Welcome to the Land of the Free

Hello and welcome to a pretty sweet Saturday here at the Wannaskan Almanac. Today is July 18th.

This morning, I get to type this from the deck of a pretty nice Airbnb out at Springsteel Island on Lake of the Woods. While the visiting relatives and the Youngest enjoy a charter fishing experience, I get to enjoy chirping birds, an expansive view of the lake, and some welcomed peaceful solitude.

So what's on my mind is the World Cup. I read a Wall Street Journal article this morning titled "How the U.S. Lost the World Cup - and Won Over the World." In short, the authors say that the American people, places, and food left our foreign guests more enamored than chagrined with the U.S.A.

This is what I saw on social media as well. My hands-down favorite, favorite, favorite post was a Jason Stills song Welcome to the Land of the Free with accompanying videos of World Cup visitors discovering Buc-ees, Waffle House, free soda refills, and - I kid you not - a love for Ranch dressing that led to TSA social media posts asking travelers to put the dressing in their checked bag. (Source)

Ahhh...Americana.

Americana is something I think about when I travel the U.S. It is the people, the customs, the foods that make a place what it is. The heart and hugs - the welcome - that makes a person feel special.

I like this definition of American that AI pulled together for me in my Google search: "Americana refers to artifacts, cultural traditions, and folklore that are characteristic of the United States. It encompasses the physical and visual manifestations of the American experience—such as folk art, classic diners, and baseball memorabilia—and is a distinct music genre blending folk and country roots." (Source)

And that last bit about music perfectly describes the vibe of Stills' song. 

I took screenshots of these two paragraphs from that Wall Street Journal article to send to Chairman Joe, who's been following the World Cup as well. 

"The irony of America celebrating its 250th birthday with a gigantic soccerfest wasn't lost on anyone who still considered the game more foreign than a bottle of rosé at lunch. But in many ways, the World Cup did a better job of highlighting what the world loves about America than any military flyover ever could.

While the 250th was a fraught celebration for those who see an insular, inward-looking nation sharply divided by politics and culture wars, the World Cup showed that these polarizing politics don't always need to define America."

I'll be tuning in to today's France-England game and then tomorrow's final match-up between Spain and Messi (oops, I mean Argentina, haha...)

And singing the chorus while I do my weekend chores in between:

Welcome to the land where the whole world comes to play

Flags from every nation waving proud and on display

From Boston to L.A., from Dallas to the sea

Eighty thousand voices, this is what it means to be free, oh

Welcome to the land, yeah, we're rolling out the door

Every street a stage, every stranger wanting more

The ball is in the air and the whole wide world can see

Welcome, welcome, welcome to the land of the free