The long weekend in cottage country offers so many different leisure opportunities that it is difficult to choose what to do. In Orillia there was the Rotary Funfest going on all weekend and Barrie was hosting Kempenfest. With the great weather we are having, doing anything on the waterfront is inviting and with the extended weekend we wanted to visit with some family and friends.

Yesterday we wanted to go to Kempenfest in Barrie but the traffic going into the city was so horrendous we decided to wait until today to explore the waterfront event. Kempenfest is an annual craft and music festival combined with a huge barbecue contest, which draws over 200,000 visitors to the area. We arrived there just after noon and the crowds were already gathering. Walking along the waterfront was comparable to driving north on the 400 Highway yesterday and between the throngs of festivalgoers and the heat, we were not keen to stay for long.

After a late lunch, early supper at Weber's Restaurant, we went over to visit our friends, Richard, Dana, Noah and Thomas St. Germain. We had been over to visit them for a while yesterday and we wanted to return to give them a couple of things we we had for them. Noah played with "Uncle Rick" giggling hysterically at his antics, which in turn caused us all to laugh. Since we first met Thomas in early July, we can see quite a difference in him, as he is now a little over three weeks old. The family is adjusting nicely to their latest addition and we had a great visit with them before heading back to our home in Orillia.