Day 129 of a 365-Day Portrait of Canada: The National War Museum in Ottawa

This image of the exterior was taken from my archive, as I wanted a snow-free picture of the building. The remaining photos were taken today at the National War Museum in Ottawa.

The new Canadian War Museum (CWM) is a major national museum of military history, covering Canada’s military past from earliest times to the present day. Located on the shores of the Ottawa River, a few minutes west of Parliament Hill, the newly built Museum is now sure to become one of the National Capital’s landmarks and one of Canada’s most significant cultural museums.
Through its extraordinary permanent and special exhibitions, the Museum shows how military events have shaped the development of the country, both at home and on the world stage. A stunning architectural design, innovative exhibitions, diverse public programs and unparalleled displays of collections are making it one of the world’s most respected venues for the study and understanding of human conflict.

Day 128 of a 365-Day Portrait of Canada: Ottawa’s Winterlude Winter Festival and the Rideau Canal Day Two

Faces of the Day, and boy are there some cute ones this time!

Happy Couple Skating on the Rideau Canal

This oldtimer was one of many who sported skates that out dated even me! One oldtimer said he had had his skates 50 years!

Proud father video tapes his daughter’s first sled trip.

Winterlude Village was a hub of activity this afternoon, despite the high winds.

Seating around the fire pit was limited for it was possibly the warmest place in all of the Winterlude festivities.

The ice took a beating today with overnight temps reaching above zero.

Welcome to Canada little guys! Hope you like snow boots, slipping on ice, and scraping windshields!

USA Embassy

Revenue Canada headquarters

Amer, the baker’s son, happily watches over the family run bakery, “every weekend”. I asked him if he thought he might follow the family tradition and someday run the bakery. In a quiet voice he explained, that it wouldn’t be enough for him and that he needed to do more and is planning to study to be a doctor.

Phil celebrates 74 years of life!

“I’ve had alot of good times, a few bad times, but whole lot of good times, yep its been good!”

Flag of the day

Day 127 of a 365-Day Portrait of Canada: Ottawa’s Winterlude winter festival and the Rideau Canal

129,000 jobs lost in Canada last month. This old fence, to me, reflected the state of Canada’s economy-precarious.

Happy Canadian Family Leaving Winterlude

Warm faces on an Ottawa Sidewalk

It seems that no matter who we ask to photograph, everyone says yes. This young woman was walking down the sidewalk and I didn’t think she’d say yes, but she did. Canada really is the most excepting and friendly country on earth. Meet Elizabeth!

The Rideau Canal, also known as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. The canal was opened in 1832 as protection against American aggression and is still in use today, with most of its original structures intact. The canal system uses sections of major rivers, including the Rideau and the Cataraqui, as well as some lakes. It is the oldest continuously operated canal system in North America, and in 2007, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Winterlude (Bal de neige in French) is an annual festival in Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec that celebrates winter.

Winterlude is run by Canada’s National Capital Commission and was started in 1979. The event is one of Ottawa’s most important tourist draws, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. In 2007, it set a new attendance record of an estimated 1.6 million visits to one of the four Winterlude sites.

Kids love to skate!

Welcome to Canada! We met so many people today who were skating for the first time. It must be strange to always be around…say sand dunes, then to move to Canada, being thrust into having to deal and cope with minus 27 with a wind chill. Call it what you may, but life in Canada makes a person hearty.

With 100’s of families out and about today enjoying a skate on the Rideau Canal, you couldn’t help to smile and feel warm inside.

Too cold to skate, this young boy was lucky enough to have his father pull him back for some hot chocolate in a sled. That’s what dads are for!

Ice sculptures in the making…

Sad Flag of the Day