Coulonge begins its fall

Given that we had a near-record snowfall in Western Quebec this year, I thought it would be a good idea to see what the spring runoff looked like at the Coulonge Falls. And why not? The falls are only 110 km from where I live, after all.

This is just one portion of the top of the falls, which are divided into three sections. The middle section is a very impressive drop, and the third is a 100m log slide that was used during the days of the lumber boom on the Coulonge and Ottawa Rivers.

I took plenty of shots, included some of my first attempts at HDR and panoramas, so I'll make an effort to get them up in the next few days.

Old buds, new sky

We're emerging from a winter with a near-record snowfall in the Ottawa Valley. The snow began at the end of October and stayed. And although there is still plenty of snow on the ground around our house, winter's back is truly broken for another year. Days are longer and warmer, streams and rivers swollen. We're seeing birds in the yard that we haven't seen for months and the ducks and muskrat have reappeared in the creek that runs through the backyard.

Spring.

Jackson Poll-rock

If the Flintstones could have Stony Curtis and Cary Granite, I can be forgiven for the title of this post.

I am always struck by the range of colours that can be found in seemingly-dull rock, tones and hues that are brought out by water and good light. Today we had both.

It was a beautiful day in the Ottawa Valley and, even though there is still plenty of snow around, it is clear that winter is losing its grip. Just as well, since many of us feared losing our grip, too.