This morning at 8:56, I was horrified to see that this miserable puddle and a sea of red mud was all that remained of beautiful Squirrel Lake (oh, all right, lac de l’écureuil) in the Esterel. I had intended to hike all the way to the Pic de l’Ours the way I did on a previous occasion, but all the paths beyond the lake were blocked. The explanation? The lake area is being “redone” (what on Earth that might mean I haven’t a clue). Compare these (non-iPhone) photos: the little river near the lake in January 2007 and this morning (and no, it’s not only weather thing; I was merely early today and the morning fog had not yet lifted). But again, I couldn’t go further than the other side of this mud field, so I turned around and ate my picnic at home. Let’s hope they fix this soon...