During an extensive period of traveling throughout Cornwall, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and England, people continually mistook my wife and me for Canadians (which we considered a compliment, by the way) and people were routinely suprised to discover we were Americans. The consensus was that we "were too soft spoken to be Americans".

Peg, we, too, were regularly introduced by one couple - very dear friends and very proper Englishfolk - to their friends as "Don and Monta, who are from America, but they're very nice." However, we never took it amiss; we understood and appreciated the distinction that was being drawn.

I've always thought that those who travel to foreign climes and spend the greatest part of their time complaining about "how things aren't like this at home" are not only missing a great deal that could delight and broaden their horizons, but are doing a grave disservice to their compatriots at home through their boorishness.