Finding ways to beat the summer heat is certainly a priority during a hot 30 Celsius day.
On Aug. 6, I found the perfect solution to beat the heat - I attended the Gull Lake Centennial parade.
As a priority summer assignment, I rolled into town long before the parade just to scout out the best location for taking photos and I settled in for a once in a century celebration of community pride in Gull Lake.
It was indeed a parade for the ages for the community, with lots of smiling faces and an impressive array of parade floats and entries.
I took over 100 digital images during the morning, but the last shot during my parade photo shoot is the one I remember most.
The tail end of the parade featured the new pride of the Gull Lake Fire Department - their new fire engine.
The previous long-serving fire truck was retired earlier this year and the new truck is a deserved source of pride for the community.
And, I can vouch that it works.
The fun-loving guys on the fire truck were showing off their new equipment by blasting short bursts of water at unsuspecting parade viewers.
So, there I was, in one moment taking a photo of the truck with Sparky The Fire Dog, and the next instance being on the receiving end of a stream of water. In fact, you can check you the photo by looking at the Gull Lake parade photos in our slideshow gallery.
It was a good thing the camera was in the way. Come to think of it, maybe having my Nikon D80 equipped with an 80-200 lens wasn't the smartest way to protect myself from the onslaught of water.
The truck drove by and the fellows on the truck were horrified that they had sprayed someone holding a camera.
I shared a chuckle with the fire chief later in the day, and the camera is no worse for wear after its little splash.
I'm just glad I never got to see how Gull Lake's ambulance worked.
You can check you the photo by looking at the Gull Lake parade photos in our slideshow gallery.
