WEDNESDAY, July 8th - what a busy week it's been now that summer is finally here!

It seems that with July 1st, Mother Nature decided we could have some summer, and the weather has been beautiful ever since.

Canada Day dawned lovely and sunny and we said "What a great day to host a BBQ"
Lloyd had worked very hard the day before cleaning everything up, moving everything out of the way, putting sheets up to cover the clutter and building tables for sitting at. He put in a huge amount of work to get ready. We spent part of the morning putting together the big tent, but in the end, it really didn't get used that much. Everyone pretty much sat in the garage.

Ready for a party

We had approximately 20+  people in total and I think a great time was had by all. Several people contributed salads to the feast and we had a great meal. After we ate, we did some Canadian Trivia and we were a little embarrassed that the winning team was comprised mainly of folks who didn't actually go to school in Canada. But a fun time seems to have been had anyway. After trivia, we were entertained by neighbour Margie and her guitar.A really nice touch was when Margie asked us all to join in singing O Canada. As the song progressed, people stood up and hats were taken off. It was a really fitting tribute to the day.   The new Margaritaville Frozen Drink Maker was also a huge success. At the end of the night, Lloyd and I sat down and determined that the day had been a success.

Unfortunately for him, the next day was a work day for me and he ended up doing all of the clean up by himself. The good news is next year Canada Day lands on a Saturday so I should be able to help the day after.

Things were quiet for a day then Meghan arrived on Friday afternoon. It was a little touch and go for a while due to a labour dispute at Pearson, but fortunately her flight left on time. There was a bit of a delay once the flight got here, but it all worked out in the end. We picked up some lobsters on the  way home and enjoyed those for supper. She arrived just in time before lobster season ended for the year.

After supper we visited Margie and Brenda then came home and watched some TV together, while we enjoyed a non alcoholic Strawberry Daiquiri.

Clowning around on the waterfront

Saturday morning we headed into town and visited the Farmer's Market, then went down to the waterfront. We strolled along the streets and along Peakes Quay, before embarking on a land and sea voyage on the Harbour Hippo.

Our tour guide on the Hippo

It was lots of fun and we learned quite a bit about the city and it's history.  On our way around the harbour, we passed the HMCS Charlottetown, that was docked in port for the weekend. It was open for tours and I'm sure James would have really enjoyed that.

HMCS Charlottetown

After finishing our tour, we headed home to see if Lloyd was up from his nap. We had some lunch then headed over to Montague for the  Divercity Festival.  It was very entertaining and we enjoyed some different food along the way.  We were all tired when we got home so it was a quiet evening. Lloyd made supper and afterwards Meg and I went over to Lakeside and took a walk on the beach. It was a beautiful evening and the sunset on the water was lovely.

It was off to bed fairly early as we knew we had a busy day ahead of us. Sunday morning Lloyd was already gone for his bike ride by the time Meg and I woke up,

We packed up all our stuff and headed for Souris. It was overcast and a bit cool, so perfect for working. Things were well underway by the time we got there, after a brief stop at Tim's for some breakfast.

We found Rika, who is in charge of volunteers and she advised that she had put Meghan and I in the dessert tent so we could work together. It was a perfect spot. There was lots to keep us busy and she helped put desserts together for a while, then we put her out front to punch tickets and pass out desserts.

When all the festivities were over, the announcement came, that it was time for the volunteers to eat - just what Meg had been waiting for. The pizza we had at lunch had worn off after several hours!

We enjoyed a great meal, then helped out a bit cleaning up, before it was time to go home.

Meghan had gotten what she came for - a photo opp with the tall Chef and a chance to chat  and share with him the photo of their previous meeting. All in all, a long and tiring, but fun day. She says she would like to come back again to volunteer.

Monday was kind of a low key day for her and Lloyd. I headed off to work in the morning and they headed out on the motorcycle to Peakes for breakfast. Apparently it was her first bike ride and by all accounts it was a resounding success. She loved it!   They even made their way into town and stopped into the dealership to say hello.

Meg spent the afternoon packing her bags and getting ready to go out for supper. I met up with them downtown on Victoria Row where she chose John Brown's for our dining spot. We ordered four appetizers and shared them all as well as a dessert.

We were all quite full by the time we were finished.  Lloyd headed home and Meg and I walked over to the Confed Centre. We had tickets for Anne of Green Gables - The Musical. I'd seen it last year and I just knew she would enjoy it, which she totally did. By the time we got home, Lloyd was having a coffee, as he prepared to go off to work.

After a good nights sleep, Meg and I were up and dressed and on our way into town. She spent the better part of the morning at the mall and arrived back in time for me to drive her over to the airport. She arrived in Toronto shortly after her mom landed from Paris so it all worked out. It was a busy week but I think she had a good time - I know we really enjoyed having her.