I'd wanted to share this photo of the Aberdeen Pavillion and Horticulture Buliding, with a "DANGER" sign in front of it, in a separate post, but I'd might as well stick it here:
Here are the source images for the 3D Coliseum image. There are plenty of tutorials online to show you how to combine them into a 3D image. Here's the left image:
And here's the right image:
As a special treat to those of you who've read this far, here's my public Picasa web album of 3D photos. It updates automatically when I make a new one on my computer, so there isn't always a description for it (that's what the blog posts are for!). As you can see, I have a lot of them to work with, though many of them are in related sets. There's apparently an RSS feed on the album which might work; I don't currently have a functional RSS reader. Tip: click on the image to view the full resolution image, and zoom in to see things in the background pop out.
Good evening,
I hope that you enjoyed the recent heat wave that has auspiciously marked the beginning of spring. While temperatures look as though they will be more seasonable for the near future, we've certainly had a taste of the coming warmth!
I've outlined below a short summary of some of the events and initiatives of note in Centretown. More information on upcoming events is available on the CCCA website, which I encourage you to check often.
I was told that many farmers couldn't make it because the December market dates were scheduled after they had planned their planting seasons. Nevertheless, there were nearly 100 vendors last time!
As you enter the front doors, you're greeted by a brightly-coloured barnyard mural.
Right after the 'barn' entrance, turn right and you see the ramshackle 'Paint Room' concealing the stairs to the second storey.
Inside, it's obvious how the room got its name. A rather bleak utility room has been brightened by its occupants, making a rather fun space. The caution tape is only there for the tours.
On another wall are some fake footprints, and "G'day" is written cheerfully on a window looking out on another closed-off part of the main hall.
But the banister is in very good shape. The details reflect the Prairie style of the building's designer, Francis C. Sullivan, a student of renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
Up the stairs, we see the cantilevered viewing balcony on the right. The balcony stretches the entire width of the building, with large windows for watching the wintertime curling games.
Straight ahead from the stairs is the main reception hall. But before going there, we'll take a peek to the left, into the kitchenette:
You can see at the far wall that only one of the three windows in this room has the original Prairie-style framing.
The windows in the adjoining room are in better condition, but that room was off limits to the tour.
The reception room is at the middle of the building in the second floor. The three windows at the left are the ones you see when you look at the front of the building. The middle window is the only one not boarded up. Similarly, only one of the three along the roof at the right is original.
Currently the room contains many old signs from various sporting events and from the Ex. Here's a sampling.
Looking out that big front window, we get a nice view of the Lady Aberdeen Pavillion. It would look even nicer when all three windows are restored.
The shorter front-facing windows on the sides of the reception hall have a slightly different design.
I've been saving the view of the main hall. Here it is from the viewing balcony. You can make out lots of stuff being stored from past events held at Lansdowne Park--a treasure trove of paraphernalia. In the winter, the side windows would have been boarded up (as they are now) with rudimentary insulation for the curling rinks. In the summer, the windows would have been opened up, allowing light for the horticultural society to keep its plants.
On the West side wall, we can see the front of the building at the right, and the main hallway to the left, including the large--but boarded-windows.
And that's the Horticulture Building in a nutshell.
See also Ottawa Citizen writer Maria Cook's photos from her tour of the building back in January on her blog Designing Ottawa. The Citizen's David Reevely also toured the building during Doors Open, and wrote about it on his blog, Greater Ottawa.
At the Dow's Lake pavillion, the igloo-shaped change huts are ready for activation. The tire tracks in front evidence the preparation.
Between Bank and Bronson, the rose and lilac sunset shines through the silhouettes of pine trees alongside the canal, which was still closed to skaters when I took this photo. 
Under the heading of 'what's new in 2010,' there's some work being done along the pathways to repair the crumbling walls of the canal. There's a stretch about halfway between Bank to Bronson on the Queen Elizabeth Drive side, and another stretch right where the leg to Hartwell's Locks meets Dow's Lake along Colonel By Drive. The respective pathways are closed and detours are in effect for pathway users.
I took another photo of kids playing on the banks of Pig Island, which was a great winter fun shot. But on another skate past, maintenance workers were reinstalling the tall flags. I couldn't help taking a photo of the partially-obscured flag as it read "le Pig".
Today, the parts of the canal past Bank Street, to Bronson, Dow's Lake and Hartwell's Locks, were all opened up, and the skateway was very 
Also in the maintenance arsenal this year, as mentioned in the previous post, is 
This photo is actually from the opening day, taken at the BeaverTails at Fifth Avenue, but it got misplaced on one of my camera cards. When I went past, the girl was already standing like that; the photo pretty much took itself. There weren't too many people buying BeaverTails on a Thursday afternoon...
...but nine days later on a bright Saturday afternoon, the crowds were tremendous!
Here are some folks skating under the Bronson bridge, past what is apparently chalet number 1. Bronson bridge is no longer under construction as it was last year, which has good and bad effects. On the good side, we no longer have to worry about the terrible visibility and ice conditions under the scaffolding. However, one's attention, no longer focused on the ice, now is freed to take in the ugly view of the freeway overpass-type bridge (thankfully not in clear view in this photo).
Today we again got one of those spectacular, majestic sunsets, with rolling clouds painted in ethereal colours. I had to stop and just stare at it for a few minutes. The sunset does a wonderful job of framing the dome of the Lady Aberdeen Pavillion in Lansdowne Park. Click the photo to view it in full resolution and glory.
So that pretty much sums up the highlights from the couple hundred photos I took so far in this year's Canal season. While I'll still be skating as much as I have this last couple weeks, I hope to turn my blogging attention back toward roads and buildings.
If you haven't already, please pay a visit to the Friends of Lansdowne Park website and sign their petition calling for an open design competition for Ottawa's largest public space.
Especially with the Emerald Ash Borer bug coming to take away our Ash trees, the City has been planting lots of trees, and wants to minimize the unnecesary removal of other types of trees. After all, it takes decades (or centuries) for trees to grow, yet they can come down in just minutes.
And a spooky, castle-like museum (repost):
Heck, they even installed lights recently under Pretoria Bridge for those who are afraid of the dark!
One household on Florence has done a great job decorating their yard for Hallowe'en. Here's a day shot, so you can see what's going on (as always, click a photo to view full size). The inflated ghost has a clear stomach with little bats flying around a black cat. Very cute!
And as if City Hall didn't scare you already, the windows on the Elgin Street side of City Hall's Heritage Building were all populated with jack-o-lanterns, seen through the gates surrounding the Human Rights memorial which is being renovated:
I'll be out around Centretown and haunting the Glebe tonight.
