WATERLOO REGION — They were all set for a glorious afternoon under the blazing sun.

Mom wore her shades. The boys bundled up in snow pants.

There was just one problem.

It was actually too warm — too warm — to go for a skate on the outdoor rink at Victoria Park in Kitchener.

Katie Reynolds checked it out — the patches of grass, the caving ice, the official “rink closed” sign — and had to break the bad news to Matthew, 7, and Jack, 6.

There was crying in the back seat of her car as she surveyed the slush and tried to come up with Plan B.

“It’s not great — I guess from the sun,” Reynolds said. “Maybe we’ll go to an arena.”

Even with temperatures reaching 6 C under blue skies for two solid days, it was possible to find people disappointed by the weather this weekend.

Possible, but not easy.

Elsewhere across the region, residents dug their shorts, walking shoes and bicycles out of storage to enjoy an early taste of spring on the first weekend in March.

Becky Guil and Pamela Krauss took their dog for a stroll, then tied her up outside and stopped for a beer on the patio at the Boathouse bar not far from the fading rink.

“We’ve been peeling off layers to complement the first sunny, jacketless day of the season,” said Guil, overlooking the melting pond.

“I always feel really Canadian when there’s still snow and we act like it’s summer,” said Krauss.

Adam Clayton, 16, took advantage of the sunshine to don shorts and a T-shirt as he goofed around on a skateboard with three neighbourhood buddies.

“It kind of feels like summer is coming,” he said. “School is almost over, so that’s good.”

Brad Rogers did him one better in the fashion department, slipping into a homemade, camouflage kilt with combat boots for a huge paintball game at Bingemans.

“It’s kind of fun getting out after being cooped up all winter and shooting some strangers — and getting shot by strangers,” he said, cutting an imposing figure at six feet six and over 300 pounds.

James Furniss took a less adventurous approach, nipping into a do-it-yourself car wash on Victoria Street to spray down his pickup truck.

“I figured it’s time to get the salt off,” he said. “Hopefully, it’s the last time.”

That remains to be seen, but at least the next few days are shaping up as more of the same.

Environment Canada calls for a high of 10 C under sunny skies today, followed by a high of 9 C and more sun Tuesday.

Clouds are expected to roll in Wednesday and stay through Saturday — with a good chance of showers or flurries — but daytime temperatures will still hover around 6C.

bcaldwell@therecord.com