Garage Sale

I attended my very first garage sale yesterday! It was a multi-family event hosted by fellow runner/cyclist/spinner Elizabeth. It was a fund raiser for Cops for Cancer - Elizabeth is involved with the Tour de Coast ride. Even though it was a rainy day at the end of November, we had quite a few customers and made some sales. There was some great stuff there - stereos, phones, kitchen stuff, games, puzzles, books, clothes, luggage, backpacks, chairs, even a friend for me! Some of the folks who were supposed to be selling their items ended up buying and trading things... I guess you can't blame them with all the treasures there. The best part was that Elizabeth arranged for all the stuff to be picked up at the end of the day so no one had to cart anything home! She's so organized!

Here I am with some of the stereos and a TV for sale.
This is the friend I met at the sale.

Run hard, be strong, have fun.
Joe

On the environmental soapbox...

Hello all,

Among other things, I fill my days with reading the newspapers that Terri leaves around the house. I recently read an article by David Suzuki (one of our heroes) in the Metro paper (17 Nov 2008). I thought I'd share a few highlights with you.

BC "is Canada’s richest region biologically — home to 76 per cent of our nation’s bird species, 70 per cent of its freshwater fish, 60 per cent of its evergreen trees, and thousands of other animals and plants. More than 3,800 species are found here, and many of these, such as mountain goat and mountain caribou, live mostly — or only — in the province and nowhere else on the planet. For others, such as the trumpeter swan and sandhill crane, B.C. is a critical wintering ground or ­stopover in winged migrations that extend over thou­sands of kilometres. Most remarkably, unlike most places in North America, B.C. still has all of the large and charismatic megafauna that were present at the time of European settlement, including grizzly bears, wolves, and cougars. Indeed, British Columbia is now the last safe haven for most of the large animals left on the continent.

"B.C. has a rich legacy to protect, yet the experts tell us that we are squandering our unique biological inheritance. Earlier this year, scientists revealed that more than four dozen species have disappeared from the province, and the casualty list is growing. A further 1,600 species (43 per cent of all the plants and animals thought to exist in the province) are also in decline and are perhaps facing a similar fate unless action is taken.

"Given the biodiversity crisis that is unfolding in my home province, I’m shocked that the government can claim we’re the “best place on earth”. We lag behind virtually every other place in North America in providing legal protection for our wildlife. B.C. stands out in Canada for not having an endangered species law, while smaller provinces such as New Brunswick and Nova Scotia have gone to great lengths to legally protect endangered species and their habitat. Even developing countries, such as Mexico, Costa Rica, and “the glorious nation” of Kazakhstan (to quote Borat) have a leg up on us, with endangered species laws on the books."

For more info, check out: http://www.lastplaceonearth.ca/.
For the full article: http://www.metronews.ca/vancouver/live/article/141899.

Run hard, be strong, have fun.
Joe

Hiking

I didn't realize that BC was so beautiful! We went on quite a few hikes in 2005. However..., most of the places Terri and her friends hike to are rather hilly... I didn't get the attraction of this at first, since I come from a fairly flat area. Why climb up something when you just have to climb back down?!?! I get it now - the view! Wow!

There is no way I can keep up with everyone so Terri carries me on her backpack. It's great - I'm comfortable, don't have to sweat, have a great view, am able to access water and snacks, and can chat with everyone from up there.

Here I am checking out a tree on the way up to the Lions. I'm about to eat the Smartie someone put on my belly. We never made it to the top of the Lions that trip. One day I hope to climb all the way.  Terri says she won't climb to the top of the Lion, but maybe I can convince one of her friends to take me up there.

This is the way I usually travel on hikes. This one is at the top of the Chief in Squamish.

Guess where I am!! I was pretty excited - 1450m! What a great hike that was - the three peaks of Mount Seymour.

This one isn't in BC. We went to Mt. Baker in Washington. Here we are stopping for lunch.

Run hard, be strong, have fun.

Joe

Remembering...

Getting organized

Hi all,

I just wanted to let you know that I am working on my next entry. I'm new to this blogging thing and am getting my thoughts organized. I have so many stories to tell you, that it's hard to decide where to start! Also, my hands are pretty small and the keyboard is big. It's rather tiring for me to type. Terri has been very kind and is helping me out with this. My next story will be along very soon!!

Run hard, be strong, have fun.
Joe

US Election

Wow! What an exciting night for this little guy from the States. The US has elected themselves a new boss! And he's the same colour as me! Pretty cool, eh!

Oh, look at me - using "eh" like a real Canadian!!

Hi, I'm Joe

I'm a Kokopelli from Las Vegas. I met Terri in a store on the Strip in January 2004. She was going to run the Las Vegas Half Marathon and wanted someone to run with. I'd never run before, but I thought it would be a hoot. We hit it off right away and I actually enjoyed the run.

Here's a picture of me and Terri on race morning. Being from the Strip, I was more accustomed to going to bed around this time, but Terri said that runners always get up early. I wasn't sure about this habit, but she assured me that I'd get used to it.

We had a great time running and met someone from Calgary to run with. People saw the maple leaf tattoos on Terri's face and yelled "Go Canada!". I thought it was very friendly of them and decided to become a runner.

And, the medal cinched the deal. I was definitely going to be a runner!

Here we all are after the run! See the fellow on the right. His name is Joe too. Sometimes people call me Little Joe to tell us apart. Mike and Rainy are the other people in the picture.

Any way, after having such a great time, I decided to emigrate to Canada to start my running career and hang out with my new friends.

I want to share the adventures I've been on since I came to Canada and tell you about all the new ones I'm sure I'll be having. Some days I can't believe how different my life is now! I'd never have guessed that I'd be running, skiing, biking, hiking, celebrating holidays, and much, much more with such a great group of people.

Run hard, be strong, have fun.
Joe