City Daily Photo Theme Day: Best Of The Year

 My last of this set of favourite shots of the year takes us out to Gatineau Park, a federal park run by the National Capital Commission over on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River. The NCC runs shuttles into the park on weekends, and I took one in the fall, stopping at the Champlain Lookout, where the southern flank of the Gatineau Hills descends to the valley floor along the Eardley Escarpment. The Ottawa River can be seen, with the limits of Ottawa on the far shore. This place is a delight to visit, high above the valley floor.

Another visit made on this fall day was to the Mackenzie King Estate. William Lyon Mackenzie King was one of our greatest prime ministers, and no one was more dominant in the Canadian political scene in the first half of the 20th century, seeing the country through much of the Depression and the Second World War. He bought land up here early on in his political career, inspired by nature, and would make it his weekend and summer retreat, starting with cottages he called Kingswood. This is the main cottage.

The land was along one shore of Kingsmere Lake- the name preceded his time here, but must have convinced him this was his place to call a home.

As time went on and he became prime minister, he built a house that he could properly entertain the great and the good in. The second house on the property he called Moorside, and here his ideas of landscaping, gardening, and being engaged with nature took full form, alongside his ideas for the country.

He was a man of staunch Scots Presbyterian sensibility and sentiment, and among his ideas were follys- structures that served no purpose but sentiment, salvaged from buildings that were being demolished, and turned into something new on his property.

This is expressed best in the Abbey Ruins, which blends together pieces from homes in Ottawa, as well as sections of the former Center Block on Parliament Hill, and even stones from the printing press of his own grandfather.

King left his estate to the people of the country he loved so much, as thanks for the opportunity to serve them in leadership. A visit to this estate uplifts the soul.

My last stop on this visit was Pink Lake, not that far away from the estate. Named after a family of settlers from the 19th century, it is a meromictic lake- a rarity among lakes in that the layers do not mix, and there is low oxygen content in the deeper layers. A hiking trail winds around it.

It is a peaceful place, with a life all to its own.

Moorside

 Two more looks at Kingsmere Lake today.

I stared back up the slope to the cottages.

And looked back at the water.

Here I approached the guest cottage.

Most people proceed from here to Moorside along the main path. But for those who know it, there's a secondary path, and the better route.

Finding a quote by King from his journals reassures the visitor that they are on the right path.

The path leads to a wide meadow, and here we have two displays. As King became prime minister and leader of the Liberal Party, he understood that his country retreat needed to reflect that- a proper home to entertain guests, including world leaders. Moorside would be that home.

The meadow is wide, and surrounded on three sides by trees. This is what makes it my favourite approach to Moorside. 

And there's the house, at the far side of the meadow.

Lakeside

 The path along the lake is a quiet but lovely one.

Glancing up the slope, the sun shining through the trees has an illuminating effect.

There is a boathouse down here, painted in the same cream yellow colour we find elsewhere on the estate.

Stepping inside, we find the interior. This was used by King and his visitors for canoeing, and for changing for swimming or fishing.

Just a few minutes here has a calming effect on the mind and heart. I completely understand how he felt about being here.

A short walk beyond the boathouse are stone steps leading into the water. I always look for the ferns adjacent to them; when I came this way with Tom and his wife one May years ago, the ferns here were just starting to unspool for the spring.

A Legacy

 When one looks around the homes he made here on the estate, I get the distinct impression that if King walked into the room, I'd immediately like him a whole lot.

King was mindful of his family legacy. His grandfather, William Lyon Mackenzie, had been a political figure and radical in the 19th century. In becoming a lawyer and politician and leader of a country, King would entrench that legacy.

Down the slope is Kingsmere Lake, where he enjoyed time with his family and friends.

A look back at the main cottage before descending.

There is a pump house near the lake shore.

And here is the lake itself. King was instrumental in the creation of Gatineau Park. There are still cottages here, grandfathered in from that time. Several are on the far shore of Kingsmere Lake.