canada day report

Saturday was fun. :-) Allison, John, Jodi, James, Paul, Rand and Tanya came to visit for lunch. I showed them my harp, fed them sandwiches, we hung around and talked. Jeff had other plans that evening, so we said good-bye before taking off for Center Island and Canada Day Festivities.

The island was pretty crowded, but we eventually made our way to the quieter side and settled on a long strip of beach as evening approached. We gathered firewood, started a bonfire, roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Orange smudges appeared all along the beach in the darkness as others started bonfires as well; from time to time some would come to admire our fire (which was the Best, of course) and ask to borrow John's lighter or part of our fire to start their own. We used a cellphone to call Beckett, who had been unable to accompany Paul on this trip...we missed her!

Later that night, Allison pulled handfuls of sparklers out of her knapsack and passed them out. We waved them around, jumping like children as we danced around the fire, grinning at each other through sparks and smoke. Afterwards we settled down around our bonfire, huddled together for warmth, to watch the skies explode with the Benson & Hedge's Symphony of Fire (Australia was hosting that night's display).

I will never forget the images of that particular evening: bonfires scattered in the night, fireworks pinwheeling across the sky, firelight flickering across the faces of my friends.