Icy flow

The weather change from yesterday to today was quite harsh! We had 11C (52) and today it was -12C (9F), but really -22C (-8F) including the wind chill, so any way you look it, it's quite the change and probably explains a bit why I have a runny nose! So today, I hoped to catch a display of how the weather changed and I took this shot which isn't the greatest, but gives a bit of an idea of what can happen when things melt and freeze:

Old BMO building on Sparks St

Another view from my office is this nice brick building, which states:
"BANK OF MONTREAL FOUNDED 1817
INCORPORATED BY THE ACT OF PARLIAMENT
THIS BUILDING WAS ERECTED IN 1930

BANK OF MONTREAL

I find it neat to see this nice old building, with the Canadian flag dab in the middle of it, and Parliament in the background, at least the top of Parliament buildings. A little bit of Ottawa history and Sparks St history.

Rainy February night

Who would believe that in the middle of February, the temperature outside would be 1C (34F) and it would be raining. This shot isn't the clearest, but with the light from the car, it's actually possible to see the rain bouncing off the pavement (no shutter speed control on this camera). Too bad for the tourists in town for Winterlude, the canal is now closed (may re-open depending if we get another cold spell), but tomorrow the weather is supposed to go up to 10C (50F). That's incredibly warm and a tease if you were to ask me! However, I don't really mind it warming up a bit, but I wished it would have waited until Winterlude was done as I didn't get a chance to go check out the snow sculptures.

Ignoramus

Today, on the way home from work, I took the no.3 bus as per usual. The bus was pretty packed and there were no room to sit so I headed to the back of the bus and I saw this! I was really unimpressed, the guy looked at me and moved his foot and I just shook my head! He saw that I was unimpressed! The guy's shoe was dirty and so was the seat. I wasn't ready to sit on a dirty seat. He kept his foot there even until he left the bus! Many thoughts went through my head, how I could deal with the guy, but then thought to myself, violence isn't worth it for a prick like him. So I figured I'd catch his act on my blog. I took a shot of his foot, a shot of the full bus, and a shot of his full body including his face. If you ever see this guy on the bus, I'd say, don't do him any favors! If there was a way to revoke his access to OC Transpo buses, I think he should be suspended! I see his actions as bad as anyone who puts graffiti on a bus or damages the bus. That seat is now dirty because he was ignorant and has no respect for other people's property. I have no respect for this person! This might sound like a rant, but someone has to say things when they see things that are just wrong!

An anomaly

This is a view from outside my office and it reminded me a bit of the painted ladies in San Francisco, even though they are not Victorian style houses, they just look really neat and out of place in this big building environment. The buildings are located on Sparks Street. Maybe we could nickname them the Spark Street Ladies, just a thought. Enjoy:

another sign...

Today's photo represents a little bit of me, and what I do. I tend to run around a lot, tonight I was playing volleyball and on the drive home I figured I'd look for something to take a photo of, something irregular. When I saw this sign, I thought to myself, there you go, something un-expected but representative of my evening and somewhat a surprise to see in its location. The sign was on Preston St, which is located in Little Italy for those of you reading this and not from Ottawa. Little Italy is kind of a busy street with lots of restaurants, and to see this sign, I was kind of surprised. I figured it might have some historical meaning, where once kids might have played in the streets or something. As I have never seen any kids playing in the area, outside the park which is a few blocks up the road.

Gathering dust...

I decided to take a pic of something precious to me, but something I also take for granted. Years ago, I used to spend a lot of time on the twanger, but nowadays, I don't which is really too bad. I need to find the time and play a bit more, it's a good stress relief. Here's a pic of my baby:

Too many photos: Ottawa wanderings and Winterlude

Normally I try to post one photo or a couple of photos at most, but today it was difficult for me to just post one photo. I was out and about around Ottawa and checked out a bit of Winterlude at Confederation Park, and got some nice ice sculpture photos, signs, etc. Then walked in the market and headed for Jaques Cartier Park, and got some nice shots from behind Parliament and then walked across to the bridge headed to to Jacques Cartier Park. As we walked to the front entrance, we were told that the park was closing in 7 minutes and were not allowed in :( The good ole security folks in Quebec refused us entry! Ah well, on the way back, I caught some more photos of Parliament, and other sights around town. Here are some images, check out the slideshow a the bottom or to view all pics in a larger format, follow this link.

Enjoy:

From Winterlude and Ottawa walkabout Feb 12, 2011

From Winterlude and Ottawa walkabout Feb 12, 2011

From Winterlude and Ottawa walkabout Feb 12, 2011

From Winterlude and Ottawa walkabout Feb 12, 2011

Mmmm dessert

Simple: Good cake with Mack ice cream. Hanging out with friends and celebrating a friend's bday. Good combination :)

Ottawa classic

Thursday's are usually soccer evenings, and tonight was a fun night! We won our game, we have not lost a game in five weeks! This really feels nice, however the best spot we can finish in the standings is 5th place. We used to go to the Royal Oak, as they support the league and give out some freebies, but the team decided a few weeks ago that we should try out other different pubs in the neighborhood. Tonight we ended up at The Georgetown Pub on Bank St. A quick mention, I had their Montreal burger which was quite tasty, and upgraded my fries for sweet potato fries, which ended up being a bit disappointed. There might have been just over a handful of fries, on the plate, which was really not enough. I figure if you're going to offer fries and allow to pay more for sweet potato fries, the portion shouldn't be smaller than the regular fries. I decided not to take a photo of the food or the pub as I was fairly un-impressed!

On the way back to my car, I saw an Ottawa gem. I had to take a few photos of this Ottawa classic! The Mayfair Theatre was built in 1932 and has been an entertainment icon in Ottawa for many generations. It still shows movies, and has that old authentic theatre feel. The shows are generally older movies, but at a bargain price. The old-school interior which you don't find often is very neat and has a lot of character. If you ever get a chance, check out the theatre it's worth the experience! Here's a few photos from the outside:

Snowy evergreen...

Today, I wasn't sure what photo I was going to take. But then when I saw this tree, I told myself, I need to catch a snowy evergreen. This photo was also influenced by a friend who is also doing a 365 and posted a few photos of trees the other day. So here you go:

Savoury donair

Tonight was my normal Tuesday board game night at my old library. We continued on our game of Descent and I suggested we try a new place tonight. On the bus ride (no.85) from downtown, the bus stopped in front of Centertown Donair & Pizza (they don't seem to have a web presence). However, they advertise their donair's as being Halifax style donairs. If you've ever been to the Maritimes, or pizza corner in Halifax, you've hopefully tried out Halifax donairs and you know it's not your typical Ottawa style donairs. They come with a sweet garlic sauce, and the meat is a bit spicier compared to regular donairs. I have to say, they were TASTY! Just like I remember the donairs out east! Might not look appealing to everyone, but it all has to do with the taste! If you ever want an out of town experience in Ottawa, try out these donairs and you won't be disapointed!

Couple of donairs in the middle of our gaming set-up

Yummy Donair!

The new office..

About a week ago, I posted a few pics of my old office, well I figured I'd include pics of the new office :) There's no kids playing, can't hear the kids screaming and laughing, but I've got a little sneak peak of the top of some of the Parliament Buildings. It still needs a bit of life and decoration, but for now it will have to do.

Here's a look at the new diggs and the view:

Not your typical road sign..

I had noticed this sign a few weeks ago, and thought to myself, geeze this isn't a typical road sign. I don't remember seeing that sign earlier in the year, and then it struck me, it's probably only there when people go skating on Dow's Lake and the canal, and the image represents skating, even though the skates are quite long, almost like short cross country skis or something else. On another note, I'm not sure what the sign is doing next to the road as there is no skating right next to the road. A bit puzzling, but then again, quite unique: