War of 1812 Re-enactment – Crysler’s Farm, Upper Canada Village (Sunday, July 14, 2013
My destination for today is Upper Canada Village where 600 or so participants will be engaged in a re-enactment of one of the battles of the War of 1812.
Images will be posted when I return home.
Kingdom of Osgoode 2013 (Saturday)
(update – July 31st – Graeme has added more images from the Sunday event including a video at the end of this post. I still have some images to add to the Saturday portion of the post. Put a new hardwood floor into my home office and still looking for things in my reorganized space so might still be awhile before I get back to updating the blog entries :-).- RON)
After watching one of Graeme’s volleyball matches at the H.O.P.E Volleyball event at Mooney’s Bay, I headed south to the Kingdom of Osgoode (Kingdom website) to photograph the events at that location.
More photos to follow early next week (perhaps sooner). Like the juggler, I too am doing a bit of a juggling act this weekend as I try to get to three different events over a twenty-four hour period.
Each year that I go to the Kingdom, I try to focus on the fashion. Sometimes the guys’ outfits get the attention. Other times, it is the finery of the ladies. This year was no different. So what, you might ask, were the ladies wearing this fine, sunny, HOT afternoon. Here is a selection.
 
 
 
Most times, I have been busy photographing something somewhere else on the Kingdom grounds when the trebuchet (trébuchet) demonstration was underway so, this time around, I made a point of being in the right place at the right time. The Trebuchet is a Middle Ages catapult-style siege machine used to hurl hefty objects (large rocks, for instance) at the enemy lines or enemy fortifications. In the Kingdom demonstrations, 10 pound rocks were hurled the length of the jousting arena.
As the arm of the trebuchet is released, the basket counterweight moves downward as a result of gravity and the catapult arm pivots skyward.
When the arm reaches the vertical, the object (in this case, the ten pound boulder) continues its arched flight out towards the enemy.
 
Definitely interesting to see a full-sized trebuchet in action. Not something that I would like to face if I were the enemy!
Not everything in the Kingdom was for adults. Some things only children can really truly enjoy but walking across a chess board among knee high chess pieces can be exciting.
 
In the adult section, discussion of real archery was underway while at the children’s section, one little girl decided that it was just as easy to deliver the arrow’s suction cup to its target in person.
 
A few fashion statements from the male side of the roster.
 
 
More Saturday images still to come – stay tuned  ==== Ron
Kingdom of Osgoode 2013 (Sunday)
Graeme attended the second day of the festival to capture some video of the day’s events (see below), in the meantime, here are some photos he took of various event goers.
The King and his Royal Entourage
Story Time in the Kingdom of Osgoode
Alimah Dancers
Here is the Video from this year’s event.
H.O.P.E Volleyball Summerfest – Ottawa, Ontario
I started off Saturday, July 13, 2013 at Mooney’s Bay (location) where the 31st edition of the H.O.P.E. Volleyball Summerfest gets underway early in the morning. First games on the beach were scheduled to begin at 8AM. Graeme was one of the participants playing in the corporate draw for the Plasco Energy team later in the morning so wouldn’t be taking too many pictures. Visit the H.O.P.E. Volleyball Summerfest website for further information about this event.
I parked by the University and walked over to the event location. A couple of the shuttle buses passed me when I wasn’t at a location where I could flag them down. It was a hot day and by the time that I got to Mooney’s Bay, I certainly wished that I had put my bike on the back of the van before leaving home. Certainly plenty of participants and spectators had arrived by the two-wheel option.
Graeme’s team was just getting ready for their third game when I found them. They had won one game and lost one game before I arrived and were now getting warmed up for their third game. The sun was shining brightly and the temperature was just below +30C at the beach and keeping the feet moving on the hot sand was a priority as the day progressed.
On the adjacent bit of real estate, the ladies of the Ottawa Sun team were attracting attention with their fine play while on the sidelines, Ottawa’s mayor was getting a bit more media exposure. Turns out that he and I were following similar routes this particular Saturday since a hour or so later both of us were not far apart in the Kingdom of Osgoode.
 
The Plasco Energy team fell behind early in their game but then a couple of their players had a nice run of successful serving and the team moved into a 12 t0 6 lead, a lead which they never relinquished. It was a fun game to watch. The Plasco Energy team went on to win another game later in the day but, in the end, their final 3 win 2 loss record was not enough to get them to the next level.
With over 10,000 players representing 1032 teams playing simultaneously on 86 courts on hot sand under a clear sky and blazing sun, more than a few of the participants chose to wander into the water to cool off a bit.
Various bands were playing on the stage for between-games entertainment. DJ Noah was also present from Live 88.5 kicking out some tunes.
I wasn’t the only photographer lugging around a big camera. I’m certain, though, that if I wasn’t heading out to another event, I would have tried standing in the water while taking pictures. It was definitely a wonderfully warm day for such an event. Sure beats rain!
I was soon heading back to my car and, this time, the shuttle and I made a connection and I didn’t have to walk all of the way.
After visiting the H.O.P.E. Volleyball Summerfest in the morning, I waas off to the Kingdom of Osgoode (location) in the afternoon to photograph their festivities including a hand-fasting wedding and jousting (not the same event :-)).
Canada Day in Kanata (2013)Â – Fireworks and Stage Show
My original plan was to head downtown to the Parliament Buildings for the daytime activities and then return to Kanata for the night time fireworks and stage show. That plan was shortened to just the Kanata portion. Weather was perfect and the number of mosquitoes per person was quite low. At first, I thought that, this year, I might like to head to the top of the toboggan hill and shoot the fireworks from that vantage point but, by the time that I got to the hill and looked at all of those people enjoying the stage show, I decided that I would make too many people upset if I tried to gently tip-toe around everyone on the hill.
This year’s stage show starred the Canadian Juno award winning band “Trooper” with vocalist Ra McGuire, guitarist Brian Smith, bass player Scott Brown, keyboardist GoGo and drummer Clayton Hill. The folks on the hill were certainly enjoying the show and really reacted with enthusiasm to the group’s playing of “Raise A Little Hell”.
 
 
It is always interesting when the performers decide to take their own photos. When keyboardist GoGo pulled out his Apple iPad mini and began photographing too, I just had to capture the moment.
After that he was back on the keyboard playing solo while the other members of the band got a moment to catch their breath.
 
A quick walk over to the amusement grounds and then I was back to the pond in time for the first volley of fireworks.
 
Since I had changed many of my camera settings to photograph the previous night time images, I ran into a few problems for the first few volleys of fireworks. Everything worked a lot better once I realized that I had the camera delay timer on.
All too soon the fireworks display was over for another Canada Day and off we went to home.
 
Happy Canada Day from Kanata, Ontario
Fish Fly Invasion – Richmond Road, Ottawa – June 30, 2013
I was driving down Richmond Road with my son and I just had to stop to look at the enormous number of fish flies that were filling the air and landing on everything. In the reflected light of the car’s headlights, it looked a lot like winter might be returning as each of the winged creatures looked like snow flakes fluttering the air.
Mayflies and shadflies and various other insects of a similar nature come in about 600 different species in North America with many, many more variants worldwide. Fish and baby birds love them so their timing is great if you happen to be a fish or a bird or several other creatures looking for a quick meal. Humans, on the other hand, don’t like them landing in their hair (won’t hurt – just inconvenient) and, of course, sweeping up the carcasses the next day can be a bit of a problem. Most of these insects only live for 24 hours or so once they reach the winged stage of their development. It has been many years since I have seen this many all at once.
Glad it wasn’t my job to clean off the cars at a few of the Richmond Road dealerships the next morning!
TECH:Â Photos above were taken with my son’s iPhone.
Canada Day’s coming – Planning for Fireworks displays
Today, among other things, I’m actually thinking ahead and trying to decide where to go to photograph Canada Day fireworks. I’ve decided not to go to downtown Ottawa this year for the fireworks so that leaves something closer to home. Choices include Walter Baker Park, Kanata, or Stittsville although there are probably other choices as well. I’ve often photographed the fire works at Kanata but normally from the soccer field level. This year, just for something different, I might go to the top of the toboggan hill instead. One thing is for certain though, I expect the mosquitoes to be out in force considering all of the rain that the Kanata area has had in the past few weeks!
Fireworks tutorial – things to think about.
Planning for Canada Day 2013
I haven’t decided what I will be trying to photograph this weekend yet. I guess, it depends a lot on the weather forecast for the Ottawa area, which at the moment, looks like hot and sunny for most of the weekend. Right now (Friday), it is raining outside my window and has been doing that all day, so one never knows too far in advance what changes the weather can force on the best-made plans at this time of the year.
Last Year (2012), I decided to stay close to home and went to the fireworks and stage show in Kanata, Ontario.
The previous year (2011), I headed into the sea of red in downtown Ottawa to see the royal couple(Kate and Will) and their entourage of black cars and then headed back out to Kanata to listen to Sloan and to photograph the Kanata fireworks.
This year it looks like either place will have a pretty good line-up of entertainment so the final decision will be a tough one.
OTTAWA on CANADA DAY
Once again the Canada Day in Kanata team has been organizing a wonderful day, full of activities, for everyone in the family, from seniors down to little ones. On the site at Walter Baker Park and the parking lot of the Kanata Recreation Complex there will be a range of attractions, from a midway to a free yoga class at 10:00 a.m. to musical acts on the main stage all day from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., ending with a spectacular fireworks show at 10:00 p.m.
Seniors are invited to begin their day with a breakfast especially for you in the Kanata Recreation Complex, 100 Walter Baker Place from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. (OOPS! Correction – Try the beer tent instead of the complex)
Young children will enjoy the bouncies in the Kanata Montessori School Family Fun Zone, and a puppet show at 11:30 a.m. on the Hazeldean Mall Gazebo Stage.
Ry Guy Magic is performing at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on the Hazeldean Mall Gazebo Stage.
Over on the main stage, the day starts with the Doghouse Villains, who have teamed up with Soldier On which provides resources and opportunities for serving and retired Canadian Forces personnel with a visible or non-visible injury or illness to participate in physical, recreational or sporting activities.
Various other acts perform on the main stage all afternoon, with the opening ceremonies at 5:00 p.m. A guitar, donated by Trooper, will be raffled at 8:00 p.m., and Trooper will finish the musical part of the day from 8:30 – 10:00 p.m.
Apart from the midway, all these activities are provided free of charge. However, the Canada Day in Kanata committee really needs your help, so plan to bring a donation.
Drop by my tent while you are on site to receive a maple leaf tattoo and purchase a Time Capsule for $20 for the Richcraft Recreation Complex Kanata. You will receive information with suggestions about mementoes you can place in your numbered capsule. You will receive a certificate, with your capsule number which can be used by your descendants to claim the capsule when the vault in the complex is opened in 2063.
The Canada Day in Kanata team strives to bring a green carbon neutral event to the community. Plan to walk, bike or ride the bus (for free on Canada Day) as there is no parking on site. Bring your own water bottles and recycle in the appropriate bins conveniently located throughout the site.
Whatever I decide to do, if fireworks are involved, I better remember to read our MPT Fireworks tutorial again! It’s been a year since I photographed fireworks and I’ve probably forgotten a few things, like I do each year :-).
Time to get out and wave the flag!
Tim Horton’s Dragon Boat Festival – Ottawa – Saturday June 22nd
I’m at Mooney’s Bay Park again today for the full course of dragon boat racing. The team that my wife is on, the CFUW – Ottawa Dragonauts, survived their participation in the special Friday night races and were all there in time for their photo session with their team-mate and photographer Lois Siegel. Since I got to park the car and just had to find the farthest away parking spot that I could, by the time that I arrived on the grounds the ladies were back at their tent discussing strategy, etc. for their Saturday heats. Lois, meanwhile was busy photographing the team next door – CBC Radio. Rain had been forecast but never came down hard enough to be disruptive. Its intermittent nature meant that umbrellas were in vogue among the spectators.
With time to spare, I went off with my camera to see if I could find anything interesting to photograph before heading down to the beach to watch the races. Wasn’t hard :-).
With close to 200 boat teams, there was always something happening on the water so, similar to what I did for the Friday night blog, what follows is a series of snapshots of some of the teams that passed by my point on the beach (not necessarily in order of race heats). There were two sets of boats in use, so it wasn’t always easy to tell which team was which especially if their t-shirts happened to be blue or black.
As was the case the night before, some of the crew were taking a more leisurely approach to get to the start line and, of course, while some stopped to look at the race, others took a moment to look at the gathering throngs on the shoreline.
The rain began to fall in earnest at one point and that meant that umbrellas had to be opened. For obvious reasons, the folks in the dragon boats in the midst of full-out racing didn’t get to have umbrellas though some might have been concerned about the effect of the rain on their hairdos. :-).
In addition to what was going on out on the water, there was always something of interest happening on the docks or along the beach. Whenever the media/VIP boat came up to the dock, I would watch to see how much photo equipment was going aboard and, of course, whenever the rains started, and the boat returned to the dock with dampened passengers, I felt a bit smug as I stood on dry land under the protection of a nice poncho.
For those photographers who stayed onshore, the problem was a bit different. How does one hold up a large camera with a telephoto lens while keeping dry on the end of a dock under a large umbrella?
I just hoped that the weather seals on my Nikon would keep the innards dry during the short periods of showers but others chose to bring out the full camera rain gear – usually if I try that, the rain stops before I get the camera covered :-).
I really have no idea what this boat’s drummer might have been saying at this point in time but “Now class, …” does enter my mind.
In a similar light-hearted vein, I can only guess what the drummer of this other boat might have been thinking when an unattended paddle handle came across her line of sight.
The organizers did an admirable job of keeping the heats on schedule even though, from time to time, they had to worry about various other waterway traffic causing a wake or wandering into the race area.
As I was taking shots of the various boats and crew passing my spot, some children were playing in my area. Then I heard, “Look, there’s your mother, now - the one in pink.” Definitely easier to spot someone wearing a different color of life jacket.
The one person on shore who seemed to take no notice of the weather conditions was the individual calling out the information of the upcoming heats. Dressed in his town crier outfit, he seemed to never miss a beat.
 
After all of that waiting, I heard him announce the 11AM race with the CFUW- Dragonauts in lane 1.  A fellow beside me was happy, too. I think that he said that he was cheering for someone on the lime green team in Lane 2 in the same heat. Of course, that led to a bit of friendly banter about which boat would be quickest :-).
The CFUW-Ottawa Dragonauts had one of the larger spectator contingents for their first heat and they were cheered vigorously as they passed by on their way to the starting line. They get a few more photos in my blog because I’m a bit biased :-).
A bit of a rest as they watch the boats in the heat ahead of them race by in the opposite direction.
Once the boats reached the start line, they all got into position without too much trouble and the start was fine. The pirate boat might have caused a distraction but didn’t have anything to do with what would happen about a minute or so later!!!
Up ahead, boats in lanes 2 & 3 swerved to avoid each other and ended up encroaching on Lane 1. Happily, the Dragonauts had room to maneuver past the congestion and, in the last 100 meters, they were able to keep their pace up and came in ahead of another boat – not a first place finish but ….
Beat them by a dragon head whisker!!!
Plenty of things to do and watch while waiting for the next CFUW-Ottawa heat to commence later in the afternoon so, with the heat completed, off I went again to photograph some of the other activities that were taking place.
Volunteers were doing a great job everywhere from directing traffic, to helping folks into and out of the boats, selling raffle tickets and giving directions to the lost or weary. Plenty of volunteers needed to make an event like this a smooth running success and great to have plenty of options for food and entertainment for the competitors and spectators between the heats. Food was on my mind and the sound of music from the main tent was reaching my ears.
The rain had more or less stopped but it was nice to find a nice dry seat in the main tent where I could watch the world go by while listening to wonderful music and enjoying the other activities on stage. Here are three short iPad video clips of what that was like.
(website: www.panpassion.com)
(website: Ottawa Taichie)
Ottawa Tai Chi members demonstrated the Tai Chi Kung Fu Fan form and then the Sword form (video clip above) and then led audience participants through the motions.
 
While I was under the canvas of the main tent, the weather outside had improved quite a bit and the various heats continued almost non-stop. Between heats, there was lots of movement along the various viewing locations as spectators cheering on friends and families in one heat would move out and make way for those coming in to do the cheering for the participants of the next heat. Didn’t take long before I could move to a less obstructed vantage point to watch a few of the heats leading up to the next appearance of the CFUW-Ottawa entry.
 
While I was checking out the on-going heats, some of the CFUW-Ottawa Dragonauts had gone over to the tattoo tent and got some decorative work done in preparation for their next heat.
While the ladies were getting all lined up with other competitors in their heat, I was faced with fielding applications for positions on the team :-).
The CFUW ladies would be in lane 6 for this heat and, although they didn’t get their lucky boat from the first heat, it looks like they had a fierce one nontheless. Even the ducks feared this boat :-).
This heat would be watched carefully from the VIP boat, and it wasn’t too long before the teams were ready at the start line and on their way again trying to beat their previous times.
The ladies maintained their form right to the end of the race and, although they wouldn’t be beating anyone in this heat, they did look like they might be a potential challenger in years to come.
Hi-5’s all around.
Time to start planning for the next race weekend!
This weekend there were about 200 teams competing in the various heats and the top finishers got to come back on the Sunday to complete for the big prizes.
This is the third of three of our publicly visible blog posts relating to the 2013 version of the Tim Horton’s Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival. Please feel free to leave a comment or pass the links along to others who might be in the pictures or might be interested in seeing what the event was all about.
CFUW- Ottawa – Preparation – Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival – Friday night
We were at the Friday night event because my wife was a member of the CFUW-Ottawa team that was one of the top sixteen pledge ($) raisers and as a result they had an opportunity to be part of the Opening Ceremonies and a bonus “race” on the Friday night. After parking my car at the Post Office parking lot and walking over to the Mooney’s Bay Park, the next step was to find their tent location #56. When I got there, they were completing the last minute discussion about paddling positions so I spent a bit of time watching the kids at the adjacent Tim Horton’s Kids Fun Zone.
The boats themselves were ready for the evening’s challenge and had been newly decked out with their polished dragon heads and the drummer’s drums were safely secured in the bow of the boat.
  
Although I was interested in the CFUW boat and crew, I decided to take a few shots of the other top fund raisers as well. I wasn’t sure who was who out on the water but it was interesting to see how some of the teams dug right in and headed for the start line under a good head of steam while some of the other teams were much more laid back. A couple of the boats even looked like they intended to race each other to the starting line 500 meters away. Here, in no particular order, are some of the “competitors” for this evening’s honorary “race” (two heats of 8 boats in each heat – distance 500 meters).
As the CFUW-Ottawa team headed out they slowed their speed and found time for a wave to the many family members and spectators gathered along the shore line. These ladies were enjoying the moment. The real racing would begin on Saturday :-).
The heat that the CFUW women were in was pretty quick and the fastest boat of the evening was in their heat. Some of those all-male crews were really moving their boats along at a pretty good clip even if this was billed as just an honorary warm up race for the top fund raisers!
As the CFUW-Ottawa team crossed the finish line, drummer Sue gave them the sign to rest and they did just that.
The big races would be on Saturday. Friday was just for fun :-).
Ottawa RibFest
It would be a busy weekend with both the ribfest and the dragonboat festival vying for my attention. On Wednesday I was at the final tune-up practice of the CFUW – Ottawa dragonboat team and now on Thursday we had friends visiting from the USA who were looking forward to a rack of ribs on Ottawa’s Sparks Street. We met up at one end of Sparks Street and meandered along the street looking at the many offerings. Each of the participants had tall display boards promoting their ribs and chicken and sauces and anything else they had brought along for sale to the supportive customers who were standing patiently in lines all along Sparks Street just waiting for their order of ribs or chicken to be cooked to perfection. We eventually came to a stop at in front of the “Boss Hoggs” grills and decided that that was where we would settle in line for our turn to wait. The line moved along fairly well and it wasn’t too long before we had our styrofoam containers with their tasty ribs .
When you eat that many ribs you need to get a bit of exercise to balance the caloric intake, so having licked the fingers (handi-wipes for some :-)), we were off for a walk down Wellington Avenue.
The lawns in front of the Parliament Buildings were already showing signs of the preparation for the Canada Day celebrations. As I stood by the peace flame and looked around the open spaces with the large stage and all of the portable fencing, I was reminded of the last time that I had been in downtown Ottawa for Canada Day, William and Kate had been the prime attraction.
For this year’s event, a number of performers have been lined up and it should be a good day if the weather cooperates (not too hot, not too cool).
 
We were then off to look quickly at Ottawa’s World Heritage Site, the Rideau Canal and Locks, before heading over to the Byward Market, where in February 2009, newly elected US President Barrack Obama had caused quite a stir by stopping at a local bakery outlet to purchase some cookies. I wonder what John By would have thought about all of this fuss over cookies considering the history of US relations during his time.
 
Tasty cookies after a few ribs and then we were off to introduce our US guests to Ottawa’s ‘Beavertail” delicacy before heading back to our cars as the sun set over downtown Ottawa.
Tomorrow the serious dragon boat activities begin in earnest.
