A Hundred and Fifty Years of Beers by a Lake

What does a hundred and fifty years of Canada really mean? I think for most Canadians it means going a little more special on their July 1st celebrations and a small but relevant tingle of patriotism that feels warm and good and inclusive. And that's a great thing. Canadians worry a lot but we don't have all that much to worry about. We're not in an active war zone, our economy is doing fine, and no one is attempting to strip us of our rights and freedoms. Canada has been a pretty good country on the whole, and it deserves another 150 years. If it screws up, we'll make a call then as to whether to continue or not.

I picked up the new Dave for an 11 day journey out from Toronto to Halifax. 2017 Ford Fusion. Drives nice but you can tell it's the base engine. It's fairly pep-less. Got a really good deal which I assumed was related to a specific car needing to go to Halifax but I upgraded to a different vehicle with no issues, so... I don't know how the car rental business works I guess.

I considered doing Canada Day in Ottawa with a whole mess of other people, but in the end I thought better of it. The hotel prices alone would be bad enough to dissuade me, but the truth is, I would rather spend a holiday with a few good friends than with thousands of strangers. So up I went to the Hiawatha First Nation near Peterborough and hung out with the Duff boys and friends for a couple of days. There were drinks, there was merriment, there was the hassle of putting a boatlift in the water (not that I participated with that, being as I'm on vacation and all).

For Canada Day dinner the boys and friends (mostly the friends) put on the quite the feast. Pasta and lobster tails and shrimp and bacon-wrapped scallops and and and. Best meal I've had in a while, even if I had to eat it while standing half in the rain because the deck was full. But that's cottage life. You take the great with the slightly wet.

And now I'm in Ottawa. Got out of Peterborough early this morning. Dave got me here with aplomb. First impressions: Not that impressed. I'm on the 'outskirts' of the city (10 minutes drive from downtown) and it's basically every-medium-sized-town-Ontario. I did take a drive downtown as well. I don't know if it was the rain or the extra tourists or hangovers from Canada Day but people (drivers and pedestrians) were not acting in ways that were, how should I put this? ~~Smart~~ ~~Half-way intelligent~~ ~~Even remotely recognizable as human~~ In their best interests.

Tomorrow is another day. Another day to take a cab in to see the sights.

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