Museum

 Earlier in the month I made a return visit to the Canadian War Museum. Its present headquarters has been here on Lebreton Flats since 2005, after outgrowing its previous location. Its architecture feels like a bunker, entirely appropriate to its theme.

The John McCrae Gallery hosts temporary exhibits. On now into early January is the exhibit Outside the Lines: Women Artists and War.

The exhibit starts with two paintings, decades apart but with commonalities- the presence of women in military duties. This is Gas Drill by Molly Lamb Bobak, done in 1944.

Gertrude Kearns painted Stack in 2004, at a time when women had long since been part of front line operations.

The exhibit looks into women depicting military life in the 19th century from the outside, where they were witnesses to it.

This is the sketchbook of Elizabeth Hale, the wife of an officer, depicting Block House, Cove Fields, part of the defensive structure of Quebec City.

Millicent Mary Chaplin painted Monument To Wolfe and Montcalm, Quebec between 1838-42. The monument pays tribute to the British and French generals who led their forces at the decisive Battle of the Plains of Abraham during the French and Indian War, and who both died in the wake of that battle.

Eveline Alexander, the wife of an officer, etched this- Grand Military Steeplechase at London, Canada West 9th May 1843 in 1845.

Katherine Jane Ellice did this watercolour, View From The Battery At Quebec in 1838.

Two world wars would have a huge effect on society as a whole, especially for women. We'll pick up here tomorrow.

March

On Remembrance Day, I came up to attend the national services at the War Memorial. I tend to prefer an area at the northwest corner of Confederation Square, and arrived early enough to get a spot by the barricades. I took this shot beforehand. 

As the lead-in for the ceremonies began, three members of the armed forces from each branch, as well as a Mountie, took posts at the four corners of the Memorial.

The pipes and drums led the way.

Veterans marched in after them.

The ceremony includes a 21 gun salute, the last post, the piper's lament, other music, and the reciting of the poem For The Fallen, in three languages- English, French, and an indigenous language.

During the ceremony wreaths are placed around the Memorial.

And then the march out begins. As before, the pipes and drums lead the way.

Followed by the flags.

And then the veterans, to the applause of the crowd.

Active service branches march out as well- army, navy, air force, as well as a number of specific regimental units.

This also includes the Mounties.

After a walk, I returned to photograph the wreaths.

A tradition that began when the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was first installed- the placing of poppies on the tomb.

And one last shot from here.

Finale

 Continuing where I left off yesterday, here are more shots around Lansdowne Park with the fall colours.

One morning I was passing through Old Ottawa South, and this view required a shot.

These two shots are close to home for me, taken in late afternoon light.

I tried something different, taking two shots of fall colours at light, in each case with a nearby source of illumination.

I returned to Lansdowne Park on another morning for more fall colours.

One last shot. This rounds out my autumn series for the year.

Shades

 I carry on where I left off today, at Victoria Island on the Ottawa River.

I proceeded out to halfway out over the main channel of the river to take shots for my occasional series documenting the downstream view. Returning, the old carbide mill drew my eye again.

Hovering over part of it in these two shots in the distance is Parliament Hill.

The red of this tree caught my eye.

Late one afternoon, the sunlight illuminated these trees in Centretown, seen from two different spots.

On another day, I was at Lansdowne Park, where I took these shots.