Happy Canada Day!

I’d like to take this opportunity to say “Happy Canada Day” to our good friends and neighbors to the North - the True North strong and free!

From Vancouver to St. John’s - and in all parts in between - Canadians will be celebrating their day today (the anniversary of the date Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and the Province of Canada were united to form one country in 1867) we all know as Canada Day.

It’s a festive and wonderful day celebrated with parades, fireworks, backyard barbeques and a number of concerts and television specials. 

Our love of Canada dates back to before Lisa and I got married. We chose Montreal as the spot for our honeymoon and we had a wonderful time there and on our side visit to Quebec City. Ten years later, we went back to Montreal for our anniversary and we also made a side trip to Ottawa.

Since then, we’ve been back to Canada twice. We visited Toronto both times (in 1998 and 2010).

In 1998, we were fortunate enough to be in town on July 1 and we attended a great Canada Day festival held along Toronto’s waterfront. As we walked along Queen’s Quay, I rode young Paul Gary on my back. He waved a tiny Canadian flag he had been given and was loudly singing the words to O Canada, which Holly had learned from a book I had purchased for her when I travelled to Canada in ‘94.

One gentleman complimented Paul and said “Now, there’s a TRUE Canadian!” (I didn’t have the heart to fess up that we were, in fact, Tennesseans in cognito).

Later that day, we rode a ferry to Toronto Island and enjoyed food sold by a vendor on the island. I think we enjoyed grilled burgers, like so many others, and young Holly and Paul enjoyed playing.

It was a wonderful day.

Twelve years later, on our second trip to Toronto, we were also in town for the celebration of Canada Day. We attended the Ribfest on July 1. It was like a huge backyard barbeque. A number of booths were set up and most of the vendors were selling various types and styles of Q. We settled on food from one group selling “authentic Nashville-style barbeque.”

We sat on bleachers near an elementary school near the festival site to enjoy our food and also the festivities.

We also parked at that school and, later, walked back to the school to enjoy the nighttime fireworks from the back of my old Ford Expedition (a.k.a. “Big Blue”).

As outsiders, I think we all enjoyed being invited to their July 1st celebration. We also enjoyed a little people watching and soaking up a ton of rich atmosphere.

So, on this July 1, I think back to our two Canada Day experiences. Those were two special family vacations with a lot of pleasant memories.

With that in mind, I want to take a moment to wish our friends and neighbors well. Happy Canada Day 2012!

JG

(Source: youtube.com)

Originally posted 7/1/2012