Odds And Ends

 I have some odds and ends from the last few weeks. This is Glebe-St. James United Church in the Glebe in early May, taken from the west side, which I haven't photographed before. I usually photograph the church from the east.

This oddity was in an event I was passing through.

One morning when I was heading over to photograph tulips at Dow's Lake, I noticed this little one on the sidewalk.

During the same visit, I photographed the lake itself.

On another May day, when I was photographing tulips over on the Gatineau side of the Ottawa River, one of my stops included the Museum of History. The water feature, which spills over a series of terraces and makes its way to the Ottawa River, was running.

Down below, two Canada geese went for a swim in the pool that contains this work of art by indigenous artist Mary Anne Barkhouse. It is called 'namaxsala (To Travel In A Boat Together) and is based on a story from her grandfather, telling of how he gave a lift to a wolf through treacherous waters.

Heading back across the Ottawa River on the Alexandra Bridge, I paused to photograph the shoreline.

This sticker is on a car near my place, and meets with my approval.

On Victoria Day, coming back from Dow's Lake, I photographed these flags outside the Logan Building, near home. The Union flag is flown with the Canadian flag on such occasions.

Also close to home. This house is relatively new, and an example of infill housing. Oddly, it does work to fit in with the neighbourhood.

Spring blossoms, a short lived sight.

One night passing through Lansdowne Park, I photographed the Aberdeen Pavilion.

Victoria

Today I take a break from the Tulip Festival series for an official occasion, Victoria Day.

These shots were taken in 2018, last Victoria Day. It is a tradition on Parliament Hill to do a 21 gun salute in honour of Queen Victoria at high noon. Three cannons were brought in by the military, each to fire off seven rounds when the clock tower struck twelve, set up between Centre Block and East Block. Onlookers were kept at a distance. I chose to observe from the east side. Note the Union Jack flying from the east flagpole in the foreground- another Victoria Day tradition.

The tower bells started to ring as the clock struck twelve, and the salute commenced with the firing of the cannons.

Also taken on that date, I passed by the two large flagpoles out in front of the National Gallery of Canada. Usually two Canadian flags fly here, but on Victoria Day, the Maple Leaf flies alongside the Union Jack.

Back in late November, I took a tour inside Centre Block. A statue of Queen Victoria stands inside the Library of Parliament. I took a number of shots and decided to hold back a spare for today.

The Hill

Today is Victoria Day, a holiday here in Canada named for Queen Victoria, our monarch when Canada was organized under Confederation, and I will be largely offline photographing, as it's the final day of the Tulip Festival (lots more to come here, however). I thought it appropriate to feature Parliament Hill today, since its placement results from a decision Victoria made when she designated this place as the capital. And during the Tulip Festival, the flowers can be found around the Hill, such as in planters leading into the gateways. I always get in one post from here during this festival.

There are also beds of tulips out at the north sides of the lawns, with bushes as their backdrop.

They are popular with photographers- this view takes in the East Block as well.

I seem to like taking one stretch of these tulips and photographing them two ways- normal settings and black and white. Colour works better, obviously, as the red tulips become much less noticeable in black and white.

Crossing over to the west lawn, I photographed the tulip beds as they continue.

Another angle I like to take at least once during the festival- a view from the ground up incorporating the Peace Tower.

Aside from the main tulip beds at the north end of the lawns, there are two tulip beds that flank the sides of the Peace Tower. This is the west one.

While this is the east bed.

Leaving Parliament Hill, I crossed Wellington Street to the south side, passing the Parliamentary block housing the Prime Minister's offices, which stands to the left here. There are planters set up down this sidewalk, and the view incorporating the Parliamentary blocks beyond made the shot a fitting one.

Glory In Bold Colours

These were taken on the last day of the festival, Victoria Day, May 23rd. They are from Major's Hill Park, namely the tulips east of Colonel By's statue. The tulips looked particularly beautiful with the tree blossoms and the surrounding architecture.

A Return To The Lake

One more look at Dow's Lake today. These were the last shots I took during the Tulip Festival, though I'm not quite done with the series. On Victoria Day when these shots were taken, the park was very, very busy.

The raised circular bed of tulips in the park featured the Canada 150 tulip, which is in the foreground, and the Gavota tulip, which is behind it.

I  finish the Dow's Lake pics for this year with the bed that includes the Diana tulip.

On a different note, this made the news yesterday. A large sinkhole developed on one of our major streets downtown. Shops, a hotel, and the Rideau Centre, which I mentioned in yesterday's post, were all evacuated due to a gas leak linked to the collapse. I passed by to the west in the early afternoon. Everything was cordoned off, and the media were reporting from here. The sinkhole can be seen by enlarging the pic; it's the big black slash in the middle of the road a block away.