Ceremonial Trees At The Hall

More from Rideau Hall today, and I'm starting with some of the many ceremonial plantings of trees by dignitaries down through the decades. This look back towards the rose garden takes in the tree in the foreground, a silver maple planted by Ronald Reagan in 1981.

Two trees are planted close by, having had been planted by the Eisenhowers in 1953. The first, planted by Mamie, is a red maple. The second shot features the leaves of a sugar maple, planted by Ike.

This view takes in two sugar maples- the larger one is still the original, planted by Bess Truman in 1947. The smaller one beyond it must be a shoot from the original tree, as it has a plaque beneath it marking it as one planted by Harry Truman at the same time.

Another tree planted here back in the day is this red oak, planted during a visit by Richard Nixon in 1972.

The manor, which has been greatly expanded from its earliest days when it was a McKay family home, is partially open to the public for tours. At present, the large fountain that stands out front has been removed, and some work is being done. It appears to be a replacement of the pipes for the fountain itself, which is due to be finished in November. Tours have been moved to an alternate entrance in the meantime.

A Summer Day At Rideau Hall

I stepped onto the grounds at Rideau Hall during my early September visit. There are nearly eighty acres here, a good part of that open to the public. It is the official residence of the Governor General, and at the moment the property also houses the Prime Minister and his family at another one of the buildings on the site, as much needed renovation work is being done on the PM's nearby official residence, 24 Sussex Drive. On this day there was a cricket game being played on the pitch. And compare this first shot to my header image, which is of the same general direction taken last fall.

There is a beautiful rose garden here, with quite a variety of blooms, as well as a fountain. I have more from here over the next couple of days.

Embassy Row In New Edinburgh

Another feature in New Edinburgh is a number of embassies or ambassador's residences. I have three of them today. The first is the French embassy, a rather grand Art Deco style building. I've never had the luck of getting inside- the building is only generally open to the public for Doors Open, and it's limited to a number of visitors.

This is the Spanish embassy, a short walk away.

And this is the High Commission of South Africa, set close to Rideau Hall and across the road from 24 Sussex Drive. We'll start looking at Rideau Hall tomorrow.

Churches Within The Neighbourhood

Here are two churches within New Edinburgh, both on the same street. MacKay United Church is the first, founded in 1875 by a grandson of Thomas McKay as a Presbyterian church. The current building, in the Romanesque Revival style, was built from 1909-10. It was merged into the United Church in later years.

Walking up the street took me past this lovely flower.

This other church I've shown before, on the same street. St. Bartholomew's Anglican Church is the official place of worship for Canadian governors-general, as Rideau Hall is across the road. It serves as the regimental chapel for the Governor-General's Foot Guards. It was founded in 1867, with the building erected by the following year.

Stomping Grounds Of The McKay Family

On Labour Day, I went up to New Edinburgh, and so for the next few days we'll be taking a look at photos of the area. This neighbourhood was first founded as a village by Thomas McKay, a Scottish immigrant who named the place in honour of the Edinburgh he'd known. He came here during the building of the Rideau Canal, buying land where the Rideau River tumbles into the Ottawa River in 1829. McKay and his family prospered, building what would become Rideau Hall here. The names of his relatives can be found in the street names- even with the alternate spelling Mackay. Here are some of the homes (plus what I believe to be a community center) in the area.

City Daily Photo Theme Day: Abandoned

The first day of each month is always a theme day for members of City Daily Photo, and for the first of October, that theme is Abandoned. It's a theme chosen by Peter Hyndman at Sunshine Coast Daily Photo. You can see how others are interpreting the theme here.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that Canadians shall, from time to time, lose an item of winter apparel. ~ Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice & Polar Vortexes

I have two different takes on this theme,  starting with these items from last winter, each having had fallen from the possession of an unlucky owner. I too have occasionally lost an item of winter clothing- something of a nuisance when you've misplaced your gloves and it's minus 30 degrees Celsius out there.

My other take on this theme is more recent, and it's a building you might remember (with a wee bit of a rant). Somerset House is set at the intersection of Somerset and Bank Streets downtown. Back in 2007 the building was being renovated when there was an accident, resulting in a partial collapse at the back, the closure of the building, and the closure of the intersection. While the city bears some of the responsibility for things early on, most of the blame since then goes to the owner for what has essentially become an abandoned building. There is next to no sign that anything ever gets done here. The scaffolding remains always in place, the building seems forever left to its fate. On those occasions when one of the local papers writes an article about it, the building owner is either silent, or gives the usual half-hearted reassurances or pitiful lame excuses. All while coming across as dreadfully incompetent.

I can say I'm fed up, as are many others. It's been years, and this guy is just one excuse after another. Someone who gave a damn about the building and the area would have gotten the project done. If he's not willing to finish the work, he might as well sell to someone who can still save the building.

But of course he won't, and so the building continues to decay through sheer neglect. As far as I'm concerned at this point, the owner of this building should be driven out of business and sued for every cent he's got, and every single resident of this city should have the right to punch him in the face.

An Abandoned Building Within The City

I came across this building in early August. It's in the Hogs Back area, on Prince Of Wales Drive. A look online determined it was once a schoolhouse, later a residence, but as long as anyone can remember, it's been this way. Apparently there are plans for the site... but those plans have been around for years. It seemed a fitting lead-in for tomorrow's theme day.