How to make a convertible

The arrival of the August long weekend signals the annual celebration of the Galiano Lions' Fiesta. Of the last 25 Fiestas, I've likely been in attendance for at least 20. There's always music, games (gumboot toss has recently replaced cow pie bingo), delicious pie made by members of the Women's Auxilary, plus kiosks for the many and varied island groups, from the garden club to the Green Party to the Conservancy Association (actually, come to think of it, those organizations are pretty closely related).

This year the South End Volunteer Fire Brigade added a little spice to the afternoon when they ripped apart a minivan to rescue Buddy, the bleeding crash-test dummy.

It started innocently enough, smashing in the rear window to reach the victim. Once he had been 'stabilized'  - inexplicably with a blue tarp - the (mostly) men went to work sawing out the windshield: given the large crowd of spectators they added shaving cream to keep the glass particulate down, making the worksite a little messy.
 

A few minutes later, after ripping off the doors and cutting through the frame with hydraulic tools, they triumphantly curled back the roof and rescued Buddy from the front seat to rousing cheers and applause.

Granted, not every rescue is as good humoured as this one but it's nice to know that in such a small community, there are well-trained professionals -  who are often also friends and neighbours - ready to help should they be needed.