It’s a big part of the history of our country, and a great way to spend a summer day… the canoe.
I love my canoe. I don’t spend as much time in it as I would like, but that’s mostly my fault. But it is such a wonderfully peaceful way to spend some time, floating along with just the splash of the paddle to break the silence.
Which is one of the things I like best about the canoe. Loons can pop up right next to you. Deer will wander along the shore wondering what the heck sort of creature you are. There is just something magical about it.
But one of the things many people know about the canoe is something that apparently never happened. Author Pierre Berton’s famous line.
The quote was something along the lines of “a Canadian is someone who can make love in a canoe without tipping over”. While it may be something worth bragging about, Berton himself has been quoted as saying he never actually said it or wrote it. Although he liked the line and was quite willing to take credit.
But when you think about it, it really doesn’t sound very safe. And most canoe’s are really not built for it, although you can find pictures of some online that seemed to be. There are models of the canoe that were built in the early 1900’s with a crank model record player built in and no yolk or thwart in the center. Obviously someone had something in mind.
But if you are new to the country, this is not something you will have to demonstrate for your citizenship test. One of the great Canadian secrets is, most of us have never even made the attempt. Although it is a fun line to use.
