TOTALLY OT:
Oh, and Jim from Moncton, I have a genuine affection for folks in your region.
About twenty-five years ago I vacationed on Cape Breton Island. Just the wife and me. It was a bit of a haul (900 miles), but I drove from Massachusetts. I had a very nice vacation. I left there on a Thursday morning, intending on a leisurely drive back.
Well, my water pump blew and the resulting heat warped the head on the engine. I pulled into a garage in a town called Sackville. They told me that they'd need to send to Moncton for a replacement. I asked if they could do it the next day.
"No way. Tomorrow is New Brunswick Day."
"New Brunswick Day?"
"That's right. Can't get it until Monday"
"Oh, New Brunswick Day."
(You've got to be sh*tting me.)
Sounds like a disaster, right? No, it was really nice. I can't really recall a time when I've met such nice, friendly, and genuine people. We got invited to a pig roast the first night. The town was pretty interesting too. It had some connection to Marconi, and it was also the place where Leon Trotsky was held during WW I. And they had Mel's Tea Room. To Americans of a certain age, all I can compare it to is an old time soda shop or ice cream fountain. And they served local fresh eggs.
By the time we left I was thinking of moving to Canada.
So that's why I really like them, right? Well yes and...
About fifteen years later I was watching a documentary about what happened to the flights that weren't allowed to land in the USA on September 11, 2001. Some apparently landed in Moncton. They followed one group of Americans that went to Sackville. It showed the kind outpouring of food, sympathy, and support the townspeople gave. (Please note: My mother was Italian. Food=Love.)
Once again I thought what a blessing it was to have such people as our neighbors.
Thank you.
