A Yoga Session On Parliament Hill

A quick word to my fellow bloggers before getting started- I will catch up gradually with things; I'm falling behind in reading at the moment. I have a very busy schedule this week, and I'm going through a bit of a bad spell at the moment. This is what happens when Churchill's proverbial black dog decides to go a few rounds with you and throw some left hooks.

Through the summer, until the weather cools down, there's a gathering on Parliament Hill on most Wednesdays at the noon hour. It's one big yoga session, with hundreds of people taking part, bringing their yoga mats. I went up one day and spent time circling around the west side of the lawn, photographing. On days when there are even more participants, they spill over to the east lawn.

Following The Spirit Of The Horse

"Wild horses could not drag me away from you" ~Gino Vannelli

"And so I grew from colt to stallion, as wild and reckless as thunder over the land. Racing with the eagle. Soaring with the wind. Flying? There were times I believed I could." ~ Spirit: Stallion Of The Cimarron

At the front of the National Gallery, there is an outdoor sculpture set by the Canadian artist Joe Fafard, done in 2007 and made of laser cut steel. It sits on the island of grasses between the driveway and the ramp into the parking garage. Reflecting the artist's Prairie upbringing, the collected sculptures are coated in shades of a western sunset. It is titled, appropriately, Running Horses.

When you walk around the drive and look at it, the group of horses, seemingly caught in mid stride, stand out well against the backdrop of buildings, such as the Kuwaiti embassy behind it or the Elizabeth Bruyere Hospital beyond that, or the LaSalle Academy to the right and in the background of the following pic. That contrast stands out well even against Notre Dame Basilica.

Windows Of The Vile Fiend

I regularly write the point of view of a cat and dog over at my writer's blog, and on occasion that involves a visit to the vet. Vile fiend is one of those terms the critters use to describe the vet, along with monstrous, evil,  arch nemesis, demonic, and some less polite terms. Hence the title for today's blog.

The Glebe Pet Hospital is a vet's office. Cat decorations adorn the front windows.

The place also has two resident cats, who can be found on occasion snoozing in late afternoon sunlight. These two cuties couldn't have cared less about me taking shots of them- they were more interested in their latest nap of the day.

Views Of The Waterfalls

Here are some more views from Hog's Back Falls and the parkland around it.

Heading back the way I came, I took late day shots of the Rideau Canal and St. John the Baptist Ukranian Catholic Shrine.

Tumbling Through

Hog's Back Falls offers good views on both sides. The water is low at the moment, but looks different in other seasons. 

Crossing over the bridge gives different views of the ravine.

Here on the east side, I noticed a couple of ducks perched along one of the waterways.

To The Falls

Early this month, I went down to Hog's Back Falls one evening. I took the route by the Rideau Canal- in this first shot, we have a glimpse back at St. John The Baptist Ukranian Catholic Shrine, which I showed you earlier in the month. The second shot features the lockmaster station at the Hog's Back Locks.

Passing those locks brings us to Mooney's Bay, which is where the Rideau River and the Rideau Canal split for the last time on their routes through the city towards the Ottawa River.

The parkland around here is popular with the birds.

The reason for the river and canal going their separate ways? Two waterfalls on the river, one of which is here. Hog's Back Falls emerges from the spillway and into the ravine at this site. The area around it is parkland, well worth a visit on both sides. I have more from here over the next two days.