November 11: Remember to Remember

by William Kendall @WilliamKendall1

November 11th is a day of commemoration, drawn out of the First World War. On that date in 1918, an armistice was signed, ending the war between Germany and the Allies. The War To End All Wars didn’t accomplish that, of course, but out of that particular date came a long standing tradition. The day goes by different names- Armistice Day initially, Remembrance Day throughout the Commonwealth, and Veterans Day in the United States. At cenotaphs and memorials around the world, wreaths are placed, prayers are given, and mournful, subdued music rings out, including universal choices, such as The Last Post.

Ottawa has its share of memorials and ceremonies on Remembrance Day, as is the case across the country. The national service takes place at the War Memorial, with thousands of people attending each year to pay tribute to veterans. The veterans of the Great War are all gone, and those of the Second World War dwindle by the year. Other services are held in outlying communities in the area, at the Canadian War Museum, and even at the military cemetery area at Beechwood Cemetery.

William Kendall, Photoblogger: Canadian National War Memorial

William Kendall, Photoblogger: Canadian National War Memorial, Evening Vigil

 

William Kendall, Photoblogger: Canadian National War Memorial, Exterior

William Kendall, Photoblogger: Canadian National War Memorial, Exterior

The services are about commemoration, not about celebration. Which fits our character. If you look at the War Memorial itself, there’s nothing to it that would strike you as a monument of triumph, but one of mourning and reflection. Finished in 1939 as a monument to the war dead of the Great War, and re-dedicated following subsequent conflicts, the War Memorial features a group of soldiers and servicemen, men and women, moving through a gate. They come from each branch of the services, even including horses. Allegorical figures representing peace and freedom loom above.

The Memorial is solemnity- especially with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier standing before it. That solemnity matches other war memorials that can be found scattered across the city, some known, some not as well visited. And it also matches those Canadian memorials found in other parts of the world, including the massive one at Vimy Ridge, site of a pivotal First World War battle and a Canadian victory. The Vimy Memorial does not strike the visitor as a salute to triumph, but instead as a mourning of those who gave their lives and paid the ultimate price in the line of duty.

William Kendall, Photoblogger: Plaster Casts, Vimy Ridge Memorial

William Kendall, Photoblogger: Plaster Casts, Vimy Ridge Memorial

That quality of commemoration reflects elsewhere. On Parliament Hill, within our Peace Tower, is the Memorial Chamber, a beautifully vaulted space containing books of remembrance in cases. The names of the dead of wars and military service are in those books, and each morning, a page is turned in those books as part of a ritual so that names are on display at least once a year. The result makes the chamber a solemn, sacred space, something that it has in common with the War Memorial.

William Kendall, Photoblogger: The Flag, Canadian National War Memorial

William Kendall, Photoblogger: The Flag, Canadian National War Memorial

Commemoration carries itself over to the War Museum. The current building replaced the previous one in 2005 after the collection had outgrown its former location. It has a very modern look, resembling a bunker. The museum tells the story of Canadian military history, both on the national and global context, but in a way that doesn’t relish in victory, but instead educates and does so in a respectful way. Part of its design includes a space with a single soldier’s tombstone (the original tombstone of our Unknown Soldier, in fact); the design is specified so that on November 11th, at 11 in the morning, sunlight will be shining on that tombstone from an overhead window. Another portion of its design includes a large space where the original plaster sculptures of those statues on the Vimy Memorial are placed. Those sculptures, smaller than their final counterparts, convey mourning, anguish, and remembrance in a way that is effective and poignant.

This November 11th, wherever you may be, take time out to pay your respects. Wear a poppy. Attend a service. Thank a veteran for their service.

TWEET THIS: Remember to Remember November 11th. @MollyJoRealy @WilliamKendall1 #november11 #weremember

And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!

William Kendall

William Kendall

 

William Kendall is a photoblogger who finds the unique perspective in everyday life. You can follow him on his writing blog, Speak Of The Devil, his photoblog Ottawa Daily Posts, and Twitter @WilliamKendall1.

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Photoblogger William Kendall: Rideau Hall

by William Kendall @WilliamKendall1

Rideau Hall, by photoblogger William Kendall

Rideau Hall, by photoblogger William Kendall

The job of a Governor General is not the sort of post that would show up in the want ads, but if it did, it might read like this:

Wanted: challenging temporary job applicant, generous pay and perks, official residence for five to seven years. The applicant must be fluent in English and French (with additional language comprehension a bonus), must be apolitical, well-educated and distinguished in their field, be well-traveled and willing to deal with endless ceremonies, be willing to put up with a battalion of Mounties in a protective detail 95% of the day…

Canada’s Parliamentary system of government includes a largely ceremonial position: the Governor General. Along with the Lieutenant Governors of the provinces and territories, the person in the job represents the Monarchy. We’ve retained that tie- so Queen Elizabeth is Queen of Canada in addition to being Queen in Great Britain. The Governor General (and the ranks of Lieutenant Governors) represent her in state functions like the opening of Parliament or legislatures, but a multitude of ceremonial functions- swearing in of cabinets, presiding over state ceremonies like the Order of Canada, or meeting with foreign ambassadors presenting credentials. Mostly ceremonial- there are a few powers someone of that position can exercise in our system of government- such as telling a desperate politician trying to cobble together a coalition in a minority government situation that other party leaders might well have a go at it. It’s an appointed position, worked out by the governing party of the day, but meant to be strictly apolitical and above the fray of the down and dirty world of politics.

For the last few years we’ve had a good one, the soft-spoken David Johnston, whose tenure in the job has seen him do a lot of travel around the country and beyond, with a great deal of interest in education. His term was extended by the previous government, and is coming to an end this fall. It’s been a tradition to alternate between Anglophones and Francophones since the days when the Governor General was to be strictly a Canadian citizen. There’s been diversity- two of our other recent Governor Generals have been women of colour, one an immigrant, the other an African-Canadian. At some point in the not too distant future, the traditional rotation of Anglophones and Francophones in the job will add a third component- a Governor General of First Nations heritage.

This fall we will have a new posting in the job. It’s been announced in recent weeks that the next Governor-General of Canada will be Julie Payette. She’s more than qualified for the job. A Quebec native, she’s well educated, speaks six languages, and is more traveled than any of her predecessors. Ms. Payette has worked at NASA as the Chief Astronaut for the Canadian Space Agency, and has been on shuttle missions in space twice- in 1999 and in 2009. If anything, she’s overqualified for the job.

Winter at Rideau Hall, photoblogger William Kendall

Winter at Rideau Hall, by photoblogger William Kendall

I mentioned the official residence. Rideau Hall stands in the New Edinburgh neighbourhood of Ottawa, and it’s the house that comes with the job. House? More like a palace. 80 acres of land, 170 rooms, 9500 square meters of space. A lot of that is used for state occasions, and it’s changed drastically from its earliest days in the first half of the 19th century, when it was first built as a stone mason and businessman’s family home. Starting from when it became an official residence to the Governor-General in 1867, it’s been expanded over time, with large ballrooms and formal spaces to be found, lovely gardens, a fine collection of art, and a centerpiece of the Canadian story.

Tent Room, Rideau Hall, by photoblogger William Kendall

Tent Room, Rideau Hall, by photoblogger William Kendall

A lot of that’s open to the public for tours. Sections of the building the public can see include the Tent Room or the ballroom, all used to explain the Hall’s place in Canadian society and history, and the role of the Governor-General in our system of government. Guides talk about the history of the building, the use of the room, and much more. Out on the grounds, which are lovely to explore in any season, one might find a cricket pitch (the only one I know of here), the rose garden, or have a look at the multitude of trees that have been planted for more than a century by distinguished visitors from royalty or government leadership around the world- among them Queen Elizabeth herself, the Reagans, the Eisenhowers, the Kennedys, the Trumans… The trees, mainly oaks and maples, have plaques beneath them designating who planted them and when.

Fall Colours Rideau Hall, by photoblogger William Kendall

Fall Colours Rideau Hall, by photoblogger William Kendall

Rideau Hall is one of those delights to visit here. I have been in each season to visit… and since my first visit have wondered why it is I didn’t come to visit the place much sooner.

Rose Gardens Rideau Hall, by photoblogger William Kendall

Rose Gardens Rideau Hall, by photoblogger William Kendall

TWEET THIS: Visit Canada’s Rideau Hall with @WilliamKendall1. @RealMojo68 #Canada #photoblog #RideauHall

And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!

William Kendall

William Kendall

 

William Kendall is a photoblogger who finds the unique perspective in everyday life. You can follow him on his writing blog, Speak Of The Devil, his photoblog Ottawa Daily Posts, and Twitter @WilliamKendall1.

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Photoblogger William Kendall: Ottawa Welcomes the World

by William Kendall @WilliamKendall1

One of my early memories in childhood was going with my parents to an event held somewhere in the greater Toronto area. It was held in something like a convention center or other large space, where booths were set up to showcase different countries around the world, with a good many people spending time exploring the area. I don’t know why that memory sticks with me, but it’s left a curiosity about the world at large in me- even if I have yet to get out of North America.

This year is the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, and the city of Ottawa is holding several events throughout the year as well. One of those events is Ottawa Welcomes The World, a collaborative event between the city, numerous embassies here, and various organizations with ties to the countries involved. Different countries are showcased throughout the year in an event held in the Horticulture Building, at Lansdowne Park. It started in March and will run through to the beginning of December.

Horticulture Building, Ottawa Welcomes the World [photo credit: W. Kendall]

Horticulture Building, Ottawa Welcomes the World [photo credit: W. Kendall]

I have already attended several of these events, which have typically been one or two days, including events for Spain, South Korea, Ireland, Rwanda, Taiwan, and the European Union. Other events I have not been able to attend. Embassies participating come from all corners of the world- Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa. The only part of the world not accounted for is Australia and Oceania, but perhaps that’s because there’s only so much time in the year. Right now, during the summer, is the peak time of the year, with two or three events in a week, concentrated around the weekend.

Ottawa Welcomes the World: Ireland Showcase [photo credit: W. Kendall]

Ottawa Welcomes the World: Ireland Showcase [photo credit: W. Kendall]

It’s interesting to drop in and see these. The showcases include music and documentary films at the central stage in the building, the work of artisans, information on the countries at hand, tourism maps, photography of various landmarks and landscapes of those countries. It also includes food- Danish cookies at the EU event, on the one hand, or a pancake baked around spiced cabbage during the Korean event.

Ottawa Welcomes the World: Rwanda [photo credit: W. Kendall]

Ottawa Welcomes the World: Rwanda [photo credit: W. Kendall]

It’s also educational in its tone. You drop in at an event of this nature and it piques your interest. You learn new things about places you haven’t visited, or may not have even thought of visiting. From showing children the games played in a given nation to giving adults insight about the way of life in another country across the world, the concept is proving thus far to be a compelling way to mark the anniversary year- getting everyday Canadians engaged with learning more about the world around them. Whoever came up with the idea knew what they were doing.

Ottawa Welcomes the World: Taiwan [photo credit: W. Kendall]

Ottawa Welcomes the World: Taiwan [photo credit: W. Kendall]

TWEET THIS: Frankly, My Dear . . .: #Photoblogger William Kendall: #Ottawa Welcomes the World @RealMojo68 @WilliamKendall1

William Kendall

William Kendall

 

William Kendall is a photoblogger who finds the unique perspective in everyday life. You can follow him on his writing blog, Speak Of The Devil, his photoblog Ottawa Daily Posts, and Twitter @WilliamKendall1.

 

 

And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!

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William Kendall: Photoblogger

William Kendall: Photoblogger

by William Kendall @WilliamKendall1

From Molly Jo:
I met William online. If you’ve followed Frankly, My Dear . . . for the last few years, you’ll know he’s a regular commenter. His photo posts have always drawn me in, making him one of my Top Ten choices for guest blogging.

~#~

Photo by William Kendall

Photo by William Kendall

They say a picture’s worth a thousand words.

Well, maybe not when you’re just carrying your camera along on your walk and inadvertently click, getting a blurry image or the side of your pants. That just qualifies as a “delete immediately” picture.

I’ve been doing a writing blog for several years now, called Speak Of The Devil. Over there I usually post three times a week. It’s a realistic pace- any more than that, it’s too much work, too much of a chance of annoying your readers with too many posts. Over there I tend to specialize in humour and irreverence and being disreputable.

And then there’s the photoblog.

I started following a handful of photoblogs before I started my own, beginning with St. Louis Daily Photo. Others gradually followed, and I decided to have a go at it myself. And so in the fall of 2013, Ottawa Daily Photo came into being. My city, the capital city of Canada, didn’t seem to be well represented in that field. I have seen older blogs come and go from around here, but at the time, nobody seemed all that active in documenting the city. And so I decided to dive on in.

I’ve recently moved into my fourth year of daily photoblogging, and unlike the writing blog, keeping up with daily posts isn’t that much of a problem- as long as you give yourself a head start and set posts up in advance, because you never know when real life might make demands on your time. Early on in the blog, I was just feeling my way through things, finding my proverbial feet. Over time, I got more and more followers, particularly after joining City Daily Photo.

What’s that, you ask? Well, City Daily Photo is an online group of like-minded photographers from every corner of the world, publishing either daily or most days of the week. It’s been going on for years now, with cities and regions represented from across the globe. Many of the blogs I follow belong to the group, and I’ve come to follow other photo bloggers who might not be part of that group, but in one way or another express themselves through photography. And I sometimes see writers who will on occasion do a post just featuring photography, if there’s an event in their area, or if they took a particularly pleasant hike somewhere.

So how does one keep finding new things to photograph, years later? Lots of different ways. As a member of CDP, I can tell you that at the start of each month, there’s a theme day chosen by one of the members for others to have their take on. The list is released early in the year, so you can be looking for something months in advance. That’s eleven posts right there, with the January post always being a best of the year theme.

At the moment one of the things I’m doing is keeping track of a major project, typically once a month. Our National Arts Centre, a cultural complex that’s home to a major national symphony orchestra, as well as English and French theatre, is undergoing a large addition, a glass structure that’ll be offsetting some of the harsh 1960s era architecture, open in time for next year. I thought it was a good idea to start documenting the process from time to time, and it does give one a regular subject to post about, aside from everything else I will post on.

Then there’s thinking like a tourist. When you live in a place, odds are you don’t really do the things tourists do- growing up west of Toronto here in Ontario, the family rarely went up the CN Tower, or out to Niagara Falls. As a photoblogger, you show the things tourists do come to see. In my case that might include a tour of our Parliament Buildings. The city has a tremendous wealth of statues and monuments all over; photographing them certainly provides plenty of material for photography.

Photo by William Kendall

Photo by William Kendall

Events are also a huge source for photobloggers to work from. In February we have Winterlude, a celebration of winter centered around the frozen ice surface of the Rideau Canal, with snow sculptures and ice sculptures at locations in Ottawa and Gatineau. In May we have a Tulip Festival that starts off what for me is a very busy summer- Doors Open follows that, Canada Day after that, and Buskerfest pretty much give me enough material to last through summer. Other times of the year, I might photograph in the National Gallery or a museum- either the various national museums or any of the local history museums. And architecture is another photo subject- we have a lot of Gothic architecture here, in churches especially, but also the Parliament buildings themselves, a set of buildings that evoke castles- or Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry.

Photo by William Kendall

Photo by William Kendall

I’ve always got a camera on hand; you never know when a day might bring a particularly lovely sunset, or foggy conditions that evoke a sense of mystery. You might come across an adorable dog or a divine cat. You might find yourself looking up at a ghost sign or mural you haven’t noticed before, or at a building that looks different in late afternoon sun. You might see a fresh angle on a building you’ve photographed before. You might notice a cluster of trees, for instance, that you might make a mental note to capture them when the fall colours are at their height.

And then again, you might just end up mistakenly clicking on your camera and capturing a severe close up of that ice cream stain on your shirt.

What are some of your favorite photoblogs?

CLICK TO TWEET: Frankly, My Dear…: William Kendall: Photoblogger.

And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!

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