Aside //6 - Embracing (Y)our Identity

I was on Google Maps today, looking up the precise coordinates of a Canadian city I plan to visit for work in the next few weeks, when I realized that you can click on certain location names and it will pop-up basic information about the location. Among other things, this includes a photo which, I assume, is meant to be representative of the locale.

I then realized this is also an option for entire countries, so I, of course, pursued enlightenment:

• Click “Canada,” and you're presented with a photo of an achingly beautiful, impossibly blue lake, behind which rises snow-capped mountains, all lined by crisp green conifers. I had to look closer to make sure it wasn't a painting! Simply stunning.

• Click “Mexico,” and you are treated to an ancient Spanish cathedral, its intricately-carved facade a testament to the loving craftsmanship of a nation, its spires reaching proudly into a pristine Central American sky.  Inspiring!

• Click "United States," and you get a photo of the exterior of a boat rental kiosk outside a Joe's Crab Shack in Branson, MO.

I . . . yeah, you know what? Actually, I can dig it! #Merica