Where's Nifty?! #2

Nightdiver those are all stunning!

I'll have a few easter pictures this weekend. Things are just starting to come to life around here, so hopefully I can get some nice shots of that before I move nifty on.

This has to be one of may favorite threads to follow. Great idea and some really great pictures!

Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment, napoli3. Nice to know people are looking and (still) liking!

Here are a few more from my previous outing to the Harbour, taken 3 days ago and late in the afternoon.

#1 Standing on the remains of a flood gate in the Amsterdam-Rijnkanaal (which is now a kind of a little island). The bridge in the background is the Amsterdamse Brug, the colourful pillars of which I posted a shot of earlier.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2ib2​Hwm

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Some more shots from today.
#4 I went to get my weekend groceries and took Nifty with me. I wanted some panning shots of the traffic as I love doing those, but I found that it's not that easy with a 50mm. This is the one I like best.

IMAGE LINK: https://flic.kr/p/2ib2​JAk

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Looks like you got a bit of sun for the harbor shots Levina!
The barges look huge... and close together. Is that a tugboat so close to the barge?

I can see why you like the park for your bird photography.. With those grasses and walking paths you should have a lot of long legged birds looking for food .. and a 9 shot pano really lets us know how big that park is!

I really like the panning shot of the bicycle.. Looks like multi-tasking to the limit while in traffic yet.
Really captures some nice movement and a sort of calm in the middle of chaos.

The wedding dancers look like they are having fun, but the last shot expresses the emotion..

Another wonderful set from you.. Thank you.

More from Ottawa - Maple Syrup Season

Springtime means maple syrup in this part of Canada. The area surrounding Ottawa is dotted with sugar bushes (maple groves which are used for syrup production) and visiting one is a spring activity for many. This local sugar bush is unique because it's situated right in the city and in fact is said to be the only urban sugar bush in North America.

The sugar shack is the building used to boil the maple sap down to syrup. This particular one is operated by a non-profit organization. ▽

More from Ottawa - Maple Syrup Season

The season for maple sap collection is short; only about two months. The sap only runs when the days are warmer than freezing and the nights are below freezing.

Here's a closer shot of the maple bucket. If you look closely, you might see the drop of sap just ready to fall into the bucket. ▽

More from Ottawa

The sugar bush in my previous posts was started by a group of African missionaries called the White Fathers. They tapped the maple trees to make syrup for their members. The land which was once home to their seminary is now a heritage park. ▽

More from Ottawa

This is one of the heritage buildings once used by the White Fathers. It's now a public library. ▽

More from Ottawa - Maple Syrup Season

Many of the sugar bush operators have expanded their business to include serving traditional pancake breakfasts. Weekends during the very short (two month) season mean flocks of city dwellers descend upon them to have their maple syrup fixes and to enjoy the spring air. We had breakfast at our favorite sugar bush this weekend which is about an hour's drive out of the city.

When I first moved to Ottawa 20 years ago, MacEwan's sugar shack operated in this building. It was homey and warm. ▽

More from Ottawa - Maple Syrup Season

While fancy on the outside, they still serve a traditional sugar bush breakfast, which includes homemade sausage, buttermilk pancakes, and baked beans. Terrible picture but you get the idea. ▽

More from Ottawa - Maple Syrup Season

At most of these big maple syrup operations, they use tube systems that go right into the boiling house rather than collecting manually from buckets attached to the taps. Here you can see the blue plastic tubing making it's way from tree to tree in the sugar bush. ▽

Levina:

The Jewish cemetery images are fascinating. I hadn't known about the restriction against clearing the graves.

Also interesting to see the waterways with the barges. And I love your trio of black and white images too.

Neil:

I'm looking forward to seeing more of beautiful Oregon. I love the waterfall images. I've always wanted to visit the Pacific Northwest but now I may not have to.

Guitarfreak:

My daughter is in the process of choosing a university so with the campus visits we've been doing, I feel right at with your cool campus pano. Which school is that?

Great pics of the Maple Syrup business and a great read as well, Julie! Quite fascinating. The buckets are so much nicer than the tubes! Although I would pass up on that meal: sausages and baked beans with buttermilk pancakes to me is a most peculiar combination! However, you may send me that flask of maple syrup anytime.

About Jewish cemeteries, yes, they are not to be cleared. According to Jewish beliefs, people must stay in the ground until the Messiah arrives, at which time they will wake. When the city expanded, a number of graves were moved to another Jewish cemetery, just outside of the city. This one, in the park, is not in use anymore and is closed so as not to disturb those that rest there.