Twilight Falls And The Year Comes To An End

New Year's Eve is here. It has been my habit to end the year with sunsets, and so we do so again.

I'm starting with two views from outside the jurisdiction, taken in July. I was in Guelph, in southern Ontario, to visit family. These twilight views were taken outside my father's retirement home.

This August view was from the Bank Street Bridge where it crosses the Rideau Canal, at dusk.

The last light of day was still in the sky one evening in August as I was passing over the Rideau Canal downtown, taking in this view of the National Arts Centre, Parliament Hill, the government Conference Centre, and Chateau Laurier.

Another August evening, I was passing by Parliament Hill when the combination of the last light and the cloud deck caught my eye.

A few minutes later I was in the Byward Market. The main market building is silhouetted against the sky.

In mid-September I took this view from the Bank Street Bridge one evening.

These two views taken on different days from the same spot are from October, at a place downtown late in the day.

Also in October, this was taken from the transit area outside the Billings Bridge mall, looking west.

In November, I took this shot of the last light of day on a street in the Glebe.

My last two shots are from an evening earlier this month. West Block on Parliament Hill is silhouetted against the last light of day.

And I finish with a view of the Ottawa River, taken from the grounds west of the West Block. Happy New Year to you, and I'll see you in 2020.

Shining Colourful Light Upon Centre Block

Today we have more of the multimedia presentation on Parliament Hill, which has been for some years a December tradition. If you'd like, have a look at this video or this shorter one I filmed of the ending on a couple of different nights. Today ends my Christmas series. Tomorrow we bring the year to a close.

A Winter Light Show On Parliament Hill

In December a multimedia show takes place on Parliament Hill, with projections shone on Centre Block. This is a winter counterpart to Northern Lights, the summer show that tells the Canadian story on the blocks of Parliament. This winter show is more whimsical, featuring a snowman, a bear, and a fox in a winter setting. I'll show you more of this tomorrow.

Strike The Harp And Join The Chorus

The Chateau Laurier is certainly a grand place, and the Christmas decorations inside add a festive touch.

This foyer area off the main lobby includes several portrait photographs, one of which is seen here. The portrait photographer Yousuf Karsh had his studios here in the Chateau for the latter half of his career, and several of his photographs are placed in this space.

The photograph above is this one, the one that made a reputation for Karsh internationally. Winston Churchill, the lion with that famous scowl, photographed during the darkest days of the Second World War when the British PM came to Ottawa to address Parliament. Karsh took his cigar away before taking his picture, hence the scowl, but the photograph is the signature one of Churchill, and one of the definitive photographs of the 20th century.

I focused on some of the tree decorations.

And I finish with this wider view of the entrance lobby. Tomorrow and the following day we'll look at a different holiday tradition.