July 1st, Canada Day, to mark the country's 150st anniversary since Confederation, was not welcomed by auspicious weather. All night rain the night before, following on months of incessant rain, made for a pretty damp atmosphere. People were showing up on Parliament Hill from 5:30 a.m., some from as far away as Manitoba, to witness the official entertainment staged by the federal government to help its citizens celebrate that milestone in history.

And because of the justified concerns over the threat of terrorism possibly planning to strike where great numbers of people tend to congregate, security was tight. So tight that would-be celebrants waited, drenched, for hours in impossibly long line-ups to be able to enter the Parliamentary precinct to take part in the festivities up close and personal.

We had done that many years ago when our children were young, when we first moved to the nation's capital. Security decades ago was not much of a concern. We enjoyed, to an extent, mingling with the crowds and watching the entertainment as some of Canada's then-most-popular entertainers, from opera to concert to pop and comic, took turns adding to the glamour and fun of the day.

Soon after breakfast, when the pouring rain seemed to hesitate, we dressed our puppies and ourselves in rain gear and set off for the ravine for our daily hike. It was drizzling by then, but lightly, and we were covered by a canopy which, albeit sopping, kept us relatively dry. We heard small squadrons of jets roaring overhead from time to time. An hour later as we exited our circuit, we prepared to drive to a small Ottawa-Valley town, for their annual antique show.

As we drove along the highway for the hour's drive to Perth, it was hard not to notice the presence of viper's buglos flowering in drenched abandon; though drenched, the spires of blue flowers stood erect and plentiful. On our return journey, we passed a completely bare-of-bark dead tree beside the highway and as we drove past, caught a fleeting glimpse of a pair of eagles perched on top.

The venue had changed this year, to the Civitan Club building from the Legion hall where it had for years been held, close by the Tay River. As we passed that site, we saw hundreds of people lining the Tay River for a Canada Day regatta. As usual there were booths set up outside at the new site, for the overflow dealers in collectibles and antiques. Since it had briefly stopped raining at that point, we reconnoitered the exterior before entering the building. Mostly country stuff, once of much greater interest to us.

Everyone is friendly, open and courteous, a hallmark of the bucolic setting and the type of people who tend to live in those environments. We wandered along, our two little black imps settled into their carry bags slung over our shoulders, peering at the offerings at the various stalls. Seeing items of interest and of particular interest those items with some historical background.

Just as interesting as attending such a show to scrutinize the wares and familiarize ourselves with what happens to be available for a price to the enterprising collector, is the sight, driving down the town's streets, of old stone and buff-brick homes of truly majestic architectural appearance. The pride taken in the upkeep of these century homes is obvious, and to my delight the colourful presence of gardens augmented the grand appearance of these buildings.