My Secret Stash...

I was a lucky Kokopelli again this year! I got a cool little canister with a secret compartment in it. It came with $5US so I can buy Terri a coffee and muffin when she's in New Mexico in February with the Travelling Divas. They've made me an honorary Diva, so I get to go on all of their trips. Thank you to Terri's sister, Karen, for the great gift!

Run hard, be strong, have fun.
Joe

Merry Christmas to All!!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

A new friend

We had the 3rd annual Oh Run All Ye Faithful Holiday Spirit Run/Walk on the 13th. (We really need to shorten the name...) It is a 5km loop that you can do as many times as you want. At the end (or between each loop) there is lots of food, coffee and mulled wine. Rainy & Joe host it in Rainy's Mom's carport. It's estimated that 70 people came out for it this year!

This is me with my new friend, Mistle Toad. He was really nice (although he did try to get a bit friendly with me) and we had a great time watching all the runners and walkers enjoy their party.

Run hard, be strong, have fun.

Joe

PS. Do you like my new Santa outfit?

On the environmental soapbox - part 3

Here's an article on the amount of waste that accumulates at Christmas time. As pretty as it is under the tree, maybe we should re-think how we give gifts.

http://www.theprovince.com/life/Rethink+holiday+packaging+Metro+asks/2288178/story.html

Run hard, be strong, have fun.
Joe

Happy December!

Wow!! Has time gone fast! It's the first of December already. And you know what that means... Only 24 more days until The Man arrives! Wah hooo! I can hardly wait. He always brings me nice things. And, I get to dress in my Santa outfit and all my Christmas bling! Here's a picture of me from last year. Terri said something about getting me a jacket this year. Plus, I have all those nice sweaters, scarf and toque that Terri's sister Janet knit for me. I won't be cold this year! Bring on the SNOW!

Run hard, be strong, have fun.
Joe

Whoops, it's been a while...

I know, it's been far too long since I posted anything. I've been a very lazy Kokopelli... I thought I'd drop you a quick note so I could post my Halloween picture. I also missed posting for Remembrance Day. And Terri's birthday - it was a BIG number day too. How terrible of me to miss all these events.

On a positive note... It's getting colder out now and I'm looking forward to wearing the sweaters and toque Janet made for me last year! There's snow on the mountains so that means Terri will be out cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Maybe she'll take me with her once or twice.

That's it for my quick note.

Run hard, be strong, have fun.
Joe

My trip to Kiev

I got to take a virtual tour of Kiev recently. My friend Kathy took me with her on her cell phone. Here I am looking out the hotel window.
Here I am on Kreschatyk Street.

I really enjoyed the trips. I'm quite tickled that I got to go somewhere that Terri hasn't been! Thanks Kathy for a wonderful trip!

Run hard, be strong, have fun.

Joe

Hiking in Marriott Basin

Here I am getting ready for the big hike into Marriott Basin! I've never been into the back-country for more than a day hike before. It's going to be a big challenge for me.
Here I am in the lower meadows. It's beautiful here.

Checking out the map to see where we're going hiking. The goal was to find Mount Marriott, but we only got as far as the last ridge before the mountain. Dan climbed to the top of the ridge and had a great view of Mount Marriott. Terri got kinda scared and didn't want to climb any higher, so I stayed with her.

Playing cards in the hut.

Cooking up some good food to fuel us for the hike.

Not many pictures of me, but Terri's got some great shots on her Facebook if you want to see more.

Enjoy. Run hard, be strong, have fun.
Joe

My first overnighter on the bike

One of the reasons I started this blog was to tell everyone about my experiences since coming to Canada. I've had lots of fun adventures with Terri and her friends. Something they do a lot of is ride bikes. They ride everywhere! I've mentioned some of my bike trips in a previous blog, but this one is about my first overnighter on the bike. We rode the Lochside and Galloping Goose trails on southern Vancouver Island. Here's a video of our trip. It's really only about 3 minutes long, but Terri & Dan went a little crazy with the credits at the end...

Enjoy. Run hard, be strong, have fun.
Joe

Tomato picture!

Here I am on top of the tomato plants! You can see one of the tomatoes is ripening. That is a "Super Fantastic" tomato. There is also a ripe "Cherry Red" tomato and a ripe "Champion" tomato - both are ready to be picked! Can't wait to try them out.
Run hard, be strong, have fun.
Joe

Tomatoes

The tomatoes are growing like weeds!! I can't wait to show you pictures of them. One of the cherry tomatoes is turning red! I'll be able to eat it soon. I'll bug Terri to help me take some pictures to show you. She also has pictures from the last couple of trips to Birken that she needs to post for everyone. She's rather behind in things to do with the computer these days. Although, she has been very busy in the kitchen. She made a plum crumble and a self-saucing chocolate pudding for the freezer. She also canned 10lbs of cherries and made rhubarb liqueur. Mmmmmm.... can't wait to try everything.

Run hard, be strong, have fun.
Joe

My very own coffee shop!

I had no idea that there was a coffee shop for Kokopellis - the Kokopelli Cafe! How very exciting! I can't wait to take all of my friends there and show them some good ol' Kokopelli hospitality. It's at 4593 Dunbar St (between W30th & W31st). That's very close to where Terri's Grandma lived and her mom grew up. She can't wait to check it out also.

See you there soon.
Run hard, be strong, have fun.
Joe

It's biking time!

It's time to get the bikes out again. I thought I'd share a few of my most memorable bike trips with you.

The first time Terri took me riding, I hung out on her camelback. This was okay, but I only saw where we'd been - I never got to see where we were going. Here I am on our first ride to Vancouver Island.
Terri realized that I'd rather see where we're going, so she set me up on the handle bars for our big ride from Port Hardy to Victoria. I really enjoyed this. I wish I could get some goggles though - sometimes I get dust in my eyes.

Here I am in Cuba, with my Mojito and cigar, when we spent two weeks exploring the west end of the country by bike. You know the saying: when in Cuba...

My biggest feat on the bike was last summer when we rode from Burnaby all the way to Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta!! That was 2000km!! Wow, was I ever tired from all that work! This is me at the continental divide with my reward for making it this far - a Mars bar.

This is me and my good friend Donkey at Honeymoon Lake in Jasper National Park. Donkey rides on Dan's bike.

I'll be sure to share more exciting bike trips as they happen.

Run hard, be strong, have fun.
Joe

Gardening

I do have a green thumb after all! These were taken a few weeks ago, so things have changed a lot since then, but I wanted you to see that my plants are growing. I'm so excited! I'll try to get some newer shots up soon.

Happy Canada Day!

Philosophy...

Ahhhh.... What a life.

Green Thumb

Terri has been helping her friend Suzanne out in her garden, so I thought I'd do some gardening myself. Terri said she really likes sweet peas, so I thought I'd plant some for her. (Thanks to Trish for her tip on starting them in a damp paper towel!) I also wanted to try growing tomatoes. Terri said she'd grown some a few years ago, but they had black spots. I hope mine work out. I have 5 different kinds.
Here I am with two of the tomato plants, some rosemary, and cat grass. I still need pots for the other three tomato plants and the basil. There's also a pot of mixed flower seeds we're hoping will grow.

Joe's new clothes!

I got a really cool parcel in the mail a little while ago. This box was in it.
And inside the box were all these wonderful outfits! All hand knit by Janet!! Isn't she wonderful!

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone is enjoying their Easter. Here I am with two of my favourite bunny rabbits. I'm hoping to find some chocolate eggs today!

Run hard, be strong, have fun. And eat lots of chocolate!
Joe

April Fools!

Now really, who arranged for it to snow on April Fool's Day?? That was the best trick I've ever seen.

Happy National Joe Day!!!

Yes, it really is National Joe Day! It's on the Internet so it must be true!

About NJD:
National Joe Day is a chance to change your name, if only for today. Many people do not like their given name. They wish they could change it. A few actually do. On National Joe Day, it is perfectly okay to have everyone call your "Joe". Why Joe, and not Bob or Mike or Radcliffe? Simply, because everyone likes the name Joe.
(from http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/March/joeday.htm )

How to celebrate NJD:
Step1: Wake up on March 27 and introduce yourself to everyone as Joe. You are a new person. You are no longer strapped down to that name you have been carrying around all these years. Throw off the old name and become Joe for a day.

Step2: Make a journal entry talking about your feelings about your own name. People always attach meaning to certain names and when you don't fit those meanings, it leaves you wanting something else. Here is your day to express who you think you are.

Step3: Petition the court to change your name. Go ahead and take the leap, but tell people before you do it so they will know who to input on their cell phone.

Step4: Have a party and wear masks. Celebrate having a new identity. Wear a mask that describes the new you and say, "Hi" to the other Joes out there.
(from http://www.ehow.com/how_2125970_celebrate-national-joe-day.html)

So, to all my Joe friends out there - a very happy and special day to you!

Run hard, be strong, have fun.
Joe

St. Patrick's Day

A toast with Irish Cream to you on St. Patty's Day!

Cheers,
Joe

The Cat

Terri has a cat. Cats are something I usually avoid, but Betty can be nice. Here we are having a conversation while Terri is working on her computer. We often sit on the desk and keep her company.

Here's Betty wondering what Terri is doing with the camera.

Sometimes Betty gets a bit nasty. All I said was that she might want to do something about all the fur she sheds. I really hate having her fur all over myself. It gets into everything! I find it really quite messy. I'm very particular about my appearance and I hate having to pick cat hair off of me every time I move. Well, she took offense to this and really gave it to me. I was a wee bit scared at this point. She does have a big mouth when it's open like that. Plus, she needs to brush her teeth.

Run hard, be strong, have fun.

Joe

Valentine's Day

Oh no! I can't believe I didn't wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! Hope it was filled with chocolate!!
Hugs & Kisses
Joe

My Trip to California

What a great trip!! Terri and the rest of the gang are so much fun to travel with! They made me feel like "one of the girls". I've posted the pictures of my trip here for everyone to see. I'll post a few here for a preview.

This is me on the beach.

It was really windy in Joshua Tree National Park!!

Ahhhh... Relaxing by the pool.

Enjoy the photos!

Run hard, be strong, have fun.
Joe

What a run!

They did it! Terri, Trish, Suzanne, Kathy and Jacquie ran the Carlsbad half marathon today! Here I am with Terri's medal and bib number.
Run hard, be strong, have fun.
Joe

All Packed!

I'm all set to head to California!!! I've got my towel, hat, sunscreen.
Sunshine here I come!

Only 4 more sleeps!!

On Thursday we're going to CALIFORNIA!! I've never been to California before!! I'm very excited! I was the only fellow invited to go with a group of FIVE women who are going down there to run in the Carlsbad half marathon. I feel so lucky that they want me to go with them.

As much as I love the snow, I'm really a sunny weather kinda guy. It'll be nice to work on my tan. I feel like I'm getting a bit pale these days.

I'd better start packing. Now, where is my passport...

Run hard, be strong, have fun.
Joe

On the environmental soapbox - part 2

Terri asked me to help convince people to do their part for climate change. She thought this might provide some motivation.

Save the earth.
It's the only planet with chocolate.

Run hard, be strong, have fun. (And save the earth!)
Joe