As we approach the end of July – and (regretfully) already the middle of summer – two distinct but equally seasonable events come to mind. First (only because of its chronological priority not because of any eclipsing entitlement), my partner Denis’ 73rd birthday on July twenty-ninth; and, second (and by annual repeating serendipity – because it is where we intend to celebrate Denis’ birthday with Berliner donuts from the German Bakery), the thankful survival by my sister, her husband and their family of a tornado twenty years ago at their ritual summer cottage on August second on the Opeongo Trail, 262 Ohio Road, Combermere ON (“To enter the property do not take the entrance where the Opeongo Resort sign is, but the next right just a few meters up that says Hidden Driveway # 272. At the fork in the road go left to get to the cabin.“)

Meteorologist Geoff Coulson said an F-1 twister tore through the Opeongo Trail Resort in the community, 150 kilometres west of Ottawa. An F-1 tornado has winds of between 120 and 170 kilometres an hour.

Environment Canada officials at the scene describe the damage as “total devastation,” and say they’re amazed that despite the number of crushed camping trailers and cars, no one was hurt.

Deanne Lemieux, who was in a cottage at the resort at the time, said it felt like the cottage was going to lift off the ground before several trees fell through the roof.

This tornado, the most destructive of the outbreak, touched down at 8:30pm and devastated the village of Combermere. On the ground for 29km and with a width of 400m, forest was completely decimated along the twister’s path, with trees snapped, shorn off and debarked. Hardest hit was the Opeongo Resort, a trailer park and campground where dozens of vehicles and campers were destroyed. Most were crushed by falling trees, but a few were blown apart.

Several cottages on the property were also heavily damaged or destroyed, one of which had its roof and a few walls torn away. Miraculously, no injuries were reported at the park, however Environment Canada investigators speculated that this may not have been the case had the heavy forest not born the brunt of the winds which likely prevented vehicles and cottages from being picked up and thrown. As the tornado moved on, more cottages were damaged and destroyed along the Opeongo River, and the Home Hardware in town had its roof ripped off.

This was one of seventeen tornadoes that touched down in Southern and Eastern Ontario during the evening hours of August 2, 2006. Until it was surpassed in 2009, the tornado outbreak set a record as the largest tornado outbreak ever recorded in Ontario.

I have captured the news worthy details of the tornado recorded above because my recollection of everything else 20 years ago is less than exact. What I do recall however is that the ensuing 20 years were among the most favourable of my entire life – which is no small accreditation because the rest of my life (prior to having met my partner in 1996) was to my mind worthy of moderate account.

By similar attestation, the capacity now to hearken back 20 years to the frightening details of the tornado – with smug pursed lips – is both a privilege and an historic badge. I acknowledge too that, for some, memory of the past is not afforded such a universally fortuitous account. For them, I applaud their hopeful restoration from misery, while commensurately confessing what is often the irreversible strength of misfortune.

Meanwhile history is repeating itself in other manners:

There are currently 885 personnel working on wildfires across B.C., along with four incident management teams, 163 aircraft and 125 heavy equipment.

As of Monday morning (July 27, 2026) there are 135 active wildfires burning across the province. Fifteen of those started in the last 24 hours, while 26 were declared out during the same time period.

Of the 135 fires burning, 57 wildfires are deemed out of control (42 per cent), 30 are being held (22 per cent) and 48 are under control (36 per cent).

Reflecting upon the last two decades illustrates the evolving nature and maturity of not only my own and immediate family, but also of my overall philosophic interpretation of life. The precipitous element of chance is not to be defeated by any measure. An essential feature of that resolution is the admission that we alone – that is, each of us individually and independently – is charged with the unwitting prescription to categorize life as best we can. I find it helps as this philosophic juncture to succumb to the pragmatic truth of personality – both for ourselves and for others. Whether we do or do not particularly “like” someone or something is largely irrelevant. Chance is ambivalent; its plausibility, risk or opportunity is for each of us to assess under our own steam.

Assessment of providence – even if largely vaporized and designed only for polite conversation – is useful the same way as attending  to a wound (“make it all better“). But once again, in the end, the universe is ultimately personal. The characterization of fate is both critical and uncompromising. What we distinguish as pragmatic is the healing lotion.