Happy Canada Day!

I know, I know...this is kinda late.  However, I have been watching The West Wing on Netflix lately (I LOVE that show!) and I decided to embrace a quote from the most recent episode I watched.  Said by Sam Seaborn (likely sarcastically, but we're gonna ignore that for now) "Let's forget about the fact that you're comin' a little late to the party and embrace the idea you showed up at all."  So...here I am...embrace me (ha ha!).

Anyway, we had a fabulous Canada Day weekend.  For the last couple of years, we've been going up to my parents' place in August in order to watch the chuck wagons.  However, because of scheduling we aren't sure if we'll be able to do that this year.  In the past few years, I've also thought that it would be fun for the kids to experience Canada Day in my home town so we decided to make that a reality this year.  Going to the fireworks is a gong show in the city and we've never done it with the kids.  I miss the small town events where you can come late and still get a good view.  In my home town (Loon Lake), the fireworks are shot off at the beach so you not only get a good view, you get to hang out at the beach - how perfect is that!  Also, my sister promised us a beautiful day...she couldn't recall the fireworks ever being cancelled and I must say, she did deliver :).  It was a gorgeous, hot day - perfect for the beach.

And now, for the photo essay ('cause I really have a ton of photos and I know you all like those best, anyway) entitled...Canada Day at the Beach.

Canada Day is nothing without a parade (and A LOT of candy) so our first stop was my sister's house and, sure enough, there was a float being assembled.  Jason even pitched in to help.

The kids had fun standing on the trailer before it got decorated and Evan hung on to that Canada flag all day long!

And now...the parade!  Here are the kids collecting the aforementioned candy.  Gotta catch the parade at least twice to make sure you get an excessive amount (and you could do that by walking half a block from where we were standing).  Mmmm...pixie sticks.

This is the float that was being assembled at my sister's place.

And I even had an old friend in the parade!

Then, it was back to my sister's with the loot for lunch and...AAAHHHH THERE'S A RAT!!!...just kidding...it's a pet.  (Crazy sister).  However, Bradley definitely took a shine to the little guy and wanted to pet, touch and play with it.

After lunch in the yard, it was time to head for the beach.  We go to the closest one and it wasn't even really very busy.  It's across the street from the ice cream shop/fast food place I worked at for three summers.

Gettin' our feet in the water!

Oh, the water is fine and this is really fun!  (My niece)

Little cutie pie Bradley.  He decided he actually liked the sand and had a blast playing in it.

There was a guy roaming the beach selling cotton candy.  Grandpa had to buy some and, once he convinced Bradley to try it, there was no stopping the kid!  He is hooked.

Relaxing in the shade (trying not to burn!)

There was even a game of volleyball going on - Uncle Jay was using his coaching skills to show Xander how to play.  I think Xander had fun, too, until about ten or so other people joined them!

See?  Proof that he had fun in the sand.

The beach is so much nicer with a stylin' niece wandering around.  It was a great beach hat!

I think Jonathan might be a little Hawaiian boy at heart.  Here he is "surfing" on the flutter board.  He was trying to balance on the edge of this hole in the sand.

Later in the day there was supper from the Dairy Bar (so yummy!) and ice cream treats all around.

Grandma managed to come down after work, too.  Gotta have an evening snack, in your pj's, on the beach.  Why not?

There's nothing like small town entertainment!  The band wasn't half bad, but the lady in the red shirt at the keyboard was my high school English teacher.

The sky was beautiful that evening as the sun set across the lake.  Have I ever mentioned that there's no place I'd rather be than by the water?

Given that this is northern Saskatchewan, and it really doesn't get dark enough for fireworks until about 11 p.m., we had to kill time somehow.  Uncle Jay had an electronic game similar to "Headbandz" that kept us laughing and passing the time.

We're just about ready to go...the boats are all out on the lake, ready to take in the show from there and the glow sticks were clearly present.

This is one of the few fireworks shots I actually got as Bradley decided he didn't really like them and Uncle Jay wasn't good enough so I had to hold him most of the show.  It was half and hour long and a very good show.  Evan even enjoyed it once he got over his fear that they were going to fall on us.  After all, we were right underneath them and they were being shot off by the volunteer fire department (including my brother-in-law) just down the beach from us (in a fenced off area).

It was the perfect Canada Day and exactly what I had pictured when I envisioned taking my kids there to see it.  Even though the fireworks weren't over until 11:30 pm, they all had really good attitudes (even the baby who'd only had a short nap in the stroller all afternoon!).  What more could we want?

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

Until next time...