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It’s America’s Hat’s Birthday!
Happy Canada Day, eh!
This year we’re going to be allowed to celebrate and I am going to Ribfest today. Ottawa, our nation’s capital, apparently is celebrating by having a bunch of anti-lockdown protests.
And I, of course, do my usual post about the good things we supposedly do here in Canada, including our two-tiered health care system, where if you’re poor you don’t get healthcare, and if you’re rich you go to the USA. Unless you’re not vaxxed, then you don’t get any charter rights at all.
This is supposed to be happy right?
Anyway here is a song about Canada, post your favorite Canadian things below!
.
Published in General
Your anthem includes a prayer.
Happy birthday, Canadians.
I have always loved Victoria’s inner harbor and the magnificent Butchart Gardens just north of Victoria B.C. My grand mother lived just south of Port Angeles, so Victoria was a ferry ride away when I visited her.
I’ll never forget a caller to Rush Limbaugh:
Rush: Welcome to the ‘Rush Limbaugh Show.’ Where You from?
Caller: Edmonton. We like to think We are in the upstairs apartment to a really great party.
Growing up on the south shore of Lake Ontario I have fond memories of Toronto and Canada in general. My favorite tribute to Canada on film is the Buster Keaton short, “The Railrodder.” Look it up, you won’t regret it.
There were no protests yesterday in Ottawa, however the police did stop a couple of small convoys at the city limits.
Canada Day in downtown Ottawa gets pretty raucus at the best of times. The average Canada Day sees dozens, if not hundreds, of arrests for alcohol-related hijink.
I wager the patriotic folk who are part of this “protest” will cause way less trouble than the ordinary drunk yahoos will.
https://www.cp24.com/news/police-make-arrests-after-anti-vaccine-mandate-soldier-leads-march-into-ottawa-1.5970245
I’ve never thought of Montana as a party state.
;-)
Now that is funny. Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday
Sorry about the tyranny.
Happy Birthday Canada and may Ken Taylor who passed away in 2015 rest in peace.
Precisely once, and 41 years ago, and in Canada – a bookstore in Campbell River, B.C. – I saw the word “Canadiana.”
Crossing from Sweetgrass, Montana to Coutts, Alberta, I saw a sign at the border post advising all comers they must explain whether they were entering Canada by right or by privilege. I’ve always liked that phrasing. Never saw it at any other crossing.
In downtown Regina I saw, for the first and so far only time in my life, a bowling alley calling itself a bolodrome.
During the 2010 Winter Olympics, Tom Brokaw did a pretty decent tribute to Canuckistan:
Why don’t you capitalize “Charter”? Is that a protest like an inverted flag?
I’ve spent some time in the Great White North. Our Canadian cousins have always had this beaver-produced maple wood chip on their shoulder, not wanting to be American but not wanting to be British, either, and all the while being married to a crazy hot French lady who’s always threatening divorce.
Their major exports to the US are oil, hockey players and actors. Half of Hollywood belongs to the “Secret Society of Eh?” If the Hallmark Channel should go under the Canadian economy will collapse.
When I first got into the television business we used to number cameras and call tape replay machines letters. Then we began working with Canadians:
”Cue that up on ‘B,’ eh?”
”Cued on ‘A.’”
”I said, ‘B,’ eh!”
”Cued on ‘A.’”
Now we call them colors. Uh… colours.
On social media there are a lot of Canadians with opinions about American politics. I used to think they did this because their own politics were so damn boring. I tried not to return the favor because, quite frankly, telling other people how to run their country is something we Americans could do a lot less of. But then
Fidel’sPierre’s little brat came to power. It’s hard to countenance criticism from people whose Prime Minister has spent more time in blackface than Al Jolson. If it gets any worse I fear I must align myself with my oldest son who has advocated invading Canada for years, although I still have reservations about mixing Canadian women, beer and US Marines.When you watch the unholy alliance between the Libranos and Jagmeet Singh it’s hard to think of Canadian politics as boring these days. In any other self-respecting Westminster system the government would have collapsed long ago. But He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named seems to have a death grip on 24 Sussex Drive. I just hope it’s not a death grip on the whole country.
I drove up through the Kootenay National Park in BC a few years ago. Stunningly beautiful scenery!
Cape Breton, especially the village Of Baddeck. We used to go to CBI every other summer or so. Really enjoyed the Alexander Graham Bell park and museum in Baddeck. Also Sydney and the Coal Miner’s Museum in Glace Bay (IIRC).
When we lived in Buffalo we used to go over to Niagara Falls ON. There was a miniature village there called “Canadia,” which had large scale-models of Canadian landmarks (Parliament Hill, a working scale-model of a Welland Canal lock, etc.) Long gone now, but a fond memry of my childhood.
Happy Canada Day.
I enjoyed learning during the 100th anniversary of the Halifax Explosion that we weren’t friendly to each other before then. All my life the countries have been friendly. I’m glad for that. I like that Nova Scotia sends Boston a Christmas tree each year as a thank you for their assistance.
Coo loo coo coo coo coo coo coo!
My maternal grandparents were from southern Ontario, St. Thomas, and I always enjoyed our vacations when I was a kid.
Here’s to Canada Day, and the best neighbors any country ever had.
Or is America Canada’s hat rack?
Sequim? That area used to be famous as a retirement location — great weather (for the Olympic Peninsula).
Thanks for a hilarious comment, @EJHill!
Yes indeed. She had a wonderful view of the sound out her back windows.
For those interested in the late unpleasantness between the US and Canada some 210 years ago, might I recommend this:
It’s one of my better ones. There is also this.
Victoria Inner Harbour
View from our room at the Inn at Laurel Point in Victoria. We went there on our honeymoon in 2003, and went back every couple of years. Now, it looks like we will never return, as Ray refuses the Covid jab.
Back when I was wooing my late wife, we had the opportunity to stay at the Empress in Victoria. It was a memorable experience. One of my favorites.
The Empress was quite old, and showing its age. Small rooms, no view, poor facilities. It has been renovated now, and most things have improved. It now is quite a bit more expensive than it used to be too. We lament the demise of the Bengal Lounge, which served an excellent Indian food buffet. Now it’s just another bar. Since we haven’t been there for four years, we don’t know if they still have High Tea, but they probably do. That, and the Empress Tea that you can buy online, make it worthwhile.
We stayed there right after many of the Renovations were complete. It really is amazing what they managed to do with that old hotel. I was able to use some kind of points I had to get upgraded to the concierge level which made it really a first class experience. I shudder to think what it would have been like to do that without the points. Still a remarkable experience, and a good memory.