More Downtown Statues...

I have come to appreciate stone and marble statues more since I trying my hand at creating pottery "statues."

On my recent visit to Parliament Hill, I admired this large statue of Queen Elizabeth II on a horse...

And, of course, Ottawa's War Memorial.

However much progress I make in art, there is so much more to strive for!

More About "Persons"

A recent blog post (about Canada's Famous Five women who succeeded in having the law changed to  have women legally considered "persons" in Canada reminded me that there are some places where women - or other demographic groups - are still not considered "persons" for some reason or another.

A young woman from Iran once told me: You probably wonder why I have immigrated to Canada. In Iran, the country where I was born, because my religion is Bahai, I am not considered a person... That means that I can't go to university. We have our own schools for basic education, but that is as far as we can go.

She then added: In Iran, someone could even kill me and they wouldn't be punished... because I'm not considered a person.

That's what it means to be a non-person?! Her story was a real eye-opener for me!

Thankful...

Today is Canadian Thanksgiving... I'm glad we have this holiday to remind us to be thankful...

Recently going through a box of school assignments I had saved from my children's childhood days, I came across this Thanksgiving assignment - with illustrations! Here is what an 8-year-old boy was thankful for:

I'm thankful for all my hands can hold: apple green, money, t.v. controler, gum, toys, Nintendo controler. [Apple green? Oh, yes... he always did love Granny Smith apples!]

I'm thankful for all my eyes can see: A baseball game, cats, dogs, t.v., cars, baseball bats.

I'm thankful for all my ears can hear: music, t.v., noise, sea.

What am I thankful that I can hold, see and hear today?!

Canada's "Famous Five"

My mother - born in 1919 - became a teacher in 1939. She was always an independent woman.

That's why it's so hard for me to believe that it was during her lifetime - in fact, when she was 10 years old -  that women were legally considered "persons" in Canada.

Until 1929, women - like children - were not considered equal to men. (Were they considered incapable of reasoning?) In any event, they could not hold a seat in the senate.

We have the "Famous Five" women from Alberta - my mother's home province - to thank for women's change in legal status!

I'm glad this memorial on Parliament Hill is here to remind us of this fact.

Tour of Parliament Hill

Parliament Hill, here in Ottawa, houses the Canadian federal government.

Free tours are available daily.

I haven't been on a tour for years...

But when my cousin and her husband recently visited from British Columbia, I joined them on a tour of our House of Commons, Parliamentary Library and Senate...

The artistic detail is amazing!

Amid the solemnity of the place, with its many statues and royal portraits...

















...I'm always happy to see a sculptor's touch of whimsy!

In one place, while sculpting Norsemen, the sculptors added the faces of the sculpting team. It was discovered years later - when someone noticed that one of the "Norsemen" was wearing glasses!

The tour itself was very interesting.

The Parliamentary library - with its wooden interior - amazingly survived a fire that destroyed the previous Parliament building.

It still has library catalog drawers like the ones from my childhood - before everything was computerized - though the guide said that they're for show only. They no longer hold catalog cards..

Finally we went up the Peace Tower, where we were able to get a view of the whole city.

It's still a spectacular view...

... since a law prohibits anyone in the downtown core from building a structure taller than the Peace Tower.

Market Smiles

A recent visit to Ottawa's ByWard Market made me smile...

First it was the giant pumpkin display. (The orange pumpkins beside the giant pale one are "normal" size!)

Then this cute sign enticing me to buy shoes...

And another advertising expensive French fries. I did a double take... until I realized that  "free" steak and salad are included!

The art of advertising... making you stop and take a second look!

Farmers Demonstrate

I don't go downtown a lot - so I miss a lot of what happens in the center core of our city, Canada's capital.

Groups of demonstrators from all over Canada regularly gather in front of Parliament Hill to demonstrate.

Recently, showing visitors around the city, we encountered demonstrating farmers... several times.

Large tractors were driving through downtown streets, holding up traffic... There was also a truck full of manure, a powerful reminder that the farmers were unhappy!

I have never seen so many - and such large - tractors in my life!