The Changing Of The Season

It's time for some fall shots. I was down in Commissioners Park at Dow's Lake late in the afternoon on the last day of September. The lake is formed here as part of the Rideau Canal, and the park's flowerbeds are a prime spot for the Tulip Festival in May. The rest of the growing season, plants and flowers are placed there that last into October. By now they're either removed or in the process of being removed so that tulip bulbs have the soil over the winter.

This tree was getting its fall colors underway.

Here we have the lake itself, with Carleton's campus and the Arboretum in the background. A nice spot to sit for awhile.

Beyond The Empty Quarter

Today we've got another post in the Ottawa Welcomes The World embassy series, and this one involves Saudi Arabia: land of sea, sand, and sky... and especially the Rub' al Khali- the Empty Quarter- which I'd love to work into a book.

Stepping inside the Horticulture Building, there was a Bedouin tent set up, as you might expect to see in the desert of the country.

I was surprised by the art, by both men and women artists (a split of half and half, a woman told me). The style is quite different from Western tradition, with something of an abstract feel to some works, but richly creative and beautiful, and rather dream-like. I chatted with one of the artists, who spoke of her creative process.

This particular one was my favourite of the set. I found it haunting.

The colour choice on this one stood out to me too.

Coffee finds its origins in this part of the world, and hospitality is a big part of Arab culture. I don't drink coffee, and I'd heard Arabian coffee is a good deal stronger than what you find in North America. So I thought I'd try it. Yes, it was stronger- and it tasted much better than what we have here (sorry, Tim Hortons and Starbucks, but what you call coffee is swill and tepid bathwater). Cardamom is sometimes added to Arab coffee; I expect that was the case. This is one of the coffee pots, quite formal in its look. There was also a good deal of food offered, from meals to desserts such as pastries, and I had some of that and liked it.

Jewelry was also on display, as well as items of clothing for formal occasions for both women and men. One of the women at these tables said that gold and silver are woven into thread form and embroidered into clothing like this for such occasions.

This curved knife, sheathed, was among the clothing items. Where men once used this for defence, these days it is largely a ceremonial addition to a formal outfit. 

There were a group of men singing in Arabic as I was here. They, along with a good number of men in the crowd, were in Arab robes. Since I've never been in the Middle East, this occasion marks the most Arab robes I've ever seen in a single place at once.

But Where Is The Rum?

A question often asked by Captain Jack Sparrow, whose priorities are as follows: 

1. rum 

2. the Black Pearl 

3. debauchery 

4. more rum, you scabberous dogs!

Returning again today to the Ottawa Welcomes The World embassy series, today I'm presenting the nation of Barbados, which had an event in the Horticulture Building at Lansdowne. I like the look of their flag. 

There were tourism displays, and panels with extensive information on the history, culture, and geography of the island, situated east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean. I was surprised to learn that tradition states that rum found its origins here. 

Musicians were also on stage as I toured the building, playing something with an island beat. Barbados style items were on sale, and the decor and flowers certainly gave things a tropical feeling. Tomorrow we'll look at another event here, something from a completely different part of the world.

Going in a different direction, this is a shot taken on the weekend. Last week, Canada lost one of its finest creative talents- musician, writer, and humanitarian Gord Downie, lead singer of the band The Tragically Hip- to a brain tumour. Gord touched a great many lives with his music, spirit, and exceptional courage and grace in the face of a terminal illness. An artist did a chalk rendition of him in the Byward Market.

With Glowing Hearts

Two more shots from the Valour theme of Northern Lights; in the first case, the Afghan conflict of recent years is projected onto Centre Block. In the second case, the National War Memorial is featured.

The final theme is Pride, with statements about the nation included with the narration in French and English from a wealth of different people.

The conclusion of the event includes the Canadian anthem- check out a video of the finale here.

True Patriot Love

The progress of provinces and territories formally coming into being within Confederation are projected onto Centre Block as part of Northern Lights, with the flags of each fluttering so convincingly that it looks like they're real, as opposed to projections of light.

The third theme of Northern Lights is Discovery And Adventure, examining explorers encountering First Nations peoples all the way to the technology of the current day, such as Canadians in space.

The fourth theme is Valour, and examines Canadian military history, particularly the First and Second World Wars, with places like Vimy Ridge and Juno Beach prominent in the program.