Ends And Odds In A National Capital

I have some more odds and ends shots for you today. On the night we had the supermoon earlier this month, I went out to Lansdowne Park, where in the park area, I took this shot looking east at a large water sculpture, with stars and planets beyond. 

Turning around, I took this shot looking towards the stadium to the west, with the Moon high overhead.

A typical late summer sky here. These brooding clouds brought some late day rain after I took this shot up in the north end of the Glebe. Past mid-August, we can still have hot days, but heat waves tend to be largely over by then.

This is the Chinatown Arch, seen from the west, where it welcomes people into the neighbourhood.

The World Exchange Plaza is an office complex in the downtown core. During Covid, the building ownership decided on a serious overhaul of the interior three floors, which are retail and food court, and that was largely done by the end of last year. But a lot of the terrace area outside was reconfigured, and only recently reopened.

Across the street is a pair of sculptures. At one spot is an aboriginal hunter, crouched and reaching for an arrow, looking across the garden at his prey.

Here at the far side is a deer, who, from the body language, has already sensed danger and is about to run.

Pindigen Park is at Lebreton Flats, near the War Museum. Developed in collaboration with local First Nations peoples, this quiet park includes metal cut sculptures of animals.

A short walk away, the Fleet Street Pumping Station dates to 1875 and lies on the other side of the bridge, where a channel of the Ottawa River flows through. Beyond it, the future main branch of the Ottawa Public Library is taking shape.

Lastly, taken just yesterday, this cutie pie is close to home for me.

Odds And Ends In A National Capital

I have some odds and ends shots for you today and tomorrow taken from the last few weeks around the area. I start in early July, where en route to the National Gallery I took this shot of a flowerbed in Major's Hill Park. The flowers are presently that which last into October, when the tulip bulbs will be replanted in this bed.

After I finished the visit, I took this shot of Notre Dame Basilica across the road from the Gallery.

A sure sign of summer- this is in a residential garden in the Glebe.

Another garden, and a morning shot. This is close to home for me in the Glebe.

More summer flowers- I passed these at Richmond Landing overlooking the Ottawa River while on my way to the Portage Bridge to photograph the downstream view.

A series of artificial swans occupy the central atrium in the Billings Bridge mall. This is one of them.

One day I was at Lansdowne Park, and there was a rainbow.

I got the better part of the arch in with this one. I'll feature a similar shot in panorama for the Blue theme in October.

And I went over to the north side of the Aberdeen Pavilion, where the rainbow was still shining.

One morning in the Glebe, I saw this bunny across the road having breakfast. They are such skittish critters.

One night I walked down to Lansdowne, on a night that was rather cool, with clouds blowing swiftly in the night sky. I took a shot, and thought I saw the face of a skull up in the center. Maybe it's just me.

When I went out to the Chaudiere Falls, I photographed this. A zip line spans the Ottawa River from here to the Gatineau shore. 

On my way out, passing by the War Museum, I noticed a large flock of Canada geese in occupation of this field on the other side of the road, busy having lunch.

Multiple Roles For An Air Force

Picking up where I left off yesterday. This display details our air force involvement in the Second World War- the RCAF grew to be the fourth biggest air force in the world as the war went on.

Part of the RCAF job since the aftermath of the Second World War has been involvement in search and rescue missions in collaboration with other agencies, a job air crews have proven to be very good at. 

In January 1978, a Soviet nuclear powered satellite broke apart over the Northwest Territories. The RCAF worked with their American counterparts to find and clear the radioactive debris in what was called Operation Morning Light.

The RCAF has also taken part in peacekeeping missions for the United Nations.

The F-86 Sabre was a stalwart of the Canadian military during the Cold War.

Search and rescue is, as mentioned, part of the mission for the Air Force, and definitely never more important than in cases of disaster, at home or abroad.

This includes humanitarian missions.

And they maintain a strong presence in the Far North.

Sapphire is the name of an RCAF military satellite launched in 2013.

A Canadian invention that has become standard in allied naval forces is the Beartrap, which allows helicopters to safely land on warships, and thus take part in anti-submarine operations, as well as search and rescue work.

A lot of different roles for a branch of the Canadian military, and a centennial well worth marking. I found this display insightful.

Centennial Of The RCAF

 Close to where I was yesterday is another summer tradition. Each year on Plaza Bridge, the government chooses a different theme in Canadian history and society to be featured in a series of displays. This year is the centennial of the founding of the Royal Canadian Air Force, and so this is the theme.

The RCAF got its start after the First World War, in which young Canadian pilots fought largely in the British Royal Flying Corps. The early years of the organization were about civil air operations, patrols, and tracking smuggling in the vastness of the Canadian landscape.

The RCAF took part in exploration expeditions in the far north.

And there was an emphasis in those years on mapping the country in detail.

When the Second World War broke out, Canada became home to the British Commonwealth Air Training Program, where new pilots from multiple countries learned how to fly on airfields across the country. Franklin Roosevelt would call the country the aerodrome of democracy.

Canadian pilots fought throughout the war in Europe, starting during the Battle of Britain.

Dr. Albert Ross Tilley was a surgeon attached to the RCAF, whose innovations on burn treatment and plastic surgery has left a big impact on patient treatment around the world.

Wilbur Franks, an RCAF researcher at the University of Toronto, designed a flight suit to counter gravitational forces encountered by pilots operating at high speed.

Canadian air crews took part in the air drops late in the war of food to the starving people of the Netherlands.

Canada also is a founding member of NATO, and during the Cold War and afterwards has participated in multiple operations as part of the agreement.

Canadian women were heavily involved in support positions during the Second World War in the RCAF, and later became military pilots in their own right.