City Daily Photo Theme Day: Happy

 The first day of each month is a theme day for members of City Daily Photo. This month, that theme is Happy. Check out other interpretations right here.

Happy is not something I can be, especially these days when I'm dealing with such a strong wave of depression. I thought this would be a tough one- until I pivoted and thought of subject matter that makes my readers happy. The Tulip Festival.

On Victoria Day in May, I went to Commissioners Park to take some shots specifically for this post.

This dog looked happy.

Country Life

 Another look at the guest cottage at Kingswood.

The main cottage was built in 1903, with additions added on over time.

Dogs are welcome on the estate, though understandably not inside the buildings themselves. I wonder what this dog was thinking. King himself was fond of dogs.

King's room inside the main cottage is simple, but his whole point of being here was to be able to get outside and hike the trails of his estate and beyond, not to be inside all day.

This is the stove in the original kitchen area.

And this is the summer kitchen, part of the final expansion of the cottage. King would have his staff from the city come with him to Kingswood over the summer.

When his parents came to visit, they had their own rooms at the cottages. This was his mother's room.

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.

Bicentennial Party

I continued my wanderings around the Byward Market during Nuit Blanche. This band caught my attention.

I took this panoramic shot from this corner.

And then I continued on my way.

There was more music to be found.

A look east. Note the Beavertails outlet. This is the Beavertails outlet, home of a fried pastry in the shape of a beaver's tail, and topped in various ways. A Canadian tradition.

The crowds were out and about, and I took several shots looking south in short order. The odd time in a crowd I feel a bit claustrophobic, but not on this occasion. I really needed this night. I've been having a rough go of it in the past few months with my depression, triggered by a situation at work, and being out here helped. 

I looked back at the main market building. I wondered what the little dog thought of all this.

I took two shots of this pub. I've never been by for a meal, but should sometime.

My path took me a short walk away. This is Arts Court, a former 19th century courthouse that is now home to multiple arts organizations. It was busy participating in the day's events, including one of the embassies putting on a sauna out front- an odd thing, I thought. The building is lovely when lit up at night.