I’m an American married to a Canadian. We cross the border often, but should we pick a side?

first person

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This July I was paddling off the coast of Victoria delighting in the long evening, calm waters and dreamy vistas. Scenes of Canadians in summer doing what they do best: furiously recreating until the last light. Boating, fishing, swimming, tossing sticks to their dogs on the beach. And, of course, shoreline construction complete with tugboat, barge, dump trucks and backhoe. I glided between kelp fronds at the edge of water and air, in Canadian waters that become American across the Haro Strait.

As an American married to a Canadian I have had the privilege of immersing in Canadian life and spending parts of summers north of the border. We str