Tag Archives: Ottawa
It Was Cold Out There
It suddenly occurred to me as I sat there: I haven’t been this cold in years! Southern Germany has mild winters. The beginning of November is still practically summer. In Sulzburg today it is 16 Celsius. In Ottawa it is 1. Which is why today’s post is later than usual – I needed time to […]
Canadian Wildlife
I have a friend in Germany who wanted me to send him pictures of animals from my time in Canada. Unthinking, I said yes. My assumption was that he wanted to see Canadian wildlife: deer, bears, maybe a fox or two. And while all those can be found in Ottawa from time to time, sightings […]
A Place of Pilgrimage II
Just a few photos today from my visit to this beautiful Ottawa church. Something peaceful to start your Monday.
A Place of Pilgrimmage
I have lived in Ottawa most of my life, but it was only this week that I visited Notre Dame Basilica for the first time. Which is not surprising. When you live in a place you have a routine. Things that appeal to tourists aren’t necessarily part of your daily life. You check them out […]
Are You Afraid?
I’ve never had a fear of spiders – which doesn’t mean I like them. That dislike though isn’t arachnophobia, Those who have that unnatural fear are not overly enamored with the sculpture on the plaza in front of Canada’s National Gallery. The giant spider, with its egg sac prominently displayed, is titled “Maman,” which is French […]
Public Art in Back Spaces
I’m seeing things in Ottawa I have never seen before. Like this statue. A good chunk of my time these days is being spent in the Byward Market area of the city, not far from Parliament Hill. Despite working (and living) downtown for close to 20 years, I really don’t know the neighbourhood. What […]
Oops!
I was walking along Bank Street, the main north-south arterial in Ottawa when I noticed the storefront sign. For all I know it has been there for years, but usually I drive this stretch of road so I’m watching traffic not store signs. The spelling error, which I presume has been there for years, just […]
Not Just Nostalgia
Led Zeppelin is dead. Robert Plant rocks on. Sunday night at Cityfolk the former Zepp vocalist performed a delicate balancing act, giving the fans the old songs from the seventies that they craved while showcasing his newer material. Songs like “The May Queen” and the title track to his latest work, “Carry Fire,” were blended […]
Friday Night Rocked
I missed most of the music on the nineties. When you lived in Pembroke, Ontario, there wasn’t much choice. The local radio played (as I remember it) country music. Which means, in those pre-internet days, all I knew about the band Live was what I read. I could perhaps have named you a tune or […]
A Whole Lotta Love
Cityfolk starts today, Ottawa’s annual folk music extravaganza. For me it’s a trip down memory lane, as Robert Plant will close the festival Sunday night. You may not think of the former Led Zeppelin frontman as a folk artist, but the “folk” in Cityfolk has some elasticity. After all, the last time I saw Plant […]
random thoughts from lorne 
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