I love traditions. It makes me look forward to the holiday. Don't get me wrong, I love breaks in tradition too. Last year we went and spent time with K in her city for Canada day. That was quite the adventure. While there during torrential rain, her basement suite started flooding out while we had made a pit stop there to change her clothes. Talk about breaking tradition. We spent the rest of the day in a panic trying to save her stuff and then trying to find somewhere to store it all while she tried to find somewhere to stay. Yikes. That is one activity we will not be making a tradition of in any way shape or form. Visiting her we will do, just not gonna do the flood thing. Nope.
This year Hubby and I did one of the things we love to do on Canada Day and that is bike ride. Now that the kids are grown and are working or doing their own thing, we've made a me and him tradition of Canada Day. If the young adults are around and want to join in they can. If not, we're on a date!
I'm not much one for the huge crowds or the busyness of the activities at the lake or downtown. I'm more about the relaxing and the get out and enjoy nature kind of gal. We go biking early in the day before it gets too hot. The weather was perfect. Cloudy and sunny so we got nice warmth and then some cooling while the sun hid behind a cloud and then back to sun again. We rode for miles to some of our favorite areas in town. Then we go to a favourite Starbucks that has an outdoor patio and cool off with something cold and icy. Though that is getting tougher as Hubby is totally and pretty much permanently off sugary stuff and I've been off for a month. I'm not doing it permanently or to the level he is. I do like a sweet once in awhile. But I had to get control of how often I was having that sweet. It was turning into a landslide with me. But going to Starbucks made me realize how very few things there are that one can order that doesn't have a boat load of sugar in them. And we don't do the artificial sweetner stuff so that really limits us. But anyway, back on topic, we went there and enjoyed the patio and a cold drink. After Starbucks we always go into the grocery store next to it and get stuff to grill. By the time we get home, set the table and prep the sides we are so ready for some yummy food straight off the bbq. Then the rest of the day we just relax. My choice always being a good book. And I finished a great read which I will review this weekend.
I opted out of going to the fireworks this year. I was just too tired. They don't get going until after 11 p.m. so I wouldn't be in bed until at least midnight. And I work the next day. We are close enough to the lake that I get a fairly decent view out my front window. The trees only block the lower ones. So I stood in the dark by myself and enjoyed them. Then this morning I'm hearing from everyone that they were the best in a long time so now I'm kicking myself for not just going to the lake to watch them. I didn't get to sleep any earlier because of the crazy traffic on our street afterwards as it is a main road that lots of people use to get to the lake. Hmmmph. Next year I will not break with tradition on this one!
And not one picture do I have to show for the wonderful day. I just lived in the moment of it instead of on the peripheral being the camera man. And you know what? I liked it that way!
(from a couple of years ago)
5 comments:
It sounds like a lovely day! Glad not to have a repeat of the flooding, though!
it sounds like you had a most wonderful day! our tradition for the 4th of July was always to camp for the week or long weekend depending on when the 4th fell. we camped each year from 1991-2001 going to different NYS parks/lakes or Cape cod. of course our first 4th as a married couple was spent on Aruba! after claire was 2 we started going to either the family beach house for a long weekend or stayed home and did day trips ending in fireworks. almost always our trips included swimming, biking, and inthese later years, kayaking. a couple of times in the last few years we have stayed home and just relaxed and then had early bbq followed by the minor league baseball team for albany ( the valley cats) and stayed for fireworks afterwards. this year will be a break from tradition. dave and I will be on cape cod and claire will be with his parents. courtney is staying home and then joining us next week after picking up her lil sis from grandparents. it should be interesting to see if we like these changes!!
Sounds like you had a wonderful traditional day!
We usually have people over for a barbecue and I like to decorate with lots of red-white-an blue!
What a perfect day! Happy Canada Day!! I think we may have to take on your tradition. I always get stuck hosting the bbq at my house, and it is just so much work that I don't really enjoy the day.
You will get a kick out of this. We are South Carolinians, and a few years ago we took an anniversary trip to the Pacific Northwest - Washington State, Idaho, Glacier National Park, and then on up into Canada to Waterton Lakes and northward. (Great trip.) Well, we planned for the trip to be done by July 4, to avoid the crowds. So we drove through Banff National Park in Alberta on . . . July 1. Needless to say, we have never since forgotten the date of Canada Day!!!
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