Autumn

This inuksuk is on the grounds at Rideau Hall. These are a hallmark of the far north and the Inuit.

Some last shots along the way.

Here we have the main gates.

I took shots again of the roundabout with the statue of Queen Elizabeth at its heart.

Back along Sussex Drive I went, headed towards the parkland around Green Island.

This park is lovely in all seasons.

Rideau Hall

 I start today much like I left off, with a fall view inside the New Edinburgh neighbourhood.

A look down one of the side streets here; the fence we see at left is the boundary of Rideau Hall.

And down that road is this church. St. Bartholomew's is an Anglican church dating to the 19th century and is the regimental chapel of the Governor General's Foot Guards.

Back up the street and into a side street- Rideau Gate. This residence is 7 Rideau Gate, an official residence for the federal government used as a guest house for foreign dignitaries.

It lies across from the main entrance to Rideau Hall itself, behind me in this shot. I am looking towards a roundabout. A statue of Queen Elizabeth is mounted there, moved from Parliament Hill due to the ongoing work. Beyond that is the gatehouse for 24 Sussex Drive, the official residence of the Prime Minister, but still under renovation.

Now we're onto the grounds of Rideau Hall itself. Nearly eighty acres in size, the property has much of that open to public visitation. The Hall started out as the residence of the McKay family in the 19th century. Thomas McKay was the founder of New Edinburgh. When the government bought it, they began expanding over time and establishing it as the official residence of the governor-general, the Canadian representative of the Crown. The grounds are a particular delight in the fall.

This gate house is now the visitor's centre.

Many of the trees on site have been planted by various royals and foreign leaders, with small plaques at the base designating what type of tree and who planted it.

Rideau Hall Stroll

Beginning today, here we have a look across from the main gate for Rideau Hall to the statue of Queen Elizabeth presently residing at the roundabout between here and 24 Sussex across the street.

These trees are along the walkway.

Stepping onto the property itself, paths lead in two directions. One at left leads towards the Hall and other buildings on site. The one on right leads towards the rose garden. There are many trees on the property, and many of those have small signs below them designated who planted them. It's been a tradition of official visits for world leaders and royals to do this.

Here's a look back at the visitor centre. It had been a couple of years since I was last here; Covid had pretty much closed off the property last year, and this visit still found the Hall itself closed for tours, but the grounds were open.

Along the path one finds interpretive display panels on occasion. This one relates to a totem pole on site, given to one of the last of the British-born governor-generals, Lord Alexander.

It's there, nestled away in the trees.

Here it is closer up. We'll pick up here tomorrow.

New Edinburgh Visit

For those of you not on Facebook or otherwise aware, have a look right here at a post from my writer's blog for how my weekend went. I guarantee yours was better.

The Rideau Falls are enchanting. On this particular day the flow was strong.

The fall colours along the bank caught my eye shortly before I crossed the bridge going over the east branch.

A view from above.

And this is from the overlook on Green Island.

Across the river again, to Leamy Lake Park on the Gatineau side.

And once more at the bridge.

From here I went towards some of the monuments occupying the park. 

This was actually my last shot of that day (the mobile battery gave out at this point and I wasn't able to photograph the west branch of the falls). This statue of Canadian soldier, doctor, and poet John McCrae is one of a matching pair; the other is in his hometown of Guelph, Ontario. McCrae is the author of the poem In Flanders Fields, written after the death of a friend during the First World War while he was serving at the front.

Earlier in this visit I had approached the main entrance of Rideau Hall, which stands amid some of the best addresses in the city. Across Sussex Drive is 24 Sussex Drive, the official residence of the Prime Minister. A police gatehouse is all we can really see of it, at left. And the residence is under renovations at the moment and the PM and his family are living at one of the residences on the grounds at Rideau Hall. At the heart of the large roundabout here is a statue of Queen Elizabeth II. With the work going on at Parliament Hill, the statue has been moved here. A fitting decision, I think.

Turning around, a look towards the main gate for Rideau Hall. The property is a bit under eighty acres, and much of that is accessible to the public for a walk.

Another turn and we see at right 7 Rideau Gate. This is an official residence used by the government to house foreign dignitaries during visits. Tomorrow we venture onto the grounds of Rideau Hall.

Following The Path Along The River

A reminder to readers in the area: in a few days, the Chaudiere Falls will be lit up in the evenings through early November as part of the Canada 150 celebrations the city is undertaking this year. Access points are near the War Museum, and yes, I will be taking advantage of the opportunity to photograph those waterfalls.

This large stone house stands at the east end of Jacques Cartier Park in Gatineau. Today it is a rest stop, tourist information location, and a place to rent bikes. The bike path carries on beyond it towards Lake Leamy Park. 

The park properly begins with this waterway. This is a secondary outlet for the Gatineau River. Much of the park is an island (or islands, to be more precise, since there are a couple of these secondary channels). The main channel of the river is on the east end of the park. The park, with ecologique as part of its French title, is different from a typical city park- much of it is woodland and meadows for wildlife, interspersed with bike and walking trails. That includes views of the Ottawa River along the way. In response to a question in yesterday's post, the origin of the Gatineau River's name is disputed. On the one hand, it is said that it is named for a fur trader named Nicolas Gatineau who drowned in it in 1683. On the other, the Algonquins who lived here long before white settlement say its origins lie in their language- they called the river Te-nagadino-zibi, which means The River That Stops One's Journey.

At one of the lookouts, we get another perspective of the Rideau Falls on the far shore of the Ottawa River. The French embassy stands east of the falls. 24 Sussex Drive, the residence of the Prime Minister, stands to the east of that embassy. I have added this post to this week's Tuesday's Treasures linkup.