Canadi-annes

Canada Day reminded me of some of my favorite Canadians. Sure, there are a lot of famous Canadians out there, but these two left a positive impression of Canada in my mind.

The first is a famous singer, whose voice and fame are legendary...




No, not her...but her,



Anne Murray is the first Canadian female to reach international music fame with her hit, Snowbird. With her enchanting voice, she has sung many memorable songs, such as You needed me. She cranked out a number of hits and continues to tour and record, topping the pop and country charts over the years.

Though she has recorded a number of great songs, my favorite is her rendition of "Could I have this dance." It is perhaps one of the sappiest luv songs I've ever heard, and it is one of my favorites. And apparently, I'm not the only one. Years ago when I visited some cousins one summer in California, we went to a Country and Western Club in the city where the drinks were cheap and the music was great. When this song came on, everyone just about crowded the dance floor with their partners...

...their same sex partners. That's when it dawned on me that I was in not just any C&W club, but a gay C&W club. Who knew San Francisco was a gay mecca?...I certainly didn't at the time. I soon found myself doing the box step with a lesbian, who probably mistook me as one of her kind as we were both sporting mullets at the time. I looked around at the other dancers, and I realized that the magic of Anne Murray's music is that it reaches that sentimental romantic in all of us, no matter who were were or what we did. Whenever I hear this song at weddings or clubs, I find myself a partner and dance to this sweetest of songs, lost in bliss.

And what better dance partner than another of my favorite Canadians,



Anne of Green Gables. With her fiery temper and moxie, this red head set the small screen on fire! I was entertained by her misadventures. I was moved by the story of this orphan who finds a loving family, true friends, and a home in beautiful Prince Edward Island. This show made me think that Canada was all farm country and a rural paradise. It was like Little House on the Prairie, but prettier, and cleaner, and the cast much more attractive--and also with less drunks. I remember thinking, that Gilbert Blythe is one lucky bastard!



A really lucky bastard!!!



Red heads are hot! And that Gilbert was a sly, smooth operator. When he said to Anne, "Carrots!", not only was he telling her of his penchant for eating red things, but the playful tugging on her hair was a clear signal that he had a carrot she could play with anytime she wanted. And when she responded by breaking that slate over his head, I was like, wow, so Canadian women like to be dominant and smack their suitors in the heat of passion!