follow/) A list of very creative digital artists taking great photos of our city. 5. ** [ Andrew King uncovers a shipwreck in the Ottawa River ](http://ottawastart.com/andrew-king-uncovers-a-shipwreck-in-the-ottawa-river/) ** Amazingly, despite several articles in the local media and extensive sleuthing on Andrew's part, so far nobody's been able to confirm where this old boat came from. [ ![](/legacy/02649.jpg) ](http://ottawastart.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/photo.jpg) 6. ** [ PHOTOS: Kiteboarding at Britannia Beach ](http://ottawastart.com/photos-kiteboarding-at-britannia-beach/) ** Now that looks like fun. 7. [ ** Hintonburger KFC bucket sign now available on Kijiji ** ](http://ottawastart.com/hintonburger-kfc-bucket-sign-now-available-on-kijiji/) A follow-up, of sorts to a 2011 blog post titled [ "The unmarked graves of Ottawa's KFC's" ](http://ottawastart.com/the-unmarked-graves-of-ottawas-other-kfcs/) 8. [ ** Getaway idea: An overnight stay in a treehouse in Lanark County ** ](http://ottawastart.com/getaway-idea-an-overnight-stay-in-a-treehouse-in-lanark-county/) A couple of readers have emailed me to tell me that this was indeed a great vacation adveture. 9. [ ** Photo: Maman, wearing socks, in front of the National Gallery ** ](http://ottawastart.com/photo-maman-wearing-socks-in-front-of-the-national-gallery/) There was some maintenance being done on Ottawa's most famous arachnid, leading to this amusing photo. [ ![](/legacy/02650.jpg) ](http://ottawastart.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/8908125476_cfc0d02ce6_z.jpg) 10. [ ** Great Moments in Ottawa Signage: "Whoever's praying for snow..." ** ](http://ottawastart.com/great-moments-in-ottawa-signage-whoevers-praying-for-snow/) We've had some snow this season, but nothing like last year. 11. [ ** Photo: OC Transpo bus window smashed by "a tidal wave of slush" ** ](http://ottawastart.com/photo-oc-transpo-bus-window-smashed-by-a-tidal-wave-of-slush/) Nobody was hurt. 12. [ ** Essential Ottawa Blogs: Over 40 must-read local blogs ** ](http://ottawastart.com/essential-ottawa-blogs-over-40-must-read-local-blogs/) After much procrastination I finally updated this list. Good reading. 13. [ ** Christopher Ryan: Ponderosa, Ottawa's steakhouse bonanza ** ](http://ottawastart.com/christopher-ryan-ponderosa-ottawas-steakhouse-bonanza/) It's not high class dining but just about everybody remembers eating there at some point. 14. [ ** A look at some imaginary/speculative Ottawa transit maps ** ](http://ottawastart.com/a-subway-down-bank-street-lets-look-at-some-imaginaryspeculative-ottawa-transit-maps/) Imagine a subway down Bank Street! 15. [ ** Ottawa is Boring: The ultimate LRT tunnel construction t-shirt ** ](http://ottawastart.com/ottawa-is-boring-the-ultimate-lrt-tunnel-construction-t-shirt/) Ottawa is in fact not boring, but you'll have to read the blog post for the explanation. [ ![](/legacy/02651.jpg) ](http://ottawastart.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/ottawa-is-boring-tshirt.jpg) 16. [ ** Elk! Police (and Twitter) respond in force ** ](http://ottawastart.com/elk-police-and-twitter-respond-in-force/) Put your hands up, or elk! 17. [ ** 25 Days of Christmas Lights ** ](http://ottawastart.com/search/label/lights) Christophe Ledent's photo series chronicling Ottawa's biggest and brightest Christmas light displays. 18. ** [ The history of Boyd House at 173 Huntmar ](http://ottawastart.com/search/label/boyd) ** Our series about an old 19th century stone house in Stittsville. ** See also: ** Ottawa Blogs GuideIf you liked this post, you should ** subscribe to etcetera , ** our free email newsletter. Featuring cool Ottawa events, interesting local news and contests and giveaways. Thanks!