Friday, July 1, 2016

Canada Day from the American Side

Today is Canada Day in Canada.  It is a national holiday commemorating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the Constitution Act, which united Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and what is now Quebec and Ontario into a single country.

Although I only live about 200 miles (322 km) from the Canadian border, I haven't been to Canada since 2008.   At one time, I had a dream of celebrating Canada Day in Canada and then going back over the border and celebrating the Independence Day of the United States back in my country.  I would have had the perfect opportunity to do that this year, with July 1 on Friday and July 4 (a Federal holiday) on Monday.

But, instead, I found myself taking pictures of a pair of socks.  They just wouldn't come out right so I had to do it over and over.  I'm still not satisfied, and I hope I am not offending my Canadian readers.

Leave it to me, who enjoys owning unusual (for Americans, anyway) socks, to own a pair of socks with maple leafs on them.

Instead,  I should be making a Canada Day dessert.

Back in 2008, I entered Canada on the 4th of July.  Do you (if you grew up in the United States of the 1950's) remember the old joke "is there a 4th of July in Canada?"  Well, there is.  And once we got to our destination, we found that the Canada Day fireworks had been postponed three times due to rain.  So, we watched them on a warm July 4 evening, in Saint John, New Brunswick.

On that trip, I found out about another custom of Canadians in celebrating Canada Day - municipal birthday cakes.

I honestly think that is one of the coolest thing I've ever heard of.  In the United States, we celebrate in many ways, but I don't think my town has ever served birthday cake.  We should serve cake on July 4.  Isn't July 4 the birthdate of our country?

I do plan, later today, if the weather permits (storms are forecast) to pick raspberries and the last of the strawberries at a local U-Pick.   Ah, the red fruits of early summer.

Perhaps, I'll make this delicious sounding parfait tonight.

Or, I'll just have some vanilla frozen yogurt with strawberries, and raise a toast (I have strawberry flavored vodka in the house) to our wonderful neighbors to the north.

Long may they, and us, be friends.

12 comments:

  1. You are right, Alana. If I were more conscious of the conventional calendar, i would have done the same, too...
    Sorry to miss your celebrations, my Canadian friends (and clients)...

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    1. I think they will be cool with it, like we used to say in the old days. Well, maybe me.

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  2. I wasn't ever aware of the existence of Canada Day (ignorance..sigh) But the cake idea IS cool. We should totally have cake for 4th of July!

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    1. So what did I decide to have for the Fourth of July? Apple pie. Go figure.

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  3. Strawberries and frozen yogurt sound like a very good way to celebrate Canada, a wonderful country and wonderful neighbor.

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    1. We will have vanilla frozen yogurt with strawberries and blueberries tomorrow, and are also offering a (store bought) apple pie. Hope you have a Happy 4th, Dorothy.

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  4. That sounds like a lot of fun, heading over to Canada for Canada Day, then back here for Independence Day. Hope you do end up doing that some time.

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  5. I follow quite a few Canadian blogs. It's Canada Day all over the place for me. I think my favorite post today was from the Yarn Harlot. She posted 11 things you may not know about Canada and Canada Day.

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    1. I went to that post, and enjoyed. Love the title of her blog, too. Thank you!

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  6. Growing up in Detroit and having it Aunt in Windsor, I went to Canada every month almost. I spent one Canada Day actually in Canada . That was in Victoria British Columbia. I then flew home the next day and spent July 4 at home. Should have stayed in Canada and avoided the Fourth of July fireworks here that the yahoos throw off all night.

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    1. There, too? It isn't bad where I am but in New York City, the unofficial fireworks literally keep you up all night, and they need backhoes to clean up the next day.

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