I took part of yesterday off to enjoy some of the Canada Day activities that were within walking or cycling distance of where I live. First I had a late breakfast at the Beaconsfield Yacht Club, where I leisurely sketched the aftermath of my meal while drinking hot tea. I also sketched a few of the people and activities around me, like the sailing instructor grilling hot dogs and hamburgers for his students.
The weather hasn’t been all that participatory lately with outdoor activities, but we were fortunate to have a break from the rain for most of the day. But at 6 p.m., just as the village parade was starting, so did the rain. And it got progressively heavier as the parade itself progressed. As the parade ended, it began to pour. People scattered for shelter under building porches and eaves, hoping to wait out the deluge. I had an umbrella so walked home, but it poured for a good 45 minutes or so. Later in the evening, the weather calmed down so that the festival in the park could continue and a fireworks display at 10 p.m., which I walked down to the waterfront to see.
Below are some video that I took of the parade. Twice you can hear someone trying to give me a small Canadian flag but I had no free hand to take one as I was balancing my umbrella and the video camera. I particularly like the guy at the end of the second video, hamming it up. His shirt says, “I’m not only perfect, I’m Canadian too!”
Warning: Lengthy, of so-so quality, full of loud sirens, horns–and bagpipers…. and fairly boring. : )
Guess who got married again, for the 4th time!? Yes, it’s Hildy! She snagged her herself another rooster and they made it official last weekend! The above photo was snapped after the “I do’s”. Beatrice is scowling because she was had initially worn a lovely floral & silk outfit, but Hildy pulled her, “I’m the bride!” and all and forced her to wear the unflattering ensemble you see above, poor dear.
I have a little time on my hands so I’m messing around with different medium and style, using the IF theme. Medium: Digital pencil with digital watercolors and pastels.
I almost missed this Thursday evening, thinking all the summer park concerts weren’t starting until next week. It would have upset me to have missed Sagapool, a band I happened upon last summer at the Montreal Jazz Festival. They were going by the name “Manouche” then, and true to that name, play a form of music that sounds like gypsy jazz a la Django Reinhardt. It’s like listening to circus/carnival music (fun and energetic), though they did one slow piece that sounded a bit like a carny dirge. And as I try to do, I sketched a little as I listened. I also brought my video recorder and made a little clip of the event, below.
Our boat was never one to just be plopped into the water and ready to sail. Paul’s been working on wiring, electronics, the engine, etc., for weeks to get the boat prepared to be sailed comfortably. Only tonight did he get the last of the navigation lights working, which we tested out with a quicky evening sail. We could see some fireworks going off on parts of the island. June 24th is a major Quebec holiday so there is much going on this week and next (Canada Day) to celebrate. Anyway, I tried doing a quick sketch from the boat but it was dark and difficult to see what I was drawing. The photo was taken of the same scene I sketched about half an hour apart. I included a sunset photo. It’s beautiful from the water.
So says this hat (which I purchased last Saturday at a garage sale) on a large tag on the inside crown. It goes on to say that, “It is the best outdoor hat in the world.”
“It floats, ties on, repels rain and mildew, won’t shrink, and will be replaced free if it wears out. (Yes, put it in your will).”
“Ten-ounce, USA-treated cotton duck, solid British brass hardware, sewn with Canadian persnicketiness.”
Ya gotta love a hat with a sense of humor–er, humour (since I’m typing this north of the border)!
As I said above, this was one of several garage sale purchases from my outing last Saturday morning. I paid more than I wanted to for it but I know it’s a good hat and what it retails for. (We had just bought my husband a Tilley for sailing.) I’ve been on the look-out while garage sale-ing for extra hats of all kinds to stow on the boat. The seller was asking $20 and I couldn’t get him to budge at all on the price. If it hadn’t fit me, I would have walked away, but having a smaller-than-usual head, finding a hat like this that fits is rather rare. So I gave in. I gave him his $20 and walked off with my now #1 hat for sailing–or general outdoorsy stuff.
But back to the Tilley hat itself.
I had never heard of one until I moved to Canada. The Pointe Claire Village used to have a shop that carried Tilley-wear items. And a number of years ago I had found a Tilley purse at a garage sale ($2, y’all!) that I still use during the summer months here. I also have a garage sale-purchase hat that looks almost exactly like my ‘new’ Tilley, but the brim is larger/wider. It also has a tag inside that lauds it’s origins, calling itself
“The Original SCAUP Hat…Designed in 1945 (by our designer) for the Ceylon Postal Service, quickly snatched up by cricket players around the world and more recently popularized in Canada.”
This is also made by a Canadian company (Merganser Outdoor Clothing). I don’t know what all the hat tipping to the other hat company/companies is about. There seems there was no patent on the design. Interesting…sorta.
