Odds And Ends

 Today I have some odds and ends from the last few weeks. In early January, I took these in the pre-dawn during a snowstorm. This is near Bank and Somerset Streets. Somerset House, the dilapidated former inn that has been an eye sore for the better part of a decade and a half thanks to the incompetence of the owner-developer who's been nothing but excuses ever since an accident inside, is at right.

That night, snow plows had come through. This view looks west on Somerset.

Some nights later, I took this shot of Abbotsford House in the Glebe from across the street.

Colonel John By is the British military engineer who is considered the founder of the city, and the man who led the construction of the Rideau Canal. His statue is in Major's Hill Park. The fencing around him over the winter shelters the flower beds, where tulip bulbs are waiting for spring.

Taken in Little Italy, a very large pile of snow. Some places have snow removed entirely. Others do not.

Close to home, literally. The neighbouring building to mine develops issues with ice each winter, building its way from the roof down to the ground.

One afternoon near Richmond Landing, I saw a squirrel in this tree.

Moments later, a cardinal briefly stopped on the retaining wall.

A wider view. Gatineau is in the background.

Same area, different day. I took this shot near sunset as I was passing Richmond Landing, heading over to the Portage Bridge to take one of my shots downstream over the Ottawa River.

The Aberdeen Pavilion at Lansdowne Park is a delight to photograph at night, particularly when the area has quieted down.

Dawn, and close to the above shot. I took this at a park that neighbours Lansdowne, with an quiet baseball diamond covered in snow.

A short walk north, and more of the dawn.

A different day, but early morning light. I took this shot of the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill. This was taken while I was getting some shots in for Winterlude, which we'll start looking at in a couple of days.

The Dawn Rises Upon The Brand New Year

 As I end the year with sunsets, it's appropriate to begin the year with new post material with sunrises.

These first shots date back to a July morning. I was at Lansdowne Park and took this shot from the grounds on the east side of the property.

A few minutes later, I took this shot from the west side of the stadium.

I took this one with a zoom on my phone in August, with the crescent moon rising in the dawn sky to the east. The stadium and the surrounding property are particularly ideal for dawn shots.

Later in the month, the cloud pattern seen here caught my eye as I came by before dawn.

Early in September, another beautiful morning was developing.

A few days on, with absolute first light starting to develop on the horizon, I returned and took these shots of the rising crescent moon.

And later in the month, another beautiful day was rising.

Here we have another case of absolute first light, but from November, when this was taken around six in the morning. This is Dundonald Park in Centretown.

Late that month, but on the same day, two more shots from Lansdowne. I paused to take this view of the Aberdeen Pavilion in pre-dawn light.

Shortly afterwards, the stadium view was like this.

On Boxing Day morning, I was downtown and took this shot of the morning sky. The building in the foreground is Somerset House, once an architectural gem, but for more than a decade shuttered and closed off, the victim of an incompetent developer who has monumentally screwed up in his response to an accident inside the building that's compromised the place, and ever since has been nothing more than excuses and silence and promises that lead nowhere.

I still say that every citizen of the city should have the right to punch that jackass in the face.

My first shots of 2024, taken on New Year's Day. I considered trying to reach the Rideau Canal downtown for a couple of shots, but wasn't sure if the cloud cover would hold off when I woke up early. I took this shot a few blocks from home, with some blue sky and the early sun illuminating the clouds.

And this one a bit closer to home, at Dundonald Park, where the bare outline of trees contrasted well with the dawn.

The Blizzard

I start today with two dawn shots taken on an early January day in Central Park in the Glebe.

A few days later we got hammered by a blizzard that went on for around nineteen hours. This view taken during the storm was early in the morning, about an hour or so before the storm was at its height.

Late in the night, after the storm had cleared out, I departed home in search of pizza. Plows had already been by.

The piles were big along the main roadways. Across the street is the unfortunate Somerset House, perpetual victim of an incompetent owner and developer who deserves to get punched in the face by every citizen in the city.

A look in the other direction. The Atomic Rooster, at left, is a pub I will never go into. The reason why? They have karaoke.

Karaoke is one of those things spewed forth from the seventh circle of hell.

The following morning, I went out for the newspapers. It was a cold morning, and I took shots of the snow piles in the area.

I finish with this shot of Dundonald Park in early morning light.

City Daily Photo Theme Day: A Great Big Mess

The first day of each month is a theme day for members of City Daily Photo. For November that theme is Great Big Mess. Have a look at other takes on this theme right here.

I have two subjects for the theme. Let's get the unpleasant one out of the way. Somerset House was once a distinctive building at the corner of Bank and Somerset downtown. Several years ago while work was going on there was a partial collapse inside thanks in part to the incompetence of one of the workers. In the years since, the building has become an eye sore, with the owner going on and on through periods of silence and half hearted excuses. At this point it's beyond saving, and the city should just seize it and have it torn down, with the bill handed to the lousy excuse of an owner, who from time to time has broken windows boarded up and puts up posters promising "a new development" that will never happen. The latest one can be seen in the second shot.

This is a view from the side. 

Here's the back. Half of the building is now gone.

I've said it many times: this owner is an incompetent bloody moron, and enough is enough. Every citizen in this city should have the right to punch the bastard right in the face.

On the off chance that he should ever read this, I have just a few words for you.

You're an asshole.

Drop dead.

Now the more pleasant version of a mess, and getting back into my current autumn series. These four shots are taken on two days in Dundonald Park, a few blocks west of Somerset House. Fallen leaves litter the grass at this time of year.

These were taken the following day in the park. Imagine a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle made up of any of these four.

On another day I was walking in the Arboretum, part of the Experimental Farm that overlooks Dow's Lake. A black squirrel caught my eye rummaging around in the fallen leaves. The cute but devious critter is beyond the tree at center.

A few minutes later I took a shot of more fallen leaves elsewhere in the Arboretum.