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.

City Daily Photo Theme Day: Best Of The Year

 The theme for the first of January with members of City Daily Photo is Best of the Year, and you can see how others are interpreting that theme right here.

I am doing this over three days, beginning with Ottawa itself. At the end of 2024 and into the first days of 2025, the city hosted the World Juniors hockey tournament, held at TD Place and the Canadian Tire Centre. I attended some of the games at the former.

This particular game was between Finland and Slovakia.

February brings Winterlude to the area, and this year was very good for skaters on the Rideau Canal skateway. I do not skate, but I walked it a number of times, and this particular time was on Dow's Lake itself, close to the end.

Winterlude also includes ice sculptures downtown. This one featured the great Canadian jazz legend Oscar Peterson.

As spring unfolded, one day I took a photograph of this very cooperative Canada goose.

The Chaudiere Falls is a large, sprawling waterfall on the Ottawa River, and during the spring, it rages.

May brings the Tulip Festival to the national capital region, with the biggest area of them at Commissioners Park at Dow's Lake.

Parliament Hill is a frequent photo subject for me. I took this shot of Robert Borden, one of our prime ministers, with West Block beyond the statue.

Doors Open takes place here in early June, with the opening of various sites for public visits. One place I went to this year was a familiar site- the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat. The Aga Khan stays here from time to time, but it also houses the Canadian chapter of his foundation, which does philanthropic work around the world. The architecture inside is a wonder.

This sweet cat lives near my place, and is seen outside her home in warmer weather.

I went up to Kiweki Point, which commands an impressive view of the Ottawa River.

Another visit this year was to the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, where this Lancaster bomber dominates the World War Two area.

These fall colours were found by the Canadian War Museum.

And my last shot is taken in the National Arts Centre, some nights before Hallowe'en, where the orchestra was in costume. The concert was a mix of classical music and film score selections, very appropriate for the occasion.

City Daily Photo Theme Day: Furry Things

The first day of each month is a theme day for members of City Daily Photo. For December, that theme is Furry Things. See how others are interpreting the theme right here.

I start off with these two shots taken last year at the Christmas Market at Lansdowne Park, where dogs were regularly accompanying their humans on walks.

This little dog was inside the arena during the World Juniors hockey tournament last December, and was more interested in watching the game than paying attention to the photographer.

This was taken some Christmases back, but also at the Lansdowne Christmas Market. It popped up in my Facebook memories last year as an extra shot I had taken, so I decided to put it in here.

In the second part of April, I photographed this groundhog at the Garden of the Provinces and Territories.

That same month, this rabbit stayed still long enough for me to photograph at a house in the Glebe.

When I was at Dow's Lake during the Tulip Festival, I photographed this friendly dog.

During the Tulip Festival in May, passing through the north end of the Glebe early one morning, I noticed two rabbits in among the tulips in a front yard.

On another evening that month, while taking more shots of residential tulips in the Glebe, I saw this cat sitting outside a house and said hello.

I took a couple of shots of a dog in Major's Hill Park during the Tulip Festival, and held this shot for now.

I took this shot one morning in June. This sweetheart lives close to my place, and is periodically seen outside her home in warmer weather. Now with the cold weather having had settled in, she's inside for the winter.

Odds And Ends Within The City

I begin today in the Glebe neighbourhood. Late one afternoon, I saw this car, which I've featured before. I consider it hideous and ugly, but the car (and its owner) have drawn a lot of attention in social media locally, where a lot of people seem to like it. Each year, the owner seems to add more junk to it, and when he's not at work, he likes to drive around from place to place in the city.

This is a photograph from the archives- obviously with the snow. I featured this building for a theme day in February 2024. At the time, it was still in use as an office building, and there was a retail unit on the ground floor still in operation- a running store. 

This is a more recent photograph, taken just a bit further east along Slater. The building is presently being demolished in favour of a complete rebuild, and the company doing it is demolishing it from the top down- as you can see, there are less floors now.

The same building is seen in the background in this shot, from the west. Its neighbour is a former parking garage awaiting demolition. This is the garage I featured several months ago, the one that suffered a partial collapse of its roof due to heavy snow packed in one area (plus the negligence of the ownership).

One day I stopped in a downtown office building for lunch at one of the food vendors. I didn't buy from this one, but noticed this sign in the neighbouring unit to where I was buying from. 

And now a real cat. This one lives close to home from me.

I headed out to the campus at the University of Ottawa one day, with this church in mind. The Paroisse Sacre-Coeur d'Ottawa is a French language Catholic church on the campus, one of two Catholic churches found here. It is very contemporary- its predecessor building burned in a fire. This one is open to students during the week, as the university has some classes here. And it also has a beautiful chapel, with stained glass windows that I had intended to use for the theme day.

Alas, the building was still locked. I photographed the front bell tower.

On my way out, I passed by Tabaret Hall, one of the university buildings, and my favourite on campus in terms of architectural style.

The National Arts Centre has a statue outside of the great Canadian jazz musician and composer Oscar Peterson. This year marks the centennial of his birth. The statue, by Ruth Abernethy, was unveiled by the Queen in 2010, and feels very lifelike. Music by Oscar comes from speakers mounted overhead. In my opinion, one of the greatest in jazz, and the greatest musician this country ever gave to the world.

Just down the street is Confederation Park, which has a number of monuments. This is the largest of them. The National Aboriginal Veterans Monument pays tribute to indigenous warriors who have served the country in war and the military, featuring four warriors, an eagle, and four animals around the base- the bear, the wolf, the elk, and the bison.

Here it is from the far side, with the Lord Elgin Hotel across the street.

Some of our national birds could be seen in the park eating. They're all on the way south.

And I end nearby. The main Ottawa Courthouse shares the property with City Hall. I spent some days here in late April and early May. I was testifying for the Crown in a criminal trial. The accused was later found guilty on multiple charges. 

I personally found the experience of testifying in court to be draining, particularly since some of those days I wasn't testifying at all, just waiting. The building itself I have always liked.