From Far and Wide, O Canada, We Stand on Guard for Thee

To say I have a complicated relationship with Canada would be an understatement. My parents were married there in 1954, and lived in Vancouver for five years while they waited for their number to come up so they could immigrate to America.

When I was a kid, we ran ragged on the beaches of Vancouver Island's West Coast...pitching tents on the sandy edge where the rainforest meets the ocean. Body surfing and falling in love in the way everyone does, just once, when they are 15. Turning white blond from the salt and the sun. Eating chocolate bars around the campfire that were not allowed into America because the FDA had some issue with the milk, but they tasted better than anything Hershey, PA could dream of cranking out.

At 23, I went to work for a Canadian company. That's when my real awareness of the nuances between Americans and Canadians began. Most days it's a blessing.

Someone gave me a book called "Why I Hate Canadians" last Christmas and weirdly it has made me love them more.

I think their national anthem is the most beautiful I know. I can sing it by heart. Out of tune, mind you, but by heart.

Comedian Kathleen Madigan says, "Canada is like your attic. You forget all about it, but once you spend some time there, you realize there's a lot of good stuff to see."

I don't know anyone in my (well-traveled, well-read, well-educated, well-bred) circle of American friends who has a hope of naming more than three or four Canadian provinces and territories, let alone all of them.

My second favorite vision of Canada is caught in the photo above.

It was snapped this morning at Sasamat Lake (also known as Nanchook! by those who hopped into the mermaidmobile at 5 am this morning at the Green Lake Park and Ride to journey to a swim race there). It is evergreen and brilliant blue and so very Canadian.

Conditions couldn't have been better...flat water, warm air and water temperature, no wind and terrific vibe, pre-race bagpipes notwithstanding.

Bob, Liz, Tatyana, Jeanne and I all posted solid performances. I swam the 4 K at 1:01.18...faster by about 20 seconds than my 2007 time and second in my age group. I rounded the first lap buoy at :30.47 and knew I'd need to raise my game to break an hour....I had more to dig for but didn't take it...I'm still too conservative on the longer distances but today was a good gauge of what I can do as I look ahead to the 3.2 mile Fat Salmon on 7/18.

Bob was 3rd overall and 2nd in his age group.
Liz finished a few minutes after I did in 5th in our division
Tatyana and Jeanne each won theirs.

We resisted wearing our "ribbons and rosettes" to lunch.

A gift to all of us was a very brief border wait and light traffic on the way home.

In the shower I noticed my abs hurt. I think it was from laughing so much today.