The First Light Of A Brand New Day

I choose to end this month with a set of shots from the beginning of the day at various times over the winter. From now until into the fall, the sun rises too early for me to meet it.

I took this in pre-dawn light in mid-January. Dundonald Park was quiet that time of day.

Here we had the same locale several mornings later.

On the last day of January this was the morning view looking southeast as I walked.

This dawn day was in mid-February, also in Dundonald Park.

This was in mid-March.

And these two were some days later.

I finish with these views from late March. The Rideau Canal, still largely frozen, is seen to the south from the Mackenzie King Bridge.

Crossing to the north side of the bridge finds familiar landmarks- the National Arts Centre, Parliament Hill, the government Conference Centre, and the Chateau Laurier- just starting to be lit up.

The River From The Heights

Early in the month I posted about a walk I made down along the Rideau Canal's Ottawa Locks on the last Sunday in March. From there I headed through Major's Hill Park to come up to Nepean Point, a fine outlook behind the National Gallery of Canada, topped with a statue of Samuel de Champlain. I took some shots, intending to come back for comparative shots after a few weeks.

Here we start with a view east of the Ottawa River as it passes beneath the Macdonald-Cartier Bridge. Open water and ice characterized how the river was at that point.

This view north takes in the Alexandra Bridge and the Museum of History, with the heart of Gatineau beyond it. The Gatineau Hills rise in the background.

Looking west shows the river's mix of ice and open water between the two cities.

Another shift in view takes in Parliament Hill, backlit in sunlight.

And still another shift in view looks towards the Gallery, Major's Hill Park, and the distant Chateau Laurier, looming over the Canal. The ampitheatre here on Nepean Point is soon to be reconfigured.

These are more recent shots, taken on the same afternoon as yesterday's latter posts, offering similar perspectives to the above shots.

The River From The Heights

I wanted comparison shots of the Ottawa River from winter into spring, and happened to be up on Parliament Hill one afternoon in mid-March. This view looks towards Gatineau. Ice was starting to break up beneath Nepean Point and the Alexandra Bridge.

Coming west gives us a view upstream, where the water was working on breaking up the ice. There is always a channel of the river open through the winter passing beneath the Portage Bridge, which can be seen at the main channel illuminated by the sun. As winter ends, that channel of water wears away at the ice downstream.

A shift in perspective gives us the Ottawa shoreline beneath the Hill, with the Supreme Court looming over the river.

And this is a view back to where we started, showing the dark waters making more progress against that ice.

Now then, for a contrast, here are more recent shots, taken a week ago yesterday, late in the afternoon. I started at the Summer Pavilion, both outside and inside.

Then I moved along the pathway to take in views of the bridge, Nepean Point, and the National Gallery of Canada. The ice was gone, and the remaining snow was in shaded spots. Tomorrow I'll show you the view from over at Nepean Point.

The Canal In Two Seasons

Today I have another set of winter to spring transitions, and am focusing on the Rideau Canal. We have views west and east taken late on a fairly gloomy day in early March. I took this from the Bank Street Bridge.

Here we have the same views on the first day of April. Open water had started to show itself at this part of the Canal.

And these were taken last weekend.

Further west along the Canal's course, walking alongside Dow's Lake on an early March day one or two days after my first shots, I decided I'd do the same from here. This looks across the lake to the wooded area of the Arboretum.

Here we have a view of it last Sunday morning. I came down to have a look at the tulip beds down here, and took this shot. There's a mix of ice and open water on the lake, but that's typical- this portion of the Rideau Canal always loses its ice last. The Arboretum looked clear of snow, at least at a distance, but odds are there was still some snow in shady spots.

And I finish with two views from the Corktown Bridge looking north to the final stretch of the Canal, with the Chateau Laurier in the distance. This first shot was taken in mid-March. There was no sign yet of the ice breaking up.

Here we have the view from the bridge this past Sunday. Aside from the shaded west side, the snow and ice were gone from this final stretch of the Canal.

Changes On The River

Today for seasonal transitions, we're looking at the Rideau River in one given spot. I begin with a view west, taken at Billings Bridge in early March one day. The river stays open beneath the bridge through the winter, which becomes a haven for ducks who stay over the winter. The open water was considerably larger than at the height of winter when I passed over, when everything in this view was frozen. Pressure from the rapids upstream undermined the ice between here and there throughout March, while downstream work had been going on blasting the ice, weakening ice between here and its final terminus.

A pair of ducks were along the shore on this side, one in the water, the other perched on the ice in the first shot, then together.

Here we have the view looking east downstream. The river curls and bends on its way down towards its outlet in the Ottawa River, and there was an ice jam downstream, but with the blasting of ice downstream, it wouldn't take long for all of this to break up.

Here we have the shoreline on this side. The water at that point was flowing over an ice floe pinned in place just beneath it. There were considerably more ducks on this side of the bridge.

I came back one day in mid-April. Ducks were in the water as I passed over the bridge. The grassy area is half submerged at this time of year. Stand up paddleboats tend to launch from here, taking a worn path through the grass down to the water in warmer weather.

The view west is here. The ice was gone at this point.

Finished my errands at the nearby mall, I took these shots looking east. Ducks were near the shoreline, where the vegetation beneath the water is within easy reach.

Winter Into Spring

Today I am starting a few days of comparative shots in places, from winter to spring. Central Park is found in the Glebe, a low lying stretch of parkland that I often pass by. I decided to show views of it over time as winter shifted into spring. I photographed from Bank Street, which passes through here.  In each case, I'm showing views looking east, and then west. This first pair was at the end of January.

Here we have February views.

These were taken in late March. Note the dogs and their humans in the west stretch. It's quite common to see that in both sections of the park.

These were taken last weekend. We'd had a freezing rain spell some days before, but this day was mild and sunny, and the park looked quite different from its March appearance. It is typical to see pools of meltwater over in the west section in spring. Last year, with the excessive amount of rain we had in late April and into May, the meltwater ranged through a good part of the west section.