Notre-dame-de-Grace’s Girouard Park was devastated by a micro-burst that had touched the area exclusively, bringing down trees that were hundreds of years old. Massive trunks literally splinted at about 9 feet from the ground with the tops strewn across the park. Facing the abandoned Empress Theater, the park looked like it had been blown to bits. Park benches and tables completely overturned or destroyed by fallen trees and debris. Windows had been blown out, roofs punctured and knocked in due to these massive trees strewn all over the district. Trapping drivers on streets and bringing down hydro lines… I held the tears back as best I could for NDG is well known for its beautiful trees.

We decided to go and investigate the park, one of my favorite places to chill, located in front of the Empress Theater, one of my favorite buildings in Montreal. Ironically the abandoned 1927 Egyptian-revival styled theater in ruin was now facing another ruin.

A couple of tears ran down my face despite my best efforts. I watched locals standing in the park staring, while people walking by slowed to a halt, all completely stuck by the severity of the disaster, and all silent. It was so quiet that I could hear a woman 100’ away say silently “this is tragic.”

We walked over all the pieces and found a giant shard of bark, completely peeled off of one of these tall trees. We picked it up, inspected it, and decided to take it home.

Walking back with the 6’ long piece of bark, we had decided that it needed to be put in a striking situation somewhere in the apartment…

I wanted to bring life back to this tree, so naturally I went to see my florist Sonia across the street. We purchased a variety of areal plants and secured them into the giant cracks of the bark, as if nudging a pulse back into the giant shard.

There is a bitter sweetness every time I walk past my dining room and see the new centerpiece on my table. In death, there can be life.

The storm damaged an estimated 100 homes, countless cars, and over 400 trees.