Skate

 A strip of snow is left on the Canal in this stretch at the sides for walkers- which was good, because the ice was slippery.

A glimpse of the next bridge, where Bronson Avenue crosses.

On the west side of the bridge, we find Dow's Lake, a reservoir for the Canal. On the west shore, trees mark the grounds of the Arboretum.

I took two panoramic shots.

The sun was trying to poke through the cloud deck.

Skate shacks and some food choices are found along the south side of the skateway here. That includes poutine and Beavertails.

Canal

 Winterlude is the annual celebration of the best season of them all here in Ottawa and Gatineau, and it is very much centered around the Rideau Canal Skateway. 7.8 kilometers of ice are groomed for skaters between the Ottawa Locks and the Hartwell Locks. I do not skate, but I like walking on the ice. I make a point of photographing some of those walks for my Winterlude series, such as a day early in the month when I arrived onto the ice at the Bank Street Bridge, which links the Glebe on the north to Old Ottawa South on the south. Part of the bridge is undergoing some rehabilitation at present.

I started west, seeing the Moon poking through clouds in the pre-dawn light.

Not many skaters this time of day, but I seem to prefer to photograph when the skateway is quiet.

One look back at where I'd arrived- at Lansdowne Park, seen by the condo tower and South Stands at left. And then I proceeded on.

Garden

Each season, I stop by the grounds at the Canadian Museum of Nature to visit the Landscapes of Canada Gardens and show how they look. Four distinct ecosystems from the country have trees, flowers, plants, grasses, and shrubs here. starting with Boreal Forest as we approach from the southwest. 

Evergreens are a signature of the Boreal Forest, which covers a vast swath of the country. This time of year, snow was to be found.

The path leads on.

Prairie Grassland is the central section, with grasses and flowers from that region transplanted here. They are beneath the snow, waiting on spring.

A sculpture crosses the path, an iceberg in steel, made by the late Canadian artist and inventor, Bill Lishman.

Arctic Tundra is the next ecosystem. During the rest of the season, rocks are visible, with grasses and shrubs growing between them, from the far north. Taken from the west side of the property, all we see in winter is the shrubs, bare and waiting on spring.

A park bench bears a plaque dedicated by two visitors. Other such plaques are in cobblestones at the entrances, and largely obscured by snow this time of year.

The last of the ecosystems is on the left side of the path, buried by snow. It is concentrated around a series of three sculptures of mammoths. Entirely appropriate, as the plants come from the Mammoth Steppe- plants of the end of the Ice Age that such animals would have known, and which survive today.

This view includes the Queens Lantern, with a model of the Moon hanging inside.

And one more look at the family of mammoths.

A Finale

 Curling is a sport common in many parts of the country.

The Hartland Covered Bridge is found in New Brunswick.

Inukshuks are a symbol of the Inuit and the Arctic that have made their presence known in other parts of the country.

The bush plane- an essential element in opening up the country, and still the mode of transport to remote settlements.

L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland and Labrador is the home of a confirmed Viking settlement from a thousand years ago.

The Mount Royal Cross is part of the cityscape of Montreal.

And powwow dancing is common in many First Nations tribes.

Emerging from the corridor, one sees this sculpture by the Haida artist Bill Reid. This is his plaster cast version of Chief Of The Undersea World.

A look down the escalators to the Grand Hall.

On the main floor, I took a photo of this totem.

And one more look at the Grand Hall. I plan on coming back at some point before summer ends- that temporary exhibit on Impressionist art in Quebec is still here.

Outside, a look across the frozen river to Ottawa, with the Chateau Laurier and Parliament Hill on the far shore.

I headed off, taking one more shot of the exhibition wing from below the curatorial wing.

And this final shot is taken from the Alexandra Bridge.