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.

Noon shooting

Hawkesbury is a small, quiet town, most of the time. But like most communities, it has, like a 35-year veteran police officer said recently, that ten per cent of the population that gets into trouble. Police cordoned off this street where an hour earlier, a 63-year-old woman had wounded a 69-year-old man in the neck and abdomen with a rifle. "The cops told her to put the gun down, and she did," said a witness. The victim, who knew his assailant, was in hospital recovering from serious, non-life-threatening injuries. The investigation continues.

That is the cold way we tend to report such "incidents." But obviously, the whole story did not start and does not end here. We can never accurately report what events preceded this incident, nor can we attempt to report the aftermath, and the long-term effects these few horrible moments have had and will have on those directly involved and those who witnessed this incident.

"Things like this do not happen in Hawkesbury," said one young woman.

Fine, famished friend

Ronna's chipmunks have had to be even more alert lately as this blue jay has taken to swooping down on their free food.