Willey Year in Review 1999 (Part 2)

The Willey Year in Review (1999 Part 2)

[Previous Year] [January to March] [July to September] [October to December]

April

This month started with a quick trip to Ste. Béatrix to visit Danielle's parents and to help with the collection of maple sap. A treat this year was making the rounds on snow shoes...the old fashioned way. It was a lot of fun and the result of our effort was delicious.

The skis were finally put away for the season and thoughts turned to the summer soccer season. Registration for me was held on the 17th. The league got organized late this year and the registration was not well advertized. As a result there were fewer registrants, only enough for six teams.

Work and school continued like usual and the rest of the month was fairly quiet.

May

On the 6th, Christopher attended a Forum Jeunesse on violence organized by the various French school boards. About 10,000 kids descended on the Corel Centre to hear speakers talk about subjects such as bullying.

The second week of May is "birthday central". First is my niece Marie-Julie's on the 12th, David's (Danielle's son) on the 13th, my nephew Stephen's on the 14th and my brother Don's on the 16th.

Christopher and I attended David's school circus "le Cirque du Cartier". The grade 6 class at his school presented a variety of circus acts that they had been practicing all year. David performed on a unicycle. The kids were great.

Mediaeval Wedding - Adults Mediaeval Wedding - Children

The weekend of the 22nd we all participated in a mediaeval themed wedding for Danielle's cousin Chantal and her fiancé Jean-Pierre. The ceremony took place at a "faux" chateau on Lake Champlain south of Montréal right on the border with Vermont. All of the guests with few exceptions wore mediaeval costumes. The atmosphere was wonderful. Chantal and Jean-Pierre hired musicians and an acting troupe to entertain in mediaeval style.

Fort Lennox Barracks The next day we drove back to Ottawa but first stopped at Fort Lennox on Ile-aux-Noix, a few kilometres north of Lacolle. The Fort was built in the early 1800's as a defence against possible American attack. The Fort is well preserved and the guided visit is very informative. The barracks are arranged as they would have been at the time adding to the atmosphere.

June

On the 2nd I attended the second Cumberland Parks, Recreation and Culture committee meeting.

The final Orpheus production of the 1998-99 season was the musical presentation of the famous Canadian classic, Anne of Green Gables, which we saw on the 12th. Once again, Orpheus provided us with an evening of great entertainment at a reasonable cost.

Christopher went to Montréal with his mom to see the Canadian Grand Prix. In the end, he did not to go. Instead, he spent a wonderful time with his cousins swimming in the pool and enjoying the warm weather.

The year-end school outing this year was Montréal's La Ronde amusement park. The students were given the hard choice of staying in school or going to the park...duh. Freedom (as Christopher would call it) took place on the 24th when school finished for the year.

Continued on next page.