I am in Canada and most of the packages I receive from the US are US Postal

We do, but never more than a birthday card. Anything more than a card with a value <$60 per person we deliver when visiting.

You can get the exact rate from all shippers by visiting their website.

I think the minimum duty is $20 if it's not made in North America.

Well, that's closer to Canada than the Orange County/LA area.

If we have any "Monterey"s in this CA ... I haven't heard of/ don't know where to find them, one step ... (beneath your) behind.

If it were to come to Canada, in a situation similar to the one referred to by cherryfizz, who lives in a Canadian city near the border, with a major U.S. city nearby, if you knew someone well, living near the border close to them, it might be better to ship the item to them, with the Canadian to pick the item up from the U.S. near-border resident, depending on postage cost, expected duty, bridge/tunnel tolls, etc.

The Canadian could probably provide info as to what level of duty one might expect.

ole joyful

Items going to Ontario are sorted in Toronto. That's why a letter takes 11 days from Columbus to Windsor.

Growing up in Texas, when I heard "Monterey", I thought people meant "Monterrey" Mexico, as I used to listen to radio stations from there. When I saw the movie Move Over Darling, Doris Day went to Monterey for her honeymoon, and I was shocked to see the ocean in the movie, as I thought they were going to Mexico.

Some people write LA when they mean L.A., but LA means Louisiana. I often get confused with I see CA because I'm not sure if people mean Canada or California.

At work, if something weighs over a certain amount, we ship via UPS instead of USPS. I don't know what that amount is. My sister always uses FEDEX, but I guess that's just easier for her. I usually use the post office.

Your comment has the words of a Texan, Lars.

Speaking for my fellow native Californians, and I believe those in populated Arizona (Phoenix/Tucson) and perhaps elsewhere in the West, there's no ambiguity. LA, L.A., L-A, or the letters said orally, all mean Los Angeles. If you asked the average Californian for the abbreviation for Louisiana, unless it's someone who does a lot of mail addressing, I'll bet you'd hear LU or LO and less frequently LA. It's too far away and not of major importance to many.

I do agree, in SoCal and the Southwest, Monterrey in Mexico vs Monterey in California can be confusing in conversation. Though many would say the former using a Spanish pronunciation. Unlike a city in Texas I was going to once that I was unable to find on a map. The person I was meeting there said were were going to meet in Blank-o. I scoured maps, couldn't find it.

It turned out to be Blanco (TX), a word from Spanish i would have pronounced differently.