Celebrating Canada Day,

a little late and 4th of July a little early, with a group of rowdy Canucks and Americans. It is times like this big events that revolve around family that one misses home and loved ones.

But it is times like this that local ex-pat ‘family’ gathers up and create an alternate celebration! It is especially good for us Americans, used to center stage in July, to honor our friends who wear tooks instead of hats, sit on chesterfields rather than sofas, drink soda instead of pop, and adorn the home with as many maple leaves as stars. We BBQd, talked, laughed, ate, then settled down to play dominoes and Canasta until 10pm. (Yes, Aunt Jane, I have learned to play Canasta. Kinzi, who plays no cards and talks while the fam slugs it out over card games, is ready to join the fray. Muuhaha!)

We all get out our America-centric t-shirts, since they aren’t good around-Amman-wear. Our Canadian friends wore those too, and the teen boys had some hilarious messages:

What is the definition of a Canadian?

An unarmed American with healthcare

heh-heh…heh-heh-heh…hehhehhehehe!

I AM A CANADIAN

I do not travel by dogsled

a loonie is a dollar, not a relative

I live in the second largest country in the world

winter only lasts one season

I live in a house, not an igloo

I do not know your second cousin John in Saskatoon

our currency is not based on Monopoly money

the parliament buildings are not made of ice

we are the best hockey players in the world

Oh, Canada!