I Can

At Nara's request, my mission was to take a lot of pictures possibly a video of Josée wedding. Loaded with recharged batteries and the camera in my purse, off we went to the Best Western in Cornwall a 20 minutes drive from our home.

Upon arriving, Melissa spotted us coming in under the beautiful arch and came running towards us. What a welcome this was. Then Josée came over along with Kalyn. I will post pictures of how the evening progressed.
You cannot go to a wedding and not dance. That is not in my book. But before we had a chance to dance, the newlyweds had to have the first dance.
Here are more pictures.
and more pictures
Then Josée's mom and grandma were just coming in when I decided to take a picture of the two of them.
Then, it was our turn to take to the dance floor and start having fun of our own. Being on this special mission for Nara, I had to also presume what NARA would have done haha.

This also of the group together. I couldn't resist but ask if I could take a group photo.
Everything was well thought off. There was a sense of harmony and balance with the choice of decor that Josée selected. The table of honor is a good representation of that but also every guest invited to the wedding had a white covered chair which to my opinion is very classic and elegant.More to the beautiful decor at the entrance done on both side of the arch. This one is on the right when you come in.


And this one from the left.






















Near the end of the evening, here is what we could indulge in having. A chocolate fountain fondue and coffee.And to finish, here are pictures of the two culprits on that special mission on Saturday night at 9:30. Deliveries were transferred to the other side of the world. Went to bed at 2:00 in the morning.

Like Phil Keoghan says in his book entitled "NOW", that you have at times to take a leap of faith, face your fear, shed your inhibitions and tests your limits, it stays in the back of your mind you know for the future. He's also the popular host of The Amazing Race. Well, nothing unusual was planned for our Saturday errands. We mailed parcels and just before lunch, Dave picked up a flyer at the grocery store to see what event was on this weekend. The Massena Air Show was on so he wanted to check this out.

We went to the bank first and up above we spotted a war plane. How strange to see such a plane in our quiet sky. We knew then that we had to hurry if we didn't want to miss anything. Directions were given and it was then easy to locate the airport. As we approached, that same war plane was landing. It's not something I was crazy about to see but sometimes you have to be opened to adventures and then you never know.

For a quick lunch, we had hamburgers, salt potatoes which wasn't to dream off - pretty plain - like no attention to heating the buns even. Better not spend my energy to describe this meal hahaha.

The B-24 bomber was quite a huge airplane. Bigger than I expected. But we had to pay if we wanted to go inside it along with another war plane. We were not interested to view it but were instead listening to what else we could also experiment. There were rides that we could pay for to fly in a Cessena or a Bell helicopter. That was more like it. We didn't mind to pay for an adventure like this one. To fly in an helicopter was always something I wanted to do since we were living in Montreal. It was at the back of my mind. When I told Dave what has been on my mind for the longest time, he asked if I wanted to go. I didn't hesitate.
That's right, there are NO DOORS. Thanks goodness the organizer asked if I wanted someone else to come along to which I agree. Leonardo, the other passenger and I were allowed to be seated near the tarmack to wait for our turn. The pilot, to my great surprise, is a young woman of Nara's age. Just a quick flash ran in my mind of how secure is it going to be but then the adventure was too tempting then to nourish such a thought. I had faith. And I also knew that I wanted to be seated in the middle, not near the...... well .... door? hahaha. Leonardo had no choice.

My only disappointment is not having my camera. When I bring it, nothing interesting is happening and when I don't, there's fun things to do or see. Boy did I regret not having it with me to film our flight...... At one point when this beautiful pilot slanted the helicopter to the right in order to turn, did I wanted to hold on to this stranger's arm and then to his seat belt. Hahaha I related to him afterwards with Dave, of course with a vivid imagination the fact that if I would have been more scared, to hold on to his seat belt I could have unbuckled it.

We flew over Massena, near the river in a big circle and finally back again to the base. The flight took approximately 10 minutes. A dream come true. Something to cross off my wanting-to-do-list. When Winston heard of my adventure, he also wanted to go Sunday morning. It rained all day and my second chance of filming is no more but the memory of it is vivid and the personal growth even better.

Welcome to Canada's oldest annual fair. This year mark its 195th opening and it goes on for three days.
The usual fair entries of sewing, knitting, crafts, and baking will be displayed in the Exhibit Hall building and the best will have big red ribbons and will also be put into the special display booth at the entrance. Here are pictures.

Exhibits were fun to see while checking on my list what not to miss as I could hear music from the center stage which appealed to me. It is of course jazz drawing me outside for a better look.
This fair has entertainment for everyone from the Glengarry 4-H Dairy Show to the Eastern Ontario Horse Pull, English Horse and Pony Show, and for dog lovers, the K-9 Agility Demo to name but a few.

Here is what I have captured of the "before" of the olden days and the "after" which is now.

What progress! But it was interesting to see and compare even the luxurious air-conditioning machinery of today which also includes radio and all the modern technology. I wouldn't be surprise that there would be phones on board.
One popular attraction is this wagon ride that can take people from one side of the fair to the other. Young and old come on board and sits for sometime two rounds. I wanted to go along at one point but got distracted and never had a chance this year to do so. I know that if I would have done that, I wouldn't have missed the K-9 Agility demo two years in a row. They change their location and it never registered in my mind to ask.




Where I went instead is the petting zoo. I was so busy adjusting my camera that I came face to face with a lama. Almost hit his head too hahaha.






That's the one all right. He had his head out quite far.








I just couldn't resist taking this shot. All sleeping.

And these two following the leader it seems.

Memories of the fair are made by observing people's happiness in little things. Like when I decided to follow my ears to the next Pine Stage Show which was on since early morning at 10:00 and went on until 11:00 that night. The Talent Contest was for $1,000.00, followed during the day with the Karaoke Funfest $600.00 prizes. People could bring their pets with them as some of them were there for the K-9 Agility demo.






These dogs can stay still and listen to music. Osker would have been sniffing around looking for food everywhere. That's what he did when we took him for a night walk to the fair.





A friend of ours Onagh lost her little dog in June. While visiting a friend at a cottage, they came across a little dog that was all caked up with mud and very tiny. They pick it up and ask around many cottages if this dog belong to anyone. She was taken to a vet for care and if no one claimed her that it would be Onagh's dog. So it is that this cute, good tempered dog name Happy has a new home with Onagh.



The new attraction this year that has been added to the fair is the Little Ray's Reptile Zoo. To eliminate my fear of snakes, I decided to touch one and pet it also. I wouldn't have gone that far of having this around my neck but in my hands would have been okay.















A skunk can live 20 years. It is very friendly and follows her master around everywhere. I also petted this one. The fur is very soft and silky.




Now, this is why the line up on saturday night starts at 8:00. To eat fresh peaches and cream corn on the cob. As many as you want to eat. Dad is approving of his first one which is steaming hot dotted with butter and salt hmmmm.





And on that Saturday night, we met one of Nara's friend Candice and her husband.










Sunday, being the last day of the fair, I was looking for Dave to buy an ice cream cone on this warm afternoon when I came across Tom Welch and his daughter along with her boyfriend. Tom helps Dave with his mailing on Friday afternoon.







As Williamstown fair was going to a close with the last performance, I came across this lady who was holding this little pup in a blanket. This little 8 weeks old cocker spaniel was just adorable. Singing with the music which was so funny. This is the last person I saw that came to the fair for happiness as she was going home with this little dog to show her husband who doesn't know the surprise awaiting him hahaha. Let's hope he's not a moron.

And in closing, this is the last picture of the fair that still had a pulse. I hate when the fun is over.
Booohoooo!!!!!

Day 1: Friday, August 4th

The opening ceremony always starts with skydivers coming down with the flag of their country along with their anthem and land directly in the center of the fairgrounds.
You have to arrive early if you want to take good pictures as the crowd gets bigger and bigger. Here you see spectators watching the first Pipe Band who will compete later on for The North American Pipe Band Championships which will take place on saturday.
Every group meets at different location in order to practice their tune and also to discuss their entrance to the fairgrounds where the spectators are awaiting their arrival. And it is also a time to relax before the competition, if they can relax that is. I've heard from a piper who was in the band for 30 years that at the end of the day they are really tired and especially having sore feet.

And I also had a chance to meet people from Williamstown along with Nara's dancing partner standing on the right.


It was fun to meet people from our hometown and chat a bit before later on heading for dancing and music in the beer tent. It will be Dave and I first time to stay and enjoy the music until almost closing time as I wanted to send videos and pictures to Nara. I danced the 2 steps which was fun to do. I can see why Nara enjoyed it so much. Here is the picture of the meeting spot for that evening where so many people will be meeting and of course the policemen will also be in full force.
Here are the three policemen heading for that white beer tent while discussing their scheme on where to observe the crowd for any kind of disturbance. It was a very memorable night and not feeling tired whatsoever. Hahaha we felt like we were teenagers again. Dancing is a very good exercise.







Day 2: Now, the big day has arrived for the Pipe Band Championships which include over 50 bands, to march for Drum Majors Competition.














It was quite a site to see all these bands walking and playing the same tune right to the centre of the fairground.

And of course, people can spend their day visiting booths to buy souvenirs, eat the usual hamburgers, fries, meet people they haven't seen for a while and if you walk long enough, here is what you can encounter.Yep, hahaha Santa himself, being spied upon while he's purchasing some jewelry. As you can see, you can never tell when you turn a corner what you may see or come across. Also, my favorite food I have fond memories of and I want to duplicate soon is the following:
Delicious bananas, apples, peaches and strawberries served with a hot chocolate fondue. That was the exception I made that day for my lunch. Dessert first and a hamburger two hours later. And I don't regret it either.









As the last day of this memorable, weekend was coming to a close, these RCMP's were very popular by everyone. They took their time to talk to people, let the children pet these beautiful horses which added a nice touch to what the games are all about. People meeting people.

It's the first time I must say that I really enjoyed being at the Highland Games. What made the difference this year is that I had a mission. To capture for Nara what it is like here and also to dance because she would have danced also. From being creative for her in taking pictures and videos, I have also gained valuable memories that I will treasure.

In closing this blog, here is a picture of the closing ceremonies including Massed Bands and presentation of prizes to winning bands.The End. Stay tune for the next episode of this time the 195th Williamstown Fair.