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.