Belgium

I am presently in Montréal since Tuesday for a big union Pow-Wow. It happens every 3 years with delegates from all over the province.

Tonight was the banquet. The theme was "Terre des Hommes", the same as Montréal 1967 International Exposition. Each local union was given a "secret" country to represent as they see fit. Ours was Belgium and we decided to dress as comic characters from that country.

These are my teammates.

First, on the left: Smurfette from the Smurfs, one of three female Smurfs in the village and the love interest of almost every Smurf, excluding Papa Smurf.

In the center: Bianca Castafiore from Tintin, although apparently one of the leading opera singers of her generation, the only thing that Castafiore is ever heard to sing are a few lines of her "signature aria," the Jewel Song, l'air des bijoux, from Faust, always at ear-splitting volume (and violent force - certainly enough to part the Captain's hair, and a breeze enough to blow back a curtain in an opera box - 'She's in fine voice tonight.').

Finally, on the right: Averell ?Eater? Dalton from Lucky Luke. Averell is the tallest, youngest and most stupid of the Daltons. Averell is obsessed with eating and keeps asking the question "When do we eat?", which serves to annoy Joe. Averell likes Rantanplan a lot because they both enjoy eating and are of equal intelligence (if their level of stupidity can even be called intelligence).

I was dressed as Tintin himself. Being the reporter with the camera, I couldn't appear in the picture.

A grand time was has by all.