June 17^th & 18^th, 2008 will be fondly remembered by all who attended the RFC.  Mary Anne summed it up well:

“I’ll remember this event as one of “Firsts”, each as a testament to both his character and commitment to his Foundation:
• Roy flew back from shooting a film in Argentina (about 20 hours of flights and layovers) to be in Montreal for two days for this event.
• This was the first RFC at which we were privileged to see Roy on both days as he attended the screening of Un été sans point ni coup sûr, which was set up initially for those of us attending the RFC.
• Roy’s first return to the National Theatre School since his graduation; his personal guided tour of the school, and recounting many stories of his time as a student, and his life at that time that have never been in print anywhere.”

The first day our agenda included a full day, starting with a bus ride to Sainte-Ursule to a park / nature interpretation centre where the Maskinongé River is transformed into seven, very distinct, succeeding water falls.  “The waterfalls were ... magnificent! Deafening in their power and breathtaking in beauty.. Water rushed everywhere... churning and white, droplets hanging in the air like a true, Scotch Mist!! The air redolent with damp, trees and plants. The further in we went the more intoxicating it became.” as described by SusanJ.  It was a beautiful sight and seemed quite popular for hikers.  We had lunch at this beautiful spot before meandering back to Montreal. 
At this time Maxine informed us Roy was still filming in Argentina (talk about a quiet bus at that moment!) but he flew back just to be with us and we were to attend a pre-premiere of Un été sans point ni coup sûr and Roy, Francis Leclerc and Barbara Shrier would be in attendance.  Maxine also informed us we would be meeting at the National Theater School the next day for our meeting with Roy and he had a surprise for us.  Happy faces all around the bus especially from our Newbies!  We visited a private moulin which grinds buckwheat on the way back to Montreal and arrived in Montreal just in time to grab a quick bite and pile into the reserved theater for the viewing.  We, along with 200 people, attended; however, we were escorted in first to sit where we chose.  We all anticipated the arrival of Roy and then he appeared. 

“When Roy walked into the theater, I remember gasping out loud...”  (LesLaFemme)
“When Roy walked in, I do remember grabbing my sister’s arm. He was a sight to behold!” (Jewels) 

And as observed by SealsLady: “As he was leaving, Roy was stopped by one of the young boys who happened to be sitting on the aisle. Roy stopped, squatted down next to him for a few words and, it looked to me, he seemed to give him an autograph. I could be wrong about that... but the very fact that he stopped and seemed so genuinely intent on this young lad just melted my heart.”

I loved the film.  Roy's character is something different for him and it was nice to see him in a family friendly film even if he was the "bad" guy but not that bad.

Photos by members of RDO (and Jim!)

For more details see the RDO message board debrief

We then plunged into the tangly wood, hacking our way through the wilderness keeping a sharp eye out for moose, bears and really big black flies! Well, okay... there was a path... and steps... and, uh, a railing... no wild animals... and we were so doused up that the flies let us be.... but, it was quite a hike!

Part 2 >>