Canada Day and Old Friends

Yesterday, I managed to get a few tasks done outside in between the raindrops. We were invited to have supper with old and dear friends at their cottage and dined on barbecued chicken skewers and smoked sausage, new potatoes, asparagus, and deviled eggs. I brought a strawberry rhubarb crisp (of course). The rain stopped, but the temperature dropped and the wind picked up. We put on some extra layers and went to a lakeside town close by to watch an incredible fireworks display.

Here, in Canada, we tend to have fireworks on two separate occasions: Victoria Day (the May two-four holiday nicknamed that because it falls on or around May the 24th and generally a case of 24 beer is involved) and Canada Day (July 1). Our fireworks are regulated and people generally purchase packs of fireworks from stores or pop up fireworks sales locations. There is also a "sketchy" guy in a nearby town who trucks into the states and sells fireworks from his front lawn that we normally can't buy here.

For Canada's 150th birthday, town councils purchase fireworks for big displays and donations are collected to help offset the cost. The display we went to was held on a beautiful beach along Lake Huron with hundreds of people in attendance. We put our lawn chairs on the beach and sat under blankets (yes, blankets on July 1st - gotta love Canada) with the water as our backdrop. It was magical. Kids were running around beforehand with glowsticks and light up toy laser swords. People were spread out on blankets and chairs, and babies slept in strollers. When the fireworks started, everyone watched them exploding over the water. The night ended up clear, but a little chilly.

The evening began with a lovely sunset over the water. Some people brought their boats out to watch.

This giant Canada flag flies here all the time. You can see a small light house at the end of the point.

The finale was spectacular!

I love this country of mine with its vast and varied geography, much of which I have yet to see. I'm proud to be Canadian and wouldn't want to call anywhere else home.