Canada Day at the cottage

For many years, I would head to Parliament Hill for Canada Day. All day entertainment and an eclectic mix of people, with the day culminating with an amazing fireworks display. These days, I can’t imagine not going to the cottage. There, it’s a much different scene. Most of the day, we just hang out — on the dock, on the deck, in the meadow. If it gets too hot, just jump in the lake.

This year, for the first time in a long time, we headed to Hatley for the Canada Day parade. Our destination was less than 10 km away, so it seemed reasonable that leaving at 10:30 would give us plenty of time to get there for the 11:00 start of the parade. I mean, how busy could it be? Very busy, as it turns out. The parade has been held for about 100 years and, apparently, is the largest Canada Day parade in Quebec outside of Montreal – that saying a lot for a town of about 800 people.

After turning on the main road into town, we were still about 4 km away when traffic came to a dead stop. We crawled along for the next 45 minutes, finally coming to a point where people were parking along the side of the road. We joined the crowd and still had about a kilometer to walk before reaching Main Street, just as the last of the parade went by. Bummer.

The good news is that the parade is not the only thing going on in Hatley on Canada Day. On the village green, there is an assortment of entertainment, food, vintage cars, games, horses and more. The funny thing is that it looks the same as it did when I was 12 years old (probably the last time I attended the parade).

It was a good day, with lots of walking — a well-needed break from laying about. Next year, we may have to come again but we’ll know to leave a little earlier!