Hard days' work... sort of

^{Work in progress on a tin rooftop}
This rooftop is quite elaborate. Before applying any paint to it, one (me) has to scrape off the surface, which is particularly long. The only one who could do it without fear of the height around here happens to be me. Passers-by seem to fear for my well-being and I have to reassure them.

^{North view of Lac aux Araignées (Spiders Lake) from the south beach}
Tuesday the temperature was heading for toaster like heat on the rooftop, which could put me at risk. Rooftops are usually hot under the sun because of their colours (usually black)or due to the inclination or any other reasons that comes to your mind...
Thus I was invited to go canoeing and swimming at Lac aux Araignées (Spiders Lake), just east of Lac Megantic, along the Maine border. It is a rather big lake on a piece of land large like a country and belonging to one man.

^{One can almost feel the heat on this one.}
To be able to swim one has to walk almost half a kilometer in the water to reach a depth that allows swimming. That helps a lot the growth of waterlillies in this very warm water. The lake is not in a good health with the presence of this vegetation in its midst.

^{Water lilies on the lake. Beautiful but worrysome}
The sand is white and hundreds of waterlillies are floating on the curling waters. The canoe trip was rather hard on this windy day.

^{At left Lac Megantic, center Lac aux Araignées. The red line is the Maine border.}

Shoulder to Wheel

^{Latest repaved section on a badly needed stretch of road between La Patrie and N D des Bois.}

The board publicizes the pavement work. In the red line it says: � Building tomorrow's Quebec �. I find that pompous. Moreover while building tomorrow's Qu�bec, why not think of putting a bit more of the stuff in the shoulder to favour biking than "carring" not as a favour but as a way meaning there is now such thing as a Quebec policy on environmental thinking. It is also excellent for both bike tourism and water drainage...
Right now it is quite nerve-breaking to be on the road, even on the white stip and having 45 feet truckloads of wood passing you at 120 km/h at about on foot from you. When necessary I hit the shoulder, that is when there are vehicules on both sides or when a truck behind me has a double line. Otherwise I stay on the pavement for ...'s sake.

^{The pavement edge is 6 inches deep which is tricky at times.}

A summer soooooo cool...

^{My cabin's ceiling and roof, take two}
I had to somewhat solidify the ceiling/roof of my cube and put a plastic on top of the Plexiglass� because the rain was dripping inside. I can tolerate lots of things but rain in my place, hardly.
I go get my drinking water to the COOP/Bonichoix store at La Patrie and my usage water at the Galt river, 1.5 km from the cabin on the 257, between my place and the village, 6 km away.j Sometimes when I go to the village to shop, I throw the bucket down beneath the bridge and go fill it up on my way back.
It's a little river with a low debit. In fact it doesn't stop going lower and lower since I arrived. Rain is needed around here. All the river can be crossed by foot.

I noted these two big black spiders the other beneath these raspberry leaves. They are very impressive. They are as big as my hand's palm. They seem never to move. Each time I go to get water or wash, they are at the same place they were last time.
Strange.

I'd love to spend a few hours beneath the bridge to read and listen to the water, but I have no time. Since I thought of that the water level has been so low that we don't even hear the flow any longer.

A look at my summer job

We really have a great summer. It is rarely rainy and when it does it's in the middle of the night which is great for me who's working on a hot tin roof, with a minimal equipment. I made myself a wooden ladder and sometimes I tie a rope to my hand when the roof angle is really scary.
If the sun is too strong, I stop and go down on the ground. I don't wish to bake up there.

^{The roof I work on before I started}
I've decided to bike to work every day. Some 40 km of hilly roads back & forth. One day I tried to hitchhiked. It took so long I decided I wasn't gonna wait hours in the sun. It is a super physical activity... on top of my work on the roof, mind you.
Of course, I arrived in sweat and have to rest for a while before going up there. I have to do a couple of hills walking along the bike. Too steep. On of them is 2 km long... Yet I enjoy it very much when I come back from work at sunset.
Thus since it takes me a couple of hours going to work and come back home I only work 5 hours each time. It will take longer to do the job but Maude is in no hurry and prefer to see me take my time than fall down the roof!