Waterfront Underpass

For years the Waterfront was cut off from the downtown of North Bay by railway yards.  The railway has removed all but one track and a pedestrian tunnel and walkway has been built in the past year.  Easy access to the Lake is now available.

The walkway ends at the lakeshore at the most sensuous concrete steps I’ve seen.

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Low Water

All summer, Lake Nipissing has been about 2 feet lower than it normally is.  In past years, wet feet would have been necessary to produce this photograph.

The spring melt happened so early this year that water that would have been trapped in the ground ran off to the Great Lakes because the ground was still frozen.  Nipissing was not able to catch up over the summer and despite recent, rains is still behind.

Climate Change?

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Go West

This is the mouth of the Lavase River, where it enters Lake Nipissing.  For 150 years The Voyageurs paddled through this channel in the spring, on their way west to Thunder Bay on Lake Superior.  The return voyage passed this point and ended up in Montreal in the Autumn.  Lake Nipissing is controlled by dams on the French River these days, and there are navigation markers in place.  However the place is pretty much the same as it would have been 150 years ago.

In the spring the water would be much higher than it is in this photograph, but by fall it would probably have been as you see it here.

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Wasi River

The river meanders beside Lake Nosbonsing Road for a short distance, giving glimpses of itself in and out of the trees.  A quiet grey morning in late August provided a tranquil scene.

A short distance downstream it tumbles through a series of rapids into Callandar Bay.

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Species Survival

End of summer.  Time for the fireweed that grows along our roads to ensure that it will be here in the future.

Survival is delicate.  So is the process.

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Greenspace

These are photos of an open greenspace and ball-park complex in the middle of a residential neighbourhood here in North Bay.  They are being traded for a giant sports complex which is being built on the edge of the swampland at the south end of town, some 8 or 9 kilometers away in the middle of nowhere.  Originally 22 houses were to be built on the fields but the hew and cry from the people who live next to these spaces and see them as an important part of their environment got Council to “compromise” by reducing the number of houses to 5.  As someone commented at a public meeting:  “You’ve threatened to break both of my legs and now you’re going to “compromise” and break only one of them!”

The money from the sale of the land will be used to defray the cost of building the sports complex in the middle of nowhere.

Council seems to know the price of everything and the value of nothing!

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Fall Colour

A great summer it was.  The colour of Autumn is beginning to develop.

The trees will be next.

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Happy Canada Day!

May next year be GREAT!

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Future G20 Meeting Sites?

Much more secure than chain-link fencing!

This ought to keep the terrorists (protesters) out!

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Visitor

Around supper time today a visitor appeared near the lake shore.  He munched for a bit and when he became aware of me he slowly moved through the bush to our neighbour’s yard.

He went back up the hill behind our place where he will be more comfortable, I’m sure.

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Mixed Message

I’m SO Confused!

Should I stay out or go in?

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A Very Direct Question

Poster on a London Underground wall:

How much is it today?

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Choices!

So many choices:

So little time!

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Not “Arret”?

Visited France recently.  Deep in the heart of the country the stop signs say

unlike the Province of Quebec where the word is “Arret”.

I’m sure the French are pleased to know that the Quebecois are guarding the language for them.

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Curves

The curves of the branches under the snow attracted me to this scene.

They will recover when the snow melts today.

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