Feline Supervision Is Always Advised

A final reminder to members of City Daily Photo that the theme for tomorrow is Sensual. 

I have some odds and ends today. These two cats live with their staff in a house in Centretown, and occasionally can be found on an east facing windowsill when I pass by. They're of that perpetually sour faced looking breed of cat that makes me think they'd get along famously with Tommy Lee Jones.

These two signs were both in the Glebe.

August is the high season here for sunflowers. There are a great variety of them in the flowerbeds outside the Sunnyside branch of the Ottawa Public Library at that time of year. Some were already past their prime when I took these shots.

One weekend when I was downtown, I came across quite a number of Shriners around Parliament Hill. That included bagpipers playing. 

This view looking west is of the Rideau River at Billings Bridge. There is a company that rents out stand up paddle boards during the warm weather, and base their gear at the north end of the bridge. It's a popular activity on a sunny day, though I expect their operations are wrapping up soon for the season, if not already.

I started with cats, and I'll end with one. This is actually diagonally across from the house in the first shot, so this cat must be familiar with the two cats across the street. He or she is a cutie, with tucked down ears. The day I took this one, the cat seemed of a more self assured disposition. I've seen this supreme life form with the sort of bewildered look that seems to say where the hell am I and how much did I drink last night?

Colours Of A National Capital Dusk

An evening sky in early August caught my eye over Old Ottawa South, and then at the bridge over the Rideau River.

On another evening, this was the view from the Bank Street Bridge out over the Rideau Canal.

This one dates back to early September from the same location. The days were considerably shorter than they had been in August.

Also from early September, I was up at the Garden of the Provinces and Territories one evening and took in the views west.

Walking west to the grounds of the Canadian Firefighters Memorial, I took this shot a few minutes later. The structures are the National Holocaust Monument at the left and the familiar spike of the Canadian War Museum in the background to the right. The Holocaust Monument was officially opened two days ago. I will be taking you through it at some point in the fall.

This final one was taken earlier this month as well, from the Summer Pavilion on Parliament Hill, looking west over the Ottawa River and taking in Gatineau. The island you can see in mid stream was completely flooded over this past spring by high waters, and for a time I thought the bushes on top of it had been wiped out. They took a beating, but survived the flooding anyway. For more sky views from around the world this week, check out Skywatch.

Destinations In South America

Today I have two events from the Ottawa Welcomes The World series, both featuring South American nations. On one day, it was Ecuador's turn to host an event at Lansdowne. I came up to the Horticulture Building and photographed the flag, one of several of them hanging from the lamp posts.

Inside there were displays on travel, the country, and the culture. Of particular interest was the Galapagos Islands. There was a table set up with several books on the islands, along with tour information. I was curious about this- it is the lower jawbone of a feral pig.

The walls were mounted with large photographs of wildlife of the country.

On another occasion, it was Colombia's turn to shine.

These crafts caught my eye coming in. The day included panels on one of the indigenous customs of the country- individuals who become mediators of their people. Part of that included the hammock in the shot that follows.

I had a chance to talk at length with this woman. Pilar is part of a cacao consortium, and we spoke about the transition for farmers from one crop to another. For many years, farmers would grow the coca plant- the base for cocaine. It was an easy crop to harvest, albeit illegal, during the days of the civil war. Cacao is a harder crop, requiring more work, but it's also legal, and she said the transition might take a generation of persuasion to succeed. Among the reasons to switch: the lack of risk and the personal dignity to yourself to grow a crop that is legal. She explained the process of utilizing cacao and how much it takes to make the chocolate truffles that a shop in Bogata might sell. 

The place was well decorated with flowers. These are one such example.

When I came in, this artist was painting a colourful work at this canvas. She moved the canvas up to the stage soon thereafter and was speaking to onlookers about the artistic process.

Shadow Of The Karakoram

Over the summer I have placed quite a few of a series called Ottawa Welcomes The World over at my writer blog, since I was so busy here. If you've missed them, here are the links for those events I photographed: Ireland, Rwanda and Taiwan, Egypt, Uruguay, Macedonia, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago, and Indonesia. Now it's time to post the rest of it here as they come along through the fall. The series is part of the Canada 150 celebrations, with the city of Ottawa working with embassies to present their countries for a day or more in the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne Park. Today we're having a look at Pakistan.

A number of photographs were on display as I came in, showing the landscape of the country.

That landscape includes this- K2, the second highest mountain in the world, and the deadliest. The mountain is part of the Karakoram range, and resides partially in Pakistan.

This large banner, which people were standing before for pictures, depicts Kachura Lake.

There were crafts and clothing on display while I was visiting- this set of traditional clothing caught my eye. As did the marble crafts and the rugs.

Sentries At The Memorial

The Response, the formal title of Canada's National War Memorial, is a favourite photo subject for me. This first shot had it looking quite bleak, with the Chateau Laurier in the background.

On another day, the weather was in fine form as I visited, circling around the Memorial and taking in all of the details. The Memorial was inaugurated in 1939 by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth as a tribute to veterans of the First World War, and serves as a national memorial to all of the fallen of Canadian wars and military service. The Tomb of The Unknown Soldier is at its base, a more recent addition. It contains the remains of an unknown Canadian soldier re-interred here from his resting place at Vimy Ridge. From early April to the 10th of November, sentries are posted here throughout the day, standing at post for an hour before they are relieved by the next shift. They come from each branch of the armed forces, and will spend a few days doing this, twice a day, coming in from all parts of the country. Have a look at the changing of the sentries in this video. The ritual is brief, conducted at the end of the hour, alternating between English and French.

Two Churches

This is St. Timothy's Presbyterian Church. This can be found in the Gloucester area along Alta Vista Drive. The steep roof reminds me very much of another Presbyterian church my maternal grandparents attended in Guelph.

This, meanwhile, is St. Peter's Lutheran Church taken at night. I've featured the church before during Doors Open events. It's downtown, one of two churches occupying Cathedral Hill.