Tuesday, April 21, 2015

In Old 1812

Yesterday saw a bitterly cold bone chilling rain here in Ottawa. I came up to Parliament Hill to take several shots of the newest monument on the Hill. It was cold enough that I decided to leave it at one shot and come back on a more pleasant day.

This is the War of 1812 Monument, the first (and I hope the last) military sculpture on the Hill, commemorating that war of two centuries ago. It is by itself a striking and well rendered monument, but its placement is what I have an issue with- it would be better placed in Confederation Park, where there are several military monuments. Sculptures on the Hill have traditionally been of political figures, but the Harper regime seems hellbent on inflicting its narrow version of history on the country. Yet another reason why the Dark Lord needs to have his worthless hindquarters drummed out of office.

Anyway, political rant over (for now). The monument itself features servicemen and civilians of the war against those Yankees (yes, my American readers, your forefathers... and by the way, our side won), and is set by the East Block, with a view of the National War Memorial across Wellington Street.


51 comments:

  1. Thanks for braving the cold long enough for this shot. It's nice to see civilians portrayed.

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  2. Lov ethe way you ram those comment home.Good sculpture and good on you going out to take it

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  3. Beautiful sculptures that remind us the past.

    Tomás.

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  4. How about a Peace memorial every now and then?

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  5. Ah, yes, the War of 1812. I live not far from some of the scenes of that war.

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  6. Amazing vantage point in that photo. Can't hear 1812 without thinking of the overture by Tchaikovsky!

    Janis
    GDP

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  7. a nice sculpture...hope today is more springlike for you!

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  8. I always love your political commentaries. ;-)
    Hope things warm up soon!

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  9. Thanks for braving the bad weather to get this photo today. Very nice.

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  10. Yeah, your side won. But you had to burn down the White House! :) How many people have been killed in stupid wars in which, soon after they are over, enemies turn into friends?

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  11. Well, at least in the cold rain you had the site to yourself.

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  12. @Kay: it is a different kind of monument. The woman on the left side is acting as a nurse, which we don't often see in war monuments.

    @Bill: I doubt the Prime Minister would appreciate my opinion of him, but my opinion of him can't get much lower at this point.

    @Tomas: the sculptor did a good job on this. I do think it should be over in the other spot, which isn't that far away, and is quite high profile.

    @Stuart: it's been awhile since I've photographed the Peacekeeper's Monument. I should get over there and do so again.

    @Marianne: it stands out even in rain.

    @Revrunner: I grew up in southern Ontario, and a number of battlefields of that war in the Niagara area were within an easy drive.

    @Janis: ah, but he was referencing the French and Russians. I often wonder how it is that Americans incorporated that music so deeply into Fourth of July ceremonies, but it is a magnificent work of music.

    @Tanya: no, still wet and disagreeable.

    @Halcyon: we might have another day of this kind of weather.

    @Sharon: I will definitely have to come up here again in better weather and give this monument a proper going over.

    @Lowell: on the other hand, your side burned down Toronto. We might say that was a good thing.

    @Birdman: strangely, there were supposed to be a lot of people on the Hill yesterday because of the 4/20 pot smoke in. While I was there, very few people were around.

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  13. It was rainy and chilly here to all dampness gets to my bones lol ! Lovely photo ! My dad loved the 1812 overture by Tchaikovsky ! I like it to . Thanks for sharing , Have a good day !

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  14. I really like the newest art work. Looks very intriguing. Looks like the protesters are the fair-weather kind.

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  15. Good art work here, William !

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  16. A fitting tribute and I'll leave the placement battles to you! We have enough battles here to deal with. :)
    V

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  17. We had that same bone chilling rain here yesterday, William. Amazing sculpture!

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  18. Ah yes, and we are having the bone chilling rain again today! LOL! :)

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  19. Nice looking monument. The weather is dismal here today - rain, hail, a bit of sun, yuck!

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  20. That is a beautiful sculpture. We have your cold rain and wind here today. Brr.

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  21. Yes, Harper has a very warped view of history and the world. But it is a very nice monument.

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  22. I like your rants, and this beautiful monument too!

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  23. Ottawa has some great sculptures....

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  24. When you look close there are so much details to impress.

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  25. that cold rain made you grumpy didn't it!!

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  26. @Country Gal: just as long as the 1812 Overture doesn't inspire you to try to invade Russia.

    @Linda: I'm not sure I'd call pot smokers protestors. I find that it's a medical issue, not a criminal issue, and should be treated as such. That said, I also find that those who habitually use the stuff only come across looking really stupid.

    @Karl: the artist really did well with the design.

    @Virginia: I'm half expecting the Prime Minister to erect a statue in tribute of himself.

    @Linda: we had some rain here today, but not as much as yesterday.

    @RedPat: I'd prefer some sunnier days.

    @Pamela: the odd thing is this kind of weather chills me more than winter does.

    @Red: everything about that man is warped.

    @VP: thank you!

    @Norma: I certainly think so.

    @Marleen: this will have a different mood in sunlight, but the more I look at this photo, the more I like it.

    @Gill: oh, yes. That's the kind of weather I dislike.

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  27. Well, you made me look up the War of 1812 and all that went on! Thanks for the history lesson, and no offense at the 'Yankees' part. ;) Does look nippy there.

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  28. I will leave the political and historical comments to you, but regardless of the appropriateness of its placement, this statue looks good to me.

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  29. BTW, I got curious and googled "who won the War of 1812." Nearly every source said it was a draw, though the Canadians think they won.

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  30. I saw your header and thought, "Well, winter is definitely over." Then I read your entry. Still wishful thinking I guess.

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  31. It even looks cold in the photo. The treaty says we won, but that foray into Canada was a stupid move. They fought just the way we did.

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  32. Placing aside it seems a really nice statue.

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  33. Boo hiss! Oh well, it looks like a well designed sculpture.

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  34. Too bad it was so cold, I would like to see more shots of this monument. I think even the reflections on the wet floor would be worth some more pictures.

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  35. Beautiful piece William. Love your banner.

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  36. I do enjoy reading your rants, William. Yes, go back for more photos.

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  37. I'm not fond of military stuff (yes, I've been at the army, it was mandatory on Salazar's dictatorship - and there was a war in Africa!), but I like this sculpture.

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  38. Somehow, I think seeing a monument like this in bone chilling, miserable weather, is rather apt.

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    Replies
    1. You are right, hamilton!
      You are the good info person for me. I seldom get downtown.

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  39. Your civic fury speaks well for Canada and for you, my friend!



    ALOHA from Honolulu,
    ComfortSpiral
    =^..^=

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  40. No more battles between us. I hope!

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  41. I can't say about it's placement William but it is a marvelous sculpture and you've shown it to it's very best here.

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  42. @Cheryl: thanks!

    @Marianne: it's a fascinating war.

    @Jack: well, the American objective was to toss the British out of North America and take us over. Our objective was to deny that. We attained our objective.

    @Oakland: it feels cold enough here today for snow.

    @Mari: that was actually something that would come up again during World War One- the Germans weren't used to the way Canadians fought against them.

    @Denise: I do like it, at any rate.

    @Beth: thanks!

    @Whisk: thanks!

    @Randy: I do think so.

    @Tex: it is.

    @Jen: definitely!

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  43. @Linda: I couldn't resist!

    @Jan: the reflection brought out a whole different side to it.

    @Luis: thank you!

    @EG: it's easily within reach.

    @Jose: it has character, I think.

    @Hamilton: it is quite fitting that way.

    @Jennifer: it's a pleasure to show this part of the capital.

    @Cloudia: thank you!

    @Kate: no, those got buried after the Civil War, fortunately!

    @Grace: thank you!

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