Silent Night

 Merry Christmas.

It is my general habit to feature churches on Christmas Day. I begin with this shot from late November, taken in Westboro. All Saints Anglican and First United Church share this one.

This is St. Patrick Basilica downtown.

They have a Nativity scene outside.

Centretown United Church is also in the core.

St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church is in a prominent spot on Wellington Street downtown- directly across from the Supreme Court of Canada.

Dominion-Chalmers United Church is downtown, a few blocks south from Parliament Hill.

And I finish with what's generally accepted as the most prominent church in the city- Notre Dame Basilica, seen from its neighbour across the street, the National Gallery of Canada.

And here it is in full, a fitting conclusion for churches on Christmas Day.

Colours

Today I begin a series on autumn colours around the area. It's been a slow season here. One tree I can always count on to start early is in Dundonald Park, where I took this shot in August.

Another August shot, outside a house nearby in Centretown. This one was just getting started.

Here it was in September.

Another tree in Centretown.

This one's in Little Italy, and by now has lost the bulk of its leaves. But on a couple of occasions passing through in September, it was going bright red.

In the second half of that month, I was on the Portage Bridge to take photos of the Ottawa River for my twice a month series. On the way, this caught my eye.

A short walk beyond, these caught my eye on Victoria Island, where the ruins of an old mill still stand.

Later in September, returning to Little Italy, I took this shot. A few days later, the leaves were off the tree.

And that same maple, a few days on from the prior shots.

I finish today in Westboro, where at the end of September I passed by this church, with its trees turning into autumn colours. This building houses two congregations- All Saints Anglican and First United Churches.

Odds And Ends Around The City

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I have some odds and ends from the last few weeks today. This first one is from the beginning of the month, taken in Westboro, where there was a lot of snow around this church that is home to two congregations: All Saints Anglican and First United.

This fellow is downtown, one of the lion sentinels around the building that houses postal offices.

At Lansdowne Park, I was at the farmers market one day. These dogs caught my eye.

This is the stadium at the park, with the field dormant this time of year- though the people who do the snow clearing also clear an oval of snow around the field.

Here we have the National Aboriginal Veterans Monument downtown in Confederation Park, honouring indigenous veterans.

Ottawa City Hall has a large outdoor rink. In a winter that has not included skating on the Canal, this has been a refuge for skaters.

Dundonald Park is close to home, and buried in snow when I took this shot one morning.

That same day I noticed someone else on the street taking photos looking up. The contrast of these buildings with the blue sky appealed to me, so I took my own shots.

On Valentine's Day I passed by the Supreme Court. The Canadian flag at left is always present. At right is the flag of the Court, which flies when they're in session.

A short walk on is the next building over- the headquarters of Library and Archives Canada. This artistic bench stands outside. Someone had added felt flowers to the mix for the day.

And lastly, these two shots, taken a few days ago on Family Day, a provincial holiday. I was at Lansdowne for an Ottawa 67s game. So too were a number of costumed people.

Christmas

 Merry Christmas.

I tend to mark the day on my blog with churches. I begin today with a shot taken at the end of November in Westboro. This church houses two congregations- All Saints Anglican and First United. I pass by here once a month.

At the end of the prior month, the sanctuary door had been open, and I got a look inside. What I saw surprised me, as I'd thought the sanctuary would be parallel to the street. Instead, it runs northward away from the street. The original sanctuary, to the west, is now a chapel, and the two are joined together by what I'm guessing is office space, since it's all one building from the outside. The pastor I spoke to said the original building dated to the 19th century, and this current sanctuary is from the 1950s.

Taken on the same day as my first shot, this is the Catholic parish of St. George, at the western edge of Hintonburg.

This was taken one early December morning in the Glebe, in pre-dawn light. Here we have Fourth Avenue Baptist Church.

And downtown, this is Centretown United Church.

Snow was falling on the day I took this. St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church is downtown, across from the Supreme Court of Canada.

I'd been inside in late November- their annual Christmas sale. I took a chance to stop inside the sanctuary.

The arrangement of the sanctuary is unusual, with the pulpit off to the side at centre as opposed to at one end of the space.

Something else unusual: among the musical instruments here was a harpsichord.

St. Patrick Basilica is a Catholic church downtown. This time of year they have a nativity creche outside.

And I finish with this shot of Notre Dame Basilica, taken late in the afternoon just a few days ago from across the street at the National Gallery of Canada.