City Daily Photo Theme Day: Furry Things

The first day of each month is a theme day for members of City Daily Photo. For December, that theme is Furry Things. See how others are interpreting the theme right here.

I start off with these two shots taken last year at the Christmas Market at Lansdowne Park, where dogs were regularly accompanying their humans on walks.

This little dog was inside the arena during the World Juniors hockey tournament last December, and was more interested in watching the game than paying attention to the photographer.

This was taken some Christmases back, but also at the Lansdowne Christmas Market. It popped up in my Facebook memories last year as an extra shot I had taken, so I decided to put it in here.

In the second part of April, I photographed this groundhog at the Garden of the Provinces and Territories.

That same month, this rabbit stayed still long enough for me to photograph at a house in the Glebe.

When I was at Dow's Lake during the Tulip Festival, I photographed this friendly dog.

During the Tulip Festival in May, passing through the north end of the Glebe early one morning, I noticed two rabbits in among the tulips in a front yard.

On another evening that month, while taking more shots of residential tulips in the Glebe, I saw this cat sitting outside a house and said hello.

I took a couple of shots of a dog in Major's Hill Park during the Tulip Festival, and held this shot for now.

I took this shot one morning in June. This sweetheart lives close to my place, and is periodically seen outside her home in warmer weather. Now with the cold weather having had settled in, she's inside for the winter.

Odds And Ends Within The Capital

 I have some odds and ends from the last few weeks for you today and tomorrow. I start with sunflowers, planted around the east end of the property at Lansdowne Park in the Glebe. These were taken around mid-August.

A couple of days later, when I went to visit the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, my route took me on foot from where I had left the bus. The path that parallels the Aviation Parkway goes through wild grasses, bordered by woods. An ideal late summer spot to be in.

After my visit, heading to meet another bus for the return trip home, I took two shots of Beechwood Cemetery from its east side. This cemetery is a national cemetery, including sections set aside as a military cemetery. Along with many regular people, those buried here include a prime minister, and many historical figures from the city and the nation.

I chose to head back by going through the St. Laurent LRT station a short bus drive away. The LRT line has an art program, with a work of art in or around each of the stations. This one features a large wall mural, titled I Gave It All I Had, by Andrew Morrow, done in 2020.

This is close to home. This summer at a park near my place, this statue set of a dalmatian and fire hydrant was put up.

A pair of sculptures downtown that I occasionally photograph- the hunter and the prey. They stand opposite each other, with an island of vegetation between them, outside an office tower. The deer is alert, as if hearing something.

At the far side, an Indigenous hunter has the deer in his sights, reaching for an arrow. But already too late- the deer's posture is as if it already knows he's there, and is about to sprint away.

This used to be close to home to me, as I lived just up the street beyond the next intersection, but I still see it often enough. The Chinatown Arch spans over Somerset Street, with the bulk of the Chinatown neighbourhood to its west, behind me. I photographed it one evening while in between buses, on my way home.

A regular feature, though one I haven't photographed from this angle. The future main branch of the Ottawa Public Library, which will share some space with Library and Archives Canada, is near finished at Lebreton Flats. I've normally photographed it from the north or the east, but this is from the west, on the bridge passing over the Pimisi LRT station tracks. 

As mentioned above, each station has some sort of art. This station has part of that art in the adjacent water channel. This channel is an artificial channel, from the Ottawa River that feeds into the Fleet Street Pumping Station nearby. A platform in the channel provides the base for this sculpture, which looks like an eel. Appropriate, because Pimisi means eel in Algonquin, a nod to the presence of eels in the Ottawa River.

A short walk away, I stopped at the Canadian War Museum, where the national, provincial, and territorial flags are lined up on the plaza, looking dramatic against that sky. I took advantage of my  museum membership to stop in for a bite to eat- they make a good burger in the museum cafe.

And I finish today with summer flowers. These are in the Garden of the Provinces and Territories.

Flora Bridge And The Flower Beds

 Continuing where I left off yesterday. My path took me closer to the Rideau Canal. This flowerbed with tulips is at the start of the path leading up onto the Flora Bridge beyond.

The bridge is a graceful pedestrian bridge that links the Glebe with Old Ottawa East. It is named after Flora MacDonald, a well respected politician and humanitarian who lived in the area for many years.

Just beyond the bridge is a pond linked to the Canal, with tree blossoms in the foreground and a bed of tulips in the background.

My last shot from this walk.

But not my last for the day- tree blossoms near home for me.

And this was my last tulip photograph, taken in late May, at the Garden of the Provinces and Territories.

Spring Colours

The first colours of spring here tend to be from scilla, an early blooming flower that one finds here and there, usually blooming in the late stages of April. I photographed some in the Garden of the Provinces and Territories downtown.

On another day, I was up by Central Park in the north end of the Glebe, where I know they bloom as well. These were in a part of the east side of the park.

Many of the scilla in this park are near to the above location, on a shady, east facing slope amid rocks. They are a cheerful sight to see, a true sign of the spring.