Canadians …

We’re more than halfway through our summer tour of Canada (well, let’s count this as more like a first-time swing through), and I’ve come to a few conclusions.

Okay, in truth this is a photo dump before we leave Saskatchewan for Manitoba tomorrow, and I hate not to have text with images. So, here goes with stuff you may disagree with, stuff that is so obvious it’s silly … just, stuff from my head.

In campgrounds, at least, Canadians:

• Play boules (not corn hole). FYI, it’s quieter.
• Hang out in large groups at their campsite talking at a reasonable volume (not shrieking in yankee tones).
• On their motor boats, if they blast any music, it’s The Beach Boys singing about the USA (not Lynyrd Skynyrd singing about the South).
• Charge you for firewood whether you want it or not (but then leave a little pile at the front of your campsite every evening).

• Ignore the weather forecast and instead “tarp” all over their campsites (tie tarps from anything available to create shade and rain protection) and carry on no matter the weather.

• Politely reference your license plate with, “My, you’re far from home!” (without launching into questions about Texas that you can’t answer because you’re not actually from there).
• Eat gravy with their French fries (seriously, not just as poutine, but, when you get a side of fries, it comes with a little dipping bucket of gravy). (True, I learned this away from the campground.)

• Call campground bathrooms “service centers” and don’t even notice when you snicker.
• Decorate their campsites minimally, and when you compliment them on a actual campsite sign, they come by later to give it to you.

I like this Tiki Bar sign so much (don’t talk to me about how much fun I make of these!) that I’ve tried it in several places in our campsite just here. Manitoba, here comes the Airstream Tiki Bar.