The Agenda

As July 15 edges closer, we thought we would ease some of the tension and spark some excitement by posting a rough schedule for the day.

The day officially begins at 4pm with the start of the program, where all of you will be asked to contribute a vocal or dance performance...well, maybe not, but I would like to see that program!
So, the program starts at 4pm, but because lots of people love to go to the islands in the summer, you may want to catch a ferry a little earlier, just to be sure you get on the ferry and make it to the program in time. In the summer, ferry's to Ward's Island run every half hour, so at the latest catch the 3:30pm ferry, but if it's busy that could be pushing it. In anticipation that people will come a little early, we'll have cold drinks and of course us to keep you company!

Saturday
3-4 Arrive at Algonquin Island Association
4-4:30 or 4:45-Program
5-7 Cocktail Hour (or as Joel likes to call it-Happy Hour!)
7-8:30 Dinner-Look out, this will be tasty!
8:30-10 - Dessert, Dance performances and Salsa lessons
10-closing - Dj Mark will get us moving!

Last ferry leaves Ward's Island at 11:45 but we hope to have a taxi service available. (Stay tuned!)

Sunday
12noon
Party on the beach! Vania and Joel will be on the Ward's Island beach for a picnic/beach fun day. For anyone still around or for our friends who live in the city, please come join us! Here's a picture of the beach in 1975, so you will have to come on the 16th to find out how great it is now!
Meet at the clubhouse at noon and we'll walk over, or just come straight to the beach on Ward's Island.

Our Celebration Quilt

With one month to go, we are stepping it up a notch with our celebration preparations. Today was a big day because we had to make a lot of financial commitments, so i guess the celebration is on for sure! We are so excited, but hope that this next month goes smoothly....who am i kidding, there will always be something!

Joel and i wanted to use this time and forum to let our guests know about our guest book idea. Instead of a guest book that we will probably never pull out again, we wanted to do something that we will cherish and that also represents us. So, due to my love of all things crafty, we have decided to make a celebration quilt, and are asking guests to contribute a square to it. Also in keeping with Joel's Mennonite heritage, we thought a quilt would be a perfect gift for us, and a great thing for all our guests (aka community) to contribute to.

We are planning to make a quilt of panels, with personalized cotton canvas squares mixed in with my vintage fabric pieces. During the big day, we will have 9 x 11 pieces of cotton canvas available for people to write on, to draw on, or to create something on. We'll have fabric markers and some fun craft supplies available. But, if anyone wants to do something beforehand, feel free! If there is an image you would like to transfer onto fabric, go ahead. If there is a photo of us, or a poem you would like to use, got nuts! If you would like to be inspired by quilts, Denyse Schmidt is a great resource, and has been very helpful for me. Don't feel pressure to make something perfect, and be as creative as you like - because we are ALL creative! We're hoping people can write something on their piece of fabric, but you can also draw an image or find something you like to transfer. If you want to learn more about transfering things, go here or here for more info! And, if you do make something before July 15, make sure you bring it with you to the island, so that we have all the pieces together. Sometime after that, i'll be having a nice date with my sewing machine and piecing all the lovely art together!

Six Weeks and Counting

FAQ #2
How on Earth do i get to the Island, and where on Earth is your celebration going to be?

Answer:

We are very excited that all invited guests will be making their way to our big day via a ferry and/or water taxis! As my mom says, this will be her cruise vacation. A mere $6 pays for your return travel very the City of Toronto Ferry, and there are separate private water taxis for those latecomers or late leavers. The Docks is where the Ferry dock location is, and it is right at the waterfront, east of Yonge. It is at the foot of Bay St. and Queen's Quay, right by the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel. Parking is adjacent to the Docks: Please see this link for Ferry parking and schedule. Scroll down until you see Ward's Island Summer Schedule.

Our party is on Ward's Island, the most left island of the three ferries. It will leave Toronto Harbour every half hour in the afternoon, so we strongly suggest you try to make the 3pm or 3:30 pm ferry. If you want to discover the island first, come earlier. The last ferry to leave Ward's is at 11:45 pm, but we will be working with a water taxi service to help this process at night (i.e. for those that want to stay and dance the night away with us!).

Our celebration is at Algonquin Island Association, a mere 10 minute walk once you dock. If you look at the picture above, it is #38 on the map. We will have orange and blue balloons to guide you, and here is a full map to help you see this better. Also, if you need some support walking (and let's hope it's not 35 degrees or raining), we will also rent a fun bike/rickshaw and have an advanced biker escort you. It is a paved road and a lovely walk through the residential area of the island.

Keep checking here for more info, but i hope this will help you get there!