Socal to Vancouver Island, a midlife odyssey
Just a background on myself and why we decided to take this trip. My name is Alec Hull. I am a 57 year old Canadian-American physician. I am married with 3 children in college. My wife Angelica and I have been together for 25 years and married for 20. It is our 20th wedding anniversary next month. I grew up in Canada, but have lived and worked in Southern California for 29 years. We live in the city of La Habra Heights, a rural environment in the southeast corner of LA county. We have a nice home with chickens and an orchard.
I have worked for the same California medical group for 29 years! Unfortunately, the group has recently changed hands and the business model has been restructured. Therefore, my position was unfortunately eliminated. The stress of this process has taken its toll on myself physically and psychologically. I have recently lost many of my important connections. My medical board certification is looming. I felt tired and stale, perhaps dabbling a bit too much in the Grey Goose. My career has abruptly been placed adrift. I do not have future employment arranged. The prospect of starting over with another group is quite distasteful, if not terrifying. I am uncertain whether to retire, or seek other employment.
I thought perhaps returning to my hometown would reinvigorate me and give me direction. I also wanted to get back in shape. In my youth, I was a serious triathlete, cyclist, swimmer, runner. I have completed several ironman triathlons, untold bicycle races, and marathons/ultramarathons. Since my last Ironman(Arizona 2018) I realized I had lost a step. I have a blog of that event if you are interested. That race pushed me to the limit. Despite having a swimming background, that 2.4 miles completely dismantled me, and I was briefly in the medical tent. I realized I needed to retire from competitive racing. Since the pandemic, my training has been minimal. I have not ridden my bike in years. I only run sporadically to relieve stress. I feel my body is ready to start running again. I still keep in touch with my old training buddies. Victoria is great for running, so I packed up my running gear. Luckily I was blessed with good genetics, and have stayed fairly lean.. At 6’3” tall, I weigh about 185 lbs. This is only about 15 lbs above my competitive weight. I am confident this excess weight could be shedded within a week or two if I desired.
My wife has previously been a nurse, but retired 19 years ago to raise our 3 children. She has also undergone a change in life. Her children are now adults and out of the house. She has what could be called empty nest syndrome. She has taken to collecting dogs, a pursuit that I must admit, I dislike. The 3 children are all away in college. Being recently unemployed, we were stuck at home basically nattering at each other. We decided this was merely cabin fever.
We got together and decided to take a road trip to Canada. We plan on visiting my parents and extended family in Canada. They all live on Vancouver Island. It is certainly a long drive, but I detest flying, and have all the time in the world. We wanted to bring gifts, but settled on fresh avocados from my orchard. I have trees that are direct descendants of the Hass Mother Tree. The flesh from these is delectable. I think this will suffice. I have a new infant grandniece, and these avocados are the best baby food on earth.
My next decision was which vehicle to bring. Having a family with 5 licensed drivers, we have a fleet of 6 vehicles. However, all 6 are quite vintage and making it to Canada and back would not be a certainty. I settled on my youngest one: a 2011 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. Just a bit of background on this car. I purchased it as a novelty: an ex LAPD unit to park in the driveway to slow down traffic. It was meant to be a mere decoration. However, I started driving the beast on errands and quickly became enamored with it. I decided to somewhat restore it and installed some lights, radios, dynamite sound system with a subwoofer, head unit with carplay, etc. I decided this would be the one to bring. It is a retired patrol car, and presumably has been abused. The engine still runs like a top, has power to burn. and has never given me problems. You feel almost nostalgic driving it. One feels like king of the road when behind the wheel. It was built for the freeway.. This was the car we would take. I had the oil changed and looked over, and loaded it up. Unfortunately, the Crown Vic’s apearance came back to haunt me later on.
We planned on taking the 5 freeway to Canada, the most direct route. I wanted to introduce Angelica to Portland and Seattle. These are 2 towns I have spent time in before and new fairly well. There were a few surprises to be had, especially in Portland. More on this later.
Our plan was to drive straight to Victoria, then meander back along the Oregon Coast and PCH. Victoria is on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in the province of British Columbia. We planned on 5-7 days in Victoria. I wanted to have nice accommodations there, but was stymied several times on VRBO. As you are aware, there is tremendous anti-American sentiment in Canada at the moment. I believe this to be due to the trade war and perhaps Trump. I got the feeling the owners did not want to do business with Americans. I told the owners I was actually Canadian, but this did not seem to count. I finally found a place on Humboldt street, near downtown Victoria. Finally, some people agreed to take my money! I decided to not wear my Trump hat when crossing north over the border.
4/10/2025
Left LA, dropped off Scarlett at UCLA. The traffic was miserable’
Drove north to Central Valley until we got tired, landed in a town called I think Calingula. We stayed in a Best Western hotel with cats roaming around. The town smelled like cow manure and fertilizer. Everyone there spoke Spanish mostly.
4/11/2025
Drove to Salem Oregon, stayed in a hotel. The weather had abruptly changed when we stepped out of the car. It was cold and raining. I had forgotten how to turn on the windshield wipers. Much to our dismay, they barely worked. Time to stop at an auto parts store asap.
Being married for 20 years, Angelica and I are running out of things to chat about. This was apparent on the many hours on the road. We also do not enjoy the same music. She likes latin and motown music, I prefer classic rock, grunge, punk, or classical music. Angelica also does not enjoy the subwoofer(she has some pistons surgically implanted in her ears). We found common ground on something else: true crime podcasts. I have become somewhat of a podcast junkie, but usually gravitate towards right wing pundits. Angelica did not seem to enjoy these, so we settled on the true crime genre. We are both interested in true crime stories. These podcasts were very entertaining, and I look forward to more of them.
4/12/2025
Portland
We drove to Portland Oregon. I have been to Portland many times in my youth. It was always such a town of counterculture and was held in high esteem by young people. We made our first stop at Powells Books. This was always one of the highlights of a trip to Portland. The downtown was quite horrifying. The decay of the city was shocking. We had to weave around drunks, tweakers, people sleeping or passed out in the street.The people seemed disturbed and deeply ill. I am lucky to not have a flat tire from the sea of discarded meth pipes. The most common shade of hair color was blue. I felt the need to either start CPR or call 911 constantly. The police were everywhere, but did not seem to deter the overt lawlessness. I suppose the whole premise of youthful counterculture was to infuriate older conservative adults. However, in my day, it was merely drinking, playing rock, growing long hair, and smoking the odd joint. If the idea is to infuriate us, these people have certainly succeeded. Angelica seemed oblivious to most of the strange people. I think this has to do with my profession. I constantly screen people. I try to diagnose them with various diseases. This includes both medical and psychiatric disorders. This leads to untold social stress and dissatisfaction at times. I kept catching fleeting glimpses of cirrhosis, heart failure, personality disorders, and periodontal disease. A dentist could make a fine living in Portland. I had virtually nothing in common with anyone there. Angelica and I packed up and headed north to greener pastures.
Of note, Kevin, an old friend of mine, was recently living in Portland. I thought I would get together with him. Unknown to me, he had decided to move away. It seems the city drove him and his family out. He moved to Spokane WA, a great town that I have visited. I hope to see him again someday.
Seattle
Happy to have escaped Portland without incident, we drove to Seattle. I showed Angelica all the aircraft construction west of the I5. We checked into a Hilton Hotel downtown. We walked a few blocks to Pikes Place Market. We had the best shrimp either of us had ever eaten. We haggled with a few of the gypsies and bought souvenirs. Angelica was fascinated by the first Starbucks. We took the monorail to one of my favorite buildings: the Space Needle. People used to ridicule the Needle, but I have always loved the architecture. I remembered going there as a boy and being afraid of the revolving glass floor. I really wanted Angelica to see it. The needle was a hit, Angelica loved it. She is quite a good photographer, and was in heaven up there. It is a photographers paradise, everyone was taking selfies and modelling for each other. We spent a good 3 hours up there. We took dozens of photos. For some reason, the glass floor does not scare me any more. We arrived at the perfect time: twilight. It was a spectacularly clear day and the sunset was breathtaking. We waited a while for darkness to arrive, and the vibe of the place changed immensely. We took night pictures that appeared even more impressive. We took the monorail back downtown and walked around. Seattle was lovely today. It remains one of my favorite American cities.
Space Needle at night
4/13/2025
Drove around Puget Sound, took the 101 freeway to Port Angeles. We drove a little further than we needed, I wanted to show Angelica some of the Olympic National Park. We ate a fine dinner in a restaurant overlooking the harbor. This was our first real meal since leaving. We had been dining on various scraps we brought with us from home. Both of us felt a little bloated and fat after the meal. I forgot to mention, Angelica is quite a chef. We rarely eat out, so the rich food was slightly overwhelming. We stayed in a rustic cabin in Port Angeles. The cabin was right on the water and had an archery range. I should have brought my bow. We plan to drive to Coho Ferry in the morning to Victoria.
4/14/2025
We got up early to catch the Coho Ferry. Neither of us slept well. There were people tromping around and talking upstairs. It was cold outside. We were horrified to find out the Crown Vic heater did not work well. I have never actually used the heater. The ferry to Victoria was uneventful. We had to go through Canadian customs after leaving the ferry. This went poorly. I have crossed the border perhaps a hundred times or more. I do not recall being harassed by agents. Unfortunately, the authorities profiled me as threatening. They assumed I was transporting firearms. Handguns and semi automatic rifles are prohibited in Canada. The agents chose to search me, my wife, my luggage, everywhere in the car. They crawled under the car with flashlights and some type of magnet. They dismantled my subwoofer box. They thought I was transporting firearms. Both agents had cocked sidearms. He said he was close to putting me in handcuffs. I believe they had my license plate on some firearm database. I have a legal California concealed carry permit. They found some old 9 mm rounds in my car that I had forgotten were there. The agent insisted I had a firearm but could not find it. He finally let us go and actually gave me the ammunition back! I wonder whether he searched me because the car looked suspicious. I am not sure. I hate the thought this incident was anti-American bullying. I am glad I was not wearing a Trump hat.
I have a different attitude about the border. I have lived for 30 years in each country, and feel at home in both. It pains me to see the current atmosphere between the countries. Before today, I did not acknowledge the border as legitimate. Let us dismantle the unnecessary border bureaucracy.
I met up with my parents, Doug and Cathy, who live in downtown Victoria. It is always a treat to see them. They are living an active retirement. They ride bicycles and paddle a canoe for hobbies. They do not own a car. We had a nice dinner with them and planned out the week.
We checked into a nice hotel: Parkside Hotel and Spa. We planned to stay for a week. The suite was large, with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The hotel has a full length swimming pool, exercise room, and restaurants next door.
4/15/2025
I woke up to a beautiful morning. I went for a 4 mile run around Dallas Road and Beacon Hill Park. I am not in shape, only running 10 minute miles, but it felt great. We plan on riding bicycles later today to my alma mater: the University of Victoria. I did my undergraduate studies there. In 1989 I graduated with a degree in Biochemistry from UVic. I have some fond memories of my time at that school. I remember the mental and physical strength I possessed at that time.
I am still fuming a bit from that humiliating experience at the border. My wife insists they profiled us merely from the appearance of my Crown Victoria. I am wondering if I should remove some of the police paraphernalia. Cathy, my mother, thinks it makes me look like a troublemaker. I am considering removing the spotlights and pushbar. This is something I will mull over.
This is a link to my run today: https://www.strava.com/activities/14185971195
In the afternoon we went cycling around Victoria with Doug and Cathy. We all had ebikes. My parents are really interested in ebikes. They ride them recreationally and to commute/do errands etc. Angelica rode my sister Kirstens bike, I rode my brother in law Willy’s bike. Being a previously competitive cyclist, I found the ebike to be extremely heavy and somewhat unwieldy. Initially the seat was too low, I felt terrible riding. I did the entire ride without the motor. I tried the motor for about 10 seconds but it felt unnatural to me. I did not feel the usual torque on the cranks. I turned the motor off. After raising the seat an inch I felt much better, and could easily produce more watts. The geometry of the bike was decent, so I started to feel good pedalling again. The climbs were steep but mercifully short. I just mashed up the hills, getting out of the saddle. The hydraulic disc brakes really work well. Angelica did great. The weather was perfect. There is an incredible network of bike lanes. These bike lanes really improved the riding experience. We felt safe the whole time. I know first hand how dangerous cycling is. You have to consider the risk of crashing at any moment.
Here is a link to the ride: https://www.strava.com/activities/14189257198
We ate dinner at my parents place, then went home and went to bed early. I normally watch old bike races on youtube as I am going to sleep. I could not access any of them in Canada - I got error messages.
4/16/2025
The sun was shining through the windows, so I decided to run again. I ran around the parliament buildings and took some pictures. Here is the run:
https://www.strava.com/activities/14195408799
I felt like I was breathing better and briefly picked up the pace.
I roamed around the hotel complex. There is a spa, they do facials and massages etc.
I was horrified to find out there were pets all over in the building. I saw a young couple bringing 3 labradors in the elevator. Why someone would want to travel with a dog is beyond my comprehension. I inspected my unit and found dog urine stains on the bedroom carpets. I will have to mention this in my review of the hotel.
We went for a long walk down to the ocean. Here is the link: https://www.strava.com/activities/14198761683
We made dinner for my parents and ate it at our rental condo. In the evening, Angelica and I took a horse carriage tour around James Bay. This was a highlight. The driver was narrating all kinds of historical facts about Victoria. The houses in James Bay are beautiful. Most of them were built in the 1800s. They appeared to be “Craftsman” style homes, with small porches and pillars, and overhanging eaves. They are very pleasing to the eye.. These types of older homes are dotted around Los Angeles also. In fact, between 2000-2005 I owned such an older home. My home was in the Belmont Shore neighborhood of Long Beach, on Park Avenue.
It is remarkable that these homes are still standing in James Bay. With the wet Victoria climate and exposure to the ocean, one would think they would be destroyed after 150 years. They must have been constructed very well. I learned many of them are designated as “heritage homes” by the local municipality. Their exterior cannot be legally modified without City Council approval. These heritage homes have all manner of benefits. Owning a heritage home gives one property tax benefits and discounts on any renovations.
Horse carriage ride in Victoria
4/17/2025
Angelica and I drove up the island. We wanted to see my niece Elizabeth and her boyfriend Leif. They live in Cowichan Lake. There was a herd of Roosevelt Elk grazing on the roadway. You could walk right up to these elk. We got a bit lost, but eventually found their house. We saw the new baby, Amelia. She is a beautiful child. We chatted for a few hours then took the scenic route back to Victoria. We drove south to Port Renfrew on a very remote road through a forest. It took a while to get back, but I recommend the drive.
My niece Elizabeth with Amelia
4/18/2025
My sister, Kirsten, came to see us. Kirsten works as a public health nurse for the province of British Columbia. Kirsten, Doug, Cathy, Angelica , and myself went for a long hike around Victoria and Esquimalt. My parents are in great shape. Doug is now 84 years old and still riding around all over Victoria.
Angelica and I had prepared some enchiladas for dinner. Kirsten is vegan so we had to make her a different version. Angelica was born in Mexico and cooks amazing Mexican food.
After dinner Kirsten’s son, my nephew Nick, came to visit with his girlfriend. We had a mini-party in our hotel suite.
We went to bed late and watched The White Lotus. That show is hilarious.
Around midnight Angelica received a disturbing call. It seems her elderly mother tripped on some dog paraphernalia in her house. She lives near Los Angeles. She had to go to the ER and was diagnosed with a hip fracture. Of course, this is a common problem with elderly women. Angelica is extremely close to her mother. Angelica comes from a huge Hispanic family. They are very tight-knit. I managed to get to sleep but I think Angelica was up through the night talking to doctors and nurses. Her mother is first generation Mexican-American and speaks little English.
This latest development derailed our return travel plans somewhat. Angelica needs to return home ASAP to help her mother. We decided to drive home as quickly as possible. We will take I-5 south all the way home. I dearly wanted to take Angelica down the Oregon Coast and PCH. We can save this for another trip.
We were also receiving text messages throughout the night from our daughters Robin and Scarlett. They are both UCLA students in pre-med programs. They are taking EMT training and were on paramedic ride-alongs. They were narrating their experiences in graphic detail: psychotic people in handcuffs, MVAs, etc.
4/19/2025
I got up early and decided to take the Crown Vic for an oil change. I have a long drive ahead of me. The technicians found a coolant leak. There appeared to be a pinhole leak in the radiator. It would take several days to repair, so I decided to chance the drive. The car was never overheating and otherwise running perfectly. I need to keep a close eye on the coolant level and watch the temperature gauge. I have an OBD scanner that can give me a real time temperature readout. I bought a large bottle of coolant.
The mechanics were all very impressed with the condition of the Crown Vic. They were remarking how clean and preserved it was. In Canada, most cars of this vintage are already destroyed by the weather. Years of ice, snow, road salt and rain just turn them into rust buckets. I previously lived in Ottawa, Canada. It was not uncommon to see 2 year old cars with visible rust spots. My Crown Vic has spent all of its life in Southern California.
We went for a bike ride to Thetis Lake with Doug and Cathy. I rode the ebike but left the battery behind. That battery weighs about 5 pounds. There are steep short gravel climbs leading to the lake. I had to ride out of the saddle. My rear wheel was spinning in a disturbing fashion. I almost had to dismount. We hiked around the lake. I always loved this lake. I used to come here on a regular basis in the 1980s. The water is so clean you can drink it. An old friend of mine used to grow marijuana in the forest around the lake. There were numerous families hiking around the lake. The weather remains perfect. We have had no rain since arriving.
Hike around the lake: https://www.strava.com/activities/14227617458
Ride home from the lake: https://www.strava.com/activities/14227617441
We ate cheeseburgers with the avocados we brought from home. Angelica did some phone chit chat with her family about Baudelia. It seems she is stable. I am well acquainted with all her doctors but did not feel inclined to insert myself into her case. Angelica has 6 siblings who are all visiting their mother. Angelica seems to be taking the situation well.
I checked in with my kind neighbor, Alex. He is tending to my flock of chickens while I am away. It seems everything is fine back home.
Tomorrow is Easter. It will be my last full day in Canada. We have a family get-together planned at my sister's house. She lives in a Scout camp in Sooke. The entire family should be there, including my great niece Amelia.
4/20/2025
We all drove out to Sooke to spend Easter with my sister Kirsten. My sister’s 2 children were there. Elizabeth, of course, had Amelia in tow. She is a beautiful baby. We walked around the Boy Scout camp and ate dinner together. I have not seen my nephew Nick for a while. He brought his new(to me) girlfriend. She is a very interesting young lady. Eating dinner is somewhat challenging due to some dietary restrictions in the family. My sister Kirsten has converted into a vegan. We had Indian food, leftover enchiladas, and a giant bowl of guacamole. I had brought about 50 avocados from my orchard in California. It was sad to say goodbye to my parents.
The hotel turned out to be a good choice. I left them some good reviews on the various platforms.
Kirsten, Willie, Nick, Fahima, Angelica, Amelia, Leif, Elizabeth, Doug, Cathy, me
Angelica and Amelia
We took a quick shopping trip to buy some last minute souvenirs. Specifically, I wanted some of the Canadian food items I grew up with: Pirate cookies, Mars Bars, Old Dutch chips, and wine gums.
4/21/2025
We took the early coho ferry to Port Angeles. Crossing the border was a breeze. Everyone in the family thought I would get hassled again. I certainly did not. The American border agent actually said she loved my car. No one cared if I had guns or ammunition. We drove south through the western side of Olympic National Park. It was a nice area but very remote and slow going at times.
My Crown Vic has been giving us a little trouble. It has a fairly steady coolant leak. I bought 3 jugs of coolant. I was frequently filling the radiator reservoir. The car was, however, running beautifully. We discussed stopping somewhere to have this fixed. We decided to press on, closely watching the needle.
We entered the 101 S into the Oregon coast. It is a very beautiful place. I remember the first time I drove this road at 20 years old. We stayed in a nice older waterfront hotel in Newport.
4/22/2025
The drive on the 101 S did not disappoint. We spent the whole day driving it. There are numerous roadside vistas and short hikes. The scenery is quite stunning. There are giant rock formations, crashing waves, beautiful cliffs in between lush forests. It was sad to see some areas of logging clearcut. There are many logging trucks. The weather was perfect. I was concerned it would be foggy, but we had crystal clear skies. The wind was quite fierce, blowing south. Angelica was delighted, she must have taken 100 photos. She wanted to stop at every turnout to snap the scenery. The Crown Vic is running well but the coolant leak is worsening. The radiator was like a sieve. Today's drive required one and a half jugs of coolant. We entered California in the late afternoon. We were bickering again about the music. Angelica does not like my music. We both agreed to 80s hits. I got tired of driving, so we camped out in a Eureka hotel. I went for a great run. There happened to be a shoreline bike path next to the hotel.
Map of the run: https://www.strava.com/activities/14258474840
I felt great on the run. I was in much better shape than when we left. I had to brace myself against the wind, leaning forward at about 45 degrees.
Eureka is a fairly nice place. We saw some beautiful old Victorian homes built in the 1880s.
Now that we are back in California, we are back to conserving water. In Canada I could take endless showers and drink from the tap. I really enjoyed that.
I researched the drive south. It was our intention to take PCH south of San Francisco. Angelica has never seen Big Sur. Unfortunately, PCH is closed just south of Carmel. There are some mudslides. We cannot do the PCH drive. Angelica's mother had hip surgery today and I can tell she wants to be present. We might just make a straight shot back home tomorrow. This would take us through the Central Valley in the afternoon. The temperature will be in the 80s F tomorrow. I was concerned about the Crown Vic tolerating the heat.
I am somewhat pleased to have received text messages from another medical group. They may be interested in hiring me. I know multiple doctors in their group and it would be an easy transition. There was also some schadenfreude today. I was informed that multiple other doctors were fired from my old group. That group is an absolute disaster.
Oregon Coast
4/23/2025
We left Eureka early. We decided to drive straight back to LA. Angelica was being inundated with calls about her mother’s care needs. She needed to attend to her ASAP. She wanted to see the Golden Gate Bridge. She had never seen it before. We briefly stopped at the viewpoint on the south side of the bridge. It was a bit foggy and visibility was not the best, but we took multiple photos. The weather was cold and windy. We went east on some little farm road to connect to the I5. Once on the freeway, we made good time. The car was great despite the leaking radiator. I was driving about 85 mph for hours on end. The radar detector worked, and spared me several speeding tickets. We made it home by 8 pm. Luckily the weather was cool, and the Crown Vic did not overheat. I stopped every few hours to refill the radiator reservoir. I switched to water instead of coolant. The car used about 2 gallons today but made it home. I parked it on the grass so the runoff did not stain my driveway.
4/25/2025
I took the car to wash all the road grime off, then went to the shop to replace the radiator. I decided to have them remove some of the flashy police items like the pushbar and spotlights. I went back to my hospital and did some socializing. The medical director saw me in the hallway. He offered me a job, despite my attire. I was wearing a Metallica t-shirt and huarache sandals. We set up a formal meeting for next week to discuss details. I went and tended to my flock of chickens. They seemed to be doing well without me. For now, I am still unemployed. It is time to run errands and tidy up the house before work starts.
I am very pleased with the trip. When we left I was under extreme stress. I felt uneasy at losing my job. I have been unemployed for my entire adult life. My first job was at age 12, working almost full time at a Tofino fish plant. I have worked ever since. I did the math and thought I needed income. I am paying room and board and tuition for my 3 college age children. I recently signed a lease for my daughters’ apartment near UCLA. The monthly rent is $4600. Luckily my home is paid off, but the domestic overhead is still tremendous. The cost of living in LA county is high.
While in Canada, I was thinking of perhaps repatriating. I grew up in BC, and feel at home there. Apparently Canada needs doctors. There are numerous Canadian doctors working in the US, including myself. I did review some websites, the salaries are quite decent. Though I did my training in Canada, I never held a physician job after residency. The prospect of re-learning a new system is quite daunting. Moving to Canada would be a huge project. My wife and children are certainly American. I cannot see my children ever leaving Southern California. I also could not imagine Angelica tolerating Canada. I doubt she would ever want to separate from her family. Her six siblings and mother all live within a 10 mile radius of their family home in Norwalk. She just would not fit in or feel comfortable there. Angelica has seen snow perhaps only twice in her life when I took her skiing.
We definitely felt anti - American sentiment in Canada. In the stores there were signs recommending not to buy American products. People seemed to not be as engaging. That border fiasco was frankly silly. My debit and credit cards were frequently declined by merchants. The staff at our hotel were friendly, but others were not. I read the local newspapers, there were multiple stories about brewing evil down south. There happens to be a current campaign for a Canadian federal election. I watched part of the French debates with Doug and Cathy. Almost the entire debate revolved around Donald Trump. In Trump, the Canadians found their bad guy, their bogeyman. A fire of Canadian patriotism has been ignited.
Americans really do not know much about Canada. Ask your average American, they do not even know Canada’s capital city. Canadians, on the other hand, are steeped in knowledge of the USA and all her elements.
Canadians are not known to be patriotic. There were Canadian flags spotted all around Victoria. I recently learned that the Maple Leaf was associated with the “trucker” movement of 2022. The flag was briefly out of style, now is back in fashion. I met people who genuinely feel that the USA might invade Canada, an overtly preposterous idea.
I was educated in the Canadian public school system for nearly my entire youth. All my postgraduate education was in Canada. The pupils were indoctrinated to dislike the USA. There were constant anti-American snide remarks from teachers. I believe that Canada is somewhat insecure with their own sovereignty. Canada feels threatened by the huge American personality. The stereotypical American is mocked incessantly: brash, entitled, wealthy, materialistic, gun toting, myopic bullies, mere neanderthal descendants of slave owners. Other than some subtle ideological differences, the culture of both countries is nearly identical. Canadians are overwhelmed with American influence. Canadians buy American products and are overwhelmed with US media. The border is merely a virtual one, kept alive by an expensive unnecessary machine. The border is a true government junket, an arbitrary casa nostra straddling the 49th parallel.
I moved to the USA in 1997 for my previous job. When moving here, I was impressed by the American focus on their own government and rich history. Americans are very proud of their founding fathers despite some peccadillos. Americans are constantly discussing and debating their own constitution. Pundits and officials are incessantly discussing the Bill of Rights. They spend hours debating the meaning of the various amendments. The Declaration of Independence is routinely dissected and committed to memory. Canada, on the other hand, does not have a constitution. Being a British colony, Canada’s government is a parliamentary democracy, mirroring that of England. Canada has British monarchs on their currency. Why would a nation have royalty from different country on their money? Ask the Governor General’s office, the citizens do not have an answer.
Having dual citizenship, I tote around two passports. To which country do I belong? For now, I will stay in the USA. I have too much business here. I feel too young to retire. I cannot easily uproot my immediate family to move north. I do feel the USA and Canada should unite as one country.
Immediately upon my return, I received a phone call from human resources at the local hospital in Whittier. They offered to hire me, and we discussed figures. I agreed and will be receiving a contract to sign. This delighted me, a nice gift after returning home.
We settled in and unpacked. Angelica has been tending to her mother. My chickens appear to be in fine condition. I gave Alex small gifts for feeding them. I washed the grime off the Crown Vic. I spent a long time hosing the undercarriage to remove any road salt. I took the car to the shop. It had a pinhole leak in the radiator, an easy fix. My mechanic, Dave, was impressed with my border shakedown story. I decided to dispense with some of the flashy police items - the pushbar and spotlight will be removed.
I received word that my new job will start in 2 weeks. I have another 2 weeks of vacation! We are thinking of taking another trip. I normally do not enjoy travelling too much. This trip was a success, and my wife enjoyed it. Perhaps Yosemite or the Redwoods. To be continued.