Saint Mathieu, Québec

2,826 miles

Oct 29 – This town is not much more than a country crossroad, but what I can see here gives hints of a long history.  In this part of Québec, every square mile (kilometre) has been parceled out and designated a parish for one saint or another.  Probably there was never a church for each little location, but more likely there were traveling priests.

This fieldstone house is quaintly Québécois, with its steep-pitched entry roof and churchy window ornamentation.  

Across the road is another stone-fronted house, this one with that Québécois-style flared roof.  Both houses feature substantial stanchions guarding the driveway entrances.  I guess that these help to mark the edges of the driveways during snowy winters.

well-lit postal center

On another corner at this crossroads is a gravel parking lot with community utility boxes for ready access.  This bank of postal boxes appears to serve 30 households, and it is lit by attractive old-fashioned street lights.  This parking lot may be a significant community gathering spot.

memorial ?

One portion of this corner holds a large rock and cultivated grass and bushes.  A flower bed has been marked off with concrete curbstones, planted with lavender, and carefully tended.  A sign has been erected.  This looks very much like a community memorial.  Is it a war memorial?  Does it commemorate a traffic tragedy at the crossroads?

The real mystery here is:  Why has Google Street Views blurred out the sign?