Happy Canada Day!

[DeeBye]

139 years old!


I shall celebrate by firing up the barbecue and enjoying many beers. I've already started on the beers :wacko:

I gave my son a temporary tattoo (the lick 'em and stick 'em type) with the Canadian Flag on it. I asked him what it was, and he said "That's hockey! O CANADA! O CANADA!" :wub:

Pre-emptive Happy Independence Day to my close neighbours due south :)

[kandrathe]

I stopped off on the way home and bought mini cup cakes with Red White and Blue frosting. This was at the direction of my three year old. Every special day now needs either cake or cup cakes, candles which we all get to make wishes and blow out, and then we sing happy birthday to something... this time it was happy birthday America... Complete with new lyrics "you smell like a monkey, and live in a zoo." which they learned from the movie Madagascar... Quite the hoot. Then we went outside and lit up some fireworks, which is pretty nifty now that they sell them at the local "Cub" food store.

[Occhidiangela]

139 years old!

Congratulations on your sovereignty's 139th anniversary. Please celebrate by rooting for England in the FIFA World Cup.:)

If I may slightly modify your national song . . .

O, Canada
Land of Labbat's Blue Beer
Wonderful people
And so much good cheer!

Occhi

[--Pete]

Hi,

139 years old!

. . .

Pre-emptive Happy Independence Day to my close neighbours due south :)

And a great holiday to you too. 139 years? I've got socks older than that :w00t:

--Pete

[Munkay]

O, Canada
Land of Labbat's Blue Beer
Wonderful people
And so much good cheer!

I think Occhi hit the nail right on the head. My two favorite things about Canada, the people and the imported beer!

My best friend is a born Canadian. I was lucky enough to spend a few weeks up in Ontario with her, and am already looking forwarding to doing it again in the winter. I spent time in Mississauga, Toronto and Collingwood. Everywhere we went there were friendly faces and good conversation.

As for the beer, just today three friends and I spent some time out on the ocean enjoying a beautiful New England day. Our beer of choice? Molson Canadian and Molson XXX (and that's saying a lot, seeing that we're thick in Sam Adams country here).

So from deep in my heart, a big Happy Canada Day to all our Canadian Lurkers:)

Cheers,

Munk

[DeeBye]

My best friend is a born Canadian. I was lucky enough to spend a few weeks up in Ontario with her, and am already looking forwarding to doing it again in the winter. I spent time in Mississauga, Toronto and Collingwood. Everywhere we went there were friendly faces and good conversation.

You definitely have to visit in the winter, especially if you go back to Collingwood.

As for the beer, just today three friends and I spent some time out on the ocean enjoying a beautiful New England day. Our beer of choice? Molson Canadian and Molson XXX (and that's saying a lot, seeing that we're thick in Sam Adams country here).

I'm not a big Molson Canadian fan, and I'm not overly fond of XXX (although it packs quite a kick:wacko:). The next time you visit, check out Alexander Keith's (brewed in Nova Scotia), Moosehead (typically Canadian name there), or Red Cap Ale (it comes in a "stubby" bottle). I usually buy the cheaper Lakeport beer (right now I'm downing a Lakeport Honey Lager). I save a few bucks and it's mighty fine.

I had a good Canada Day. When I woke up, I found that my wife and son woke up early and had breakfast waiting for me. The in-laws came over for a bit and we barbecued a few steaks and chicken breasts :)

[Munkay]

You definitely have to visit in the winter, especially if you go back to Collingwood.
I'm not a big Molson Canadian fan, and I'm not overly fond of XXX (although it packs quite a kick:wacko:). The next time you visit, check out Alexander Keith's (brewed in Nova Scotia), Moosehead (typically Canadian name there), or Red Cap Ale (it comes in a "stubby" bottle). I usually buy the cheaper Lakeport beer (right now I'm downing a Lakeport Honey Lager). I save a few bucks and it's mighty fine.

I had a good Canada Day. When I woke up, I found that my wife and son woke up early and had breakfast waiting for me. The in-laws came over for a bit and we barbecued a few steaks and chicken breasts :)

Thanks a ton for the Beer recomendations DeeBye. I look forward to enjoying a few next time I am at a bar in Ontario. On the topic of Beer in Canada, I was thoroughly impressed with The Beer Store compared to the dingy liquor stores we have in the Boston Area.

Speaking of Collingwood, my friend's extended family owns a Ski Chalet near Blue Mountain resort. It was a blast up there, I can't wait to bring my snowboard back. Perhaps the biggest bummer about Canada is due to American foreign policy*. In order to visit I'll have to get a new passport. For a 6-8 week wait and 100$ I'm rather annoyed :angry:

*Not trying to spark a debate about it, just commenting on the annoyance for the casual traveler.

Cheers,

Munk

[DeeBye]

Thanks a ton for the Beer recomendations DeeBye. I look forward to enjoying a few next time I am at a bar in Ontario. On the topic of Beer in Canada, I was thoroughly impressed with The Beer Store compared to the dingy liquor stores we have in the Boston Area.

The Beer Stores are cool in that they usually stock pretty much everything under the sun, but I think I'd prefer it if other private stores were allowed to sell alcohol as well. Note that this is a purely Ontario thing. Other provinces have their own liquor laws. For example, in Quebec the legal drinking age is 18 and you can purchase alcohol in every mom and pop corner store and most supermarkets. Not so in Ontario. The Beer Store is heavily regulated by the province and is owned by the brewers. The only stores allowed to sell "hard" liquor are owned entirely by the province. It's a really screwy system that works, but is a most bizzarre business practice when viewed from the outside.

Speaking of Collingwood, my friend's extended family owns a Ski Chalet near Blue Mountain resort. It was a blast up there, I can't wait to bring my snowboard back. Perhaps the biggest bummer about Canada is due to American foreign policy*. In order to visit I'll have to get a new passport. For a 6-8 week wait and 100$ I'm rather annoyed :angry:

I've vacationed at Blue Mountain when I was younger and it's a really nice place. I used to live in Midland (south-eastern tip of Georgian Bay) which is quite close to Collingwood. It's great in the summer, and if you like snow it's awesome in the winter.

The required passport for Canada-US travel is a bummer. It works both ways too. I used to be able to visit the US with a valid Ontario driver's license or at most a birth certificate, but now I need a passport. This is a pity. It used to be like we were renting apartments in the same building and gave each other keys and free access to each other's pads, but lately we seem to have changed the locks and don't allow each other in unless they use the secret knock and show ID. It's such a great thing to boast that we share the longest undefended border. I hope that continues to be the case.

[Munkay]

The Beer Stores are cool in that they usually stock pretty much everything under the sun, but I think I'd prefer it if other private stores were allowed to sell alcohol as well. Note that this is a purely Ontario thing. Other provinces have their own liquor laws. For example, in Quebec the legal drinking age is 18 and you can purchase alcohol in every mom and pop corner store and most supermarkets. Not so in Ontario. The Beer Store is heavily regulated by the province and is owned by the brewers. The only stores allowed to sell "hard" liquor are owned entirely by the province. It's a really screwy system that works, but is a most bizzarre business practice when viewed from the outside.

Very interesting, I wasn't aware that The Beer Store was an Ontario Province only enterprise. I've been to Quebec (Montreal and Quebec City), as well as parts of Newfoundland and P.E.I., but that was roughly 10 years ago and drinking was many years off. In New Hampshire (where my parents live, and where I am currently spending the summer) there is a similar situation as far as hard liquor. All hard liquor can only be sold in state owned State Liquor Stores. The State Liquor Stores also sells wine, but not beer. Supermarkets and convience stores may purchase rights to sell Wine and Beer, but never liquor.

The upshot of our State Liquor stores is the majority of the income goes directly into funding our school systems. I'm a bit rusty on the current state of New Hampshire educational funding, but as of about 5 years ago New Hampshire ranked one of the lowest in states accepting federal funding for public schools. By generating funding in state, we were able to achieve a high level of freedom in our schools. The result was some very strong school systems in a sparsely populated state. It's nice to see money for a "vice" be turned into a "virtue":)

I've vacationed at Blue Mountain when I was younger and it's a really nice place. I used to live in Midland (south-eastern tip of Georgian Bay) which is quite close to Collingwood. It's great in the summer, and if you like snow it's awesome in the winter.

The Georgian Bay Area is incredibly beautiful from the brief experience I've had there. Reminds me a lot of the small coastal communities in Maine where I spent a lot of my childhood.

The required passport for Canada-US travel is a bummer. It works both ways too. I used to be able to visit the US with a valid Ontario driver's license or at most a birth certificate, but now I need a passport. This is a pity. It used to be like we were renting apartments in the same building and gave each other keys and free access to each other's pads, but lately we seem to have changed the locks and don't allow each other in unless they use the secret knock and show ID. It's such a great thing to boast that we share the longest undefended border. I hope that continues to be the case.

While we were there my friend had to renew her Canadian passport, which of course involved taking a new picture. I got a laugh out of the rule that no one may smile in their Canadian Passport picture. Granted this makes sense because it is easier to ID people. But I found it funny to know such a warm and inviting people had to hide their smiles:)

Cheers,

Munk

[Griselda]

The upshot of our State Liquor stores is the majority of the income goes directly into funding our school systems. I'm a bit rusty on the current state of New Hampshire educational funding, but as of about 5 years ago New Hampshire ranked one of the lowest in states accepting federal funding for public schools. By generating funding in state, we were able to achieve a high level of freedom in our schools. The result was some very strong school systems in a sparsely populated state. It's nice to see money for a "vice" be turned into a "virtue":)

"Now, remember, class, tell Mom and Dad to knock a few back over the weekend. We need new textbooks!" :o

Actually, we have state-owned liquor stores here in Oregon, too. It's fine except for the limited hours that they're open.

[Mithrandir]

The upshot of our State Liquor stores is the majority of the income goes directly into funding our school systems.

Buying handles of Jack Daniels... for the children! What an odd concept.


I used to go to Canada quite regularly (I live near Detroit, so it's a pretty short drive) but I don't need to go there to get my gambling fix anymore so the visits are much rarer now. It's too bad.