CNE 2015

Yesterday Neal and I visited the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition).  It's known to most as the fair at the end of the summer.  The last gasp of summer before school starts.  This year I won a ticket from work to go.  We like to go through all of the buildings (Food Building, Better Living/Farm Building, Enercare/marketplace building).  We're not a big fan of rides mind you.  Although this year we had a free ticket to go on the Skyride.  It's a cable car that goes from one end of the fair to the other.  I was a little scared because we were up so high but Neal was having a blast.  It saved our feet not having to walk so far.  They also had a free tram to take you to various stops around the fair.  This saved on having to walk too far as well.

The part that I was really looking forward to the most, was seeing Chef Michael Smith.  He's one of my favourite Chefs from the Food Network.  He's from PEI.  We went to his show and it was so much fun.  He really is a funny guy.  He showed us how to make two very easy dishes.  He even interacted with the kids in the audience.  His message was to cook from scratch and not to use processed food.  He really does make a lot of sense.

After the show we visited the Farm Building and saw the animals.  The Alpacas were very cute.  The building was very warm and it was funny to see all of the alpacas in front of a big fan, their fur flying in the breeze.  They seem like very intelligent creatures.  There was one looking right at us.  You could see him checking out each person standing at the fence.  It was almost like the rolls were reversed and we were on display for the animals.  We also saw horses, cows, pigs, chickens and sheep.  It was very interesting and we even did some farm trivia.  I won a magnet.

Ok I've saved the best building for last.....the food building.  They had some pretty weird creations to try this year.  They had deep fried Oreo cookies, deep fried chocolate bars,  deep fried cheese cake, and various types of burgers and every other kind of food under the sun.  Personally I'm not into eating food that could kill me or harden my arteries.  Actually, I didn't see too many people eating that kind of stuff.  Maybe a few tried it as a dare or out of curiosity.  There was every kind of food under the sun.  If you couldn't find something to eat, you weren't trying hard enough.

Well, all in all it was a great year at the CNE and we had a great time!!!  Each year it's a little bit different but always fun.  The weather co-operated and thankfully there was no rain and it wasn't too hot.  Until next year, signing off from the CNE.

Our Trip To Niagara-On-The-Lake And Niagara Falls

 Today Neal and I have a wonderful day off from work.  We set out this morning for Niagara-On-The-Lake.  It was a beautiful day for the trip.  Walking down the street we met George Bernard Shaw.  He's the playwright who wrote most of the plays that are shown in the theatre across the street.

 There was a reason I wanted to go to this awesome ice cream shop called Cows, and it wasn't for the ice cream.  I wanted a T-shirt of Dr. Moo.  Actually it's the shirt right behind Neal.

 Of course no adventure would be complete without a walk down to the lake.  It was so calm and peaceful down there.

 Across the way you can see the American Fort. 

 Here's our shadow on the sand.

 Now we are on our way to Niagara Falls.

 If you go to Niagara Falls, do not ever go on the weekend.  It was even crowded during the week.  Another thing not to do is pay the tourist tax.  It goes by many names depending on who's charging the tax.  You are within your rights not to pay that fee.  If you ask to have it removed from the bill they must remove it.  It's actually voluntary and they are suppose to tell you as much.  But they don't.  There was a segment on the TV show Marketplace that talked about it.  Everyone should have this fee removed from your bill.  It's a scam!

 We found the Hershey's store.  Free chocolate!!!  Yes there was free chocolate if you fill out a survey.  YUM!!!!

Lake Wilcox A Beautiful Day On The Water

 Today was a beautiful day up at Lake Wilcox.  The temperature was really hot and the lake water very warm.  Neal and I set out for a paddle (stand up paddleboard and kayak).  We both had a great time exploring the lake.

Afterwards, we got an ice cream from the truck and took a walk to see some of the other parts of this newly renovated park.  The city has taken to fixing it up and putting all kinds of art installations.  There are various birds and animals and then this really cool tree.

 

 Here is a short history of the lake.

If you look really closely you can see a face carved into this tree.  It was very cool!