Beauty

 One morning I walked around the Glebe, photographing fall colours around homes.

This is St. Patrick Basilica downtown. It has particularly vivid fall colours on the trees alongside it.

I passed near the future main branch of the Ottawa Public Library. The fall colours nearby caught my eye.

I was headed for a shuttle going into the Gatineau Hills. En route, the shuttle stopped briefly by a cemetery in Gatineau. This was a new route, and unfamiliar territory for me.

As the shuttle moved through Gatineau Park, I took photos out the window at the woodland, turning into its autumn glory. Most of the Gatineau Hills are contained within the region Les Collines-des-l'Outaouais.

The New Monument

Richmond Landing sits between the headquarters of Library and Archives Canada and the Portage Bridge, along the Ottawa River west of the Parliamentary precinct. A new monument was recently unveiled on a portion of the grounds.

It is called Thunderhead, and it is a national monument for the LGBT community.

The concept is a blend between history, architecture, landscape design, and consultation with the queer community.

Along one wall are panels telling the story of the gay community in Canada, including the darker chapters for them in the country's history in dealing with discrimination.

Ends And Odds

More odds and ends today. Spring blossoms are a delight to see. These are close to home, taken in late May.

In late May I attended the opening night of an exhibit at the War Museum. The exhibit was about Canada and the American Civil War. It was a busy event, and I've been back since to photograph the exhibit. But on that opening night, this artist was working out in the lobby, on a painting of Mary Ann Shadd. She was a free woman who came to Canada and established an abolitionist newspaper. He told me the painting would end up at Carleton University's school of journalism. A fitting spot.

Close to home again, this kitty is one of a pair in a home down the street from me.

I photographed this ad on a bus shelter for one reason. The placement of the hands on the watch made the watch look mad.

On an afternoon in early June, I went with friends to see Pressure out at a movie theatre in Kanata. This is the film about the meteorologist whose forecast affected the timing of D-Day. En route, we picked up one of the guys, and the route took us through Riverside South, part of the Gloucester area, and across to Barrhaven to the west. This meant crossing the Vimy Memorial Bridge, which spans the Rideau River. This was my first time seeing it.

Returning later on, I took another shot.

Also in early June, the Mexican embassy had an event at the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne Park. This vivid display- all sand.

The skies were darkening that day. A thunderstorm was en route.

This was a storefront display downtown one day in June that got a laugh out of me.

I finish with this view from the west on a late June walk. The future main branch of the Ottawa Public Library, which will share space with some facilities from Library and Archives Canada, continues to have work done, most of it inside now.

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.