Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving

This weekend (Monday, October 9 to be technical) is our Thanksgiving.

Want to wish all my fellow Canucks a happy turkey day. For the last few weeks I have been on a wine break but think I will hop off the wagon for the day. Nothing like a spicy, fruity red wine with turkey, stuffing and all the trimmings. Mmmmm.

Happy Thanksgiving to all Canadians. As you may know, here south of your border we celebrate on the same day the memory of ONE of the first European discoverors of North America.

Thanks, and a happy turkey day to all the other Canucks.

I've got a couple of bottles of Sumac Ridge Gewurz picked out just for the occasion.

I guess Italian would be more appropriate for the folks who are Stateside.

[Jenise]

Italian? Wasn't Columbus Spanish?

Italian? Wasn't Columbus Spanish?

Ouch, Jenise!! Cristoforo Colombo was Genovese. He was the first to bring Genoa salami to our shores. His relationship to Spain was purely political as Alan Sherman documents in the lyrics to "America's Nice Italian Name," to wit (and to the tune of Funiculì, Funiculà):

Columbus was a nice Italian fella,
He hadda no boats, he needed some boats.
So he's fools around with Queen-a Isabella,
She hadda some boats, she give 'im da boats.
The Queen she say, "Columbus, poochie woochie,
Iffa you should land in some-a new land,
Please name it for Americus Vespucci,
'Cause he's a nice-a Italian man."

Nina, Pinta and-a the Saint Marie,
Fourteen ninety-two he sail-a the sea,
He found the land, the land was grand,
And then Columbus he's proclaim,
"I call-a this land America, a nice Italian name."
La la la la la la la la la la la la la."

I love Fridays ...

Yup, Italian.

Incidentally, America is named after the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci. It was a break from tradition to use the first name - historically, last names are used in naming lands.

Just think, we could be living in North Vespuccia.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Funny thing is when I was in University we would always skip classes on American Thanksgiving to watch football and I usually enjoyed it more than our Canadian Thanksgiving where there really was nothing big going on.

But tip a glass for us down south anyway.

I think I'll uncork a nice Australian Shiraz at our family dinners Monday.

What're ya saying there's nothing big happening?!

The Eskimos play the Argos, followed by the 'Riders and the Alouettes.

(OK, the Esks suck this year, but it's still good football.)

As much as I support the CFL, there is no comparison to the NFL, sorry.

Just like a wine can be the best in it's varietal, it may just not demand the attention of something bigger, bolder, more popular, etc.

[James Roscoe]

Italian? Wasn't Columbus Spanish?

There are some historians who will tell you that Columbus was a Catalan nobleman who fled Spain after Ferdinand and Isabella took over as their was a lot of internal conflict when the merger took place. Columbus was evidently a pirate according to these people who washed up in Portugal. He was rehabilitated and the entire Italian story is fiction. Others claim it was made up because Columbus was Jewish and needed to hide his ancestry from the highly intolerant Spanish monarchs. In any event, there is a lot of debate. I tend to stick with the Italian story myself.

Sorry all wrong!!! The Italians here claim Giovanni Caputo was the first one here. His real name was .......John Caput, an Englishman!!!!
Waiting for the emails/outcry.

That's John Cabot, Bob, and I said that the guy we are honoring on Monday was ONE repeat ONE of the first Eurpoeans to get here.

Happy Thanksgiving, Carl

Ooopps sorry yreah!!! Was in between two Grill calls and rushed my valid response> What a weasel eh. Giovanni rocks...all the way home.
Yer, got to think about this years Thanksgiving spread. Probably bison steaks, wack of wamb and some goat we have in the freezer.

Wasn't it Martin Frobisher in Newfoundland, folks, in 1578?

At least that was the story in our one room rural school house years ago.

Has Martin been deconstructed?

[James Roscoe]

If we're talking "North America" specifically versus the "Americas" in general, then seniori Giovani Cabotti gets the nod for the first touch down in what would later be Canada and the US. However, Columbus, wheter he was Spanish, Italian, or Jewish (or some combination therof) was the first to get to the Americas. He was only seventy miles or one hundred klics from Miami Beach. I can't figure out why he didn't stop by to play some golf and have a few mai thais. I guess he was more interested in the action in Havana.

What're ya saying there's nothing big happening?!

The Eskimos play the Argos, followed by the 'Riders and the Alouettes.

(OK, the Esks suck this year, but it's still good football.)

Nice to see the Oilers off to such a great start !
Too bad about Rolly's shut-out, but second star eh ?