A Seasonal Look Upon The Ottawa River

A few days back this blog passed by a milestone that I overlooked. It was on the 19th day of September in 2013 that I started this entire endeavour. And here we carry on, at least until Covid-19 mutates and turns us all into zombies. (...... braaaaaaaaaaiinnnns!.....)

A couple of times a month I come down to the Portage Bridge as it crosses the Ottawa River between Gatineau and Ottawa to photograph downstream. The view from here includes the Alexandra Bridge, National Gallery, Parliament Hill, and the Supreme Court of Canada. The river cuts through a series of islands here, and this is the main channel, with the Gatineau shore at left and Victoria Island at right. I last did this series in the spring, which can be found here.

This first view was on a grey day in March. The river flow is swift enough here that it doesn't freeze up below the bridge. Where it ices up downstream depends on the harshness of the winter, but I for one would never walk on the river ice between Parliament Hill and the Gatineau shoreline, though some do.

Just a few days later, things were much brighter.

In early April, the river was at a high point, and raging with early spring runoff. All visible ice on this part of the river was gone.

Later in April, things looked different.

Here we had it in early May.

While this was towards the end of May.

A few days into June, here was the view, late in the day.

In the last days of the month, I returned in the morning.

In mid-July I returned, late in the afternoon.

Late in July, the sky was quite different in the latter part of the afternoon.

In early August, I returned late one afternoon.

This was the view towards the end of August, late in the day. An idiot on a jet ski was roaring through the river below.

One day in early September brought a completely different mood.

And lastly, this was a few days later in September, with a clear sunny afternoon. Off in the distance on the Hill, there were some early signs of fall. I'll be carrying on with this series and feature the next post in March, I expect.

Brooding Skies And Groundhogs

It was time for a new header for autumn. My choice was taken last year near the Alexandra Bridge, looking towards Parliament Hill.

Today I have some odds and ends. I was heading home one day in mid-August and saw this oncoming storm to the west.

A few minutes later, close to home, I photographed this arch which stands at the entrance into the heart of the Chinatown neighbourhood.

On another day I was sitting for a few minutes, checking my mobile, and this pigeon circled around and then hopped up onto the ledge where I was sitting, curious as to what I was doing (or more likely if I had anything edible on me).

Late that same day, I was coming back from Lebreton Flats after photographing in the area. This groundhog was near the firefighters memorial.

August was quite unsettled here. Late one afternoon I was passing through the Glebe neighbourhood and photographed these two shots a few streets apart, with looming storms in the west.

In early September I was out in Westboro and passed by All Saints. They have a labyrinth out front that I hadn't noticed before.

A few days later I stopped on Plaza Bridge to photograph the Ottawa Locks, where the Rideau Canal descends to meet the Ottawa River, between Parliament Hill and the Chateau Laurier. It was one of those brooding, cool days with low hanging clouds- low enough that the highest of the Gatineau Hills off in the distance were hidden.

And to close things out, I went over to Gatineau to visit the Museum of History a couple of weeks ago, and passed by this groundhog happily munching away in a park near the Portage Bridge.

A Finale To The Gallery

When one exits the world art area (depending on the path one takes), there is a gallery space often used for smaller temporary exhibits. Beautiful Monsters is the present case, with this exhibit extended into mid-November. Consisting primarily of prints and drawings from Europe depicting mythical and legendary stories, the exhibit includes this silver and gilded bronze sculpture. Attributed to "master of the bull hunt", after Lorenzo Vaccaro, it dates to around 1700 and is titled St. George And The Dragon.

The staircase heading down includes this limestone sculpture by Aristide Maillol. Young Woman Bathing was carved between 1919-21.

A look back up the stairs takes in the glass tower, with the sculpture Tepkik by First Nations artist Jordan Bennett visible. I hope you've enjoyed this visit to the National Gallery of Canada. I expect I'll be back in again sometime soon.

The Grey Cloak

British artist Richard Eurich painted Dunkirk Beaches, May 1940 from 1940-41, depicting the evacuation from Dunkirk in the Second World War that came back to haunt the Germans.

On Drumcliffe Strand is the title of this 1918 painting by Irish artist Jack B. Yeats.

Here we have Young Woman In A Grey Cloak, by Gwen John, done between 1920-24.

For today I finish off with this Adrian Stokes painting dating to 1920-21, titled In The Dunes. Tomorrow I bring this visit to a close.

The Void

This painting is The Hillsides At Bougival, an 1875 painting by Alfred Sibley.

Paul Nash painted Void in 1918, a vivid memory of his time in the First World War.

This is also a Nash work, painted from 1919-20, titled A Night Before Bombardment.

This painting is by British artist Victor Pasmore, done in 1944 and titled Evening, Hammersmith.

For today I finish with a view down into the garden courtyard.

Masters

A note to members of City Daily Photo: the theme day for October is your response to Covid-19.

This painting by Georges Michel dates to the 1830s and is titled Landscape With Castle.

The Tomb Of General Brock, Near Queenston, Lake Ontario, Upper Canada is a dramatic landscape by Thomas Cole, painted in 1830. It depicts the tomb and monument of Isaac Brock, who died at the Battle of Queenston Heights during the War of 1812, defending this place against an American attack.

Here we have a landscape painting by J.M.W. Turner, titled Mercury And Argus, depicting a mythological meeting between a giant and the messenger god that ended in the death of Argus. The painting dates to 1836.

The Gallery has several works by Claude Monet; unfortunately a couple of them have no photos policies on the panel. This one, however, is Waterloo Bridge: Effect Of Sunlight In The Fog, and it dates to 1903.