City Daily Photo Theme Day: Winning

The first day of the month is a theme day for members of City Daily Photo, and for October, that theme is Winning. See how others are interpreting that theme right here.

I chose three subjects for this theme. One morning in the latter half of September I took a walk into Gatineau. At the main entrance of Jacques Cartier Park, along the shore of the Ottawa River, is a statue of Montreal Canadiens legend Maurice "Rocket" Richard, one of the greatest players in the history of hockey. Definitely a winner. I last photographed him back during the Tulip Festival, when the nearby flowerbeds were filled with tulips. The flowers here that morning are dug up in October and replaced by bulbs for next spring. 

After taking the above shot, there was an unpleasant moment. An individual decided to mug for the camera with the statue. I told him I was only interested in photographing the statue, not him, and he became offended, yelling as he walked away. He yelled about Richard being one of the greatest to play the game. True, but Richard would have made a point of going through life not being an asshole. This guy, however, was an asshole. And smelling of booze at ten thirty in the morning, so a falling down drunk at that. The sort of person I find obnoxious in the extreme.

There are some people in this world who deserve to get hit by a train. I'm just saying.

I took more shots. The sculpture was unveiled in 2001, the year after the Rocket's death. Au Coeur du Bronze created the sculpture, which seems to lean much of its weight on one skate and the hockey stick. I am always reminded when I see this sculpture of the late blogger Birdman of New England, a die hard Bruins fan who, like many a Bruins fan cursed the Rocket but wished he was one of theirs.

Early in September I took in a CFL football game at Lansdowne Park in the Glebe. Winning was not in the cards for the home team Ottawa RedBlacks (yes, it's still a goofy name). The Montreal Alouettes came to town and kicked their asses. This view is from the north stands. Stadium capacity is currently limited due to Covid restrictions.

And to conclude today, I was in the Byward Market a couple of weeks ago and came across this chalk painting at an intersection. Variations of Dogs Playing Poker are classic kitsch and generally a sign that your tastes in art tend to be low brow. The dog on the right might be winning, but I suspect he's cheating. The dog at centre certainly looks like he's suspecting the same. The dog at top left is about to be distracted by a squirrel. And the dog at left has a great poker face.