Oh Doctor, what's that smell?

Sometimes we will go to unusual lengths to get a photo of people doing their jobs. So that’s what happened Friday afternoon when I followed some forest fire fighters into the thick bush to snap a couple of photos of them at work on what they call hotspots. After the main forest fire is contained, there are always little pockets of fire. The problem is that the bush was black and charred from Wednesday’s fire. And the bush in Northern Ontario is thick like a jungle. Anyone knows, except me of course, that a charred branch is like a pencil and leaves a mark. These fellows were wearing dark pants, long sleeves and special boots. I had dress shoes and light khaki dress pants, with a short sleeved shirt. When we came out of the bush, my clothes and arms were criss-crossed with black stripes and scuff marks. It looked liked somebody with a black magic-marker attacked me. I even had char marks on my bare arms. That’s wasn’t the worse part. I had a four o’clock doctor’s appointment to pick up a prescription and no time to run home to change or shower. So I went and sat in the doctor’s waiting room and for several minutes endured the stares or ordinary people who must have wondered what I was up to. To make it worse, I was a bit sweaty and when that mixed with the smoky fragrance of a burnt forest, I must have been a delight for the senses. I just enjoyed the moment because I had several snappy answers in the back of my mind in case anyone asked … like, “Oh they’re shooting a Tide commercial next door, I just dropped in here for a break. - Or – Isn’t this the internet dating office? I’m hoping to meet the outdoors type!
Oh well, it’s now Saturday morning. May Run time in Timmins and the coffee smells great.