A Foggy Morning

Some days ago we had a rather foggy morning. This is near my home.

These two shots look east and west from the Bronson Avenue Bridge over the Rideau Canal, here where it widens into Dow's Lake. It has been a long time since I've seen fog as thick as that over the Lake, where it looks like a wall, totally obscuring any view.

And this last shot is a short walk north, looking into the Glebe. 

The Ottawa Locks

These first two shots date back to Easter Sunday, taken from Plaza Bridge, overlooking the Ottawa Locks where the Rideau Canal meets the Ottawa River. The Canal lies between Parliament Hill and the Chateau Laurier. Note how the snow was still on the slope below Parliament Hill, while the grass was showing on the east side of the Canal.

Here are the locks earlier this week. The Canal is filled, though the locks themselves at present are still empty. They'll be filled when the boating season opens up later this month.

Visiting Mercury Court

I wanted to photograph Mercury Court again, and did so again in April. The building was once a department store; it was extensively remodeled by the architecture firm that has its offices here. You might remember my Doors Open post. The ground floor hosts restaurants and retail, while the upper floors house more office space, including the Embassy of Sweden. Its location is marked by the Swedish and EU flags.

The Market And Pottery

The main Farmer's Market in the city is held at Lansdowne weekly, and during the winter it's held inside Aberdeen Pavilion. This is from the last Sunday in April; as of this past weekend, the market moved into Aberdeen Square outside for the warmer weather. The Cabal, as I call them, weren't allowed to interfere with this building while they turned most of the rest of Lansdowne into their retail and condo monstrosity. Otherwise there might be a Wal Mart here.

The Horticulture Building nearby was moved during the project (so that the Cabal could place one of their retail monstrosities where it stood), and restoration work was done as well. These days it hosts a variety of trade shows. On that weekend, it was hosting pottery artists.

Lansdowne Park Vantages

Here are some views of the stadium at Lansdowne Park. I still believe the gang of developers (henceforth known as The Cabal) who pretty much stole this land have ended up creating an ugly retail and condo monstrosity at Lansdowne.

Before the stadium was radically overhauled, it was named Frank Clair Stadium in honour of a CFL football coach with a good record. In this era of corporate naming rights, the place got renamed TD Place, and as for Mr. Clair? Well, he got relegated to a statue in a little corner almost as an afterthought.

On the south side of the stadium there's a pathway between the structure itself and the large wooden screen wrapped around it. In the original plans, The Cabal made no mention of the big giant lit sign hanging on the screen as an ad for TD Bank.

On the far side of the stadium and on a hilltop is this sculpture. I have no idea what it means, but it's not as obnoxious as the train wreck The Cabal made of Lansdowne. It overlooks a stretch of parkland- one of the only real public areas of the property, and it offers a good view of the Rideau Canal. Tomorrow I'll have a look at another portion of Lansdowne- the only buildings on the property that are worthwhile. 

Infrastructure And Education

I have three buildings today, of two uses. The first is one I've passed by on countless occasions. It's one of the hydro substations in the city, located on the west edge of the Glebe. The building's still in use, older than the more recent (and utilitarian looking) substations one comes across on a regular basis. Something about the building appeals to me.

Elsewhere in the Glebe, this is First Avenue Public School. The oldest part of the school dates back to 1898.

And down in Old Ottawa South, this is Hopewell Avenue Public School. Its oldest portion dates back to 1910, and the school had a major expansion decades later. The last shot, taken on another day, shows the expansion as well.

Springtime Views In The Capital

Some spring shots today. I was up on Parliament Hill to photograph the tulip beds in progress, and there were a number of people in kilts and tartans on the lawn. Apparently there's a National Tartan Day that I didn't know about. The only time I've worn tartans was a vest as part of the wedding party for a friend at a traditional Scottish wedding. Fortunately he didn't ask any of the groomsmen to wear a kilt.

These small flowers always bloom first here in Ottawa over a week or two- these are in Central Park in the Glebe.

And these views are taken from Major's Hill Park on a pleasant day. Oddly we've had cooler days since I've taken these shots.

City Daily Photo Theme Day: Smell

The first day of the month is always a theme day for members of City Daily Photo, and for the first of May, the theme is Smell. This was chosen by Anna, who lives in France but has blogged regularly about Tahiti. You can find other takes on the theme here.

My choice for this was simple. Each May here in Ottawa and Gatineau we have the Tulip Festival, with a rich variety of tulips in public parks and private gardens. While not all tulips have a scent, there are those that do, and they're all a delight. I took shots at various locations of tulip beds through April, with the plants starting to push up through the soil. With these first two shots, this is at the War Memorial, where the plants were just starting to come up through the soil, contrasting nicely with the remaining snow at the time.

This view is in Major's Hill Park, with the National Gallery beyond the tulip bed.

Nearby, these tulip beds have the Gallery and Notre Dame Basilica as a backdrop.

And these tulips were pushing up through the soil on Parliament Hill.

These were taken early on Friday morning at Dow's Lake, where the park serves as one of the focal points of the festival, which runs this year from the 12th of May to the Victoria Day weekend. One tulip bed was starting to show its colours- it's always one of the first beds to bloom. I will be starting a series on the festival in a few days; hopefully more blooms are showing very soon!

Readying The Canal For The Spring

These shots date from the morning of April 16th. I was crossing the Mackenzie King Bridge and saw this crane. It was removing one of the skate shelters from the Rideau Canal to be placed onto a flatbed trailer. The shelters are removed over a few days so that the water levels on the Canal can be raised, which is apparently being done this weekend. This location, with the Convention Centre as a backdrop- as well as Parliament Hill, the Chateau Laurier, and the Government Conference Centre- made for an ideal photo opportunity. If you're wondering about the line of people down below, they were waiting to get into a trade show inside.