#2163 "La Chute Dumoine Cataracts"

I had to retreat into the shade of the Dumoine forest. The heat and humidity in the southwesterly flow was stifling. The challenge of capturing the look and feel of moving water compelled me to try again. Plus I could stand in the shade of the forest on the south side of the east end of the bridge. Every rock and boulder has a story to tell on the surface of the water. Green water, eddy, foam, hydraulic hole, seam, sieve, hay stacks, standing waves, wave-holes, souse holes, boiling eddies, drops, ledges, keepers, chutes, strainers and many other terms describe the features that paddlers look for. The water in front of me was best to be avoided in any boat. This is a partner for #2149 "Grande Chute Whitewater".

A nice couple came by riding bikes. They had left North Bay and were headed to Montreal. They were bundled up tightly in waterproof jackets like it was pouring cats and dogs. The weather was decidedly very hot and humid and I wondered how they survived the sweat boxes that they had on. The jackets were purely to keep the deer flies at bay. The bugs tend to follow the vehicles and the slow moving bikes were easy targets. I smiled and said "Je parles seulement un peu du française" in my High School French as best as I could. The lady replied similarly and said something like "Je parles un peu du française". Then she asked with a thick London accent if I spoke English. There was no need at all to stumble through my second language.

The deer flies had created a strange ecology along the Dumoine road. Deer flies bugged me every time a car passed by but after a few minutes they were gone presumably hot on the heels of the vehicles exiting along the road.

This was the 141st anniversary of the birth of Tom Thomson on August 5th, 1877. What better way to spend the day but to paint Canada en plein air...

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