Thoughts as Images

I've been in a funk, this week, too much on my mind but too tired, at the end of the day, to put anything down in writing. Assuming, of course, I could formulate those thoughts into words.

Thoughts can be fluid, can flow through your mind as images and emotions. Colourful in your head, but flat, rough pencil scribbles when you try to put some order to them, try to make sense.

I've had a lot of these thoughts as I've wandered, capturing my daily photos. And while I can't articulate those thoughts, I can show you how I formulated images while those thoughts preoccupied my brain.

Where Rue Martel and Rue Rosenes meet, a short path leads to Sentier des Voyageurs, also known as Route Verte 1, a hiking and cycling path that consists of about 5,000 kilometres of trails that run from the westernmost regions of West Québec, along the Ottawa and St.Lawrence rivers, and cover the Gaspé Peninsula, Saguenay River and Lac Saint Jean region, and even the Madeleine Islands.

Earlier, this summer, as I explored Griffintown, in Montreal, with DW and my buddy, Stu, we walked part of the Route Verte 1 along the Lachine Canal.

But where Martel and Rosenes meet, in the Deschênes neighbourhood of Aylmer, Route Verte 1 passes the Ottawa River where the rapids meet the ruins of the Deschênes Dam.

I was inspired to go there by my photo buddy, James Peltzer, who was there two nights previous. While I didn't want to copy his work, I couldn't help but go near sunset, hoping to capture similar light.

I didn't have the courage to forge the shallow but swift-moving water between the river's edge and the tiny island before the dam, nor did I want to risk climbing the concrete remains to get high above.

My mind was flooded with various thoughts, but it didn't stop me from capturing images.

Without more clumsy words, here's what I saw.