Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Winter Pond

This good sized pond is in the Glebe, and it is linked through pipes beneath the adjoining parkway to the Rideau Canal, where as of this writing, skaters are enjoying the full length of the ice. When the water levels in the Canal are dropped in the fall, the water here drops as well. Small mounds of earth as you see in the foreground are exposed. The fish and turtles that occupy this water are beneath the ice as it develops, apparently turtles in particular go into something resembling a fugue state. This year there's been an early freeze-up. These shots were taken in December, and people were out on the ice.


Someone's erected something on one of those mounds of earth in the pond. An inukshuk is a common sight in the far north, where Inuit people piled rocks in these formations for countless generations as a marker, a beacon in a harsh environment. It's common to see them built elsewhere as a garden ornament.


From the other side, you can see the Bank Street Bridge in the background.


17 comments:

  1. I love those inukshuk. I'd definitely need them to find my way back in the snow.

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  2. There are quite a few inukshuk in my neighbourhood. I had no idea so many people had so much trouble finding their way around my village. ;))

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  3. That's a lovely - and interesting - series of pics. I've not heard of inkukshuks - cairns (piles of stones) are common on mountains and moors in the UK, as way-marks.

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  4. oh how neat...those look like some heavy rocks to balance too!

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  5. Thanks for teaching me about inukshuks. Fascinating.

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  6. I've only ice skated on an open pond a couple of times and it is really exhilarating. Skating on a rink just isn't the same. Anyway, nice shot of the pond and inukshuks. Interesting indeed.

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  7. @Mo: they're very distinctive.

    @EG: people must get lost easily!

    @Mike: I've heard that somewhere along the line about the UK.

    @Tanya: there's a guy who does something similar at a certain section of the Ottawa River each summer. I have to go out there in May or June and photograph the
    results.

    @Sharon: I've always wanted to have one myself.

    @Oakland: I think this is the first time I've seen that done in that pond.

    @Stuart: I'm going to have to photograph skaters on the canal soon!

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  8. Inukshuk, I hear the name first time. Nice shots.

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  9. Never heard of the inukshuk before, but I like them! Nice pix!

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  10. Huh, the rock formations are very interesting. I love the shot of the frozen pond.

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  11. *groaning!* More snow and ice!

    Really good photos, though. Just looking at them makes me shiver!

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  12. Wonderful. All the more so with that blue sky :).

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  13. Funny how we Canadians are so familiar with inukshuks but others aren't.

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  14. I wasn't familiar with inukshuks. We do have an occasional cairn, but I like the sculptural quality of the inukshuk.

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  15. Beautiful photos today.
    You live in a very beautiful place.

    cheers, parsnip

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  16. @Inna: it's such a well known term in this country.

    @Cheryl: thank you!

    @Krisztina: I'll have to think of where there are others...

    @Norma: plenty of snowy shots to come. Did I mention it's my favourite season?

    @Lauren: thank you!

    @RedPat: I can't recall the first time I heard of them, but it's a term I've been familiar with most of my life.

    @Linda: it's simple, but enduring.

    @Parsnip: thank you!

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