The geology of the Ottawa Valley is a groundwork based on Leda clay and sand, a truly unfortunate combination. Leda clay is hugely unstable; pairing it with sand only makes it more unstable. When Leda clay is inundated with moisture it becomes almost liquid, moving about perilously for anything built upon it. That combination is particularly fraught when earthquakes occur. And this region is also notorious for being earthquake-prone.

We don't get the kind of earthquakes that other such zones are known for, but there are the occasional tremblors that are truly frightening when the earth moves dramatically, stunning people unaccustomed to such phenomena. When we lived in Tokyo it was a common occurrence to feel the earth shake under us. We always felt more or less calm when it occurred, whether we were indoors or outdoors.

Here in Ottawa it's uncommon, but about nine years ago we experienced the most frightening such event we had ever been exposed to when we heard the overwhelming roar of a steam engine outside our house leaving us to wonder briefly what kind of mechanical behemoth was passing on the street outside our front door, while the floors beneath us shuddered then swayed for what seemed an interminable length of time. We fled downstairs and out the door.

Since the time we moved into our house twenty-five years ago, the second home we've owned in Ottawa, we have been aware of our paved driveway slowly and gradually sinking. When that happens the lip of the concrete floor of the garage has a height-distance created between driveway level and garage floor level. On a number of occasions we've had that distance capped by a fresh infusion of paving material. Each time this happens, everything is fine for years, and then that distance once again crops up.

A dozen years ago we came across a man who had retired from working as a paint mechanic and who took up driveway repair instead. He was the most affable, conscientious person imaginable, and for several years he would return to freshen up the driveway and fill any gaps that would occur. Then we heard he had died of cancer of the lungs caused by his previous work inhaling chemicals. What we weren't aware of was that when he became ill he sold his business to another man.

Now, that other man  is working on our driveway, using the same equipment he bought from the previous man, along with his truck and calling cards. And this man too, with whom we've become recently acquainted, shares the personality of the first man, including personability and attention to meticulous detail.