This makes me wish I had a scanner, and I could post all sorts of pictures from childhood Canada Days, while in Canada. I feel like we were there every July 1st in my memory, although I know we weren't, but it felt odd to not be there. Usually reunions on both sides of my family were planned in July as well, and we were up there for a couple of weeks.
Canada Day, as I think it should be properly celebrated, began in my mom's hometown of Mountain View. In the morning there was a program where all sorts of people performed, and mom knew absolutely everyone and would lean over and tell you about their life, their family, and usually the number of cousins removed they are from me...which usually wasn't very many. It's a very small town. She also emphasized several times over how no other town is as talented, amazing, and such good performers as her Mountain View. Then they have races. Foot races. Three-legged races. Sack races. Also, there is a softball game going on. And on one particular year, I went across the street with my sister Andrea and some other siblings and got some tiger ice cream, something commonly found in Canada. I like it, I'm not really sure I like it for it's taste, or because it's a novelty.
And there's always food. I remember meeting a red-haired girl there one year and finding out she was actually my second cousin, and playing with her all day long. Now, you can't really fault me for that because I have sixty cousins on just my dad's side, and who knows how many on my mom's side, and they probably were all born within fifteen miles of each other and now live ALL OVER the place. Sometimes my family jokes that we could walk past our first cousin in the grocery store and not even notice. But if you lived there all your life, you knew. I would walk down a street and people would stop me and say "Oh, you must be Jack and Lorie's daughter, you look just like your mom, are they up for something?" Or one time, I was in the one grocery store in Cardston (the town my father grew up in, fifteen miles from the small town my mom grew up in that I previously described) and some old, old, man told me a similar thing, that I looked exactly like my mom, and he went off on some old joke with a swear word as the punch line and I was more scared than amused, and I got away as quick as I could and told my mom, and she exclaimed "your Uncle Chet is here?!!!" Who knew I had an Uncle Chet? He's a great-uncle or something....I promise I know all my actual uncles. But I think all my actual uncles were just as terrifying to me as a young girl as my encounter with Uncle Chet. My Uncle Gerald always threatened to cut off my ears with his pocket knife and eat them for breakfast with his eggs. I tried to convince myself I knew he was joking, but he always looked so sincere. Haahaaa.
I am straying VERY FAR from the main event: Canada Day. I don't really remember anything else that happened regularly. I confuse reunions with the actual day, I think. But I remember my third grade teacher thinking it was CRAZY that I had lived in the U.S. my entire life and I didn't know the American National Anthem....but I could sing the Canadian one word for word. Thats how often we were there on July 1st. I have remedied that situation though. And we don't go as frequently for the holiday anymore. I, at least, haven't gone since high school I think. But it is a great holiday, and it has lots of great memories. Oh, and in Cardston there is a parade. I don't remember if it is always July 1st, or some other day. But my brother's and my dad and cousins have occasionally ridden horses in it. My grandpa used to drive chariot's in it. I really have been to a Cardston parade in a VERY long time. But, once my husband and I have passports(mine has to be renewed with my new last name) I'll have to introduce him to all my favorite spots!
1 comment:
The Cardston parade is in August. We need to plan a trip up there and show your hubby the sights!
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