Royal Canadian Navy Monument

 Richmond Landing is older than the city itself. After the War of 1812, veterans of that war, with their families, landed here on the shores of the Ottawa River and made a trail inland to found the village of Richmond, which today is within the city boundaries of Ottawa. Here on the other side of an artificial channel of the river that serves to be a home for white water kayaking is another monument, this one to the Royal Canadian Navy.

There is a naval yardarm here, with a low wall of names of ships and navy stations from the long history of the Navy.

Many of them were named after cities and towns across the country. If they've been used repeatedly, the number is listed after the name. I wasn't sure about the markings on the stone, but this spot is relatively low in relation to the river, and I've seen the aftermath of high spring waters get in here.

The other portion of the monument is this large stone wall.

Inscribed on it are theatres of war and military operations the Navy has served in- many of them from the Second World War. The only one without a date refers to the Persian Gulf. Canadian ships were part of Desert Storm, and have been on duty there on a regular basis ever since.

I went down to the river itself. Quite a view downstream.

One last shot. The dark shape before the monument is that of a dog, patiently waiting for its human to stop doing what I was doing- taking photos.

Within The Healing Circle

 More today from Thunderhead, the new monument at Richmond Landing.

Governments for a long time made it policy to discriminate against the LGBT community by removing them from positions in public service. This was called the LGBT Purge.

The monument is very effectively done, particularly these panels. 

The heart of the monument is this. The openings into this column resemble storm clouds, and the column features many small mirrors inlaid inside. 

Nearby, a series of rocks from across the country have been placed into a healing circle- a testament to the Indigenous influence in this monument.

One more look. From here I was heading over to another section of Richmond Landing.

The New Monument

Richmond Landing sits between the headquarters of Library and Archives Canada and the Portage Bridge, along the Ottawa River west of the Parliamentary precinct. A new monument was recently unveiled on a portion of the grounds.

It is called Thunderhead, and it is a national monument for the LGBT community.

The concept is a blend between history, architecture, landscape design, and consultation with the queer community.

Along one wall are panels telling the story of the gay community in Canada, including the darker chapters for them in the country's history in dealing with discrimination.

The Supreme Court

 One day earlier this month I stopped by the Supreme Court of Canada to photograph around the grounds.

A statue of Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent is placed here, looking east towards Parliament Hill. It is a deliberate placement- had he not gone into politics, this brilliant lawyer might have ended up a member of the Court.

The building is in the Art Deco style, lying to the west of the Parliamentary precinct.

Two statues out front are allegorical in nature, by Walter Allward.

I noticed a groundhog.

Out back, views of the Ottawa River.