Northern Ontario scenery

Just wanted to post a couple of pics we took during the past few weeks.

About a half an hour south of Sudbury on highway 69 is the French River information centre. The centre is brand new and boasts an impressive display on the origins of the area and its importance as one of the early routes for the fur trade in the 17th century before the Northwest Trading Company asserted itself and redirected almost all trade through Hudson's Bay instead (which pretty much relegated the French River community to a well-regarded tourist area). Okay, so if history isn't your thing then you simply have to be impressed with the view of the French River itself. Well worth a twenty minute stop.

Bell Park plays host to Sudbury's annual dragon boat racing competition. We took Amber for a stroll on an intensely hot day along the boardwalk that borders Lake Ramsey's western edge all the way from Science North to Bell Park and, along with thousands of other souls seeking the comfort of the beach, watched the colourful dragon boats vie for fame and glory. Those poor paddlers must have been roasting in the sun. Parts of Bell Park turned into a campground for the contestants, so at least they had some respite under the tents when they weren't getting ready for their next race. In the background, you can see some of the Laurentian University campus buildings. I was / still am on parental leave, and I must admit that on that beatiful day I didn't think about work once.

We have a few different kinds of frogs that visit our backyard; this leopard frog is just one magnificent specimen. All of the shots of the grey tree frogs that like to hang out on our deck have turned out fuzzy so far, and I have only heard the spring peepers -- but I'm down with anything that eats bugs. Particularly black flies and mosquitos. Hmm, any chance that amphibians getting a taste of human blood second-hand will suddenly develop an unslakable thirst for my crimson vitality? As Mr. Bush said, bring'em on!