Two Day Weekend Adventure.

Our Location today is Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.

Saturday turned into a long tiring but fun day. We were up by 7:30 so we could make it to Fort Erie early enough to find parking close to the fort and to be there early enough to see all the re-enactments of the day. By the time we had finished breakfast the skies were starting to cloud up. Kathy and I have been through wet outings like this with the boys before. So we immediately packed the backpack with our rain ponchos and extra bottles of water.

English Union Jack flying high during morning Skirmishes

Shortly after leaving the trailer the skies opened up and everything turned to a dull grey. By the time we arrived at Fort Erie the sky started to have a mixture of sunny blue with the darker clouds. The temperature was not expected to break the 70 F (21 C) mark. All available parking lots were filled to capacity with vehicles of all those participating in the re-enactment. We lucked out finding a spot on the shoulder of the road almost across the street. By ten we had secured our tickets for the day and were able to get to the sidelines for the first skirmish of the day. It was fantastic.

American Flag on a Canadian Landmark

By noon we managed to get a decent lunch right at the snack-bar on sight. We stayed for a few more of the battles and skirmishes & decided to forego some of the demonstrations of the afternoon for the comfort of our trailer. This was done because Tyler who seemed to be under the weather was showing signs of a major cold. Grandma decided to pamper him a bit to get him feeling better.  Upon reaching the trailer it was decided that we all needed a nap to off-set our early morning wakeup and hopefully Tyler would be a bit more comfortable for the evening Lantern walk.  We normally never take an afternoon nap but we did on Saturday. Everyone awoke feeling refreshed and ready to go.

 

We ate supper around 6:00 and at Tyler’s urging headed back to the fort because he didn’t want to miss the major battle of the day and the phyrotecnics. By 7:15 the closest we could park was two blocks into a nearby subdivision. On schedule the players started moving onto the battlefield as the narrator on the public address system interpreted what was taking place for the onlookers. It was very realistic and fun to watch how much they put into it. It is wonderful that we could have the boys with us to experience this re-enactment.

It was like the weather did not want to miss out on the bicentennial on this date. As the battle waged on just before the sun went down the rain made its appearance the same as the night of the actual battle. Seeing the end of the battle was only just the start of the night.

People poured into the administration building for more snacks and to purchase their tickets for the Lantern Walk. After 10:00 people were taken in groups of ten through the fort to see the chaos that would have taken place after such a battle. Thinking back of how things have changed in the medical field in the last 50 years is easy because I have witnessed it; but seeing what it was like 200 years ago left me wondering how anyone ever survived. The lantern walk was phenomenal and really worth taking part in. It was very realistic and quite an eye opener. It definitely completed the total outlook of the war of 1812.

Surgeon attending Wounded Soldier

I had Kathy keep the boys dry while I went and retrieved the truck and picked them up at the door of the building. The weather only got worse on the way home so everyone on the highway was driving at a crawl with their four-way flashers on as the heavy rain fell. We finally got to the trailer on time to get to bed for midnight.

Inside Museum at Fort Erie

Sunday we all slept in until after 8:30 but were out the door within the hour. We headed to the Niagara Falls Butterfly Conservatory. It was amazing walking among so many different species of butterflies we were all feeling so much at ease that before we knew it a little over two hours had passed and our stomachs were telling us it was time to eat.

We made a change to our plans and headed downtown for lunch. The boys were in the mood for pizza and instead of ordering a whole pizza we figured it would be better by the slice. Wrong! We ate at Pizza-Pizza and you had to buy a package deal which cost us more and tasted terrible. Not a good choice but who knew!

We crossed the street because the boys wanted to see Ripley’s Believe it or Not. As we entered the gift shop after having spent another couple of hours inside because of the boy’s curiosity we were shocked that it was raining as hard as Saturday Night. Once the rain ended the streets were packed as usual and after a bit of keepsake shopping we headed back to the trailer for supper.

Because of the weather we changed our plans today so we’ll have to change our plans for tomorrow. So drop in tomorrow to see what we do next.

That also means that it is only 134 days until Christmas. Thanks for following our adventures. Be Safe and Enjoy!

It’s about time.

P.S. Due to poor WiFi connection

I have been unable to upload any

pictures for the last two hours.
Pictures added August 15th.

Krackers

You might be a Redneck if

You turn on the air conditioner to drown out your wife.