Oh and also ahhhhh.
Sat. morning the 8:30 group moved our starting time back to
8 and the 7:30 to 7 and, to be frank, I didn't think there would be a huge
turnout. Much to my pleasant surprise, we had one of the biggest groups of the
summer so far.(see 8am group in photo above)
Phyllis brought red and white maple leaf scarves for all of
us - a delightful gesture (thanks Phyllis). We teased that we looked like a Girl Guide/Boy Scout troop - the mature
division. Identically neck-tied, we
stretched, groaned and set out east.
The waterfront was poetically beautiful, a layer of mist making it look like a Chinese
brush painting. As we walked, scenes emerged from the fog and then disappeared
behind us. As we passed the Palace Pier, a mother duck floated into our sight
with four tiny babies following her. It was all quite magical.
Just past Ontario Place we bumped into the earlier group
and, of course, stopped to chat. They told us we would be able to see the much
touted giant rubber ducky from the Music Garden.
On we went and sure enough,
there it was - 6 stories high and looking exactly like the iconic bathtub toy
on steroids.
Over breakfast there was much debate about whether the admittedly ridiculous thingy was 'worth
the money'. The general consensus was that, since it made us smile and would be
wonderful to see in the company of young children, why not eh?
 |
| Lake Ontario is a pretty large bathtub, says Rubber Ducky. |
The morning's combination of beauty, whimsy and good company
was, to me, a fitting way to celebrate our wonderful, diverse, imperfect but
striving to be better country. Happy Birthday Canada.
