Our Canada Day

A bit of an up and down Canada Day for us, mainly because I decided to try something new, which was a challenge for both the kids and Dave.  Traditionally, we've watched the fireworks from a spot near Canadian Tire Centre, which allowed us to return home quickly.  This year, I wanted to try finding a place closer to Walter Baker, where they are actually setting off the fireworks.

Aside from me, everyone else in my family believes change is evil.  There's a great deal of resistance to even minor changes like new sheets or rearranging furniture.  Even when we have clearly outgrown or outworn the current arrangements, fear of the unknown keeps the voting for the status quo.  So sometimes I have to pull the "you all have autism and so I'm overriding your vote" veto.

Nathan and I hit the local fair in the afternoon and managed a few rides before the rain shut things down.  One advantage about riding in the rain?  Almost zero lineups for the popular rides (assuming they're running).  We had a lot of fun even though we got soaked.

Alex went with my parents to see the downtown festivities, something they've been pushing to do since he was quite little.  My concern has always been the noise and crowds (which I find overwhelming myself) but we decided to go with it this year, since the Wednesday timing would leave things quieter than usual.  My other concern is the late return.  I've never made it back from downtown sooner than 1 am after staying for fireworks.  Going to the local show means that we are usually home and in bed before 11, which is important for therapy and work the next day.  Alex stayed over at my parents so that we didn't have to wait up for them.

Nathan, Dave and I returned to the fair before the fireworks and let Nathan run through the rest of our tickets.  He had a lot of fun going on the different rides and was even gracious when we discovered he was too tall for some favourites (like the bouncy castle and a couple of exploring displays).  Then we picked up some popcorn and cotton candy and found ourselves an acceptable location.

We needed something close by, without a lot of people in it and still relatively close to an exit point so that we could depart quickly if we needed to.  I think we found a very good spot although it was clear that both Dave and Nathan were anxious about the departure from tradition.  (Nathan kept insisting we needed to leave and go back to where we usually watch the fireworks.)  We got a great view and were still home by our usual time.

It will have been a short night's sleep for everyone, so I'm expecting cranky children and husband through the day.  That's always the price we pay for a little fun, but once a year, it's worth it.