Sunday, January 8, 2017

Crossing, Before And After

In early December, I crossed the Alexandra Bridge to head over to the Museum of History for their Christmas artisan fair. I took some photos along the way, thinking of also coming this way when winter really set in. On that particular day, we were in between snowfalls- the snow that had come down in late November was largely gone, and the next snow after this occasion was soon to come.


The Macdonald-Cartier Bridge can be viewed to the east in this shot. While we have a number of bridges crossing the Ottawa River between Ottawa and Gatineau, the next one downstream from the Macdonald-Cartier is at Hawkesbury, which is a good drive away. The white buildings you see on the right side belong to the Ottawa Rowing Club, which I've shown during Doors Open posts.


The Museum was gleaming in the daylight, both the exhibition and curatorial wings. They are the design work of the architect Douglas Cardinal.


What a difference a few weeks makes. On the afternoon of the 29th of December, I crossed the Alexandra again during heavy snow, heading over to the Museum to take in a couple of exhibits. At points the views to either shore were obscured, and the river ice had been steadily building up over those weeks.

31 comments:

  1. I love the contrast from your first photos until your last ones, and I love the cold, foggy look in your last photos, William!

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  2. A big contrast indeed but good impression of the changing weather comditions during the winter.

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  3. Great contrast. Love the 1st pic and the foggy ones.

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  4. unbelievable contrast between the first photos and the last part. At any rate, it looks cold in all of them.

    Janis
    GDP

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  5. Gosh it looks so cold in the last 4 photos.

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  6. @Linda: the second time across was quite a trip to make.

    @Marianne: I was surprised by the extent of the ice.

    @Nancy: thank you.

    @Janis: colder during the latter trip.

    @Marleen: it was.

    @RedPat: very much so.

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  7. Great comparison. Each time has it's own unique chacteristics.

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  8. Wonderful serie, William.
    Great to see the Netherlands is not the only country with fast changing weather.

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  9. Fine fine winter shots. Esp of the bridge, William. Nice post

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  10. What a difference a day makes! Was that Cole's line? Fun post. I really like the first shot of the museum over the water. And the bridge is magnifique! I even like the snow, just so long as it stays up your way!

    BTW, my experiment did not work out well so I'm back on Blogger.

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  11. Those snowy shots are wonderful! I love a good thick snowfall bringing a bit of mystery and adventure with it.

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  12. William, you really do live in a gorgeous area. i love the snowy cloudy shots. so lovely!! i enjoy the bridge too. always a fan of the old style of bridges. they don't make those these days, huh?! ( ;

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  13. Wow, that is a huge difference! Brrr..

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  14. Just looking at all the snow makes me shiver!

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  15. When the snow flies, I huddle close to the fire. Well, I would if I had one.

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  16. @Red: they were such different days!

    @Jan: today is another quickly changing weather kind of day. A bit of haze with snow falling, and then an hour later, blue skies.

    @Cloudia: it's a great bridge to cross.

    @Lowell: but snow is a good thing!

    @Wendy: we're getting more of a proper winter this year thus far, compared to last year.

    @Beth: they certainly don't- the Macdonald-Cartier, for example, is more conventional in its look. I've never actually crossed that one on foot, just by car. I should try that sometime.

    @Sharon: a very big difference.

    @Norma: but snow is good for you!

    @Catalyst: a fireplace on a cold day is a wonder.

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  17. Wow, it's really amazing just a few weeks can make such a big difference! Brrrr...but beautiful pictures!

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  18. The contrast is striking. The snowy and foggy images are my favorite, they're outstanding. Nicely done William!

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  19. Ach! Snow-covered bike path. My nemesis.

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  20. Obliterated is right. Once again you give reason to rejoice that I live in the desert.

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  21. Wow! That's a dramatic difference. Great contrast shots and post.

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  22. Looks a little snowy in some of those photos!

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  23. Stunning photos, William. The "before" and "after" shots are so different.

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  24. Oh wow! That's a dramatic difference! I know you love the snow William but surely that must make everyday coming and going really tricky!

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  25. My goodness, all that snow ... The photos actually look as though they are black & white :).

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  26. Great silhouette in the first shot! The fog is intriguing... a little spooky.

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  27. @Tamago: winters here can be harsh!

    @Bill: thanks!

    @Revrunner: and yet some cyclists go through the whole winter here. I don't get that!

    @Mari: I do love the winter!

    @Kay: thank you!

    @Furry Gnome: thus far this has been a more typical winter for us than last year was.

    @Molly: I was surprised by all of the ice on the river. I'd wondered how long the river might take to ice over, but I would never, ever walk on it in winter. Some do.

    @Grace: that was quite a walk to make.

    @Stefan: a huge difference.

    @Aussie: yes, I'll be using some shots that I also took on this crossing for a theme day in March. They were quite appropriate in what's basically black and white, though my camera wasn't set for that.

    @Linda: thanks!

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