Sunday, August 30, 2015

CNE Time Again

The end of summer is nigh.  All the signs are there.  Back-to-school sales, planning for my upcoming FORTY-THIRD birthday (I am so old), and the Canadian National Exhibition.  As per tradition, I went with my aunt.  Since we are both crazy cat ladies, our first stop was the cat show.


Meow, I am a momma cat.  I'm hanging out in this small cage with my kittens.  I really wish that I could send them outside to play.


Mew!  I'm a kitten!  I want to pounce upon and bite all of the things!  What's that moving outside the cage?

Look to the left of the photo above to see the amazing markings on these cats, like leopard spots.  I'm sorry I didn't get a better photo of one of their beautiful coats.

Most of the cats were napping.  Typical.


My blankie is warm and fuzzy.  Snzzzzz.



After the cat show, we browsed the International Marketplace.  The "Magic Lantern" stall was quite enchanting.


We happened across an exhibit of vehicles and other military equipment from WWI.  Although it was interesting, I didn't take many photos because the light was terrible, and almost everything was khaki green on a khaki green background.  However, I did like this poster:


You can tell that this is sponsored by the federal government because the descriptive text is in both official languages, English and Français.

Then we went to the farm building.  The alpacas were adorable, as usual.


There was a momma Clydesdale with her four-month-old twin daughters, shown here flopped out on the straw:


A moment later, the babies got up and started grooming each other.  Cutie-pies!


We met a friendly cow.  Her name is Charlotte.  Here she is getting her neck skritchy-scratched by an admirer.


Yeah, that's the spot.  

When we had had our fill of furry creatures (and the aroma of their warm poop, which was being blown around the farm building abundantly by dozens of whirring fans), we headed off to the midway for ice-cream waffle sandwiches.  However, our plans were foiled by the end of a soccer game at BMO stadium that exact moment.  Approximately 30,000 red-shirted fans (that's the stadium's capacity) poured out into the fairgrounds.  The midway, which was just ahead of us, became so jammed with humans that walking traffic was almost at a standstill.

Neither of us like crowds, so at that point we called it a day.  Next year, our first stop will be the ice-cream waffle stand!

9 comments:

DarcKnyt said...

And the lesson is, always eat dessert first. Also, I can't believe you missed the magic-lantern-exhibit-is-magical joke, Spark. :) Well, there's always next year.

Another great photo essay. I love these. Someday, you should compile them into a coffee table book.

Jenny Woolf said...

Looks like a lovely place to spend an afternoon. I'm a bit sorry for cats locked in cages though, they are such independent creatures. Still, as you say, I daresay they could deal with it pretty well by snoozing!

PhilipH said...

Excellent photography Sparkly, and especially the cats and kittens.

I love to have a chat with animals, especially those inquisitive moo-cows who come to see if I've got something for them chew on.

One afternoon I started chatting to a small herd in one of the farms in the Borders and made a short video of the encounter. None of the lovely animals actually spoke to me but they DID show a polite interest. This link may take you there: http://bit.ly/1JHt0EC

Jenski said...

Love the annual CNE post! Cute animals, of course.

Snowbrush said...

Wow, 30,000 people coming my way would have deterred me too.

Sparkling Red said...

DarcKnyt: I don't drink coffee so it will have to be a tea table book.

Jenny: They looked so comfy that I wished I were a cat.

Philip: I wanted to see your video, but the link wouldn't work! :-( Oh well. I'll have to imagine it.

Jenski: The cute animals are the main reason I go to the fair. I can live without everything else (shopping, junk food, games, roller coasters).

Snowbrush: I wish they had not built the soccer stadium right smack in the middle of the fairgrounds.

tracy said...


Awwwww, I loved your kitty and horse pictures...thank you soooooo much!

LL Cool Joe said...

Seeing the photo of the alpacas, makes me realise I need to get my hair cut.

I went to a cat show once, I've never sneezed so much in my life. I found it was all the slightly thick cats that slept in their cages whilst all the intelligent ones like the Siamese that were doing party tricks.

Vanessence7 said...

I love cats and horses, so naturally those were my favorites, although the colors on the lamps was pretty spectacular. :)

As always, a great photo essay, Spark. :D