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.