A Mixture Of Floral Settings

I took the shots in today's post in the days following the official closing of the Tulip Festival, which came to an end on Victoria Day. There were planters outside the Chateau Laurier.

This second one from this spot includes Parliament Hill in the background.

A short distance away, flowerbeds outside the Bruyere Hospital included tulips.

I took an extended walk on this particular day, heading over to the other side of the Ottawa River. Coming back, I came to this observation platform at the end of the Alexandra Bridge to photograph the river below Nepean Point. This view of planters on the platform works well in combination with the heights of the Point above. The statue of Champlain is up there.

From there I headed into the Byward Market. There is a sculpture in one of the courtyards, with tulips in planters. Dancing Bear is the title of this 1999 abstract work by the Inuit artist Pauta Saila. I photographed it from various angles.

Nearby I took in two views of tulip planters looking west, with the Peace Tower in the background. The York Steps head up out of the Market, positioned between the Connaught Building to the left and the American embassy to the right.

On another day I photographed these tulips at the University of Ottawa.

And on another day still, I found that I was too late to photograph a particular tulip bed at Lansdowne Park in the Glebe, but caught this bed of tulips nearby, alongside the Rideau Canal.

And on yet another day, I took this shot of tulips with the Supreme Court in the background.

The Archives And The Garden

Before I begin, an apology to my regular readers for the colourful vocabulary I'm about to use in the following rant. When dealing with people I dislike these days, my choice of words tends to lean towards things that would shock the Sisters Of Little Or No Mercy.

To the spammers who have managed to get past my filters the last few days: fuck you and the horse you rode in on. Your comments are swiftly banished to spam folders where they belong. And I don't give a damn about your goddamned black magic doctor you claim can fix any problem. As to the misogynistic fucking bastard who thinks all women over thirty are stupid and that mass spamming your fucking site to thousands of blogs is a bright idea- the reason every woman who ever met you will go out of their way to avoid you has nothing to do with them. You, asshole, are the reason your life is such a clusterfuck. Blaming women for the microscopic size of your genitals may make you feel better, but it doesn't address the reality that you are such a goddamned worthless fuckup.

To all of you spammers, do the world a favour for the first and last time of your worthless lives, and immediately cease your wasting of oxygen. I recommend a long walk off a short plank.

Rant over.

I passed by the headquarters for Library And Archives Canada some days ago. For my American readers, it is the equivalent here of Library of Congress. Flowerbeds and planters out front were filled with tulips.

A short distance away I photographed these blossoms in a tree. I was coming out here for a periodic view out over the Ottawa River that I have for a post in the fall.

Coming back, I came to this bed of tulips alongside the road. Flags of the provinces and territories stand alongside it. In the background you can see the spire of Christ Church Cathedral, one of two churches across from Library And Archives Canada.

Between the churches and Library And Archives is a space called the Garden Of The Provinces And Territories, which mixes together flowerbeds, bushes and shrubs, and terraced water features. Tulips were here. The other church, St Peter's Lutheran Church, can be glimpsed in the background.

This view from the other side of the flower bed looks towards Library And Archives.

And this view looks towards Christ Church.

A tree is always in full blossom outside St. Peter's when I come up this way in late May.

And I finish with these tulips, outside Christ Church, part of the Anglican denomination. I visited both of these churches this past weekend during Doors Open.

Tulips Within Confederation Park

Confederation Park downtown has tulips in May. Unlike around Commissioners Park, I believe the habit here is to leave the bulbs in the ground after the tulips are done. This shot is from one of the entrances into the park, with spring blossoms in the trees around.

Stepping into the path and taking a closer look, this also gives a view across the street. The Lord Elgin Hotel is across from Confederation Park. The Canada 150 tulip is dominant here in the park. This year this particular type of tulip was late in showing itself. It was developed for the anniversary year in 2017, and features a white and red combination.

Confederation Park has a number of military monuments on the grounds.

This is one of them. The National Aboriginal Veterans Monument uses First Nations symbols, animals, and four people as part of the whole. It is a formidable sight to behold.

Confederation Square And Spring

Confederation Square is downtown, at the intersection of Wellington and Elgin Streets, and has been described as the Canadian equivalent of Trafalgar Square. It forms roughly a wedge shape as Elgin Street splits to meet Wellington, and is bound by national institutions and landmarks. Tulips are found here in planters at the moment. Here we have the National Arts Centre in the background, with the Chateau Laurier in the distance.

Backtracking a bit to the south end of the NAC, this less dense bed of tulips is in the foreground, while the statue of master jazz musician Oscar Peterson lies beyond. The British High Commission is on the other side of Elgin Street.

This terrace is set off to the side on this side of the square. Muskoka chairs are set up at present among the planters. It looks out across the Rideau Canal to the Government Conference Centre at left, and the glass wall of the Ottawa Convention Centre at right.

Crossing the street onto the grounds of the National War Memorial, I took this view of the three buildings collectively called The Chambers.

Then I took in a view of the Memorial itself. This being Victoria Day, the Union Jack was flying at the right.

I crossed to the west side of the square, to take in this view of the Peace Tower and East Block. The building on the left is also a Parliamentary block, housing the offices of the prime minister. Tulip planters and sculptures are found here.

City Daily Photo Theme Day: Pink

The first day of each month is a theme day for members of City Daily Photo, and for the month of June, that theme is Pink. Take a look at how others are interpreting this theme right here. 

My selections come from two different festivals. In February, we celebrate the best season of all in Ottawa and Gatineau with Winterlude. Ice sculptures are carved by sculptors from around the world. At night they're lit up with coloured lights. I caught them in the process early on, hence this first shot, with a soft pink catching the ice. The sculptures this year were presented up in the Byward Market area.

Pink light was just starting to touch this finished sculpture.

Here we have the full effect.

The more recent festival is one that I'm in the midst of covering at present. Our Tulip Festival happens each May, with around a million bulbs planted in the public gardens each year. These shots were taken during excursions around Commissioners Park at Dow's Lake, the biggest site for the tulips. Look for the stray tulip in the last shot. I'm blaming the squirrels for that one.