Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Horizontal Or Vertical

I tend to prefer taking pictures of the Canal downtown in the vertical as opposed to the horizontal. It parallels the lines of the Canal, and tends to cut down on the presence of that monstrosity to the left. That particular hideousness is the headquarters for National Defence, in other words, our Pentagon. Let's just say when they were building it, the architect must have been thinking, "just how ugly a building can I get away with designing?" The place always seems like it was hit by an ugly stick. Anyway, National Defence is in the process of pulling up stakes to new quarters out in the west end somewhere. Ideally they can demolish this eye sore and build something of significance, like a national portrait gallery (which we would have right now, if not for it being cancelled as one of the very first acts of government by the hyper-partisan lunatic in the Prime Minister's Office) or a new science and technology museum (things strictly frowned upon by the Dark Lord). Honestly, the man's hatred for the National Capital has been glaringly obvious for years. Americans might gripe about their government, but they get the idea that a national capital's institutions deserve full support. Why is that so hard for our Prime Minister to grasp?


Anyway, rant over. Before I get hauled off for speaking ill of the Not So Glorious As He Thinks Leader, Janis from Greensboro Daily Photo asked yesterday if there were any organized races on the Canal. Yes, there are, and they're both tied into Winterlude. One is a winter triathlon, so the skating portion of that is done on the ice here. The other is what's called a bed race, namely four people skating with a bed frame along a race-course with a person on top of the frame, trying to get the best time over other competitors. 

Yes. It's strange. It's something we do to get ourselves through winter.


39 comments:

  1. I think I actually could win that bed race lying down. :-)

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  2. That building is really ugly, but I love the sight of all those skaters.
    If tyhings don't change, we'll have to do without skating again this winter, because temperatures are way to high again.

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  3. I prefer the long vertical shot. And a beaver tail would be tasty. One wonders why architects design such ugly modern buildings especially in historical areas.

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  4. Wow a lot of people on the ice there, the portate one looks better

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  5. @Linda: so do I.

    @Revrunner: it must be a lot of fun, though I still wonder if the person on the bedframe serves any other purpose than weight.

    @Jan: here the temps are staying consistently below freezing now.

    @Tanya: it is!

    @Pamela: Beavertails are to die for. Architects can occasionally design something excellent these days, but mostly, not.

    @Bill: the ice does get popular.

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  6. The people are there, it just lacks the shops and bars on the left and on the right of the canal :-)

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  7. i love when you get on your controlled rants. :)

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  8. It's nice that there are things like that to look forward to in the long cold winters.

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  9. You have to get through the winter somehow. May as well have some fun!
    I also prefer your vertical shot of the canal. It does somehow fit the lines, etc. better.

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  10. I'm afraid our republicans also want to starve the gov't into submission so their patrons can run wild over the public. Hate to tell you..... But we DO know better, and hope for better...TOGETHER!

    Makes me wish I had a river (or canal) to skate away on.....(Joni M)




    ALOHA from Honolulu
    ComfortSpiral
    <3

    ALOHA from Honolulu
    ComfortSpiral
    <3

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  11. Keep ranting, I enjoy them! A bed race? Really?

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  12. @Karl: come to think of it, there's very little in the way of restaurants alongside the Canal. It's the parkways and grassland, but there's one in the Glebe that has a dock, and then something at Dow's Lake.

    @Tex: I'm sure the PM would disagree!

    @Sharon: thanks!

    @Judy: Winterlude does get us through the winter quite nicely.

    @Halcyon: I take more horizontally, but at least with this vantage point, vertical seems to work better.

    @Cloudia: at this point the Republicans are, well, destroying their own party systematically without even realizing it.

    @VP: yes, and somehow I never seem to be down where it takes place when it takes place. I'll have to see if I can remedy that this year.

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  13. Good rant!!!! Keep it up.
    I wish they would tear the ugly building down but we both know it won't happen.
    MB

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  14. Haha! Love it William. Glad to see I'm not the only one with issues against our elected (not by me) government decisions! A national portrait gallery would be perfect there.

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  15. Awesome rant Bill. We have to get rid of these guys. They just seem to isolate themselves from all reality

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  16. Vertical, horizontal, topsy-turvy - they all work and it's still a beautiful scene. But what is a "Beavertail"?

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  17. Good to hear a rant, it's how we learn, getting everyone's opinions. Makes us read up more on what's going on in the world. Love that shot of the people skating on the river.

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  18. I hope the PMO doesn't follow your blog! ;-)

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  19. I think I prefer the horizontal take on the canal, skaters and buildings backdrop.

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  20. Sorry but now I'm trying to imagine a bed race. I'm sure you'll show us. Yes?

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  21. I'm requesting pictures of the bed races for next year, please! :)

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  22. @MB: no doubt some other government department will move in.

    @Grace: back in the day they were going to put it in the former American embassy, right across the street from Parliament Hill. Harper came in and drove a stake through that idea.

    @Red: I'm looking forward to the election.

    @Lowell: I shall show that in a couple of posts or so!

    @Denise: there are times I can be quiet as a churchmouse. Other times, not so much!

    @RedPat: I'm pretty sure I'm on the Enemy List.

    @Birdman: it's a matter of personal taste.

    @Ciel: I'll have to find out when it is.

    @Meradeth: if I happen to photograph them, I'll post sooner than that!

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  23. Where would we be without our rants? (And I do wish you were right about the Republicans were systematically destroying themselves without realizing it but they seem to keep winning elections. And judging from letters to the editor in our local paper, people are still eating up some of the craziest partisanship they spew.)
    I'd love to see the bed race. It sounds like a hoot.

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  24. Ranting is good gets all the frustration off our chests lol ! Lovely photo of the canal ! Thanks for sharing , Have a good day !

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  25. Thorroughly enjoyed your ranting as we feel the same!!

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  26. If you can't rant on your own blog, then why have one? I would love to see pics of the bed race. That sounds like it could be quite funny!

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  27. Love the post and the photo. I agree about the vertical vs. horizontal.

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  28. @Kay: well, admittedly I am thinking long term for the GOP. It saddens me to think this is what's become of the party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Eisenhower.

    @Country Gal: thank you!

    @Jackie: and I say those things as a conservative who can't vote Conservative and at this rate never will!

    @Lois: I'm definitely going to have to find out when they're running it.

    @Randy: it seems more suitable to the Canal.

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  29. I've heard of bed races, but I think they were on snowy hills. Bed is one of those words that makes people smile, like bathtub.

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  30. Would I go on your blacklist if I observed that that building is far from the worst I have seen? It seems pretty neutral to me, neither the best nor the worst. It looks like Boston's JFK federal building, a remnant of the 1960s, not the finest hour for architects.

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  31. Hope you'll be at the bed race to take pics for us. Had to laugh at your pseudonyms for the PM.

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  32. Well, one either has to move away or get outdoors and get moving, or get active and quit complaining!

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  33. Definitely the vertical for me, lovely picture

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  34. I like the canal and the lights.

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  35. @Linda: they are fun to watch. I've documented them for the photoblog since, and I hope to do so again this year.

    @Jack: I still think it's hideous. Maybe it's the location- I think something more fitting belongs there. As it is, the military is still going to be making use of the place even with a new headquarters.

    @ODP: I was very much not a fan of the previous prime minister, and was glad to see the end of his time in office.

    @Jennifer: that's true!

    @Norma: they are hilarious!

    @Geoff: thank you!

    @Carolann: thanks!

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