The River Through Changing Seasons

 My second position to document the change of seasons in a given spot is on the Portage Bridge, upstream from Parliament Hill, roughly where the provincial boundary between Quebec and Ontario is. The Gatineau shoreline is at left, with landmarks including the Alexandra Bridge, Kiweki Point, the National Gallery, Notre Dame, the Supreme Court, and Victoria Island also seen. I come out here twice a month to do this series. You'll see the next post coming for the July theme day post, which deals with water.

I start with this shot taken in the latter half of July.

A few days later, I returned late in the day.

Around the middle of August, things were cooling down.

Towards the end of the month, I returned on a day with dramatic skies.

When I came back at mid-month in September, it was on a sunny day.

In the last days of that month, I was back.

When I returned on another day in the first half of October, it was under similar conditions.

And the same thing later in October- ideal conditions. The next day would bring in a lot of rain.

I stopped by on Remembrance Day en route to the War Museum. There had been snow two days prior, and the skies were clearing.

I returned late in November. The snow was gone, but it was a cold, moody day, with snow to come.

When I returned in the first half of December, the snow was back, and the river was in the midst of

freezing up.

My last shot in this series was taken on Boxing Day, after a visit to the War Museum.

Changing Views Through The Seasons

It is a tradition of mine to document the change of seasons from a couple of different locations. I begin with a spot in Major's Hill Park, where I come to once a month to photograph the view looking west towards Parliament Hill as it looms above the Ottawa River.

I took this first shot in early January of last year.

In later February, I returned.

I came back once again in the first half of March.

By mid-April, spring was underway.

Less than a month later, when I was passing through the park during the Tulip Festival, much had changed, with most trees leafed out.

I returned in the latter half of June.

A month later, on a hot day in late July, I was back.

I returned in early August and took this shot.

When I came back at the middle of September, here's how things were looking.

Upon my return in the second half of October, fall colours were established.

In the second half of November, snow was falling as I returned.

My last shot of this series, taken in the first half of December, was taken at night. Ice was developing on the river below the Hill. Tomorrow we'll do a similar series, from further west along the river.

City Daily Photo Theme Day: Best Of The Year

 My last of this set of favourite shots of the year takes us out to Gatineau Park, a federal park run by the National Capital Commission over on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River. The NCC runs shuttles into the park on weekends, and I took one in the fall, stopping at the Champlain Lookout, where the southern flank of the Gatineau Hills descends to the valley floor along the Eardley Escarpment. The Ottawa River can be seen, with the limits of Ottawa on the far shore. This place is a delight to visit, high above the valley floor.

Another visit made on this fall day was to the Mackenzie King Estate. William Lyon Mackenzie King was one of our greatest prime ministers, and no one was more dominant in the Canadian political scene in the first half of the 20th century, seeing the country through much of the Depression and the Second World War. He bought land up here early on in his political career, inspired by nature, and would make it his weekend and summer retreat, starting with cottages he called Kingswood. This is the main cottage.

The land was along one shore of Kingsmere Lake- the name preceded his time here, but must have convinced him this was his place to call a home.

As time went on and he became prime minister, he built a house that he could properly entertain the great and the good in. The second house on the property he called Moorside, and here his ideas of landscaping, gardening, and being engaged with nature took full form, alongside his ideas for the country.

He was a man of staunch Scots Presbyterian sensibility and sentiment, and among his ideas were follys- structures that served no purpose but sentiment, salvaged from buildings that were being demolished, and turned into something new on his property.

This is expressed best in the Abbey Ruins, which blends together pieces from homes in Ottawa, as well as sections of the former Center Block on Parliament Hill, and even stones from the printing press of his own grandfather.

King left his estate to the people of the country he loved so much, as thanks for the opportunity to serve them in leadership. A visit to this estate uplifts the soul.

My last stop on this visit was Pink Lake, not that far away from the estate. Named after a family of settlers from the 19th century, it is a meromictic lake- a rarity among lakes in that the layers do not mix, and there is low oxygen content in the deeper layers. A hiking trail winds around it.

It is a peaceful place, with a life all to its own.

Remembrance Day

On the same day in October as my photos from the last three days, I stopped at the National War Memorial for autumn photos. This occupies the heart of Confederation Square, and is surrounded by landmarks like Parliament Hill, the Chateau Laurier, the Government Conference Center, the National Arts Centre, and the Chambers. Today, a national service is held for Remembrance Day, and I will be there. I am also marking the occasion today over at my writer's blog.

The Memorial, first dedicated to the fallen of the Great War, has since been rededicated to include those of the Second World War, Korean War, South African War, and Afghan War, as well as all those who have died in military service to the country. I moved along the perimeter, with fall colours in the trees to be found.

From April to today, during the day, members of the military services stand at post as guards, relieved each hour in a ceremony with great meaning and tradition. It is a tradition that has been going on for over a decade, and a good one to have.