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The last day of the trip was the only one when the weather may not have been just about ideal. It was cloudy and hot in Toronto. It was September 3rd and Labor Day. This was it and we tried to make the most of it, achieving some success. Charlie and I carried out our plan to attend the Fair, which is both large and famous, but one morning was hardly enough to even begin to do it justice. Like the New York State Fair I was so familiar with from my youth in Syracuse, this fair had a lot of exhibits devoted to agriculture and animals and we had a good look at the large assortment of the latter as we drifted through the grounds. We surveyed a vast array of hogs, sheep, cattle, horses, ponies and dogs, the best Canada had to offer and they were impressive. In fact, I fell hard for the "English bulls" and wanted to have one. I claim this was an English bull dog while Charlie maintains it was an honest-to-goodness bull--the real thing. Just why I'd want a real bull is beyond me--we'd have had quite a problem keeping him successfully at 710 Delaware Avenue. Another "animal exhibit" I recall so clearly that I can scarcely believe this was forty years ago, was a sort of incubator filled with baby chicks only they were a mixture of red, white and blue, the colored ones having been dyed somehow. I remember feeling sorry for the ones who'd been dyed and wondering show this could be done without hurting them. There was a fine art exhibit filled with portraits and paintings of all sorts. And there was an auto show. And a big parade. And the Empire Building--this may have been the best of all but the minimal diary gives no clue to what it contained.
We'd made a noon date with the ladies so had to cut short our study of the fair and get back down to the King Edward where we'd agreed to meet. We'd cut things too fine and were late and there were no ladies in evidence. However, they'd left a note advising us that they would meet us at the Royal York where they were going to watch the "heels." Again I'm puzzled by this reference, not knowing whether it refers to men whom we'd refer to as heels, or high heels such as the women wear. Actually I don't know just why our ladies would be interested in watching either type but that's what it says and I can fine no unanimity of opinion on the matter. At any rate, we had lunch at the Royal York, living it up in a last fling, before departing for Erie.
Being a holiday, there was heavy traffic and it took us 2 1/2 hours to drive to St. Catherine's, about sixty miles I judge. Today you can whip it off on the Queen Elizabeth Way in about half that time but really it isn't half as much fun either. At St. Catherine's we cut out and dropped down to Welland, then to the border via Ft. Erie and the Peace Bridge. And then we got a sample of American hospitality to returning citizens. At American customs for some reason we were singled out for the full business. They all but disassembled the car in their search. We were furious. We'd declared everything meticulously