The Bellows Of Outrage Or Blessed Relief?

Here we are. Last day of August. Days are getting shorter. Fall colours are starting to show themselves. It won't be long til we see such lovely sights as these. 

The top shot is the street close by my place. The bottom is from the library at Carleton, overlooking the Canal on the other side of the treeline.

I couldn't resist. Incidentally, I can practically hear a number of people howling my name in outrage when they see this; no doubt they'll be contemplating sending Fluffy Destroyer of Worlds after me.

The Residence Of The Greek Ambassador

Today I have two views, holdovers from Doors Open, of the Greek Ambassador's residence in the Glebe. I first introduced it to you here. This is a different angle for the front of the residence, up on the hill overlooking the Rideau Canal.

While this is at the back. If the residence participates next year, I'll have to photograph the garden.

Outside And Within A Fieldstone Church

During Doors Open, I took shots at Southminster United Church, which is a favourite photographic subject for me. I think it's the fieldstone of the structure that appeals to me. The first post is here. I found extra shots from that day of the church among my folders.

The church was my first stop that weekend. The sanctuary was quiet at that point in time, but there were people inside. I enjoyed the way the light comes into the sanctuary.

In the first post I had a photograph from the church's Second World War memorial plaque. It's fitting in this centennial year of the beginning of the First World War to include this memorial plaque from one of the congregations that united into Southminster between the war. Both covering the names of those who served and who gave their lives, it is a testament that so many young men of that congregation gave their youth in places far from home. 

A reminder to members of City Daily Photo: the theme for the first of September is Rust And Ruin.

Social Commentary Or Act Of Vandals?

I took this photo last year of the sculpture of jazz great Oscar Peterson outside the National Arts Centre. It's my favourite statue in the city.

This second picture is from the Ottawa Citizen. The other night someone painted around the eyes with gold paint. The sculptor suggested it might be a commentary on the state of racial relations in the United States. On the other hand, it could be nothing more than petty vandalism. Oscar's widow didn't like the turn of events, according to the news. The NAC said that they had security footage handed over to the police, and were quickly having the paint removed.

The Smoke At The Middle Of The Day

I borrowed part of the title today from a novel I finished up over the weekend, The Smoke At Dawn, by Jeff Shaara, which tells the story of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga campaign in the American Civil War, both from the point of view of the commanders and the men in the lines. It seemed oddly appropriate for today, finishing off this series from Victoria Day.

The cannon salute to Queen Victoria certainly is loud. Before they begin, officers on site set everyone back at a given distance, and caution that the noise will be considerable. I imagine the gun crews use ear plugs.

Field Guns And The Famous Five

I thought I would stay with this particular subject for today and tomorrow. Yesterday I caught another detail I'd missed before in the photograph- the statue of Queen Elizabeth on horseback can be glimpsed in the background among the trees at the left. Go on back and see if you can find it.

Gun crews from the military come up with these field guns from time to time on the Hill. Aside from Victoria Day, they do the same duty for a more somber day, Remembrance Day. And they participate as well each year in Fortissimo, a military ceremony involving marching bands. I missed it this year, more's the pity.

A good many people know about the tradition now, coming out to witness it, and to look at these guns up close beforehand. In the background, a number of people are gathered around a set of statues collectively known as The Famous Five. The Five are a group of women critical to the rights of women in Canadian history. I have to photograph them sometime. 

The Cannons And Artillery Crews

I have a holdover from Victoria Day today. On Parliament Hill a salute is made each year on that day to Queen Victoria by firing cannons in a salute. Members of the Canadian Forces arrive on the Hill towing the artillery in advance. Soldiers for this gun crew are just getting the cannon unhooked from the transport truck. I looked at this shot again yesterday and just noticed the two spires of Notre Dame in the background.

A Welcome Arrival In Chinatown

The other day over at Victoria Daily Photo, Ben Madison added this post of a dramatic entry gate in his hometown's Chinatown area. It reminded me of a photo I took of the Chinatown gate here in Ottawa a year ago. This appeared in my writer's blog while I was musing the idea of starting up a photoblog. The gate has been there several years now, and is quite colourful, fitting the area well.

Does The Tail Wag The Dog?

"Happiness is a warm puppy." ~ Charles Schulz

"I've seen a look in dogs' eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts." ~ John Steinbeck

"Dogs are better than human beings because they know but do not tell." ~ Emily Dickinson

Today I'm finishing off the series. I hope you've enjoyed it!

Every Dog Has Their Day

I originally featured my cousin's dog Buddy in this post. Today and tomorrow, he closes out this series of memes I've put together.

Heaven Goes By Favour

"Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read." ~ Groucho Marx

"If a dog will not come to you after having looked you in the face, you should go home and examine your conscience." ~ Woodrow Wilson

"Heaven goes by favour. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in." ~ Mark Twain

I'm back today with more memes featuring this very good boy.

Musings Of A Canine

I've decided to spend the remainder of the week messing around with old pics and inserting memes into them. This handsome fellow was originally featured in this post.

Musings Of A Feline

"Authors like cats because they are such quiet, lovable, wise creatures, and cats like authors for the same reason." ~ Robertson Davies

"Meow means woof in cat." ~ George Carlin

"If animals could speak, the dog would be a blundering outspoken fellow, but the cat would have the rare grace of never saying a word too much." ~ Mark Twain

Today I thought I'd return to adding memes to a picture. I took this shot at Dow's Lake during the Tulip Festival- the original post is here- and added on the memes through Imgflip. Enjoy!

Projectionist Perch

Another holdover from Doors Open. I was in the Mayfair Theatre on that weekend; the first post is here. At the back of the theatre, the projectionist's booth was open for viewing. It was crowded when I peeked in, one of the staff members speaking with a couple of visitors about the equipment in here. It's crowded, as you'd expect out of such spaces, and yet it has touches you expect out of the Mayfair, like movie posters on the walls.

Laurentian Centre

I return today to the J.R Booth house, currently the Laurentian Centre, from my visit during Doors Open. You can find the original post here. This first view is from the south side of the house, with the trees nicely leafed out.

I should have posted this pic at the time. This column was at the base of the main staircase. I liked the craftmanship of the carving into the wood.

Somerset House

I have something a little different for today. Somerset House is at the corner of Bank and Somerset Streets here in Centretown, and it has seen better days. It dates back to 1900, and was a hotel and pub in its various incarnations. It has stood empty for years, with renovations up in the air due to a dispute between the city and the developer who was trying to restore it, after a slight boo-boo inside during construction work. By slight boo-boo I mean disaster. Supposedly the work will be getting underway again in the not so distant future, but then again, it's been years since that incident and progress has been non-existent. I will be returning here again in time with further details, but for the moment,  I leave you with the front of the place. The bare bones of Somerset House has potential to be restored to something better. It just needs the work to be done.

A News Crew

I thought about leaving this pic for the people in their workplaces theme day later in the year, but decided to go with it today. I took this on Canada Day, at the corner of Elgin and Wellington Streets. Parliament Hill is in the background, along with quite a few revelers. The woman in red is a CBC reporter, who was walking around with a cameraman, talking to people attending the festivities downtown. On impulse, I took the shot.

Quite A View

Another shot from Barron Canyon today. A canoe can be spotted far below, and having another hiker in the shot gives perspective and scale. The canyon was formed as a fault line, part of the massive slab of granite that is the Canadian Shield. It has more recent geological history- in the wake of the last ice age, the water that ran through here drained a glacial lake to the west. Its flow at that time has been estimated by geologists to be the equal of a thousand Niagaras. It is considerably calmer now. The Barron River flows out from Algonquin, joining the Petawawa River and emptying into the Ottawa River at Petawawa, up the valley from the capital.

Barron Canyon

I have these shots from the archives as well, pics I took on a visit in the early fall of 2012 and saved in my email, as the camera belonged to friends. The Barron River flows through this canyon on the east side of Algonquin Park. A hiking trail follows the canyon rim. Canoes can often be seen down on the river below. It's a hundred metres up from the river here, so a fall would result in a very bad day. Well, for your family and friends, anyway. Odds are you'd be dead.

It is a magnificent canyon, and far from the Highway 60 corridor, which is what most visitors think of when they think of Algonquin. For those of us in Eastern Ontario, this part of the park is more quickly reached.

Hints Of Winter

Something from the archives today, and a harbinger perhaps of an early winter (yay!). This is from early December 2012. I think it's the Bonnechere River here in Eastern Ontario, but I was with friends, and we visited a number of places that particular day. Doesn't that snow and cold river look inviting?

In stark contrast, last evening brought the news of the death of Robin Williams. A great comedian, and an extraordinary actor. The world's become darker with him gone. I will be posting something in my writer's blog for Wednesday, so keep an eye out for that tomorrow. This editorial cartoon was one of the first to show up yesterday evening. It's by David Fitzsimmons. No doubt many more will follow.

Canadian Memes

After the rather somber subject of the weekend, I thought I would lighten things up today. I have as of late started to write some memes for the occasional post at my writer's blog. My most recent example can be found here. I decided to do the same with some of my photos here, writing memes for them through Imgflip, which I've found to be a very easy site to work with. Enjoy!

Voice Of The People

Two things struck me watching this march of protestors with links to the Armenian community. One was the solemness of the occasion, and given the circumstances, that's entirely understandable. The other was one of the banners. It quoted a Turkish leader from years back who noted that healing could begin if his country simply owned up to the truth of what had happened during the Armenian genocide. 

If only.