Ideas

I have so many ideas for a blog today - clamoring ideas yelling "pick me pick me"..... I want to write about "friends" - supposed friends - definition of friends - but I want to write about W and me - and this feeling I have that things may be getting back on track...... and I want to write about yesterday - at Lake Ontario Park for Victoria Day and freezing our asses off as we waited 2 hours down by the lake for the start of the fireworks (my bright idea!) - and I want to talk about Bruce - the service dog I met - and how he made me laugh......... 

So many ideas....................

Victoria Day wins I think ........... (and consider all pictures here - day 13 of 365)

The city planned this celebration for our Victoria Day weekend - Victoria being the Queen of England from June 1837 until her death in January 1901.  I have no idea why we picked her to celebrate - why not just have one day to celebrate all the monarchs who have ruled over Canada - much like the Americans do with their "President's day" (shrug) but whatever the reason we have the 3rd weekend in May as a long weekend in her honour.  When I was teaching it was the last bit of a holiday before the summer break - 6 more long weeks of school.

Anyway getting back to yesterday.............. I really wanted to go...... mostly cause I wanted to take pictures of the fireworks - or try to.  W - I think would have been happier vegging out in the family room.  So we compromised............ we waited till dinner time to go.  My logic was all the families who had been there for the afternoon activities would probably go home for dinner and a bit of a rest before coming back for the fireworks - and that would possibly get us a parking space in the main lot.

So we went at 5:30 and lo and behold got us a parking spot right at the gate - which meant we could leave our chairs and camera paraphernalia in the car (well mine anyway)

Dinner was my treat - from a food truck - yeah for hotdogs............. 

and ice cream from another food truck for dessert................

I met up with Bruce - the service dog right after dinner.  I wanted a picture and his owner was quite obliging.  I then got huge butterflies and nerves as I am not particularly good at taking portraits.  AND I had promised to send his handler copies of the pics.. 

At one point his owner dropped the leash so she could move her wheel chair out of the pic - but Bruce wasn't having any of that!!!  He picked his leash up and gave it right back to her ...... well trained service dog.  Despite everything, I did manage to get a decent portrait of Bruce.................

 

W and I decided to stake out our seats for the fireworks early - like 2 hours early!!!  We ate our ice cream (we should have opted for hot coffee!!) and watched the sights ... while we impatiently counted down the 120 minutes.............. 120 minutes absolutely DRAG when the temperature is dropping faster than the minutes are ticking.  (note to self - time to buy a warm blanket for cold nights by the lake)

And then finally - 

What a great evening it was!!!  Of course parking by the main gate meant it took us longer to get out of the park than the fireworks took - but it was well worth it!!