Odds And Ends In A National Capital

I have some odds and ends from recent months today. 

I meant to include this photo, taken in September near my home, of a cat in the theme day for December, but had overlooked it while compiling that post. It was outside, and just after I took the shot, its staff called it inside.

This shot dates to late October, when I was on the grounds at the Canadian War Museum, photographing along the shore of the Ottawa River, I looked back at the building, noticed the moon at upper left, and took the shot.

Also late in October, I was at the National Arts Centre for a Hallowe'en concert. I've noticed this bust before, but never photographed it. Mario Bernardi was a Canadian conductor, becoming the founding conductor and music director of the NAC.

Taken inside Southam Hall, while waiting for the concert to begin, I looked up at the ceiling.

In early November downtown, I passed by this square, where a building once stood. This mural is on the south wall, and for most of the summer was obstructed by of all things a shipping container.

The north side of the square features a ghost sign for a photographer of the 19th century. A new mural is below it.

A couple of nights later, in the Glebe, I passed by this store in progress, now a vintage store. This ugly little spud, as a wise man once said, was in the window.

A moonlit night at Lansdowne Park, with the Aberdeen Pavilion in the background.

On Remembrance Day, on my way over to the national services, I passed by the post office on Sparks Street, where the doors are guarded by lions. Snow covered lions.

A worksite downtown, late in November. I last featured this worksite in this post. At this point, it was down to two levels left to tear down, and then the foundation. I noticed the work with a power tool creating sparks, and took shots hoping to catch the sparks. It has since been entirely leveled.

I was back at the War Museum in late November to have lunch, and went out to the shore of the Ottawa River to take this shot of the brooding sky over a brooding river.

Same spot, but in the first half of December. The river was freezing up here. A close eye will see a bridge spanning the river- a former railway bridge that has been turned into a pedestrian bridge, the William Commanda Bridge.

On the same night I was taking too many Christmas lights photos, I passed near the National Arts Centre, with the glass tower lit up.

And finishing up with this fine doggie, photographed in a bank. What a good dog.

The River Through Changing Seasons

 My second position to document the change of seasons in a given spot is on the Portage Bridge, upstream from Parliament Hill, roughly where the provincial boundary between Quebec and Ontario is. The Gatineau shoreline is at left, with landmarks including the Alexandra Bridge, Kiweki Point, the National Gallery, Notre Dame, the Supreme Court, and Victoria Island also seen. I come out here twice a month to do this series. You'll see the next post coming for the July theme day post, which deals with water.

I start with this shot taken in the latter half of July.

A few days later, I returned late in the day.

Around the middle of August, things were cooling down.

Towards the end of the month, I returned on a day with dramatic skies.

When I came back at mid-month in September, it was on a sunny day.

In the last days of that month, I was back.

When I returned on another day in the first half of October, it was under similar conditions.

And the same thing later in October- ideal conditions. The next day would bring in a lot of rain.

I stopped by on Remembrance Day en route to the War Museum. There had been snow two days prior, and the skies were clearing.

I returned late in November. The snow was gone, but it was a cold, moody day, with snow to come.

When I returned in the first half of December, the snow was back, and the river was in the midst of

freezing up.

My last shot in this series was taken on Boxing Day, after a visit to the War Museum.

Changing Views Through The Seasons

It is a tradition of mine to document the change of seasons from a couple of different locations. I begin with a spot in Major's Hill Park, where I come to once a month to photograph the view looking west towards Parliament Hill as it looms above the Ottawa River.

I took this first shot in early January of last year.

In later February, I returned.

I came back once again in the first half of March.

By mid-April, spring was underway.

Less than a month later, when I was passing through the park during the Tulip Festival, much had changed, with most trees leafed out.

I returned in the latter half of June.

A month later, on a hot day in late July, I was back.

I returned in early August and took this shot.

When I came back at the middle of September, here's how things were looking.

Upon my return in the second half of October, fall colours were established.

In the second half of November, snow was falling as I returned.

My last shot of this series, taken in the first half of December, was taken at night. Ice was developing on the river below the Hill. Tomorrow we'll do a similar series, from further west along the river.

Dawn Arises Upon The Brand New Year

 As I end the year with sunsets, so too do I start it with sunrises for my first regular post of new material, taken from the last few months of last year.

I took this shot in the latter half of July early one morning, before dawn, coming out to the stadium at Lansdowne Park. I couldn't have asked for better conditions.

This shot was taken at the end of July near home very early one morning.

I took this one in the first half of August, back at Lansdowne Park again.

A few days later, another shot from close to home.

Another late August shot.

While this was at the beginning of September.

A few days later, I took this shot early one morning in the north end of the Glebe.

In mid-October, back at Lansdowne Park, I took a different perspective for dawn shots- the east side of the stadium, using the pedestrian bridge as a foreground.

I took this shot at the beginning of December. This is the last time you'll see things like this- the city has allowed for some work to be done here, and it's already started. A new event center will be built at the east end of the stadium field, where the berm is, and then the north stands will be entirely rebuilt. The idea is to do this without disrupting the teams. My view of things at this site has changed considerably from when the south stands were rebuilt over a decade ago- the city has an arrangement with the organization that runs the site to let them do so, and I've seen enough of how the city fumbles things themselves to know better.  The north stands are at the end of their life and need to be replaced. It's going to be quite a process, and in hindsight, it would have been better to do all this at once back in 2012. 

These were taken in mid-December. at Lansdowne.

I took this shot on Christmas morning, close to home.

And some days later, I approached the Flora Bridge, a pedestrian bridge over the Rideau Canal that links the Glebe to Old Ottawa East.

Bitterly cold, but worth coming out for with the sun soon to rise.