Ends And Odds In The Capital City

 Early in August while I was attending the Busker Festival, I noticed these two birds pecking away in the spacious planter I was sitting beside. They blended in well.

A short walk away, I noticed something I've walked past countless times at the corner of Bank and Sparks Streets without noticing. I believe the building at this corner might have once been a bank, hence the crest.

A bit further along on Sparks Street is the current location of a sculpture honouring Terry Fox, the Canadian marathon runner who lost a leg to cancer, set out to run across the country from east to west, and lost his fight to cancer before he could finish it. Millions run marathons for cancer research in his name each year.

Some photo bloggers do hip shots. I inadvertently did one during a busker performance, but liked the shot.

This summer has been one of rain. One day at home I noticed the building dark clouds outside my apartment building. Excuse the ropes- there's balcony work being done on my side of the building. To the west, the buildings across the way are government buildings.

The storm clouds built. When it unleashed, it was a furious storm.

With rain comes rainbows. This was on another day in the north end of the Glebe.

August and September is the time of sunflowers. These are outside Abbotsford House, a former 19th century farmhouse that sees new use as a senior's community centre.

On another day in the north end of the Glebe, I saw this rabbit early in the morning. They are not animals of the heat of the day; one is more likely to see them first thing, or in the evening and overnight.

En route to visit a museum, my route took me through the Riverview neighbourhood. I stopped along the way to head down a street and photograph a church. This is the Church of Christ, nestled in a quiet area.

My last shot that day was taken close to home, outside an LRT station. This compass is thematically First Nations, and I recall seeing a similar one outside City Hall.

Odds And Ends In The Capital City

I have some odds and ends from the last few weeks today and tomorrow. We start back on Canada Day. I stopped briefly by the Museum of Nature that day, and as I was leaving the property, these ominous clouds were presenting themselves. Within minutes, the first rain began, falling hard. 

A little while later, and a bus ride away, I took this photograph downtown up at the sky. Another round of rain would soon fall, and when I got home, the worst storm of the day came down late in the afternoon.

On another day, close to home. This sweet cat spends a good part of the day napping in front of her house.

Another furry critter. I've probably photographed this rabbit before; this is in the front yard of St. Matthew Anglican Church in the Glebe.

In Major's Park stands this work of art. Twist 1.5 is by Alex Wyse and Ken Guild, done in wood.

Back in the Glebe, this church is one I don't photograph often. Blessed Sacrament Parish is a Catholic church in the south side of the neighbourhood.

The Supreme Court of Canada late in the day- a masterpiece of Art Deco architecture.

One day when I went into Gatineau, I stopped to photograph these flowerboxes alongside the street. You may remember the tulips being in them. After the tulips are done blooming, they get replaced by flowers lasting the season into October.

Once more in the Glebe. The stump of an old tree is hidden beneath all this greenery.

One morning at Lansdowne Park I noticed this squirrel, who noticed me.

For today, I finish here downtown. This is a work in progress, a large mural on a building. It's since been completed, and looks beautiful.

Classic Automobiles And A Crowd

 On occasion, Lansdowne Park hosts an organized gathering of cars- some of whom are sports cars, others classics. These tend to be the sort that are taken care of by their owners, as opposed to the sort who randomly drive in groups across cities taking photos of themselves with their cars. I stopped by one August evening when this event was underway.

This sort of event does draw a crowd.

And owners are around to take questions.

I'm more interested in classic cars, like this one.

This last one, an Allard, was a show stopper.

City Daily Photo Theme Day: Travel

The first day of each month is a theme day for members of City Daily Photo. For this month, that theme is Travel. See how others are interpreting this theme right here. 

To begin with, this visitor had traveled a long way. I was downtown one day in July and noticed a car with Colorado plates. I don't recall the last time I've seen one; we're more likely to see New York, Vermont, or New Hampshire plates here.

In mid-August, I spent the day out and about, and dropped in at the main train station, which lies southeast of the core. I exited the LRT station, very close by the train station.

The current train station is in the modernist style, replacing the original train station, which now sees use as the Government Conference Centre. 

The open waiting area within includes some display cases with model trains.

My other part of this theme took me to another travel location- the Macdonald Cartier International Airport, which lies south of the city. I took an LRT train, which goes right to the terminal. En route, it looked like I was in a wilderness. The trees are dense here between roadways, this train track, and the bus-only route. The sun was setting.

The airport has its origins stretching back to the 1920s, and has a history of civilian and military use, as well as regular transformations.

The current main terminal also has a modernist sensibility.

There is an inukshuk here.

It has a very open air sensibility.

It's been awhile since I've done any plane watching.