Autumn Splendour

 My path on this day took me back to the area around Confederation Square, the very heart of the city. Trees were in fall colour mode on the grounds of the National Arts Centre, while Canada geese had lunch in the grass.

I continued on my way. At one side of the NAC, below a wall with changing leaf colours, is a larger than life statue of the great Canadian jazz composer and pianist, Oscar Peterson. His music plays from speakers up on the wall.

I headed down to Confederation Park, where this fountain was on.

The park has a number of monuments, and the oldest and newest stand together.

The newest is for animals in war, characterized by a life sized German shepherd, with three accompanying plaques. Beside it is the oldest- a cenotaph commemorating local veterans of the South African War.

It was a nice day to be out and about.

The largest monument here is at the west end, facing the Lord Elgin Hotel across the street. The National Aboriginal Veterans Monument is dedicated to indigenous warriors from across the country's history. On top of a large stone are four warriors, with a wolf, elk, bison, and bear around them, and an eagle at the top.

Tomorrow we'll wrap up the fall series, going back up the street to the heart of Confederation Square- the National War Memorial, just in time for Remembrance Day.

City Daily Photo Theme Day: Purple

The first day of each month is a theme day for members of City Daily Photo. This month, the theme is Purple. Take a look at how others are interpreting the theme right here. 

I start with these shots taken in Confederation Park during Winterlude. A large screen had been set up for watching Winter Olympics coverage, though this was a night or two before the opening ceremonies. Alongside the screen were LED lights in purple.

At one entrance of the park, shifting lights illuminated evergreen trees that had been placed there. I caught them as the light was shifting into purple.

Lights also shift gradually over the ice sculptures. Blue was turning into purple when I took this shot of a sculpture.

A few blocks away, and on my way home, I noticed a car that had been given an exterior design that looked like something from space. There was purple in the mix, and I concentrated on that.

One night during that month, I was coming back from a walk on the Rideau Canal and was passing by the Canadian Museum of Nature. Some of the streetlights had purple bulbs, which were lighting up the main entrance.

I took these two shots of ice sculptures on Plaza Bridge, part of a set of sculptures that had been set up for Winterlude. Blue coloured lights were gradually shifting into purple.

Later that same evening, I was back in Confederation Park. The place gets decorated for Christmas not with lights in the trees, but coloured shifting spotlights on the trees, and they left them on for Winterlude. 

An underpass beneath the 417 was painted for Canada 150 back in 2017. I'd never photographed it, but this section, with a purple triangle, fit the bill.

And I finish with this toque for the PWHL, the women's professional hockey league, with its lettering in purple.

Spring Colours Around The City

More various locations for tulips today- these being front yards in the Glebe. 

First time for everything- here we have tulips photographed at night, with a strong light source off to the right. These are outside the Aberdeen Pavilion at Lansdowne.

On another day, I passed by the Lord Elgin Hotel and photographed these.

Across the street is Confederation Park. There are a few tulips here, but the spring blossoms really caught my eye.

The aforementioned tulips, which are generally left in the ground to come back in the spring.

Close by, more tulips in a wooded traffic island just north of the park.

At the west edge of Confederation Square is the entrance to Sparks Street. Tulips in the foreground, and one of the entrances to the main post office in the background.

Sparks Street is a pedestrian mall. I continued walking to include tulips in photos.

The building in the background is the main annex to the Library of Parliament; Parliament Hill is one block north. As the work continues on the Hill, the annex is the primary locale for the Library at present. We've been inside before, and I hope to get in for Doors Open in a few days.

One more shot on Sparks Street.

And rounding things out for today, this was the last shot I took of tulips for the year- on the grounds of Library and Archives Canada looking towards the Supreme Court. This was taken on Thursday, en route to an event at the War Museum. I had missed getting here a week or so earlier, and hadn't expected them to still be blooming. We'll return to this series after the theme day.

Ends And Odds Around A National Capital

Starting off today, this early February view of the future main branch of the Ottawa Public Library, as seen from the west.

During one of my Winterlude visits to Confederation Park, I photographed the National Aboriginal Veterans Monument. It combines four indigenous warriors with the eagle, the wolf, the bear, the elk, and the bison into a powerful and poignant monument.

Another night, I was passing by the Canadian Museum of Nature. I photographed the statue pair of a mother and baby dinosaur out at the east end of the property, looking oddly fitting in the snow.

I was heading past the front of the Museum. The Queens Lantern is the name of the glass tower. Inside, a model of the Moon hangs.

The purple in some of the lights caught my eye.

They also cast a glow on the main entrance. I'll have another one of these for a theme day later in the year about the colour purple.

I headed beyond, passing the family of mammoths on the west side. We'll be back for a visit to this place in a couple of days.

On yet another night, passing by Ottawa City Hall, I noticed how the Heritage Building was lit up red. 

This is a monument in progress, down along the Ottawa River near Richmond Landing. This is for the LGBT community, and should be ready for dedication sometime this year.

Late one afternoon in the latter part of February, I stopped by Billings Bridge to pick up some groceries. The sun was setting in the west, and I took two shots of the western sky, a few minutes apart, first arriving and then upon departing.

For today I finish off with a night photograph of St. Matthew's Anglican Church in the Glebe, taken on a foggy evening in early March. We'll pick up here tomorrow