Cold casing

Incredibly, about a week after an ice storm hit us, we are still covered in a chilly casing.

Frosty morn

It is that time of year, time to get some frosty morning shots.

Olympic moment

The Olympic flame came to Hawkesbury Friday, attracting about 1,000 people, despite a strong, frigid wind. This was the second time an Olympic flame camee to town. It was here in 1976, prior to the Summer Games in Montréal. The best thing about the relay's stop in Hawkesbury was that for once the town was making news, for a good reason.

Floridian trio

We spotted this trio craning to see how other Floridians live.

It is a small world, after all

At Epcot, we encountered a local, St-Eugene native Carolane Wylie, working at the Canadian pavilion. The many attractions include Japanese drummers and a fireworks show.

Island of contrasts

The Bahamas is an island of contrasts. Although it is independent, its capital, Nassau, retains tradition, such as the traffic cop in the midst of a bustling narrow street, and some obvious, sharp signs that some areas are off-limits.

End of the line

After the last windshield was made at the Pittsburgh Glass Works in Hawkesbury last week, the workers held a mock funeral for the firm that had been providing work for as many as 600 people over the last 40 years. They hung up their safety books, some of which were creatively enhanced, and released black balloons.

Ready for winter

Well, it is time to put away the canoe for another year. Forecast calls for snow, for the next six months.

Line on a line

There was something compelling about this line on a line suspended over a creek. Guess you had to be there.

She is in the slot...

Milly, who along with Percy popped up in my garden recently, is quite the hockey fan, playing the role of armchair coach.

Into the unknown

One of the many advantages of living in the boonies is that the short, and unusually stress-free, commute offers the chance to appreciate colours and foggy vistas.

Lost and found

Hey, anybody out there missing a boat? This craft, spotted beside a creek near Hawkesbury, sort of blends in with the fall colours.

Duck blind

A duck bobs happily on a shiny Muskoka lake while observers are blinded by the setting sun.

Eden

OK, so it is not a bumper harvest, but my first-ever apple (shown July 1 and at the time of picking) to grow on my apple tree, planted too many years ago, is very special.

The war hits home

The war in Afghanistan hit close to home when a 21-year-old soldier from Chute-à-Blondeau, east of Hawkesbury, was killed near Kandahar September 13.

The death of Private Patrick Lormand touched our community. Many citizens attended his military funeral last week.

At Remembrance Day ceremonies, veterans speak of their fallen comrades in philosophical terms, saying the departed never had the opportunity to grow old.

Sadly, too many of the casualties of this conflict will also remain forever young.

Lucky driver

You know you are going to have a bad day when....

The driver of this school bus escaped unscathed after it flipped into a ditch on a country road north of Cornwall last week. Fortunately, the bus was carrying no passengers when it collided with a tractor trailer.

Tree gum

A gum-covered tree in a New York State park is proof that some people heed the sage advice about not daring to swallow chewing gum, because it will stick in your innards for 17 years and will contribute to climate change, or something like that.

Spectrum

One of the joys of shopping at a farmers' market, such as the fantastic one in Ithaca, New York, is the ability to buy directly from the source. As you can see, although all products on sale must have been grown within a 30-mile radius of the city, the variety is extensive.

September morn

Summer is on the wane.

And you can drive them, too

The age-old love affair with the automobile has not petered out. One of the most popular events in Hawkesbury is the annual car show, where all sorts of shiny vehicles are on display. And, of course, there is the obligatory fuzzy dice.

Garden fixture

It seems that one of the signs that the weather is shifting is the apparent proliferation of spider webs, which are more prominent in the early morning mist.

Tragic day

All the training in the world never prepares rescue workers for fatalities.

Earlier this week, fire fighters valiantly yet unsuccessfully tried to revive a three-year-old boy who had perished, along with his dog, inside the burning family home in Fournier, a village east of Ottawa.

This exhausted and sad fire fighter seemed to summarize the sense of sadness and loss that enveloped the community.

Invader

The warm nights have brought out some loud yet sedentary visitors that have taken to perching on window sills and trees, awaiting a chance to bug us.

Oh, black water...

In 1982, the Canadian International Paper Company closed its pulp and paper mill in Hawkesbury. Hundreds lost their jobs, but life went on, and so did the stench from this waterfront lagoon that still contains wastes from the defunct industry and various sorts of debris, including a bicycle. The huge lagoon supports aquatic life but continues to emit a terrible stink. The clean-up of the government-owned site has raised a stink. I have writen extensively about it.

Check out the controversy over this industrial legacy by going to http://www.editionap.ca/, and click on the Tribune Express icon.

Coordination

Curds are ostensibly the focus of the Festival de la curd held every in St-Albert, however, there are many other attractions. This year, for example, a maze lured in unsuspecting visitors where there was all sorts of entertainment.

A bridge very far

Construction of a new highway bridge over the Rouge River, near Grenville, Québec, is a huge undertaking. As many observers point out, judging from the series of steps, workers must need a break after they arrive on the job site.

Living log

Nature is everywhere, even in dark, damp shallow ditches where I found this piece of wood that had become a medium for new growth.

Dog day afternoon

Another muggy day in Hawkesbury. At noon, lunch -- including a batch of French fries -- is on the stove. The family pet, a large dog, happens to brush past the stove. The pot of hot oil spills onto the floor. Within seconds, the house is an inferno. Police have to force a neighbour to leave. The fire fighters battle the blaze for the rest of the day. Fortunately, nobody was hurt, the dog got out safely, and the house across the street, perhaps with some intervention from the Blessed Virgin Mary, sustained only minor damage to the vinyl siding.

And then the rain came, again.

Tour de East Hawkesbury

Neither wind nor rain nor stiff breezes can prevent hardy clutches of cyclists from pedalling along country roads on summer Sunday mornings. Locals, including cattle, are used to seeing large groups merrily making their way along East Hawkesbury roads. In fact, cycling is a major element of our region's efforts to attract more visitors.

Riverfront property

This summer residence has been gradually becoming immersed in the Ottawa River in Hawkesbury over the last few months.

Dew lines

We have had another damp summer, so far. But the greenery does not seem to mind.

Horse parade

The annual Vankleek Hill horse and buggy parade is always a colourful event.

Behind evey horse parade, there is someone cleaning up.