whoville

Friends Making Money

2012-01-15T20:45:00.002-08:00

I didn't look up why this is called "Friends Making Money" when I found it on Wandering Coyote's blog, but that' okay.

FMM involves answering 20 questions, then leaving a link to your post on the post of the friend you got the list from.

1. What is your favourite way to spend a Saturday?
Start the day with an early morning trail run with my trail running buddies, then go home for a db specialty coffee and some yummy breakfast/brunch and then just let the day unfold. Hopefully there's a great movie in there at some point.

2. List your top 3 favourite TV shows.
I think I only watch re-runs.
St. Louis Blues Hockey (that's current!)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (all time favorite)
The Simpsons

3. Would you rather be in pictures or take them?
Definitely take them.

4. Why do you blog?
Even though I don't do it as much anymore, I do blog for my family, and for my own interest. I think I started out to blog for different reasons and with bigger plans (creative expression), but it turned into a much more personal blog than I thought it would be.

5. Share 5 web sites you visit regularly.

Facebook (do you really need the link?)
Langara College (where I'm currently taking 2 courses)
SPUD (gotta order the veggies and see what's on special for the week)
Active.com (running stuff)
Fat Free Vegan (always something yummy)

6. If you could have lunch with one person from your Twitter list, who would that be?
I don't have a twitter list. Let's say my fb list...it would be my sister.

7. List a few of your favourite snacks.
Kale Chips from Tao Organics!!!! I'm addicted.
Vegan Peppermint Nanaimo bars from Sprout Vegan Bakery (She is an amazing local vegan baker)
db's hats (I can't give away the secret, but if you've had them, you know what I'm talking about.
Que Pasa tortilla chips and a spicy salsa (standard favorite).

8. Do you have a pet? If so, what kind.
Yes, two cats that are my companion animals.

9. Which 3 material possessions would you struggle to live without?
Struggle seems like a strong word for these things, but it would be: My Mac, My blender, and My camera. (not necessarily in that order).

10. What’s your favourite drink?
Fresh juice with apple, beet, carrot and ginger. (Hmm, I think I'll go make some after this).
For something a little stronger, I prefer a nice red like a Barolo or Brunello di Montalcino (but who doesn't. I don't get to enjoy these too often though - $$$$$ -- so another tasty wine will do. I enjoy trying different ones.)

11. Do you enjoy cooking?
Yes when I have time. Not so much when I don't.

12. Do you have children?
Nope. I have two cats and too many other things in my life.

13. What are you favourite hobbies?
Trail running, trail running, and trail running. Just kidding (sort of). I also enjoy photography, hiking, knitting, and volunteering at Wildlife Rescue.

14. Would you consider yourself to be shy or outgoing?
Shy.

15. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Better memory.

16. Who is your favourite actor/actress?
My sis, of course!
Actor: Cary Grant.

17. What’s the coolest thing you’ve done this week?
Trail ran in the snow, and then later went out snowshoeing. That was today and I'm toast.

18. Do you live near family or far from them?
Both. Most of my family is far away, but pw is just across the Salish Sea.

19. List three of your talents.
Ability to take on any challenge.
Story editing (I do miss script editing)
Making risotto (It really is the best)

20. What is your greatest attribute?
Compassion towards animals.

Christmas Day

2012-01-04T21:29:00.002-08:00

What kind of Christmas Day photo is this? Well, when db and I drove out to Mission to cut our Christmas tree, we took a wrong turn and passed this area that was full of eagles feeding on Salmon. A little further up the highway it was the weekend of Harrison's Eagle Festival, where eagles return every year to feed on the Salmon, so it wasn't surprising to see them in the area. As we drove past we saw eagle after eagle after eagle.

Anywho...db and I didn't stop that day, but decided to go back 2 weeks later on Christmas. The beach was littered with Salmon carcasses and there was mostly just gulls enjoying what was left.

It's really a beautiful little spot, and the weather cleared long enough for us to walk along the water.

An American Dipper. I looked up this little guy once I got home and could load the photo to see what it was. I was astounded when I saw it dive into the water and then come back out.

Looking over the bridge, we watched this gull enjoying himself. The gulls really do enjoy cleaning up. They were almost as much fun to watch as the eagles.

We did see eagles. At one point we counted a total of 14 in one area. It was probably a quarter of what we probably would have seen two weeks earlier.

Several were perched in the trees. They stayed there the whole time we were there.

This one bald eagle remained in this spot the whole time as well. Others moved around us, and we got to see several take off and land fairly close. It was quite amazing.

More gulls having fun. (I love gulls!)

Finally, the best view! This eagle was along the side of the road and we almost drove past him and missed him. db spotted him as we drove by, so we swung around and parked several feet away to watch him (or her) enjoy whatever it had in his (her) talons. Beautiful raptors!

December 24th at Whoville

2011-12-25T13:21:00.002-08:00

Just a few photos from our Christmas Eve.

It's a very green Christmas. It poured all morning (very, very wet trail run! I had to wring out my clothes when I got home). The afternoon cleared up and there was some beautiful sunlight coming through the mist in the trees.

That's right. You are seeing cheese. Raw vegan cheese! It's made from cashew, macadamia, and brazil nuts, and they are amazing. There's a cheddar, a goat style cheese, a brazil nut pesto soft cheddar type and the darker one is a "Christmas" flavour made with hazelnuts. These are so amazing. I met this nut cheese maker through work, and her cheeses are amazing! She brought samples once and I couldn't believe how delicious they were...how very cheese-like they were. So, I contacted her before Christmas and asked if she could make some for the holidays (she only does it as a hobby - so far) and they were delicious.

This was our appetizer: black rice cakes with grilled pineapple & mushrooms (the sauce is a tamarind based reduction). Thank you Artful Vegan once again!

The main dish was wild mushrooms in a cashew cream sauce (very rich!) with porcini fettucine.

And our tree! Merry Christmas everyone!

Dysfunctional Family Christmas

2011-12-23T11:06:00.000-08:00

I don't really feel this way, but I love it!

2011-12-12T20:55:00.000-08:00

Wow it's been over a month! Time flies.

So the run went well. It seems like just a couple of weeks ago, but it's been a month already since I ran the 24k Phantom run. All I can say about it is that it was grueling. I mean it's a great event and loads of fun, but it was by far the toughest trail run I've ever done. I've done 19k on trails, so I thought 24 would be okay. Well, add in the driving rain, cold, streams, and mud-sucking puddles to run through and it all equals a grueling run.

It started out okay. I was a bit nervous. I had never really run a race with running buddies before so I wasn't sure if I should stay with them or do my own thing. I did a bit of both, and then by the time we hit about the 19k mark, we stuck together just to get each other through the last stretch and climb. I don't think I could have finished without them.

With about 4k to go, my calf started cramping and tightening up and I was hobbling a bit. I must have been a sad sight, soaked through, muddy, and limping. One running pal, ab, got a burst of energy at the end and took off. It was inspiring to watch, but I knew I wouldn't keep up. I ran the last stretch with my other running pal, mc, and we finished together in 3 hours and 7 minutes. Seriously, that was a grueling run. I think it took me all day to get warm again. Fortunately there was some great food at the end. It's a potluck event, and someone brought cup of soups and there were vegan options! It was the perfect food on a cold, wet day.

There was a photo captured of me after the run, and I look like I'm about to cry. I don't think I was, but it looks like it. I'm huddled under the tent watching the other runners come in.

Anywho...I finished! My longest trail race yet. So now, there are several in the running group who have entered the lottery for the Knee Knacker race in the summer, and I'm tempted. It's a 50k. I've never done that distance on pavement or trail so it's a pretty big challenge for me, but I might just enter the lottery. I still have time to think about it though. And there's always the chance that my name won't get drawn and I won't be in the race at all. I kind of like the chance of the lottery.

***
Once the Phantom race finished, several of us from the trail clinic decided to keep running on the weekends until the next clinic starts. So we've been meeting every Sunday and running trails. It's been great to keep going and is the highlight of my week. Usually my December is pretty slow for running, so with the group, I've been more motivated to keep running throughout the month.

I hope I can juggle it all come January when I start my course work as well.

***

This week in running and other fun stuff

2011-11-07T12:06:00.003-08:00

db and I didn't hike this week, and my clinic trail run was a short one because we've started the taper week. Race day is Nov. 12th. The group did have a nice easy run on Saturday, and a few of us have decided to keep meeting Saturday mornings after the clinic is over, which I'm really glad about because I want to keep trail running through the winter (it's possible here at the lower elevations), and I don't really want to go out alone.

At the end of our run, the clinic leader had some nice draw prizes. My name got drawn early so I picked out a pair of socks. I know it doesn't sound exciting, but for some reason a good pair of trail running socks seems to make my day, and they're not merino wool which is even better (cruelty-free socks!). I'll try them out this week before race day to see if they'll work for me so I can wear them on Saturday. They're supposed to dry fast so that could be really useful. I got very very wet a couple of weeks ago, which was fine for a short run, but for a longer distance I can see how blisters would be a risk with a sock that doesn't dry quickly enough. Okay enough of socks -- you can see how ridiculously important my socks are to me.

We also got our free technical shirt that comes with the race entry/clinic fee. It's a nice long sleeve technical with little ghosts on the front (the race is called the Phantom Race). It's pretty cute. I'll also have to take it for a test run before I wear it race day. I love the free stuff that comes with these clinics and races. It should be a good race day. It looks really well organized with heat lamps at the start line, and a potluck at the finish. It should be a fun day.

db and I have also signed up for the Running Room's Resolution Run on January 1st. It's a 5 k run that we're going to do together. I guess we should start training for that soon too.

I'm considering...just considering putting my name into the Knee Knacker lottery. The draw is in March and if your name is drawn, you get to run the 50k. It may be a done deal now that I've written about it. Of course I can only enter the lottery. There are no guarantees that I'll get in, but I have to train like I am in.

***
There have been some life altering decisions made around here at whoville. Yes, we have decided to buy winter tires. Okay, that's not life altering too much except for the...choke...money it's going to cost, but once they're bought, they're bought. Owning a car does cost a lot of money! It's worth it though.

No, the bigger change is that I've decided to go back to school. I know, I know. More school? Yes. I decided that I need a career change and that I really need to be doing something that will be more fulfilling in the long run, so I've applied to the Library & Information Technology program. I want to take a course online to start (the entire program can be done online!), and then aim for full time in the fall.

I can use credit from previous degrees (hmm...this next degree better work!) to fill in some of the electives that are required. It's a two year program, and I'm actually very excited about getting started. I wish I could start right at this moment. I'm just waiting to hear back from the program once they've received all of my documents (transcripts -- boy were those fun and stressful to track down and get sent off -- and letters of reference). Hopefully it'll be in soon.

I'm sure I can still work part-time and do full time studies by the fall. I've done it before so I know what I'm in for.

So that's the news (if you haven't already heard).

Brother's Creek Loop

2011-10-31T11:09:00.000-07:00

A nice way to start a hike. At first look we thought these might be Chicken of the Woods, but after reading my reference book once we got home, I knew right away that they weren't. I'm guessing they are Velvet Foots (or is that "feet"), but without a more careful look I can't be certain. Mushrooms were abundant, and the edible we saw the most were Angel Wings, but we didn't collect any since they were quite damp and we had a long way to go. However, I thought if we had collected all along the way, we'd have quite a haul (a soggy haul).

Anywho...onto the hike. In the summer I had run part of this trail with my trail running group, and we had taken a side route that wasn't on the planned itinerary, but was a route that I remember commenting on how beautiful it was.

db and I wanted to hike on Sunday, but the early morning rain made us a little lazy about heading outside so we took our time with breakfast and getting our day started. However, I was still up for a hike in rain or whatever weather was out there.
I remembered this side route we had run and looked it up, and found a nice loop hike listed that we could do in an afternoon. It also seemed like a good rainy day option since it wasn't about fabulous views or mountaintops.

The trail I was most interested in is called the Fire Access Road, which is actually the McNair Skidway. "This trench is visible in several locations across the mountainside and was known as McNairs 'Fore & Aft' skidway. In the early 1900's loggers pulled (skidded) logs down this trench by a steam powered cable system (steam donkey). The logs were then transported to the waterfornt via a logging railway.(...) In the 1950's this old truck road was used to haul logs off the mountain." (from http://westvancouver.ca/Level3.aspx?id=1258)

It's really not much of a road. It's a double track, rocky route that slowly ascends through a variety of forest up the mountain.

The weather was in our favor since the rain had stopped. It was foggy and damp, but we would remain mostly dry.

My interest to return to this trail was for the cedars. Once we left the Baden Powell trail and started up the "road" the forest was quite eerie. db suggested that the old stumps, logged in the early 1900s, reminded him of death (seems extreme, but it was eerie and we were thinking that it was a good Halloween trail). The fog amongst the tall trunks and these old massive stumps without much greenery around did make this section quite spooky.

The rain that we have had lately did mean there were several smaller streams along the way and at times the trail itself was a bit like a stream. We eventually reached the large cedars that I had remembered from my run in the summer (like the one two photos above). The trail was much greener along this section and very beautiful. Photos don't really give you a sense of the size of the trees so I didn't take many tree photos. db did take one of me hugging a tree (ha!), but I'll save that for another day.

The trail narrowed more and the scenery changed again and became more lush with more leafy foliage, and even more moss (is that even possible in the forests here?) and soon we could hear the creek.

This junction also leads to Lost Lake and Blue Gentian Lake, but we decided to stick with the chosen loop. We had had enough of climbing for one day, and knew that once you reach this point of the loop and cross the bridge the descent starts.

The sound was incredible as the water rushed past us and over a small cliff. It was such a contrast to being in this area in the summer when it was completely dry. We didn't go to the creek then, but I'm sure it was probably just a small trickle since all of the other creeks we crossed at the time were bone dry.

This is such a nice little marker and bridge. Most creeks aren't marked in this way, and I found it rewarding to see the sign because it felt like we had reached a destination. In better weather, we might have picnicked here.

Much of the descent followed a cliff edge that looked down at the creek, so we had the sound of rushing water as we negotiated our way through the soggy trail, and we had some impressive views of the creek at times. The Brother's Creek trail is very narrow and was quite damp, so we had to be careful with our footing and step around lots of muddy puddles.

At the next trail marker, we took the turn that had a narrow staircase down towards the creek and a bridge to cross it again. This is where we say this waterfall, and I remembered this section from the summer run because we had stopped here to break and have a snack. At that time the waterfall was a small cascade that seemed quite pretty. However, on this day it was a rushing waterfall, and we had to yell to talk to each other as we stood on the bridge. From the edge of the bridge we could feel the cool breeze generated from the water.

Our last ascent was up away from the waterfall (another staircase) before we started the rest of our descent that ended on a West Van. street where we had parked the car.

This was really a wonderful hike, and I think the damp weather made it even more beautiful.

Rubber Ducky Half Update

2011-10-25T20:10:00.001-07:00

Here's the latest results from the Rubber Ducky race I ran to raise funds for Wildlife Rescue.

Place: 31
Age group place: 5th Female 40-49 (there were 26 in my age group)
Chip Time: 58:50.7

I'm pretty happy with those results. That's the fastest 11 k I've ever done! The trail training must be paying off.
The race is one lap around Burnaby Lake so it's flat trail with some spongy, boggy parts, but I went for it and I'm pretty pleased to place 5th in my age group and to place 31st out of 132 runners in that distance!
Thanks to my mom for inspiring me! She made a generous donation to Wildlife Rescue and I decided that I would run the race with her in mind.

Beware the Runner's High

2011-10-25T19:57:00.001-07:00

I absolutely love my trail running clinic on Saturday mornings. It is all the way to the North Shore (about a 35-40 minute drive), but it's so worth it.

I get to spend 2 hours plus running/hiking trails and each week it's a new route of rocks, roots, and streams (especially this time of year) that has a new challenge. I'm usually with several people at a time so the thought of bears doesn't cross my mind (too often). I've seen some of the most beautiful trails on the North Shore that I may have never seen otherwise.

We usually start out easy and have some light chit chat going on between us, getting caught up or just making small talk. Then there's usually a steep climb that silences most people for a while and we get more focused on our footing and trying to keep the pace moving as quickly as possible. This past week I noticed that towards the end of our runs, we get really chatty and we have a bit of a runner's high so the mood is light and fun. Two of the more experienced runners were talking about a couple of Ultra races (50k and up) they have done or are planning to do in 2012. I listened with interest in their stories and their plans. Then, they suggested that I think about doing one of these races, and I seriously started thinking it was possible. Yup, the runner's high when everything seems possible and you feel no pain.

When we ran back to our start/finish point to sign out and do some stretching, the high was still with us and they almost had me convinced to go home and sign up for these Ultras.
I'd say it took about 15 minutes in the car ride home for me to know that there was no way I was going to get home and sign up for an Ultra.

Okay, it might be on my list of possibilities, but I'm not registering for anything yet.

This coming Saturday I'll be ready for the runner's high.

2011-10-24T11:52:00.001-07:00

Fall Favorites

2011-10-13T22:24:00.000-07:00

First I have to introduce the newest member at whoville. Owning a car is a first for us, and we held off as long as we could, but ultimately it came down to wanting to have access to all those things we love to do that Beautiful British Columbia has to offer.
db no longer had the company car on the weekends since he changed jobs (oh, did I forget to mention that? -- Long story, but it's all good now). Anywho...we found a nice little used Matrix that will get us wherever we need to go.
I still transit to work, and db takes turns with a co-worker carpooling, so we're still trying to minimize our carbon footprint even though it may have gotten a whole lot bigger just by owning a vehicle. Anyway, I'm not going to beat myself up about it any longer.

Now onto fall.

The leaves are starting to change colour, but I haven't really been focused so much on the changing colours. It's been all about enjoying fall treats such as db's Apple Pie and freshly baked bread.
When I came home from work after he'd made pie and bread, the whole place felt so inviting and warm.

My favorite fall flower: the toad lily. This is probably my favorite lily (but then again whatever lily happens to be in bloom at the moment is usually my favorite). Lilies in the fall! It doesn't get better. Just when I thought the garden was winding down and I would have to start thinking about bringing in pots and tidying up for winter, the toad lilies bloomed. I love their freckled petals and their tiny delicate presence.

And then there are the mushrooms, a definite fall favorite. The Matsutake or Pine Mushroom was our first wild mushroom of the season. Unfortunately it wasn't something we found in the forest, but rather at the farmer's market. The vendor told us that they're from the Bella Coola and Terrace areas. That's a long, long way from whoville so I'm not rushing out to search for these (even though I know they're out there!). They had two large crates of Pine Mushrooms. We picked two from the less expensive ones that needed more cleaning than the more expensive ones. They were still pricey, but we really wanted to try them.

The next day we went to our favorite fall forested area. On route to our chanterelle spot, db found this Boletus Mirabilis. It was in good shape having been somewhat protected from the rain by the canopy. (I wish I had taken more pictures of it. db took this one. I think the fork is supposed to give you an idea of the size, but it also might be a reminder to make sure you eat your mushrooms).
db did some research to be certain that it was edible and then sliced it and panfried it. I was reluctant to try it and thought that one of us should be alert and healthy enough to drive to the hospital, but then I couldn't resist, and I really was confident that it was an edible. Very melt in your mouth tasty. It's a shame we only found one.

Finally, the bounty. There were a few chanterelles on our way to our favorite spot, but nothing to get too excited about. We hiked up to our little mossy area in the woods and started looking around, but weren't finding much -- at first. Then, once we spotted one we kept seeing more and more. We left the smaller ones. The ones we did collect were clean and dry and pretty perfect overall. Again, that nice canopy over the moss seems to keep them from getting too damp. We'd find these soft green depressions where the moss had grown over the old growth and inevitably we'd find chanterelles. It seems like they're just starting. More fall to come.

Run Trails Vegan, Run Trails

2011-09-17T07:22:00.002-07:00

I'm completely obsessed with trail running now. It's all I think about when my mind wanders to running thoughts. The road is just a training surface now that helps keep me fit for the trail.

Seven weeks ago I started a trail running clinic to give me the opportunity to trail run with a group therefore making it more safe, and to prepare for a 15k trail race at the end of September. I am loving this clinic! It's all women (for some reason) and I can't wait to go every week. I'm always a little nervous each week, wondering if I can keep up or if I should even be out there, and every week I have an amazing run and feel sad that its over. I'll have to see if I can continue somehow in the fall.

I've seen some beautiful trails on the north shore. Each week we're given a map and written instructions with the distance of the planned run. There are leaders for each group (advanced, intermediate, and short) who know the trails fairly well and set the pace for each group. I've been trying oh so hard to learn to read the map and instructions, but we often end up on a different route for whatever reason. This is fine because it's always a great run and still keeps us in the approximate distance, but my map reading skills aren't really improving. One week I realized that I was reading the map backwards! Someone did take the time to show me where we were on the map, but it sill looked completely baffling to me.

There have been some beautiful views, and challenging trails (climbing boulders? ), and last week I did my longest run at 19 k. It took us 2: 50 to run it, but I was so happy to have done it.

With the race next weekend I feel pretty confident that I can go the distance with some power hiking up the steep sections. While I won't have the group to run with, I will have all those other runners who have signed up to go the distance with. I can't wait!

Elfin Lakes

2011-09-06T22:36:00.000-07:00

If you are ever on the west coast near Squamish, and plan to do some hiking, I highly recommend this hike to Elfin Lakes. Situated in Garibaldi Park, Elfin Lakes is a fairly popular trail for both hikers and bikers, and on this long weekend it was quite busy, but not too busy so that we didn't have lots of quiet time with just the two of us hiking.

It looks like it's also a popular snowshoe hike in the winter as well.

Sunday the weather was incredible. It was a very warm day (mid 20s). I had read online that there would most likely be snow along the trail. There was. It covered several sections of the trail, but the trail was well marked.

A great part of the hike is along Paul Ridge.

The views were unbelievable. Snow-capped mountains were all around. I felt like I was in another world, and so close to home!

Tantalus Ridge.

Mt. Garibaldi was a constant view along the trail. We never lost sight of this beautiful peak.

One of the most beautiful trails I've hiked. The climb is quite reasonable as well. There's not a steep, steep grade like some other hikes I've done to reach views like this. Much of the elevation is climbed on the drive up, so it didn't take long to hike up into the snow.

First view of the lakes! We would have to hike through more snow to descend to the lakes.

Drinking lake or Swimming lake? I can't remember which one this is. I suspect it's the swimming lake since we spent more time at that one, and had our lunch next to it. We did refill our bottles from the drinking lake. As a rule, I never drink water from lakes or creeks (beaver-fever -- or Giardia -- and other nasties being the risk), but that little glacial lake seemed pristine and was marked as a drinking water lake, so I went for it (no beavers at that elevation I'm sure!). It was cold and refreshing.

I took this shot while I was in the lake, so I guess it is the swimming lake.

Here's my proof that I went into the lake, only up to my knees, and not just because that was the length of my pants. You have no idea how cold this water is! It's an ice bath. I felt okay as long as I didn't move, and I stayed as long as I could stand it. It felt amazing! There was a man on the other side of the lake who dipped in quickly up to his neck, let out a whoop, and rushed out. He did that a couple of times. It was quite entertaining.

When I stepped out of the lake onto the snow, I didn't even notice how cold the snow was. I have to say that the hike back to the parking lot was a lot easier after reviving my legs in the lake.

One of the many valley views. The pictures of the valley do not do it justice. Sometimes the valley below looked as if viewing from a plane. We looked down at trees and meadows, sometimes small ponds appeared along the route. I kept watching for bears to appear in the valley because this area of Garibaldi Park is known to have the highest concentration of black bears. I think the trail was probably too busy for any bear to appear, and it was a fairly warm day, so it wouldn't surprise me if they were all hanging out in the shade somewhere, or knew much quieter areas.

Mountain heather is abundant along the trail and in the meadows. There were lots of wild flowers, and because of the late summer we've had I still saw lupins and daisies.

Back into the forest.

False morel. There is a sign at the entrance of the park reminding people that mushroom foraging is prohibited. It must be picked over though. It wouldn't surprise me, and there's probably a reason for such a sign.

Wildflowers! My favorite is this wild tiger lily. It's actually quite tiny. It's hard to tell from the photograph, but it's probably a bit smaller than an average daisy bloom.

I was really excited to have seen these along the trail. I don't know how I missed them on the way up the trail, but I did see them on the way down.

Elfin Lakes is now one of my favorite places in B.C. Our second hike in Garibaldi Park and they both seem to be at the top of my favorites list.

Happy Birthday to my brother!

2011-08-31T10:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday bro'! Wish we could be there for your birthday.

Cloudy Day at Queen's Lake

2011-08-28T20:42:00.000-07:00

What to do on a cloudy day? Walk and take photos, of course. I did still swim that day too. I don't think I missed a day in the lake (except for maybe the one day when we had a downpour).

New Brunswick blueberries are the best!

This is close to the main logging road. Beneath the power lines are blueberries everywhere. On another day (not the day we were picking berries, fortunately), db, my bro, and I saw a bear in this area. We were driving in the truck coming back from getting wood and db spotted the bear. It stood up on its hind legs, looked at us, and then ran towards the woods, but not before stopping twice more to look at us. Did I get a picture? Nope. No such luck.

Queen's Lake.

Good day to watch the loons. Every night we'd listen to them while drifting off to sleep in our tent. One night the loons were going and at least 2 owls. It was getting pretty noisy in the woods!

Walk along the road.

You have to make sure you feed the chipmunks everyday. They love the peanuts!

Shangri-La1 The camp my brother built. This year he added the cedar shingles to the outside. There's enough room to sleep all of us, but db and I like the tent. It gives everyone a little more space, and I do find the tent quite cosy.

You talkin' to me?

The fireweed always seems to be in bloom whenever we are there.

Evening drive led us to another clear cut area where there was a lookout. db had to climb it with his binoculars to see if he could see any moose.

Hey! I'm not a moose.

Queen's Lake 2011

2011-08-22T12:58:00.000-07:00

We were back at Queen's Lake this year for 10 amazing days in July. One of the roads has been washed out, so we were back on the old route in that takes a little longer and there's a little brook we have to cross. Very pretty brook though.

View from the road. Why have we never seen any moose here?

First drive out? I've never been on this logging road, and have never seen Queen's Lake from this point of view.

Our reliable transportation, courtesy of Capital Springs.

The gem of a lake. This seems to be looking back at my brother's beach. Taken from the kayak.

Along the shore near the brook. We kayaked into the brook off the lake this year. In previous years, we could walk in and along the brook, but the water was much higher this year and we coaxed our kayaks through, sometimes having to get out and pull them over the rocks. I don't think db got out once though, he was determined to make it over rocks and sandbars.

Water lilies were along the shore and in the brook. We had perfect weather.

Today is the first rain we've had in August, so I was thinking about Queen's Lake and how beautiful it was this year. I had to start posting my pictures.

Kayaking down the brook.

We reached the beaver dam. End of the line.

View from the beaver dam.

Can't resist the birds. Two Cedar Waxwings perched overhead.

Vegan Chocolate

2011-08-19T17:25:00.000-07:00

Wondering about the chocolate you're eating?
Up until recently, my only concern was for the welfare of animals, as in is my chocolate vegan or not. I've indulged in the vegan "milk" chocolates and candy bars that have arrived in the shop, but recently I discovered the Food Empowerment Project. It has reminded me and re-educated me of the terrible conditions for workers in West Africa, many of whom are children, that can only be described as slavery.

Today I found their updated chocolate list that lists the companies that do not contribute to the injustices that exist in the chocolate market. I do not seem my favorite (Camino) on the list, so I'll have to contact them directly.

The list is worth a read (as is the website), and I'm now saying good-bye to some of my favorites, but really there are so many on the recommended list that I don't have to go without my beloved chocolate.

where the hell have I been?

2011-08-09T21:57:00.000-07:00

Phew. These monthly blog posts are wearing me out. I've been lazy, busy, and out of town. Those are my excuses.

Now on with the update.

I have actually been out of town during the last week of July and beginning of August. We went to N.B. to the most beautiful place I know: Queen's Lake. It was an amazing trip and I will get to photos once I load them into my iphoto.

I've also started a trail running clinic, and that is really where my focus is right now. Every Saturday, I meet a group at a new trail on the lower mainland, and we run together over rocks and roots, and see beautiful forests and incredible views (or at least that's what I expect since I've only done 1 run so far).

Right now, we're about to drive to the airport to pick up db's parents and his brother so I've got to go again. I am off the rest of the week so maybe I'll get a chance to update more and add some colourful photos.

Remind me to tell you about the bear.

kitten vs TWO scary things (котенок против ДВУХ неведомых хреней)

2011-07-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

Bear Alert!

2011-07-10T12:30:00.000-07:00

The pictures are blurry because my camera was on manual focus and I didn't have enough time to adjust or switch to auto (I hadn't figured out how to switch back at that point), so the pictures are blurry, but there are pictures so you can see how close the bear is to our place. We were looking out our living room window.

db heard a rattling sound outside, and saw the bear batting at the birdfeeder, knocking the seed out of it. The bear cubs were licking up the seed from the patio and the ground.

My mom was visiting at the time so she got to see the excitement as well. She had just arrived from Montreal, so this was quite a welcome.

Here are the bear cubs eating up the seed. There was actually 3 cubs. The mom bear headed over the fence. We watched the little ones eat up the seed. Then they went across the yard, over the fence and hopped from the fence to a tree to climb down into the forest. Amazing to see, but also a bit scary.

So bye, bye birdfeeder. That had to go.

db and I realized that we need to scare the bears off as soon as we see them. It's definitely not a good idea to watch, but I think we were a bit shocked by the sight of them.

I only put the birdfeeder out in the day time when I'm home and we bring it in at night, or if we're not going to be at home for a while.

Friday, db barbecued some veggies for my vegan eggplant parmesan dish. Later he was about to go out and clean the bbq, when he noticed Gigi at the patio door acting quite excited because she obviously saw something in the yard. db spotted another bear! This time it was reaching up to the hummingbird feeder. db made a loud clapping noise and it ran off. He decided to leave the bbq until the morning since it was already dark, and we couldn't see where the bear had gone. Even though it was probably long gone, there was no point risking it.

So bye, bye hummer feeder. It goes out in the morning now as well, and comes in at night.

Well, we finally saw a bear in our neighbourhood. It's been over 2 years since we've lived in this apartment, so that's pretty good. Hopefully we won't see any again for a long, long time. I'd like those bears to stay on the other side of the fence in the woods, and maybe even further up the mountain deeper in the woods. I know the food supply has been slow coming for them, so I think that's why they're searching for other sources. The salmon berries are out now though so hopefully that means they'll stick to what they should be eating.

spring cleaning notes

2011-06-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

Whenever I clean out my desk and the shelves around it, I find lots of loose notes with scribbled ideas or names of books and websites that I want to look into. Today I started to clean through a few boxes with the idea that I could get rid of all the scraps of paper that are no longer relevant.

Here's something I came across that I probably jotted down in my early 20s? Gm is my grandmother and Gf is...you guessed it. "F'ton" is my shorthand for Fredericton.

This was on a small scrap of paper that I had probably written before going to bed after spending the day at my grandmother's. I wanted to know about my grandmother's life and had been asking her about her side of the family. Later I would down what I remembered.

Here's what the rest of the page and the flipside read (I'm going to clean it up a little):

Grandmother was expect to go out West and break the new to her family and grandfather would stay in Fredericton and break the news to his family. However, two days after they were married, an announcement appeared in the local paper, the Gleaner and the Woods (my grandfather's family) discovered the news from the announcement and were furious. My grandmother immediately wired her parents and they wired back saying "hope you are as happy as we have been."

Birdfeeder Madness

2011-06-11T13:06:00.001-07:00

There was a brief moment today when I was swinging the broom in the direction of a squirrel that was making an attempt to jump into the seed catcher below the bird feeder (yes, I do love animals -- all animals) that I reminded myself of my grandmother, and I started laughing.

My grandmother would rush into the backyard to chase gray squirrels from her garden. She had a Canadian flag on a pole that was leaning against the back porch (not mounted or anything. I don't even know where the flag came from?), and she would grab the pole and chase the squirrel out of the yard.
So today when I was swinging the broom in the direction of the squirrel to give it a fright, I felt my grandmother's presence. Haha! The difference is that my grandmother really didn't like the squirrels and I do, but I can't have them in the bird seed catcher.

Our feeder is squirrel proof. The feeding portals close when anything heavier than a bird latches onto the perch. It was all working so well, until we had too much sunflower seed collecting on the ground. So, we had to add a seed catcher below the feeder. It works like a charm to clean up the yard, but it also proved to be a good landing pad when the squirrel jumped from the clematis trellis to the seed catcher. That's when the broom came out.

db & I decided to put a feeder up just before the winter. There's a nice little bird shop down the hill from us where we bought a small feeder. For much of the winter there wasn't much activity, and I was losing hope that we'd attract any birds. We had purchased 20lbs of black sunflower seed! The occasional chickadee came by, but it was pretty quiet. Then spring came and suddenly I was having to add more seed every other day, and occasionally every day! It's been great to watch the birds coming and going. I've even seen a mom and baby chickadee come by, the mom feeding the baby as they hop from feeder to rhodo to alder. The cats love it.

Next I think we'll look into getting a feeder that holds nyjer seed to attract finches and pine siskins. That would be fun.

Tender Knee

2011-06-06T11:51:00.000-07:00

This is where the Tender Knee runners started our 12 km journey at around 8 am. 114 of us headed out on a beautiful morning on the North Shore.

This is also the same starting area as the 5 k I did at the end of April.

The start added an extra kilometer to spread out the runners a little more before hitting the narrower trails ahead, so we'd be running 12 k in total.

I actually don't remember much of the start because I was so nervous as this really felt like my first official trail race. I don't remember this added route, but I do remember a few people that I would see for about the next 4 k, and the overall relaxed atmosphere with many people running together and chatting.

My plan was to just listen to my body and respond to it when it wanted to slow down and speed up, or stop. I also planned to run as much of the uphill section of the trail as possible. I had been doing a decent amount of steep hill training to prepare me for this early section of the race. However, once I actually hit the trail, I felt a little different. I slowed quite quickly and then started walking. Everyone around me was also walking so I didn't feel any panic about being left behind.

The trail leveled out a little before opening up at the powerline. The first section of the powerline is fairly flat and narrow, so I quickly got up to pace again and was alone for only a few minutes when I hit the big hill. The "powerline climb," as it's known, is a very steep hill with lots of loose rock making it very difficult to walk up, nevermind run up. Up ahead there was a long line of runners walking the hill, and when I looked behind, it was the same. Everyone was very encouraging on the way up if they passed or if I passed them. The hill training didn't prepare me to run this, but it did make the walk up easier and I moved fairly quickly, trying to maintain a steady pace over the loose rocks. It was very fatiguing though.

About 20 minutes later I reached the top of the powerline, and did a little jog to the first aid station where I ate two slices of orange, and took two mini cups of water: one to pour down my back, and one to drink. From here I knew it would be a steady descent for a while so I moved along with everyone else into the forest trail, which was a welcome relief after the climb in the sun. I quickly recovered and found the strength in my legs again, finding enough energy to bring me up to pace and even add a little more pace to my descent. I knew I needed to take advantage of this downhill section and gain a little momentum and time on this race. I'm pretty good at descending on both road and trail, so I needed to take advantage. My goal was not only to finish, but to finish at around 1:30.

I did fly down this mid-section of the route, and soon found someone that I could run with and felt that if I kept pace with her, I'd be doing okay. db was at the next break in the trail that crossed Mt. Seymour road (it's a sleepy road since it leads to the ski hill which isn't too busy right now -- even though there is still quite a bit of snow up there!). db gave me water, and had my fruition bar ready for me to take for my final burst of energy, but the thought of food did not appeal to me, and I just took some water and kept going. That was my first mistake. Always re-fuel. Two wedges of orange and some water is not going to carry you very far. However, I did continue to move quite quickly down the hill and was fine until we hit the final section of the trail. This last section is about 2 kilometers long and is all roots, rock, stairs, and up and down hilly sections, so you are always having to adjust. It's what I'd call the "technical" part of the race. Half way through this section I felt my body slowing down and wanting to stop, but I had to keep going. I moved at a much slower pace, often walking and found it difficult to find any rhythm going up and down and around sharp turns while navigating over roots and rocks the whole time. Phew! Now my goal was just to finish, and that I did!

Here's the view of the finish line. It's actually just about at the right part of this frame. I think that's the back of the stage on the right where the announcer let people know who was coming through to the finish.

I did manage to complete it in 1:29, so I finished within my goal time!

At the end I headed straight for the water, took off my shoes and socks and waded into the cold water to soothe my legs. It was the perfect way to end a race. After that, db and I sat on the grassy hill watching the runners come in, and listening to some of the stories about the runners that the announcer knew.

Here are my tired, but happy feet. I really had the best time ever during a race, and loved the laid back atmosphere in such a beautiful setting.

When's the next one? I don't know. I'll be away during the Mt Seymour run so I can't enter that, and I don't think I'm ready for Whistler/Blackcomb (goal for next year?), which means I'll probably wait until September when Buntzen Lake is on the schedule and run that. It's really close to home so I can even sleep in a little longer than usual! I'll definitely have to get some more experience over the roots and rocks before running Buntzen.

It was such a beautiful day that Sunday, db and I went for a walk after we went home for brunch and coffee. We drove up to Belcarra and took a short little trail that runs along the water.

This view is actually looking towards the area where I had run that morning. Deep Cove and Belcarra are opposite each other on Indian Arm, the body of water that stretches north from Burrard inlet.

Not a bad way to spend a Sunday. I wish every Sunday could be like that one.

Oh yes, here's my official results since it was a chip timed event:
placed: 54 (out of 114 of us)
division total: 7/25 (there were 25 of us in my division and I placed 7th)
Division: F40-49 (female ages 40-49)
Chip time: 1:29:40 (a chip device electronically records what time you start and finish)
Pace: 7:29 (to compare: on a road race I usually run on average a 5:55. Those hills sure do make a difference!)

Needless to say, I'm pretty proud!

choose your own adventure part 2

2011-05-11T20:53:00.000-07:00

This is the only photo I have from our search for the lake where the burn area might be and where we could look for morels.

Since we had time to do a bit of a hike, we decided to head for this lake with some idea of where it might be.

We left the main road and headed along a fairly decent dirt road into an area that had signs posted everywhere that read "Biosolid Application Area." Hmmm. In my day (haha) we called that sewage, but I guess it's now biosolids. (I was surprised to see this one little trillium along the side of the road in a well trampled area. Must be the biosolids application).

Anywho...pw drove the car as far in as possible. We parked next to a clearcut opposite another vehicle, and decided to hike in from there. We could hear gunfire (oh yeah it was quite the spot). Two other hikers were walking out toward us. pw asked them if they knew the way to the lake, but the first guy was a little uncertain since he hadn't been there in a year or two. The second guy with him pulled out a quite detailed map of the backroads and lakes and we tried to orient ourselves. He thought it would take us about an hour to get there. We were game. He cautioned us that the shooting was just a little ways down on the left.

On we went. pw reassured me, saying that we'd be fine and that if I found the popping sounds of gunfire too much that we could turn back anytime. I said let's just see how it went. It was unnerving. This isn't a designated shooting range, but it seems like a popular area for target practice since there were shell casings everywhere along our route.

We stuck to what seemed like the "main" road. An ATV (or "fatwheeler" as I call them, having got that name from my brother) blew past us. Apparently, this was also a popular ATV area as well. It certainly wasn't a peaceful walk in the woods. I was hopeful though that we'd find our way, and felt better once the gunfire sounds were fading into the distance. The further along we went, the more sideroads we came across. It became clear that it was a tangle of roads.

An ATV blasting some rap circled on a road below us. I was muttering about "ATV morons" disturbing the quiet just before the ATV started heading our way. It was a pretty expensive looking machine. pw flagged the driver, and he stopped next to us. We waited while he shut off the blaring music and removed his helmut. pw asked if he knew where the lake was. He'd heard of it, but wasn't sure. He pulled out his GPS that showed the backroads of the area, and we all peered at it, trying to decipher one road from the next. The driver told us that he was trying to figure out many of the backroads and that it really was a maze out there. He was exploring different roads to see where they led. He talked about the ATV organization that he had joined, and how they were working to get these areas "cleaned up." Apparently they want better care of the area so that garbage dumping would be dealt with. Of course there was also the problem of all the gunfire and the environmental impact of the lead on wildlife. He told us that the ATV group often comes out just to clean up (okay, my preconceived perception of ATV drivers was starting to look like too quick of a judgment).

The conversation eventually turned to who this driver was and to make a long story short. He'd just finished studying Anthropology and was trying to find a way out of his construction job. Based on what he told us, he'll make it. He had a dubious background and saw that he didn't have to choose that lifestyle, and sought after education to find another choice. He was a pretty interesting guy, and our adventure in the woods turned into this very cool encounter with a complete stranger who made me say on our way out, "so much for my theory about morons driving ATVs."

We realized that we could be wandering for a while and may or may not find the lake or the burn area. We headed out the way we came in. It wasn't a complete non-adventure now was it?

choose your own adventure weekend

2011-05-05T20:53:00.000-07:00

This blog is turning into the weekend blog as in it's only about what I do on my weekends. Now that I get every second weekend off they really are the most interesting since I'm doing something other than work. Work is occasionally interesting but I try not to think about it when I'm not there so... on to last weekend.

We went to Nanaimo for the day to see pw. It was a beautiful sunny day. The ferry ride was tolerable. It's so much better when it's not a holiday ferry and there are masses of people jockeying for space and food.

pw met us at the ferry and gave us several options on what we could do with the day:

1. go to the earthquake fissure in a nearby park and check that out
2. go to a lake that we'd have to hike to, and he wasn't too sure how to get there. There was a burn there last year (he was told), so there might be morel potential. It would also be more of an adventure.
3. go to Neck Point Park that is on the water and just a place that he thought we'd enjoy.

It was a tough choice, but I really wanted to be near the water if we could. So we headed to Neck Point Park, and it really was beautiful. Here's the proof:

starfish and sea anemones

Harlequin ducks

Gulls. I love the gulls! This one seems to be looking right back at me.

more sea anemones

beautiful day!

these eagles come here every year, pw told us. He saw one last year that took out a gull! Glad we didn't have to witness anything like that. They were pretty close to where we sat below in a quite spot just above the water.

When this second one flew in and landed, the first one took off. Tag team? Looking after the nest at another location?

I was quite content just to enjoy this spot.

Arbutus.

More seabirds! Pelagic cormorants and more gulls!

As it turned out we did have time to choose another outing. I'll post about that next. Which one would you choose on a sunny beautiful day?

weekend

2011-04-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

First, I just want to say how great it is to have every other Saturday off from work. This new schedule is working out really well. My day is longer, but I get more done in that day, and the Saturdays are a like a bonus!

That said, this Saturday was my day off but I was still working. I went to the CHFA (Canadian Health Food Association) show with the store's owners, and it was well worth it. I wasn't obligated to go, but I really wanted to see what such an event was like.

The photo shows all of the samples I came home with. I also received too many brochures and price sheets for company specials.

There is so much available for vegans now it's remarkable. Most reps at the booths know what vegan is whenever I asked about their products, or they saw my pass and the name of the shop and would stop me to show what they had suitable for vegans.

We didn't even get to all of the aisles and we were there from 10 am to about 4:30. It was tempting to go back on Sunday for more samples, but I think we covered enough ground to take advantage of the show specials and find out about some new possibilities. Plus, the show's guidebook has all of the exhibitors listed along with their websites, so I can shop around that way as well. It was definitely a learning experience and I felt a bit like a rookie and an easy target for someone to pitch their products to me. There's definitely an art to getting the info you need and getting away quickly.

***

Sunday db and I decided to start hiking the trail that I will be running at the end of May for the Tender Knee event.

I did my run in the morning on the inlet trail the runs along the water and is a 3 k distance when you run from one end to the other. I did that a few times to get in my required time for the week, and the went home to meet up with db.

We drove to the North Shore and the parking lot where I started the last trail run (My First Trail Race). We found the Twin Bridges trail, which is a wide double track road that winds down towards the Seymour River.

Along the way I noticed this area cut into the hill that looked like wood grain, but we assumed it was rock. I took a picture of course. db touched the surface to reveal that it's actually clay. It was very dry and crumbly underneath.

Seymour River. There's a trail that runs for many kilometers along the river called the Fisherman's trail. I expect it's very popular, and we did see a couple on bikes (the trail is quite bikeable) with paniers and fishing poles strapped to their racks on the back.

Twin Bridges trail. It's nice and wide for the start of the race to sort out the different paces of everyone before we hit the narrow trails ahead. Just an aside, there are no twin bridges. They once existed, but only this one newer bridge remains. However, the name remains.

Mystery Creek trail. Here's more of what I expected of trail running. We left the Twin Bridges trail and headed straight uphill.

Mystery Creek trail is fairly steep and has a few switch backs, so I expect I can run sections of it and break it up with walking. It comes out at the powerlines. From there we head straight up a very rocky narrow path along the powerlines. It's a steep and rough climb. db and I took several breaks and we were just walking it. I don't think I will be running much of that climb since it's far too steep. However, I think I can probably hike it in about 20 minutes. I'm being very optimistic!

db and I never actually went all the way up to where it meets with the Mushroom Trail, but will save that for next time. It was getting late in the day and I really just needed a good sense of how steep these climbs are. They are steep! They're as steep as any trail I've hiked before, and I realized that I need to did a little more training on similar terrain. Fortunately, not far from us is a powerline trail that goes straight up to Eagle Ridge. It's not far from where we use to live, and is always populated with people out for some exercise so I'll feel safe to do that on my own. I'm going to have to start training on that trail if I want to have better success for Tender Knee.

So db and I headed back the way we came and took the Fisherman's trail to the Homesteaders trail. It was nice to be on level ground and walking along the river.

The skunk cabbage is coming up everywhere. This was such a nice patch!

Salmonberry flowers are also abundant right now. This one looks closed, but they are open all along the more open trails like this one.

Finally, up we go again along the Homesteader's Trail. It's another wide path that provides quick and easy access to the Seymour River. I was really lagging behind db by this point because my legs were done after that power climb and my morning 10 k run.

Today, my achilles is a little sore. I've put some Traumeel on it (free sample from the CHFA show!) and so far the pain has eased. I'll keep applying and keep doing my calf raises to try and keep it from injury. I'll make sure db has some at the finish line!

Next week we'll cover another section of the trail...probably the Mushroom Trail and the Baden Powell section of the route. I'll have to keep my eyes out for morels too. pw informs me that it is morel time here! Burn morels come later in the season, but morels are definitely out there to be found. I'll be checking every pine cone just to be sure. Ha!

Blue Trees

2011-04-14T20:21:00.000-07:00

While summer is my favorite season, I do love the flowers' spring arrival.

I didn't plant bulbs last fall, but I still have many from the previous year, and am happy to see the daffodils out, and the tulips well on their way. I've also noticed that almost all of my lilies are about 6-8 inches tall. It was such a mild winter, I'm not surprised they're doing so well.

The cherry blossoms are stunning. The trees look laden with a pinkish tinged snow.

In front of the library the cherry trees round the driveway and are in full bloom.

Currently the trunks and underside of the larger branches are painted blue. This is part of "The Blues Tree Project," an international installation where an artist (Konstantin Dimoploulos from Australia) is painting select trees to bring attention to them and their importance in our lives both aesthetically and environmentally.

It's quite striking with the cherry blossoms.

Run Vegan Run Up and Down those Hills

2011-04-12T11:06:00.000-07:00

My next trail race is called the Tender Knee. I just registered for it sealing the deal I have to keep running trails. It's 12 k of fun, running up and down.

On Sunday I did a short run in the pouring rain, but did not care since I was on trail. I was actually happy to be out and running, which isn't unusual for me, but sometimes when I have to run in the pouring rain I do find myself just trying to focus on the road ahead and the small landmarks to keep me going. On trail it's all new and very refreshing for me. It does hurt a little more (the day after), but as long as I keep going, it will get easier and the recoveries better.

Here's a description of the route for the Tender Knee that runs from the Lower Seymour Conservation Reserve to Deep Cove:

Trailhead
•    Find path in parking lot beside bathrooms. Twin Bridges Trail
•    Run through parking lot, follow “chute” beside construction fence.
•    You come to Twin Bridges trail (wide, looks like a road). (Water station here.)
•    Go RIGHT, down Twin Bridges Trail to Twin Bridge.
•    CROSS the bridge and follow Fisherman’s Trail to Mystery Creek turnoff.
Mystery Creek Switchback
•    Find the post marker for Mystery Creek. Take a sharp LEFT and head straight up.
•    After approx. 800 m, Mystery Creek Trail comes out onto the BC Hydro Powerline.
Powerline to Mushroom
•    Turn RIGHT along Powerline.
•    Cross the Mystery Creek Bridge, go straight up.
•    Think happy thoughts as you power hike to the Historic Mushroom Parking Lot Trail intersection (marked). (Mountain Madness Aid station will be here!)
•    At the Mushroom Trail POST, turn RIGHT to continue on Mushroom and it eventually becomes Baden-Powell (post).
•    Keep straight on Baden-Powell.
•    At the intersection of Old Buck (post), turn LEFT and then almost immediately RIGHT to get back onto B-P. (Do NOT go down Old Buck.)
Mount Seymour Road
•    Cross Mount Seymour Road and enter the B-P trail on the other side.
•    Start gradual descent with some uphill sections. Indian River Road
•    You come out on Indian River Road; turn LEFT (marker indicates 0.5 km to trail) and take the road.
•    500 meters later, find trailhead on the right. Marked as 2.6 km to Deep Cove. (Aid station will be here.)
Baden-Powell to Deep Cove
•    Follow the B-P markers. Some steep ascents and descents and bridges.
•    Come out between two houses on Panorama Drive (2501 Panorama Drive). Turn right to return to parking lot.

Um...a little confusing. I'm going to try to squeeze in the organized orientation run before I go to work on the 23rd of April. Also to prepare, db and I will hike sections of it up until the event using these directions to guide us. Since it only goes in one direction and is not a loop, we'll have to find other road access points. I suppose since we'll be on a few different trails, there will be access points for us to park the car and pick up the trail (I didn't even know there was a trail called the Mushroom Trail! I can't wait!).

Today I feel a little bit crazy having signed up for this event, but I'm sure as I get more trail running under my feet (so to speak), I'll still feel a little bit crazy but at least I'll be better prepared.

I remember talking about running with my physiotherapist (who is an ultrarunner -- that's those 50 k distances), and thinking she was crazy with her enthusiasm to run trails. I'm starting to get a taste of how she felt. I've definitely taken a turn in my running career, and feel like I've embarked on a new journey.

My First Trail Race

2011-04-04T20:06:00.000-07:00

My first trail race (the event is also called this) was so much fun.

I was so nervous about this event because a) I'm not a trail runner, b) I haven't had much time to run on trails, and c) I really had no idea what to expect. The map of the course didn't tell me much so db and I went to walk the trail the day before and saw that it had already been marked out with pink tape; we could follow the trail easily. I realized later that we had walked it backwards, but that didn't matter. I'm glad we walked it because it took away some of the anxiety I was having.

We had home-made pizza the night before (good pre-race meal I think). I got up around 6:30ish to have my Vega smoothie and make sure everything I needed was packed into my bag. A full change of clothes seemed like a good idea because during our walk the day before it had rained a little on lower Seymour even while it was sunny and clear in North Van. I also packed extra shoes because even though my beloved Cascadias dry really fast, I was worried about a downpour and being really damp and miserable at the end. Packed and fuelled, db and I headed out the door around 8 am for the 9 am race start (I wanted to be there early for the warm-up as well).

It took us no time at all to get there (a lot faster on a Sunday morning with no traffic), but the more I sat in the car in the parking lot, the more nervous I got. Would I be able to do this? I know it's only 5 km, but it's 5 km of trail some of which is roots and rocks, a long descent on stairs and a serious uphill towards the end. Would my legs seize up after all of the ups and downs? Would I come in last? Would I trip over a rock and cut myself? These were all new fears, but it was kind of fun to be facing a bit of the unknown. Don't get me wrong, I do love the road races as well, and the challenges of endurance and mental strength that those events ask of me, but trail is a whole new game.

I put on my hat and gloves (it's chilly at those higher elevations!), and joined in the warm up with the rest of the participants (there's a 100 person limit total to this run for the 5 and 10 k), which was fun and it relaxed me a little.

Then we lined up at the start. It was a pretty relaxed atmosphere. I didn't feel like I needed to get out in a flash, and I didn't want to be stuck at the back either, so I hung around in the middle somewhere. And then we were off and it started like every other running race I've ever done: we were all bunched up together and then there was a bit of jostling for position as we all sought our own pacing. As we opened up onto the double wide track, I found my spot pretty quick, and got into a groove fast because you have to when you're only doing 5 km.

By the time we hit the single track trail, I already had a few people marked as ones I wanted to keep pace with, and I passed them at one point and they passed me at one point. There isn't much room to pass on the trail so you have to think quickly and make decisions about where to step. It was so much fun. It's a bit like an obstacle course while you run, and I don't think I felt much of the ground at all. I was so focused on trying to listen to my body and when I needed to slow and speed up, that it really did all fly past so quickly. When I faced the big hill near the end, it didn't take me long to figure out that I needed to walk it. I looked around to see that everyone was walking it. There's no point in burning yourself out on a steep climb, leaving nothing for the top.

Then the finish line was in sight and I saw db taking a picture on my way to it. I crossed it and felt great! The times were posted right away, so I could see that I had run the 5 km in 29 minutes. Much better than I thought since trail is much slower than pavement.

So here's the breakdown:

time: 29:23 -- actually it was really 29:13 because it took about 10 secs for me to cross the start line :)
place: 24th (that's out of 66 of us in the 5 km category)
category: 2nd (that's F40-49 and there were 9 of us in that age group)

Not bad for a first timer. Can't wait for the next one! I'm researching them now to see what else I can do.

Birch Bay Road Race Results

2011-03-28T19:40:00.000-07:00

I had a great time during the race. The weather was good (except for the wind towards the end) and the scenery was beautiful all along the bay and rolling country roads. I will definitely do this race again.

Here are my results:

bib number:	177
age:	41
gender:	F
location:	whoville, BC
overall place:	79 out of 232
division place:	8 out of 28
gender place:	43
time:	1:22:48
pace:	8:54

Here are the photos:

The horn just sounded and the race has begun. db was taking photos from the side.

Over the start line. Set your watches.

And down towards the bay.

Pretty nice scenery along this mostly flat route.

The pizzeria in Bellingham!

Inside Rudy's Pizzeria in Bellingham. The post-race meal is almost as important as the pre-race meal.

It's definitely more rewarding. I found Rudy's online and once we saw that they had the delicious Daiya vegan cheese, we headed there for a quick bite.

Rudy's Pizzeria was big on the mosaics. They were on the walls, the counter, and actually all over Bellingham.

It's a nice little city Bellingham. It felt very arts oriented.

It's not far from the border so we thought while we were in Birch Bay, we might as well head to Bellingham to check out what it has to offer.

The highlights:

Rocket Donuts. The donut shop with the rocket outside and with several vegan options inside. db and I pre-ordered our donuts online to make sure we got everything we wanted.

The Bellingham Community Food Co-op. A nice grocery with lots of those vegan foods and household products that I can't get here in Canada.

Rudy's Pizzeria. The photo of the pizza above says it all. It's a relaxed atmosphere and lots of room at the tables for a big pizza pie. They also have a gluten free crust option that I'll try next time I'm there. To keep it simple we got one pizza on a regular whole wheat crust.

Trader Joe's. This is a larger grocery chain, but some of the deals just can't be beat. db couldn't believe the price of some of the wines. We stocked up on a few staples and got some goodies as well (Luna Bars in flavours I can't get here and for half the price!). Between Trader Joe's and the co-op there's really nowhere else we need to go to shop.

The size of Bellingham's downtown makes it very easy to walk everywhere. The architecture is made up of a lot of older brick and stonework buildings. With the view of the water and that small city artsy feel, Bellingham is really charming.

After our day there, I think I finally get the cross border shopping madness. There is so much more choice and for less money. I think we'll be getting Nexus passes soon.

Be Prepared

2011-03-15T20:47:00.000-07:00

The Girl Guide motto, "be prepared," did not mean much to me as an 11 year old girl. It was just another phrase that we repeated each week along with any other verses we had to learn by heart ("I promise to do my best, to do my duty, to God, the Queen, and my country..." -- that was the verse in the 70s. I sincerely hope they've revised it since).

Well, the Girl Guides would be proud now since I'm about to "be prepared." db and I are putting together an emergency kit so that we're prepared for an earthquake should it occur.

I don't need to tell you what's going on in the news right now, and I'm not going to talk about Japan at all except to say that it has brought home the idea of being prepared for such an event.

I had an emergency kit made up, but I've been pilfering items from it for the last few years. Candles, matches, the first aid kit, flashlight, and even the emergency blanket (took that with me to Portland just in case I didn't have something warm to put on immediately after the race) all have been moved or used at some point. So the kit has been depleted and now we're starting over with a checklist.

The emergency kit will be useful as long as we're home but if we're not then what? I'm also going to put together a small bag of supplies that I can stash at work just in case (this might include running clothes since I can see myself wanting to run home rather than walk).

So tonight is step 1: we're developing an emergency plan and beginning to assemble our emergency kit.

Is there a Girl Guide badge for this?

Run Vegan Run

2011-02-27T19:43:00.000-08:00

Wow! Two posts in one day! I'm trying to make up for lost time I guess.

I didn't make the Fort Langley Historic Half Marathon. I did all of the training and did not register. Then, came the taper week, the week before the actual event, and I came to the decision that I couldn't run the event because I wasn't ready. Yes, I could have run the event and finished, but I want to do better than finish, I want to challenge my previous times and I just didn't feel fit enough to do that. I thought that I might improve on my time, but I wanted to feel sure and strong.

Then, just like when I had to cancel my Victoria marathon plans and switch to the half, there was the bummer week, which is when I kind of moped around wondering if I could still do as well as I have previously, and how could I turn this into a fun running season? I really love participating in events so I needed to find a way to participate and compete with myself.

I made a commitment to train harder than I've been training. I started by signing up at our local rec centre's gym and bought a year's membership (now I have to go!). It has such a nice small town feel this gym. It doesn't have all of the bells and whistles like the big name gyms do, but it has everything I need to train and more if I want to. Last week I started weight training again, which is something I haven't done in 2 years! I can't believe it's been so long. I felt great. I'm using Thrive Fitness as my guideline so that I ease into it (if red jane were here...).

My next step was to set up my running season. db and I did some research online for events that aren't too far from home. We want to avoid hotel costs since the registration fees, and my gym membership are costing us enough as it is. I found one in Blaine, Washington called the Birch Bay Road Race that is just across the border and is a 15 k road race at the end of March. I'm already at my 21 k distance so I can add in the strength training and adjust my running schedule to fit this road race. It looks like a pretty small race and a pretty route, so it should be low key and fun.

Then I decided to sign up for a 5k trail run the weekend after. It's my first trail event and I'm really excited and nervous. It's a short distance and I think will be just right to start out with.

So far so good. Next I want to pick a half marathon spring event and then something bigger for the fall. My 2011 running season is looking pretty good so far.

hiking the Lynn Valley Loop

2011-02-27T19:29:00.001-08:00

I've been wanting to go to the Lynn Valley for sometime because I know there are several trails that are very accessible. I read about the "Lynn Valley Loop" trail online (very useful website, btw) as an easy going trail that could be completed less than a couple of hours, and was fine to hike year round.

db and I only have Sundays together and I also have gone back to doing my long run on Sundays, so we don't have the whole day to do a 5 hour hike, so this seemed like a good option. As we went up higher there was some snow, but you can see that the trail is well travelled. Actually, the fact that it is well traveled made it a bit trickier because the snow was packed into a slippery sheet that made the first part of the descent a bit tricky, but overall it was fine.

Lynn Creek was crystal clear and it runs alongside part of the trail near the end. It was nice to hear just the sound of the water and our footsteps.

Left over from logging days? I liked the tree growing up through the back end.
There is much evidence of the the logging that was done in this area. There are many large stumps with the platform notches in the side of them where loggers placed 2x4s to stand on while they worked each side of the saw to cut the tree. It's a common site along trails all over the lower mainland. I would love to hike in an old growth forest that had never been logged.

I just recently signed up for my first trail run. It's only 5 k, but I thought I should start small since I don't have much time to train on trail and can't do long distances on trail without a partner (gotta find a trail running partner!). The 5 k is actually called My First Trail Race and is in this same area where we hiked, so I'm going for it. I hope my trail shoes arrive soon!

2011-02-08T19:37:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday I decided that I'm not going to bring work home anymore, or check my work email from home. I can't do it anymore. My job is/was becoming all consuming to the point where I started to lose sleep at night and that's not what I want in my life.

It's a weird balance though that I constantly struggle with because I care about helping run the store, but it can easily become all consuming if I let it. Whenever I meet db at the skytrain after work (he picks me up there on his way home), I get into the car and talk about work until I get it out of my system. It also helps me to work through any problems that I need to resolve, and I can usually get a better grasp on something if I talk it through in the car. Once I talk about work to him, I can somewhat let it go for the rest of the day, but it's always tempting to turn on the computer and check the email, or revise a document that needs to get done.

I haven't been this absorbed by anything since I was in grad school. I think I'd rather be writing a thesis and absorbed by that rather than this never ending list of tasks that I need to get done.

Day Trip to Seattle

2011-01-17T19:25:00.000-08:00

I was just talking to my mom, who was saying that she can tell when I'm really busy with work because my blog doesn't change. So hopefully, this post means that I'm finally getting some more time to not think about work.

Our reason for going to Seattle was to see the Picasso exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum (SAM) that was showing a collection from the Musee National Picasso in Paris. It was quite an amazing collection running from the early 1900s to the 1970s and contained paintings, sculptures, sketches, and photographs. It was a bit overwhelming, but by the time we reached the end of the exhibit, I also didn't want it to end, and wanted to see more of his work.

Here are some examples of highlights for me:

The Acrobat (Jan. 1918)

Oil on canvas.

Two women running on the beach (The Race) Summer 1922

Gouache on plywood

This painting is very famous. It was smaller than I thought it would be and more beautiful that I thought it would be. His work is so vibrant to me. I had no idea there could be so much life in his work.

SAM was absolutely packed! We bought tickets online two weeks ago for a 12:00 pm entry. They give you a 20 minute window for entry and then after that you lose out. By the time we arrived at 12:15, the 12:20 line-up was already queued to the back of the hall. Fortunately, we were still able to enter in the 12:00 block and could walk right into the gallery.

Even though we had to manoeuvre through the crowds to look at the exhibit, it was well worth it. Perhaps I would have spent longer there without the crowds, but I saw everything I wanted to see.

I didn't really want to look at the other exhibits after seeing Picasso's work. I felt like I had taken enough in. However, on our way out we did come across these really wonderful photographs by Amy Blakemore and stopped to look at those.

While our reason to go to Seattle was to see the Picasso exhibit, one of the highlights of the day was going to the Flying Apron Bakery. I bought their cookbook not long ago because they specialize in vegan and gluten free goodies. I have already feature some of their cookies on my blog.

We left for Seattle early Sunday morning so we could go to the bakery first and have a good coffee (no such thing as bad coffee in Seattle it seems) and a delicious baked goodie from Flying Apron. It did not disappoint. In fact, I loved it! The interior is so warm and welcoming. It's one of those spaces where you feel at home. The interior has several large heavy wooden tables and lots of chairs and benches.

The baked goods are all organic, gluten free, and vegan. They use very wholesome ingredients so you not only feel like you're getting a treat, but you know you're getting really good food as well.

I love the sign because it says in brackets "obviously it's not about what you can't eat." I should have a t-shirt that says that!

db had a cinnamon bun and a cappuccino, while I had a berry scone and a decaf espresso. I forgot to take pictures of our food, but that's okay. I at least got some pics of the bakery itself.

We also ordered some baked goods to bring home: the house bread which was sweet potato & rosemary on Sunday, a dark chocolate muffin, a pecan maple muffin, a linzer cookie, and an apple turnover. All I can say is so far so good. For some reason I just want to make a rich, strong coffee to go with their baked goods. The two seem suited to one another.

smart pot bellied pigs at Hearts On Noses Sanctuary

2011-01-08T10:42:00.001-08:00

We're having a fundraiser at karmavore for Hearts on Noses pig sanctuary in Maple Ridge. The woman who runs it is amazing, and does most of the work herself. She needs all the help she can get I'm sure!
Anywho...I loved this video with all of the tails wagging. Pigs are such adorable animals. I love them.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T13:24:00.000-08:00

I'm back...well sort of. I never really went away.

I feel like I've been doing nothing but going to and from work in the dark and spending my days running around the store trying to get things done, which includes adjusting to my new role at work. I've been chasing people down, managing staff, helping customers, and in general dealing with the Xmas rush. The lower level of the store is still not complete, but it's the closest it has ever been. On Friday (New Year's Eve) we opened the grocery, and the deli will open most likely tomorrow. The lower mainland's first vegan deli. It's pretty exciting. I have to say that I'm a little bit terrified. When I look at the work involved on paper, it all seems like it will go so smoothly. The reality will be a little bumpier until we get into a new routine.

On top of it all there is still staff to settle in, and we've got to hire at least one more person, maybe two to ensure we get the coverage that we need.

***

I hope everyone had a good holiday. My family spoiled me, as did db. It was nice to have 3 days off at Christmas. I did wake up Christmas morning with a cold (what a nice gift!) that delayed our Christmas meal until boxing day, but it did mean that I got to spend the day on the couch doing absolutely nothing. I tried going to Wildlife Rescue on Monday, but my cold was still making me miserable so I had to leave early.

Yesterday, I went out for my long run and after about 30 minutes of slogging along (I wasn't having a good running day), I saw what looked like an injured Varied Thrush.

It was hopping along the sidewalk trying to avoid me. I slowed to a walk and watched the bird try to avoid me. It couldn't fly up over the wall that it was trying to get over. It seemed to be able to fly low to the ground, but not for very long. It kept landing in the Cotoneaster waiting for me to leave. I knew I had to catch it and take it to Wildlife Rescue, and eventually I got the chance to cover it with my running jacket and I held on to him and called db to come and rescue us.

db brought a shoebox and I placed the thrush inside the box on a small towel, and poked a few airholes in the box while we drove to Wildlife Rescue. Once there I dropped the thrush off, knowing I'd be able to check up on his status when I go in for my shift today.

Since we were at Burnaby Lake, I decided to finish my run there. db waited for me and then we drove home. When I got home there was a message from the staff at Wildlife Rescue informing me that they think the thrush has conjunctivitis and that they hoped I had washed my hands, and to make sure I put my jacket into the wash right away since it's highly contagious.

Hmm...I went for a run after saving the bird. I did put my gloves on and I was pretty aware that I hadn't washed my hands while I was running so I was careful not to touch my face. I did take my jacket into the laundry almost immediately because I knew the bird had soiled the jacket and I'm very careful with the cats whenever I come home from Wildlife Rescue because of all the sick and injured wildlife. So far I have no signs of anything so I'm hoping that even though I didn't wash my hands until home, I at least am careful.

I'm about to head to Wildlife Rescue now, so maybe I'll follow with an update for you on the bird's progress.

Charlie Brown

2010-12-22T20:10:00.001-08:00

I don't have time for much right now. Work is keeping me busy. However, last night we did decorate our tree since it was the Winter Solstice, and we watched A Charlie Brown Christmas. I love this cartoon. This year I got db the dvd because...yes it's true...we only had a rough VHS copy from years ago when db had taped it from tv. It was so nice to watch the dvd copy!

Bear Climbs Tree Stand

2010-12-06T18:14:00.000-08:00

No time

2010-11-24T16:19:00.000-08:00

Sorry Vegan Mofoers, but I just haven't had the time to post on my blog.

With the karmavore shop moving, I've been too busy to do much blogging.

I think I can get one more cookie post up tonight though! Maybe...another goodie as well. We'll see...

simplicity

2010-11-17T20:16:00.000-08:00

Our basic stir-fry that we like to make quite often. I never get tired of it because I can use whatever veggies I have on hand, add some tofu or tempeh, and make a quick sauce.

It's so simple.

This week db was given an ActiFry as a thank you gift from his boss. It just takes a tablespoon of oil or less to fry whatever you want really. Last night he tested it out with some homefries that turned out crispy and perfect. Tonight...

Tofu! He added some chili flakes and some BBQ sauce. I'm just about to go try it with tonight's stir-fry. Yummy.

Thrive

2010-11-16T12:21:00.000-08:00

Part of my journey to eat healthier led me to the Thrive Diet. I usually don't buy any book with "diet" in the title because to me it suggests a regimented diet, but I was interested in the Thrive Diet because I admired the author Brendan Brazier for being a top level tri-athlete who promotes a plant based diet.

The recipes in this book are simple, tasty, and have many raw options. If a recipe calls for cooking it is usually at a low temperature.

One of my favorite things to make in this book is the walnut burger.
All of the burgers in the book are very good, but the walnut burger is my favorite. Everything goes into the food processor and then you just make them into patties. I decided to cook half of the burgers and keep the other half raw. I think I prefer them raw. It was a nice complement to my roasted veg and beets
Then I made his cheezy sauce with sunflower seeds. I warmed it a little and served it on the side with the burger. The two went great together, and made for a great lunch the next day with some spinach, sprouts and raddichio. My lunches at work always have to be cold so I usually do a salad with lots of stuff in it, or occasionally a simple sandwich, so this walnut burger was a nice change.

no brainer breakfast

2010-11-09T11:59:00.000-08:00

This is my daily breakfast, or at least a version of it. I'll add in different flavours to keep it interesting, but this is my favorite version: banana, unsweetened almond milk, vanilla soy, a scoop of Vega Whole Food Optimizer, cocoa, 1 tbsp of Udo's oil, and a dash of liquid iron. Into the blender and I've got a tasty breakfast that holds me for a couple of hours.

It's also my post-run drink with1.5-2 sccops of Vega WFO to get the max. protein.

Vega has become an essential ingredient to my daily vegan life. It's so great to see this company do well and have its creator, Brendan Brazier (a tri-athlete), promote a plant based lifestyle. I'll admit that when my friend red jane first introduced it to me, I wasn't that impressed and the flavour made me gag, but Vega has come a long way since then. They have a huge range of products (no, I don't work for them. I just really love the product) for every need (I also love their energy berry bars).

What would I do without my Vega! It's gluten-free and it contains all of the vitamins and minerals. It has all of the essential amino acids, and it's ready to mix. You can make it into a smoothie, or mix it with your favorite beverage, or even bake with it.

It's not comfort food or a fancy baked goody, but it is an essential part to my overall health. I often celebrate the rich vegan foods and I just wanted to remember and celebrate the everyday foods that I eat (or drink in this case) to try and maintain a healthy vegan lifestyle.

Days of the Week

2010-11-07T18:44:00.000-08:00

We don't always have time to create new and exciting meals. Mostly we just have our standards that we make during the work week, something that will take little time and use up whatever we happen to have in the fridge.

db's stir-fried veg with quinoa was delicious even if he didn't intend to make blackened tofu. He just has a way with seasoning and making sauces that I can't match so his stir-fried veg is always tasty.

This mac and daiya cheese was a plan B that I had to put together quickly when I realized that I didn't have all of the ingredients to make Chickpea Cutlets from Veganomicon. I used wild rice mac noodles, a sauce I made with cheddar daiya cheese, and lacinato kale, which I could almost eat everyday (I exaggerate of course).

Have you tried daiya? Most of the feedback I've had has been really positive, and I know that I love it. It's so melty good and the cheddar is perfect for a sauce or quesadillas, nachos, grilled cheese etc...

Vote to Build a Radiology Suite to Save Injured Wildlife.

2010-11-05T19:26:00.000-07:00

I volunteer at Wildlife Rescue and am so amazed at the work the staff and volunteers do to save injured wildlife. It's an amazing place. I would really like to see them receive the funding for this idea.

You can "vote for this idea" by going to the Pepsi Refresh Project. You have to sign up if you haven't already, and then you can vote every day for this idea.

The more votes, the better the chance Wildlife Rescue has.

Wednesday

2010-11-04T20:20:00.000-07:00

db is really the creative cook in our house. He can take any ingredients and make a fabulous meal out of it. (If only he had a blog! Naw...it would just be about hockey, and maybe shrooming.) On the other hand, I like recipes. We have dozens of cookbooks that I like to use regularly. I have a few standbys that I often return to, but when I have a handful of ingredients that I want to use, I'll turn to my cookbooks to guide the way. And what a selection of vegan cookbooks there are out there in the world, which is a great thing because it means more people are interested and more people are cooking vegan. Hurray!

Yesterday, I had broccoli as my main ingredient that I wanted to use. I turned to Veganomicon to whip up these broiled polenta with broccoli mixed in. After putting all of my energy into the polenta, I put together a quick mixed greens salad with radicchio and raspberry vinaigrette with a healthy sprinkle of hemp seeds.

Earlier in the day (I had the day off), I had time to bake another selection from the Flying Apron's Gluten-Free and Vegan Baking Book.

ginger wheel cookies

I skipped the wheel spoke part with the fork tine making the pattern and just opted to sprinkle generously with sugar before baking. These are soft and chewy cookies. Very tasty.

Most recent mushroom finds.

2010-11-03T12:29:00.000-07:00

Zeller's bolete (apparently edible, but the ones we found were inedible because they were full of maggots. I know, it sounds appetizing doesn't it?)

Helvella lacunosa (I think)

I had to ask my stepdad, pw, about this one. He's much better at identifying than I am. I wasn't having much luck using my reference book, Mushrooms Demystified.

I was also so startled by its appearance that I wondered if it was a plant and not a type of fungi.

Our most recent collection of chanterelles.

We can't seem to get enough of them. Is it possible that I find them tastier this year compared to last?

Vegan MoFo Gluten Free Baking

2010-11-01T22:32:00.004-07:00

It's that time of year again! It's Vegan MoFo!

I'll admit that my last MoFo attempt was a bit weak, my heart wasn't in it. This year I feel a little more inspired, more like the first year I participated when MoFo was just getting started. So get ready for a whole month of vegan food in whoville.

Of course every month around here is the vegan month of food, but I don't blog about it as much as I use to. That's just the nature of my blog; it changes as do I.

Okay, okay on to the food.

One of my challenges over the last couple of years has been to cut out the gluten in my vegan diet. Because I have a wheat sensitivity and do not have celiac disease, I can cheat and do often cheat by eating something wheaty (the most recent example being our trip to Portland where I had to sample some of the goodies from Sweetpea Bakery and Back to Eden Bakery). So, I'm a cheater. Well I can strive to do better.

Just this past weekend, I purchased Flying Apron's cookbook since it was on sale at my local vegan shop. As with many cookbooks, the delicious sounding recipes and glossy photos attracted me, but what attracted me most was that this cookbook contains recipes that are tried, tested, and true, and are served in the Flying Apron Bakery in Seattle (next trip).

My first recipe! Flying Apron's Buckwheat Biscuits seemed like a good place to start because I had all of the ingredients in the cupboard, and wanted something to have on hand for breakfast. Also biscuits are a bit of a nostalgic food for me. Drop biscuits or the rolled biscuits my mom made through my childhood and still makes today has always been a favorite of mine. This recipe is a bit different: there was some chilling time for the dough; there is working with non-gluten flours that means the properties are just different; there is also sugar in the dough that adds a nice sweetness to them that reminds me of a sweetened scone. The results were a success! We're still enjoying the results. I took one to work as did db, and we both commented on how tasty these are.

I suspect that this month will have more photos from my gluten free baking.

If you want to follow more Vegan MoFo blogs or just check out the blogroll of all those participating in Vegan MoFo, you can find the list on the Vegan MoFo blog.

Run Vegan Run Columbia Gorge

2010-10-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

I did it! I ran the Columbia Gorge Half Marathon and finished. Not only did I finish, but I finished with a better time than anticipated. Even my split time suggested I would finish around the 2:08/2:10 mark because my split time was 1:04. That was the last time I looked at my watch because I was completely focused on the task before me. I'm getting ahead of myself though.

I woke at 7:00 to a dark and rainy morning. When I peeked through the curtains of our hotel room, I saw pelting rain and the big Oregon trees swaying in the wind. It was confirmed that it would be a wet day to run. I tried to stay positive, hoping for a break in the weather.

I had my gluten free brownie from Sweetpea bakery, and made some tea. The brownie was really filling. I was probably still full from our feast the night before at Portabello in Portland. I changed into my running clothes and pinned my number to my long sleeve shirt. Then, I went to reception to see about a late check out. We thought we'd probably need an extra hour to make it back to the hotel from Hood River (20 minute drive), and for me to shower after my run. The woman who checked us in Friday night said we would have to ask the day of the race and that it shouldn't be a problem. She changed her story that morning, and told me that she had already given away their limit of 5 late check-outs! I was so pissed, but too tired and too concerned about my run to bother with her. db then went down to reason with her, but she wasn't budging. I can't believe she told me (with a smile) on Friday night that it shouldn't be a problem, and then Sunday told me (without a smile) that I was S.O.L. (well not those words exactly). I mean how many people are checking in on a Sunday afternoon in Cascade Locks, Oregon? Seriously!

Anywho...I pushed that out of my mind and focused on the run. We checked out around 8:15 or so and drove to Hood River. The rain was letting up. The closer we got to Hood River, the better it looked. The sky was still cloudy, but the rain had stopped, and there was even a double rainbow over the Columbia River; it was quite beautiful out.

missed the shot of the double rainbow, but this was lovely.

I did my usual "should I get in the continually growing line up for the porta-potties, or wait until the first aid station?" I walked around trying to figure out what to do. There wouldn't be time for a warm-up so I got into the long line joining the rest of the anxious runners. Everyone is always so friendly and chatty. I love races for that reason.

The start line was on a grassy lawn that faced the marina. We would run across the grass to a wide trail that went to the water and then loop back before heading into town. I kissed db for luck, and got into line.

The frontrunners -- I'm obviously not in that group.

The gun went off and we all shuffled through the gate adjusting our clothes, earphones, and gaits. Not two minutes into the run, just as we reached the water where we began to turn towards the town, the sky opened up and pelted us with rain. I thought it was hale for a second because it was so strong, but no it was just hard pelting rain. Two minutes into my run and I was dripping wet, my feet squishy, but I laughed because that's all you can do and besides I was with a group of people who were all going through the same thing together.

The first hurdle was the suspension bridge that swayed violently back and forth when it filled with runners. I had to stop and walk, swaying from side to side trying to hold on and move quickly at the same time (it doesn't work). I stumbled over the bridge and headed into town.

The first series of hills we had driven so I knew what to expect. They did level out a bit, and I felt fine running up the hills. I told myself that it was just like running up Heritage Mountain at home, and it really wasn't much different except that it twisted and turned. Before I knew it, I was at the first water station at the entrance to the trail that we would follow for the rest of the run. I left my long sleeve shirt at the water station because it was water-logged, and told a volunteer that I'd pick it up on my way back since the route is an out and back route. I had to remove my bib number and pin it to my sleeveless, but I managed. I carried my Vega Sport mix in hand and away I went.

The rest of the route was beautiful. There were several lookouts that viewed the Columbia River from different angles. The path was paved and tree lined with firs and big leaf maples that were golden yellow. The trail went up and down and twisted and turned. Some of the aid stations had bananas and orange slices, which was brilliant because I could just grab an orange slice for some quick energy and keep going. Near the turn around point we ran through a tunnel, which was very cool.

I turned and checked my watch: 1:04. I'd reach the finish around 2:08 or 2:10 as expected. Probably my slowest run ever, but considering the year I've had I would have been pretty happy to just finish.

After the turn around there was more descent that I expected. I still had several hills to climb, but there were longer descents so it was easier on my fatiguing body. My achilles wasn't hurting and there was no calf pain; overall, I felt pretty good.

Unfortunately, I did see two runners turn around before reaching the official turn around point. They were cheating and that pissed me off. They were probably 1.5 km or so from the half way. I made a point of looking at their bib numbers as I ran passed them, because I did eventually catch them. They were obviously more fatigued than I was.

I reached that initial aid station and picked up my long sleeves before beginning the final long descent into town. I flew down that hill and into town. I typically start my kick too early, and this race proved to be no different. When I reached the suspension bridge again, I was toast, but I kept going and stayed focused. I crossed the grassy finish line to the sound of my name being called out and being thanked for coming down for the event...I checked my watch and realized that my stop watch had stopped a while ago, probably on my fast descent. db and I quickly found each other and he told me I had come in around 2 hours! The official time: 2:02!

I look like the only runner out there, but there were many others. It's just a smaller race.

I couldn't belive it! I did so much better than I ever thought possible for this race.

I hit the food tent and made us some bean tortillas with guacamole (best event food ever!), and then we headed to the car to get ready for our drive home.

I wanted to find the race officials and tell them about the cheaters, but db said that they were just cheating themselves and to not worry about it, so I let it go. No point it causing trouble when I was feeling so good.

The finisher medals they handed out were unique. Made by a local artist, I think it's the nicest finisher medal I have.

Portland!

2010-10-23T22:37:00.000-07:00

I'm in love.
Thank you: Food Fight, Herbivore, Sweetpea Bakery, Back to Eden Bakery, Red Bird Studio, Alberta Co-op Grocery, Pie Footwear, REI, Beermongers, and last but definitely not least Portabello (the best vegan restaurant I've ever been to, and I've been to a few. I was so excited about the food -- and so hungry -- I forgot to take pictures. Imagine though. We had cashew cheese stuffed pepadew peppers, portabello steak with whipped potatoes and swiss chard, semolina gnocchi with chanterelles and vegetable ragout -- db also had a Arrabiata pizza and finished it! -- then, the best part of the dinner was the raw chocolate cannoli stuffed with vanilla coconut cream filling. Oh my goodness it was amazing!).

I had an amazing time.

Tomorrow morning I'm running the Columbia Gorge and I cannot wait. It's uphill for at least the first three kilometers, but it levels out after that. Anywho...it's going to be fun.

Whoville to Cascade Locks

2010-10-22T23:39:00.000-07:00

We made it. Cascade Locks looks like it's really beautiful, but because we arrived at night it's difficult to tell how beautiful.

The drive down was a little busy. The border crossing was a two hour wait. I thought it might be an hour, but alas no, we waited two hours. After that long wait, it seemed like no time at all to reach Seattle. Of course the approach to Seattle and leaving Seattle was crazy busy with traffic. It was bumper to bumper for a few hours of travel. Our expected time on the GPS kept getting longer and longer as the day went on. Oh well.

Instead of driving straight to our hotel to drop our stuff and then head to Portland for dinner, we had to change our plans because the running store where I was to pick up my race kit was closing at 7 pm. db reset the GPS, and our route said our arrival time would be 6:40 pm (this was quite different from where we had started in the day -- 4 pm arrival time). We were close, so close to reaching our destination, but I desperately needed a bathroom break. I always try to keep well hydrated before a run and had been drinking water all day so I needed to stop. We took the next exit to a gas station, and pulled over. It took us no time at all to get back on the freeway, and we were moving closer to the running store. There were a few wrong turns, but we finally found our way into this cute, happening neighbourhood in the northwest. The street was narrow and tree-lined with beautiful old buildings that have been turned into businesses. There were lots of restaurants, and cafes, and the street was humming with activity. I parked and we hopped out of the car and then...db couldn't find his wallet. Ahhhh! We decided that I would run into the the running store to pick up my race kit and then we'd drive back to the gas station where we made our pit stop.

The running store looked amazing, but I only had time to grab my kit and go. I ran back to the car to find db searching every corner of the car. My mind was racing. We'd have to cancel credit cards, take out cash to pay for everything, and get all of db's ID replaced. Ahhhh! I got back into the drivers side and sought around. I found it! I was so relieved to feel that George Costanza sized wallet wedged between the door and the seat. db was so relieved. We caught our breath.

db found a new route for us to take us to dinner at HUB (Hopworks Urban Brewery). We found it online at the Veg Portland website. It's so nice to let the server know that you're vegan and they totally get it. We didn't have to define vegan. A regular pub menu, and veganizing items is listed as an option. Welcome to Portland. I love it so far. HUB's beer is organic and delicious. We ordered a couple of beer while we waited for a table in the brew pub that was much, much larger than I expected, and it was packed. Sorry there are no photos, but I was so tired that by the time I remembered photos we were heading back to the car.

We drove out of Portland, and here we are in Cascade Locks on the Columbia River. I can't wait to actually see it all tomorrow! I didn't bring my plug to add photos to the computer, so I'll have to post photos once I get home.

Free stuff

2010-10-20T15:36:00.000-07:00

This is my pick of the day from the free listing on craigslist. This listing is almost poetic with it's line breaks. Haha! I really liked the pictures as well.

"A used pink plastic colander.

Handy when rinsing rice.

Made in Japan.

Withstands high and low temperatures, 120ºC to -20ºC.

Pick up only, please."

The New Job

2010-10-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

No, I haven't changed jobs, but my job is moving. Our location is moving to a new beautiful space. We're expanding from about 250 square feet to 2300 square feet. It's a big move for us.

The new space is in a beautiful older building with exposed brick walls inside , hardwood floors (although they've got an iffy looking dark stain on them), and the lower level has exposed rock with a deep cement ledge that runs the length of the space that we can use for display, or books or whatever. With the store having two levels, the food, including a vegan deli with sweet and savory treats, will be on the lower level and the clothing, shoes, bags, wallets, make-up etc will be on the main level.

With this expansion, I've been offered a position in the company with more responsibility and to be in charge of any new staff we hire, inventory, plus all of the other things I take care of now.

Initially, the job offer wasn't quite what I wanted. They originally offered me to be in charge of managing the deli and handling all of the food prep (very minimal), service etc. This worried me because I don't really want to be food service gal. I was also worried that I'd be spending too much time in the basement, which would make me squirrelly.

I met with the owners and we revised the position so that we could both be happy. I think we've reached a good compromise. I'll do three days a week food prep, and two days a week upstairs. Of course, the nature of the job really requires me to be all over the store since I'll be handling inventory as well, but I didn't want to be pigeon-holed into one area. I'll also be helping out with the growth of the wholesale area of the business, and that really interests me.

The manager and I have been going through resumes and interviewing people for a couple of part-time positions since we'll need staff to cover the times that either one of us can't be there. One of us will always open or close, but we definitely need more staff to help out. The interviewing process is a new thing for me. Trying to figure out who is the best person for the job is not an easy task, and at first I was uncomfortable knowing that I'd have to help make a decision, but as the interviews continue I'm gaining confidence and am finding it easier to make a decision. I think we're close. We had three more interviews today (Monday), and I'm just checking references.

So I think it's going to be a little hectic in the next few weeks. We're aiming to be open in the new space the first week of November.

Portland will be a nice little diversion next weekend.

Run Vegan Run

2010-10-16T13:47:00.000-07:00

Sunday, October 10.

I had a big run planned as in: this is the big run before the actual big running event next weekend in Hood River, Oregon. I was a little nervous because aren't we all nervous before a test?

I did everything I usually do before a long run: ate well the night before (no alcohol), got a good night's rest, got up two hours before my run to have a substantial breakfast (not too much, but good nutrient dense food -- as Brendan Brazier would say -- to sustain my run).

Running map is a website where I usually map out a route to match the distance that I need to go. The scheduled run for the morning was 17 k. I started to map out a route, but because I prefer to go out and make it up as I go along, I scrapped the running map ideas and went with a run that could take me where I'd like to go. The important thing was to run somewhere around the 2 hour mark.

You have to understand that since the pneumonia silliness, and the time off due to my Achilles injury that my running pace has slowed quite a bit. Normally, I would be able to know exactly how far I've run by simply knowing the time I've run, but recently my pace has slowed considerably so I'm not quite sure how long it takes me to run a km anymore. It's varied lately, and I've done a lot of running at the gym without measuring distance so I'm running in the dark, so to speak.

I loaded my water bottle with my Vega sport drink and set out. I do hate carrying a water bottle, but it's essential for the long run.

It was sunny and just the right running temperature. I started out slow, holding back my pace knowing I'd need it in the middle of my run. I felt good. I ran towards the Pitt River area, taking a nice back route that weaves through lots of little streets. I reached the DeBoville Slough and ran about 400 meters of the trail before I realized that I really should be heading towards home. There are some nice park trails in that area that are quite flat so I ran that circuit, and then hit my wall at around the 1 h 20 mark (note to self: good time to have a few medjool dates, or a whole food energy bar on me for the actual event. Quick energy). I struggled a bit, took a two minute walk break, and fought through it. Before I knew it, I was back to my rhythm and maintaining a good pace.

Along the route, I decided to run to the Whoville central station where all of the city buses converge, and then I could hop on a bus to avoid the hill home, but by the time I reached the station, I was worried that I probably hadn't run far enough and I wanted to keep going to be sure that I ran 17 k.

I was getting close to home, but would still need to catch the bus. I stopped on one of the trails that runs along Scott Creek and felt that I was finished. When I checked my watch and it said 2:07, I knew I was finished, and had definitely covered the 17 k. I called db to give him the heads up, and he offered to pick me up so I wouldn't have to endure the long, long, oh so long walk up the hill.

Once at home, I mapped my run that revealed I had gone over the 17k, and had actually run just over 20k! 20k is almost the half marathon distance (21.3k). Hmmm. The funny thing was that I really wanted to keep going on my run, but I was afraid of overdoing it. At least I can be sure that I'll be able to go the distance. I'm definitely excited now!

Columbia Gorge in 8 days!

Toad Lily

2010-10-13T22:39:00.000-07:00

I adore lilies. I wish I could have more in my garden, but with the rainforest bordering the yard, and more hours of shade than sun, I'm limited to what I can plant. However, that doesn't stop me from trying.

Toad lilies are shade tolerant, and they bloom in the fall when all of the summer lilies are long gone except for their stems. They are the brightest flower in the garden right now (well...the black-eyed Susan is still going strong, but it's not nearly as sweet as the toad lilies).

Shrooming on Thanksliving

2010-10-13T22:30:00.000-07:00

We decided that we would put together a Thanksgiving meal (or as I'm calling it Thanksliving) since the flavours of the season are in abundance. In our fresh box (organic produce delivery) we received fresh cranberries, brussel sprouts, and parsnips. So we thought, lets just pick up a Tofurky and make it official, but we would need some mushroom gravy, and some fresh mushrooms for it.

We headed into the woods, and went to our usual spot to find some chanterelles, but they weren't as abundant as we've seen them before, and we have already picked in that area; however, we did find some. db found most of them actually because I was busy taking pictures of all of the other mushrooms I was spotting. So there are no chanterelle pictures here, but all the other mushrooms that are a mystery to me.

These are absolutely everywhere right now. I haven't identified them...yet.

I'd really like to know what these are. They seem so unusual to me because of the underside.

And this is the forest where all of those mushrooms were spotted.

Bad Day? Vegan Venting

2010-09-30T15:29:00.000-07:00

I'm having a bad day. I don't know why. It's a beautiful warm, sunny day and I should be smiling more, but I'm just having one of those days. And whenever I have one of those days, inevitably the quirky customers make their way here.

This shop I work in is a little independent small business, and I do enjoy helping it stay afloat and grow (we're moving into a larger space in November). And it's true we are the only store like this around so there is some curiosity about what does a vegan shop sell, and I'm happy to give customers a tour, and answer their questions about the products. In fact, I love talking about the products because I use or wear so many of them, and am passionate about living vegan.

That said, I have some rules I'd like to post on the store wall, but since I can't because it would be rude, I think I'll post them here.

Please don't make excuses as to why you eat meat, saying you just want to look around to see what a vegan eats. I'm happy to have you browse in the shop vegan or not.

No meat stories of how much you love your bacon, your chicken or whatever animal and the part of its flesh it is you eat, and that's why you can't be vegan.

Please do not tell me that your doctor told you that you can't be vegan because it's not healthy.

I'm the wrong person to ask, "but does it taste like meat?" I don't know what that means and I don't have the answer for that because I haven't eaten animal flesh since 1984.

Please don't tell me that I look healthy, as if surprised by that.

Don't tell me that you're veg, but you eat chicken and fish...oh yes, and turkey on the holidays. I get it. FYI, that's not veg!!!!

I'm not sure if people are feeling uncomfortable or guilty or what when they say these absurd things. I'm trying to imagine myself going into a deli and saying to the staff, "I'm vegan, but I just want to see what a carnivore eats," or with much surprise in my voice "You're a carnivore? You look healthy." Can you imagine saying that to someone, as in a complete stranger you've never met?

Actually it's kind of funny to try and reverse these. It's making my day better already.

I just had to vent a little to help get me through this day.

2010-09-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

OMG! Lynda Barry is going to be at Van City's Writers & Readers Festival!

OMG! It's the same weekend I'm going to Portland to run the Columbia Gorge half marathon!

She's speaking on the Friday (the day we leave), so I might be able to cram that in before we leave. Ha! I'll have to be one organized whoville that week. I still have to ask for the full day off of work. (Right now I just have a half day off, but I think I need the full day to get ready to go away.)

The festival is also offering a workshop on the Sunday. It's a three hour workshop with Lynda Barry. What an opportunity to have some fun, get creative, and learn. Ah well...maybe another time, or maybe I'll take her workbook with me (Do You Wish You Could Write), and do my own workshop (6-7 hours in the car gives me lots of time).

That reminds me, I have this great picture of my sis on the beach that I took while we were in N.B. on vacation. She has her hair tied back, is laughing, and is wearing a pair of mirrored sunglasses. I can't post the picture because I don't post pictures where you can identify people (personal choice), but for the record she reminds me of a Lynda Barry character. It might be the mirrored sunglass that gives her that eyes-with-no-pupils look that Barry's main characters have since they all wear glasses. Sis looks a little bit like Maybonne. My sis can probably relate to Maybonne, and many of us do, which is what is so appealing about Barry's characters. Maybe I'll use the photo as a jumping off point.

2010-09-18T20:55:00.000-07:00

My first pair of knit socks of the season!

Vegan knitting can be a challenge sometimes, but like everything vegan, once you figure out where to find what you need and what to look for a whole new exciting world opens up. And just like grocery shopping, when I yarn shop I'm a label reader.

This yarn is a beautiful blend of bamboo, soy, and elastic from Crystal Palace. I found it in a small yarn shop in Van City that doesn't have a lot of non-wool options, but as soon as I felt the softness of this yarn, I knew I had to make something with it.

It's a bit difficult to see the spiral pattern I used since the yarn itself is multi-coloured, but that's okay you get the idea.

While at the store one day, I was chit-chatting with a customer and discovered that she is not only a vegan knitter, but spins and hand-dyes her own vegan yarn. She has some beautiful yarn that you can see on her Quo Vadis Handspun Yarn etsy page here. I'm dying (pun intended) to order something, but...I'll have to save my pennies for a bit.

I've already started a second pair of socks just doing a simple cable pattern with a yarn that is a warm acrylic that should make a cozy pair of socks for the winter.

I'm just going to keep knitting my stash while I'm in the knitting mood. I don't know where these projects will end up, but maybe it'll be a gift for you. Who knows?

Ikea Hacker

2010-09-18T11:17:00.000-07:00

red jane sent this great Ikea hacker for cat boxes link to me. It's a fun site. There are all kinds of ideas on what you can do with Ikea furniture, but I really love the cat box ideas. I'm already trying to think up my own solution that would suit our place.

Run Vegan Run!

2010-09-17T13:20:00.001-07:00

What's the best way to get over pneumonia? Why, run a half marathon of course! Just kidding.

With my Achilles issues, and then my illness, my running season started to look bleak. I had to cancel my plans to run the Bellingham Half and the Rubber Ducky Half in Burnaby. I was pretty bummed. It looked like my running season would go without any race run. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I've run at least one event every year since I started running because it's one of my favourite things to do.

At the start of 2010, I was dreaming of running the Portland Marathon, but as the season wore on and the kilometres did not accumulate as I had hoped, I realized that once again I would have to put that dream on hold. Then, in the middle of my illness when I was feeling pretty low, db came to me with info about the Columbia Gorge race. It's just outside of Portland in Hood River, Oregon (a city I've been longing to go to since it's a vegan haven), and seems to be one of the most beautiful race locations along the Columbia river.

I became hopeful again. Of course it would all depend on how I felt running after having been sick.

I ran on Tuesday for the first time since getting sick and felt okay. I went further than I thought I would. It's still a bit difficult to take a deep breath, but I felt okay running with a couple of walk breaks.

Today I ran again, and felt even stronger. I kept thinking about the race to keep motivated.

Last night we booked our hotel just outside of Hood River, since everything in Hood River seemed to be fully booked. We could stay in Portland, but it's at least an hour or more of a drive from the start line. We found another hotel only about a half hour from Hood River and booked that. db said even if I end up not running, we can at least go to Portland. It's also a big grape growing region for Washington and Oregon, so I'm sure we could find something to do as in visit a vineyard or two.

I'll run though. I haven't felt this motivated in a long time. Even if my time sucks and I have to walk the big hills, I'm going to finish this race. It is a hilly race too. Look at the elevation profile.

The steepest grade is only 5%, but it's a hilly route and looks demanding. I like the downhill to the finish though, that's always nice.

So, it's game on! I'm going for it. I haven't run a half marathon distance in a while...well, since my last half marathon last year, but I've consistently run more than 10 k throughout the year so I think the distance running memory is there. It also really helps to have lots of experience, so I know that I can at least be mentally tough when I need to (as in getting over those hills).

I can't wait!

back to the vacation photos

2010-09-10T19:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, now that I'm feeling better I can get back to posting more vacation photos.

The second day of our trip it was a bit cloudier, and at times it seemed foggy. There's lots of places to walk with the new and old logging roads giving access to all kinds of areas. My brother knows the area so well that he knows all the best routes to the brooks.

My brother's dog, Little Joe, is a bit older now and he likes to travel in the backpack when we go for longer walks.

This looks a lot like fireweed that we have on the west coast.

Another beaver lodge at this brook not far from the camp.

Love the frogs.

What's everyone looking at? Well, except for Little Joe whose nose you can just see poking out from under the blanket. The mist was heavy at times so we covered him up.

db took this photo of my brother. It looks like a good horror film shot.

Little salamander on the road.

2010-09-07T14:18:00.000-07:00

Thanks everyone for your well wishes.

db and I went to the hospital Saturday afternoon because all of the clinics around here close early on Saturdays, but it turned out to be for the best. While I was there I had a chest x-ray that revealed I had pneumonia. I know it's not good to hear a doctor tell you that, but I was actually relieved because at least I knew what I had, and could be treated for it.

So I'm on antibiotics for a week and they do seem to be helping as each day I have a little more energy, and am coughing less. One downside is that a side effect of the drug is headaches, and I'm getting one daily at around the same time that stays with me until I fall asleep at night. Not fun, but at least I'm getting better.

I hope to post more vacation pictures soon.

watching the clock

2010-09-01T16:08:00.000-07:00

I'm at work and counting the remaining hours until I can put my head back down on a pillow. I've been to fluville this past week, and it wasn't pretty.

It started Friday when I was feeling light-headed, but thought I just needed more food or water or something.

Saturday I had some routine bloodwork done so I had been fasting, so when I was light-headed again, I thought it was due to this. However, as the day progressed so did my symptoms, and it became clear to me that I had a fever (chills were setting in). I couldn't finish my lunch (never happens), and I could barely walk by the time I finished work. I had to take a cab home because db didn't have the company car.

Once at home I crashed, and the next three days are a bit of a blurr of fever, chills, a constant unforgiving headache, and, my personal favourite, nausea. I had no appetite. I've been hyper sensitive to smells, and occasionally light. All I could eat was a bit of fresh fruit and drink some water, but I was even having a hard time drinking water because of the nausea.

db was taking great care of me (of course), and the cats thoroughly enjoyed having the sofabed open in the living room (especially Gigi).

Finally (day 3) I asked db to call 811, which is the health advice line where they put you in touch with a nurse. I was concerned about taking Advil. He spoke to the nurse, and she suggested I switch from Ibuprofen to Extra Strength Tylenol since the Ib might be upsetting my stomach. She also said to see a doctor if I wasn't improving.

Guess what? After the X.S. Tylenol and more suffering overnight, I decided to go to see my doctor. This was yesterday. Miraculously my fever had come down by the morning, but I was still very nauseous and my headache was worse than any migraine I've ever had. db came home from work to take me to the doctor who prescribed some awfully strong stuff that under any other circumstances I would have said a definite no to. She also suggested gravol for the nausea.

With the prescription filled, we headed home. The whole trip to and from the doctor really shook me up. Not surprising (okay, you're getting all of the details now) when I got home and back into my pjs, I threw up. There wasn't much to throw up. It was pathetic really. db got a new tablet into me -- after I forced a peach down because it has to be taken with food -- and stayed with me until I was settled. He went back to work, and I slept until the nausea rose again. I haven't thrown up in years, and I've forgotten how *pleasant* it truly is.

I reluctantly took a gravol, which isn't vegan by the way and that really pissed me off because I felt at the mercy of the medicine available to me in a fix, and then things got really surreal. I forgot how gravol makes me completely off balance. The least sudden movement and I was thrown off balance.

Last night I was able to eat some rice with a drop of Bragg's on top. I ate maybe a cup, and then more blueberries later. My nausea was fading with the headache. I went to bed with some hope, but worried about work. There was no one to cover me, and if I don't show up the store doesn't open up.

I gave myself lots of time to get ready for work. My hair was a little insane, and I was shocked when I saw myself in the mirror. I think it was turning into dreads. db came home to drive me to work, or else I probably would not have gone. Public transit is fine when you're healthy and can read, but otherwise no thanks.

So here I am watching the clock until I can close the store. I'm okay. I had a fever again overnight, but none this morning. I am still light-headed and weak (probably because I've only eat about a cup and half of fruit, two pieces of toast, and some rice over the last three days. I did make a smoothie this morning (sans Vega -- I can't stomach it yet), but only drank half. My appetite needs to build again. I don't have a strong desire for any foods, but I keep trying.

Here's to tomorrow.

the mushrooms

2010-08-20T09:23:00.000-07:00

The mushrooms on the east coast of the country. I took so many mushroom photos while in NB (and could have taken so many more) that I thought I should just post the photos that I do have.

We did find Lobster mushrooms on our second day without even looking. Their bright reddish-orange makes them fairly easy to spot amongst moss and trees. Many days later we went back the same route to see if we could find more and we did; however, the second batch were just starting to go. We'd had quite a bit of rain on a couple of nights, and the second ones didn't look very appetizing even after db tried to clean them up.

We also came across a few tiny chanterelles. If only I could go back to that spot in September!

The most common mushroom we saw were the rosy Russulas (at least that's what I think they were).

Coral.

Such a beautiful forest. Mushrooms could be anywhere here.

Not an edible mushroom for sure.

There were a few of these in one area near the brook. Very pretty.

A bolete cap.

It stained blue, so we knew that this one would stay in the forest.

A bolete we brought back to identify, but without my Mushrooms Demystified and only using my quick reference book (All that the Rain Promises and More), it was tough to get a clear ID.

Hedgehog? I've never found one before so I wasn't sure.

To look at only.

The best find! The Lobster mushrooms. We sliced them, fried them and everyone had some (I don't think my brother tried them. He seemed a little skeptical that we could eat them).

vacation 2010

2010-08-18T09:17:00.000-07:00

I'd been waiting all year for my vacation, and even more so in the last few months. I flew to Montreal to meet up with db, (who had already been there for a week with his family), my sis, and my mother. We drove the next day to NB where my brother lives. He was ready to go with coolers filled with food & drink and two trucks to drive the 15-20 kilometers into the woods where he has a camp that we visit every two years. It's fairly remote, accessible only by logging roads, and there really is very few people out there. My brother's land also has some lakefront. It's pretty much an ideal spot.

The only downside is Irving. Irving owns New Brunswick (I'm not kidding -- the newspaper, t.v. stations etc), and the crown land around my brother's land is being clearcut. This year we could hear some machinery in the far far distance when we were in our tent at night. One of the roads into his camp was ruined as the company put in another road to access a new area. While these roads do provide access to my brother's camp, and once they are no longer needed they do grow up and fill in with greenery restoring the damaged landscape, there is the price of large areas of forest being flattened. The company will come in to plant more spruce ("toilet paper trees" as my brother calls them), but the mixture of hardwood and softwood of the natural forest is forever changed.

I didn't really expect to get into the clearcut side of the vacation, but I don't think I can really ignore what is right in front of me and as a person who cares about the environment. I'm thinking about doing further research into this topic because when I look at a map of NB there seems to be few protected areas of any size, but I won't say for sure until I find out more.

Anywho...onto the vacation photos from our first day there. There may not be a lot of photos, but that's because I generally don't include pictures with people in them since I try to keep some anonymity to this blog (I know most of you already know me, but I'm sticking with my original decision here).

We saw two spruce grouse on our drive out to get some firewood. One was smaller than the other. They weren't too quick to move so I was able to get quite close for a photo.

Cedar waxwings seem to be everywhere. I kept seeing them, but they are hard to photograph because they never seem to sit still for long. I feel lucky to have gotten these two photos. I thought they were waxwings, but did a definite ID when I got home.

Beaver lodge. These are abundant, but not always active.

The old clearcut areas provide firewood for the campfire.

Sunset towards the end of our evening drives to look for Moose. db has a great interest in Moose so we're always going out to look for them. It is Moose country afterall so the chances are good.

Garden photos

2010-07-27T23:50:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much time for my garden this year, but like all gardens it grows anyway.

This may be my favorite clematis (Niobe). It looks like velvet, and it really stands out amongst the cotoneaster.

The Rose Campion came back in full force, and I was surprised by the height it grew, which is why the tango lily is hidden amongst it. I may move it in the fall and bring all of the lilies forward.

I was also surprised (pleasantly) by the trumpet lily that I don't remember buying or being given so I'm not sure where it came from, but I love it.

It may be slightly neglected this year, but the garden is full of surprises for me.

Run Vegan Run

2010-07-25T11:56:00.001-07:00

Finally I was able to run more than 10 k today! I had a few dates, some fresh blueberries (I love summer!) and I was out the door. It didn't all go smoothly though. Less than 1 k into my run my bra strap came undone. Hmmm...what to do? The only way I could fix it would be to take off my bra. That's complicated when you're out for a run. I looked for a place to step into the woods, but then I saw a woman coming along the path that I had passed a few minutes earlier. She was on a power walk. I stopped her and asked if she could fix my bra. An odd thing to ask a stranger, but there you go. She fixed the strap, I thanked her and wished her to have great day, and then was on my way.

Two minutes later my left hamstring twinged, kind of like a little pop. I stretched and tried to massage the pain away, but was having little luck. Walking was hurting it. Hmmm....what to do? I tried shuffling along to see how far I could go, but it only took a few steps before I had to stop from the pain. I did some more stretching and massaging. I felt like crying! After all of this recovery time for my achilles and now this! I shuffled along some more, walked, shuffled, and then slowly began to do a slow jog using my yoga breathing to "breathe into the pain." I also focused on relaxing my legs and hips as much as possible because it's so easy to tense up when you're feeling pain. Once I crested the hill I knew I'd be able to keep going a little further, and decided to keep going as long as my body could stand it. Well...10 k later I felt pretty good.

I think it was the uphill that irritated the hamstring. I've been doing so much running on flat terrain to help my achilles recover that my legs just aren't use to having to climb.

During the last kilometer I felt really great endurance-wise, but my hamstring started to tighten up again. I couldn't wait to get home and stretch.

Now I can rest it for the remainder of the day, and tomorrow we'll see how it goes.

(I also tried out my new Camelbak water bottle, and I love it! It took a little getting use to, but now I really appreciate being able to drink from any angle, which is nice while running because I don't have to tilt the bottle to get liquid. It's the small things...)

Friday's question

2010-07-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

Why is it that when I'm doing the things I love, the time just flies by?

You guessed correctly if you guessed that it's Friday afternoon and I'm at work.

my community

2010-07-14T17:31:00.000-07:00

I managed to find a copy of David Byrne's The Bicycle Diaries at my local library, and I'm glad I found it (I picked it up thanks to Barbara's review at The Bookworm Collective. You can read her review there find out what the book is about).

Ten pages into it, and it already has me thinking about my daily commute and how my method of transportation affects how I view my community. I don't know if this is the scope of the book, but it got me thinking.

I don't own a car, and I don't really want to own one either (db does have the company car on the weekends, so we do use all methods of transporation). Mostly I take transit (bus & skytrain), I use my bike to run errands on my day off, or if I just feel like taking a bike ride, and I walk -- alot. What have I learned about my community and how it functions based on my daily walks? No surprise, but we are a car culture.

We live in a suburb of Vancouver. It's a thriving little city with lots going on. What I see as the hub of our town is a little pocket of shops, mostly independent businesses, that sit between, and is connected by two main commuter roads. It's a pedestrian friendly area, but also has lots of room for parking. You could get everything you need in this little area, and I suppose that was part of the attraction for the adjacent condo owners; everything is within walking distance.

Across the main road from this little hub, is the theatre where they hold screenings and events, the library, and the recreation centre. The inlet trail borders this area, and has paved and unpaved trails that run along the water. If you walk, bike, or run in one direction, it takes you to a nice picnic and beach area. If you do the same in the other direction it takes you to a larger park where concerts are held, a boat lauch is available, and there's even a small public pool, and a dog park. If you know your way around you can also connect to many of the trails that run up the mountainside.

Kitty-corner to the "hub" area is a new development that has been filled with more condos, and little shops in a pedestrian friendly area. It is attempting to mimic the original, older main hub; however, it doesn't have the independent businesses, but rather is a series of chain stores (Starbucks, Cobs Bread, Booster Juice) and has a feeling of something a little bit fake in its attempt to be quaint. I see this entire neighbourhood as being set up for after hours and weekend outdoor play.

If you don't live in either of these hubs you need a car. Walking is for the weekend only, or if you take the dog out. Some streets don't even have sidewalks. I live a fifteen minute walk up the hill from the hub, so while it is possible to walk to this area and get everything I need, it is a bit inconvenient as well because the hill is quite a hike. It's fairly steep so walking home with a load of groceries is not really what I want do. We save grocery shopping for the weekend, and we have our organic produce delivery that comes once a week. However, I do walk this hill almost daily to get home from work since the buses that do run up the hill are few and far between.

The road that runs up the hill is four lanes. It is a 50 km zone, but as you can probably guess no one does 50 km, it's usually closer to 70 or more if they're going downhill (db & I actually call this stretch of road "speed city raceway"). There are no houses along it, just trees, and pathways that lead to suburban pockets of homes. Whenever I cross paths with someone walking up or down, we always exchange a hello or a good morning. Once you hit the hub though, the greetings stop.

Off this main artery are lots of little side streets, most of which are tree-lined dead ends. The houses are close, but the yards are still large enough for good sized gardens, and backyards often face a greenbelt. Where I live is one of these streets. The homes are large (we rent of course) with wide driveways and double car garages. Even with the two car garages, many people park on the street because they have more than one or two cars (or there are renters who have cars, but no access to a garage. There's actually a little dispute going on about who can park where on the street. One of the neighbours gives out his own tickets if you park in front of his house (i'm not kidding).

So my community is a commuting one. The cars file down in the morning and file home at night (have you seen Edward Scissorhands? It's like that). It is truly suburban in that respect. The community is set up to move these cars to and from work as efficiently as possible. Bikes? There are few bike lanes, so you're really you're on your own for commuting. Afterall, biking is a weekend activity reserved for the trails.

trip to Bowen Island & Mt Gardner

2010-07-05T22:37:00.000-07:00

We got lucky. We had good weather, and decided that we would drive to the ferry and go to Bowen Island to do our planned hike up Mt Gardner. You can walk on the ferry since the hike is walking distance from the ferry, and there are a couple of smaller trails to take to get you to the beginning of the Mt. Gardner hike.

Lots of slugs along the way. Each one seemed bigger than the one before. We started to think that maybe they got larger the higher we hiked!

The first view on the way up that looks back down to where we arrived.

Foxgloves were abundant. Why do I have such a hard time growing them?

This was an unusual and cool looking part of the trail. This was along the "handloggers trail." There are several options to approach Mt. Gardner. We took several linking trails to wind our way up rather than taking a more direct (and perhaps less interesting) route.

Looks like some Angel wings...I think. Edible, but we didn't collect any as there were too few to really bother.

Second view: I think this is looking at Keets island.

New growth amongst the old growth.

We went to the North Summit where the views are. There are also radio towers and 2 helicopter landing pads. I think this is why the N. Summit has the views that the S. Summit doesn't.

View from the top. This looks down towards the Sunshine Coast. The clouds were covering the distant mountains, and at times some low cloud passed closely by. It was beautiful. We sat on the wooden slatted chopper landing pad and had lunch.

Playing with the sepia setting on the camera on the way down the mountain.

After our long 6 hour plus hike, we reached our destination...

The Tuscany

The food was amazing as usual. It was a perfect way to end our day.

Warm citrus olives with a bruschetta salad & grilled portabellos.

Ah, the pizza with grilled veg. They have a wood burning oven to cook their pizza. There's nothing like a pizza cooked in a wood burning oven.

Back to the mainland. What a beautiful day!

Happy Canada Day!

2010-07-01T18:52:00.000-07:00

It's not only Canada Day, but it's also the store's first year anniversary so I'm at work today for the celebration. It's quiet now though since it's the end of the day so I thought I'd get a quick post done. What did everyone else do for Canada Day?

I've missed my blog. I've missed posting photos of meals we've made, which doesn't mean that I haven't stopped taking photos, I just haven't posted any.

As usual my life seems incredibly busy. I know we all have busy lives, but with the world cup (not related to the cup in the photo) going on, my life seems even busier now (I just can't miss a game).

Anywho...to the cup in the above photo. db got me this blender cup for my birthday. I was so excited by it, it was a bit ridiculous really. Who gets excited over a blender cup? Apparently, I do. Exciting life, I know.

The base of my blender screws onto the cup and I can blend up my Vega smoothie then put the cup's lid on and I'm ready to go. It's pretty fabulous. I did a test run this morning, and was thrilled with not having to clean the blender (or I should say, leave it in the sink filled with water until one of us gets home from work to clean it).

***
Now onto other things...

It's been nice to have a couple of soccer free days so I can get other things done like laundry, and a little gardening (very little -- I planted a few new plants in the front yard when I came home from my run on Tuesday. I just couldn't leave them in their nursery pots any longer). The weather has been a bit crappy. db and I haven't used the patio at all this month so I haven't felt the need to add to my pots out there. It still looks okay, but not the way I'd like it to look.

***

Since I had to work on Wednesday (my birthday), we've decided to celebrate on Friday with a trip to Bowen just as we did last year. However, this year we plan to hike Mt Gardner (please, co-operate weather) and then go to dinner at the Tuscan restaurant where we went last year as well. My family won't be here, but I'll be thinking of them and planning our upcoming vacation to N.B. I can't wait!

Thrive Diet

2010-06-22T23:30:00.000-07:00

I've just finished reading Thrive Fitness, and have started reading the Thrive Diet, and this was my first recipe from the book: coconut curry chickpeas and greens. It was so simple to put together, and very tasty.

I'll do reviews on the books once I've finished the Thrive Diet.

More bird feeders?

2010-06-19T23:37:00.000-07:00

I put up a hummingbird feeder near the patio. I was a little unsure of the location, so I moved it to a nearby rhodo bush.

Sure enough, I was sitting on the patio one evening and a hummer flew up to where the feeder use to hang, and then immediately spotted it in the rhodo and whizzed over there.

So I don't think the hummers mind coming so close to the patio afterall. However, since returning it to its original spot, I've yet to see a hummer.

Too bad the clematis isn't pink or more of a reddish colour for them.

***

This was taken one rainy morning.

We put up the bamboo for the clematis to trail along (it's not really obeying, but I've got to try).

The chickadees have been coming quite close to the windows when I'm there. I think they want me to put a feeder out.

I don't want the chickadees to think I'm favoring the hummingbirds do I?

2010-06-17T14:48:00.000-07:00

2010-06-11T17:19:00.000-07:00

Last night was my last shift at LV tools. Since starting my job at kv (the little vegan haven), I cut my hours at LV down to 2 days, and then finally 1 day a week. I knew the day would come when I would have to leave, but it arrived sooner than expected when kv offered me full time. Working for a small business has been much more rewarding than the big company. I feel like I'm part of the success that we're having at kv, and that's very rewarding to feel like you have a direct impact on how the business functions.

It's a big change for me because I can feel my life going in a direction I hadn't expected. I knew I wanted to leave LV, but I was never really certain how that would happen, or when. When I landed the job at kv (actually, thanks to a former LV employee who heard about the job and thought it would be a great fit for me), I saw possibilities, but the owners didn't want to commit to anything permanent because they were a new business and were not sure if a vegan shop would fly. Well it's surviving, and now I have a permanent place there.

Even though I knew I wanted to leave LV, I still felt sad leaving. Once I cut my hours to one shift a week, it was fun to see everybody and get caught up on the latest news. My one day a week was more of a social event sometimes than work, but the downside was that I felt a little scattered working in 2 places, and then going to the Wildlife Rescue on Tuesdays. Some mornings I'd wake up and ask myself, "where am I going today?" The older I get, the more I find I need a steady routine.

Yesterday I was overwhelmed when the staff surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers in a vase that one of the women engraved for me. One friend baked a vegan chocolate cake, with a chocolate icing that was to die for. Sliced bananas were layered in between the 3 layers with the chocolate icing, and they also decorated the top. (I'll have to post a picture if someone ever sends me one). This was a very decadent treat since I don't really eat cake very often. I think the sugar rush was a bit intense, but it was worth it. To top it off they gave me a gift card that I had spent by the end of the evening.

They did everything right to make me well up with tears. Thanks everyone at LV for the fun that we did have over the last 3.5 years. I always had a lot of laughs there that's for sure, and that's what I'll miss the most.

2010-06-07T22:33:00.000-07:00

Remember these morels? We made a pasta dish with them that was a success, and then decided to do something a little more unique with the rest of our morels.

The Artful Vegan a cookbook from the San Francisco restaurant, Millenium, is a book we usually use for special occasions since there is often many steps, and other ingredients to prepare.

However, we came across a recipe using morels that seemed manageable for a Saturday night.

The morels are inside the phyllo with a mashed garlic potato layer. The morels were cooked with caramelized onions. The sauce is a pinot noir & beet reduction (that took far longer to reduce than we had hoped, but I think we were not simmering it properly to begin with). The phyllo rolls were served on a beet & carrot salad with a little truffle oil, and a horseradish cream on the side.

What a treat. I love that cookbook.
Thanks again for the morels, pw!

Track motivation

2010-06-02T15:37:00.000-07:00

Usually the track at the gym is quiet. There might be 1 person walking it, but most of the time it's just me running those short laps around and around. However, yesterday the track was packed with seniors. I felt like I was intruding, but it is for everyone to use so I went ahead with my short run.

There was 1 guy moseying in a shiny green tracksuit, talking on his cell phone. I'm glad I was wearing my ipod! However, what stood out the most for me was the various postures; some were slouched over more, and others were very straight. I know as we age, we can become more slouched and seeing this group really made me aware of how I maintain my posture now could affect how it is later in life.

I know that I certainly straightened up as I ran.

Run Vegan?

2010-06-02T15:18:00.000-07:00

The run:

25 minutes (that's the time limit for all of the cardio equipment) on the treadmill, and then I headed upstairs to the track for another 10 minutes of running (that's all the time I had for running).

The mantra:

"If I don't have the time to stretch, I don't have the time to run."

Achilles update:

A little achy Achilles for the first 5 minutes on the treadmill, but then it faded. It was tired by the end of the day (after 4 hours at Wildlife Rescue tending to at least half of the 92 ducklings we now have there).

Physio update:

I went to physio for the last time, and she emphasized again that I cannot run any hills for a while. She did a little massage, ultrasound, and concluded with 10 mins of the muscle stim machine.

How to avoid the boredom of a treadmill? (Remember when I loved the treadmill before I started running outside?)

With this type of running, I will definitely need my ipod shuffle to keep me going. I've started listening to CBC's Ideas podcasts when I run. It's almost an hour long, and it gives me a chance to listen to something a little more interesting. It doesn't always have to be music to keep me going.

My running season:

It's on hold. There's so much I want to run (Scotiabank end of June, Portland in October, Rubber Ducky 1/2 marathon, also in October), but I have to wait and see how my Achilles responds to the treatment. I'm sticking to my marathon training schedule though, with some modifications.

Treatment:

Ice, ice, baby (as my physio always says).
Perhaps a massage in a couple of weeks to really give those calves something to cry about.
Calf raises with a goal of 20 per calf (It burns at 15!).
No hill running (i.e. treadmill, track, flat Poco trail only). Maybe I'll explore some of the various tracks around my neighbourhood and rate them.
Easy hikes only. No long hilly hikes. Those seem to really aggravate it.

Sorry db, I guess that means that we won't be foraging for morels in Pemberton this weekend. :-(

Mmmm Morels

2010-05-31T23:21:00.000-07:00

Oh the morels! No, we didn't harvest these. A friend of my step-dad's went mushroom hunting near Pemberton (one of the burn sites from last year) and brought back quite a haul. She was selling bags of morels so we asked for one. pw gave us one, and wow they are beautiful.

Tonight I made a mushroom sauce with them, and served it over pasta. It turned out very well. I added some button mushrooms we had on hand to fill out the sauce a little more.

It's a pretty simple sauce: onions, garlic, fresh herbs, mushrooms, white wine, & veg broth. I would have served it with Fettucine, but I didn't have any, so we decided on Penne.

We have plans for something a little more elaborate with the rest of the mushrooms.

I wouldn't mind going to Pemberton myself. Apparently, she's quite willing to let people know where she went. I think we'd be fine searching any area around there. I wonder how combed through the Lilloet and Pemberton area is by now.

Vegan can't run

2010-05-31T15:55:00.000-07:00

I ran again last Thursday for the first time in a month. My Achilles hurt the day after. This sucks. If I do any amount of walking outside of my regular route to and from work/bus stops, I have some Achilles pain. I'm starting to wonder if maybe I should have gone for the Traumeel injections.

I went to 3 sessions of physio, and I'm going for a 4th tomorrow, although my physiotherapist said it wasn't necessary. She gave me the go ahead to start running, but no hills (ha!). I made an appointment with the intention of cancelling it, but after my run last week, and after doing some yard work yesterday, I need to go for another session.

The calf raises should help. The ice should help. On my way home tonight, I'm going to pick up some topical Traumeel. What else can I do?

When I go back to the gym it's going to be more treadmill and bike sessions. The biking is great, and I am enjoying that, but I miss my running.

The last time I was off this long, I still managed to run a half marathon in August so there's hope yet.

***
In more positive running news, a friend of my mom's (bf) will be running the Western States Endurance Run at the end of June. It's an ultra trail event that is 100 miles. This woman is amazing. She's continues to inspire me, and I am in awe of her abilities both physically and mentally to complete such events. This is a big one, and I can't wait to hear how she does.

I would love to do more trail running, but it's not something I want to do alone. I'm looking for a trail partner, but haven't found one yet. I'll look more once I'm doing a regular running schedule again.

Cake or Death?

2010-05-25T14:42:00.002-07:00

db and I went to see Eddie Izzard Saturday night. It's been 10 years since we've seen him perform, and it was astounding to see how famous Izzard has become since then. From the small theatre in Toronto 10 years ago to the Queen Elizabeth theatre in Vancouver. The place was packed with all ages. It was incredible. Great show. I actually bought some Izzard swag: a cake or death touque.

Nanaimo Hike

2010-05-25T14:04:00.000-07:00

Sunday was our day in Nanaimo, and we spent most of it in this beautiful park. We went there for mushrooms.

And it didn't disappoint. We did find lots of oysters. Not all of them were in the best shape, but we did bring home a nice bag that we split with my step-dad, pw.

We carried on down the trail that led to the water. It was beautiful.

This was all of the wildlife I saw.

The wildflowers

Stonecrop was everywhere.

The Starfish were abundant. They're a bit difficult to see in the photo, but they are all over the rocks underwater.

There were also lots of Jellyfish. Very cool looking.

The rock along the coast was all carved out like this, and there were little tidepools all over teeming with life.

This is what I want my garden to look like: moss, stonecrop, rocks, and shrubs.

pw's daughter found this starfish with a missing leg. I took a few photos before we put it back into the water.

Looking toward Gabriola Island.

Bronte Sisters

2010-05-20T10:39:00.000-07:00

My sister sent me this. Every girl should have a Bronte Sister Power Doll.

Pleurotus ostreatus

2010-05-16T12:35:00.000-07:00

db and I were out for a walk in the woods in our local park. We weren't mushroom hunting, but I did bring my quick reference guide with me because it's a handy thing to have.

About half way along the looped trail I looked up at this dead tree and saw something that looked like oyster mushrooms. Upon closer inspection, we realized that we had found a great source; however, they were a bit high up the tree. I found a fallen branch long enough to knock a few mushrooms down and we collected a nice handful (enough for 1 meal).

The ones in the photos are the ones we could not reach. They were so high up, and in these great clusters. I think db momentarily thought about climbing the tree somehow, but that was an unrealistic scenario.

I think if we go back to this spot we could find more. There was also a log on the ground with more oysters to easily collect.

After that we were on the lookout for more. There's one spot we visited last year where we found the angel wings (another pleurotus) that we thought we should re-visit to look for oysters. Hopefully we can find time to do that.

Next weekend we're headed to Nanaimo to visit with my step-dad (pw) and his daughter, and her step-dad (never mind it's a long story). pw said he has great spot for oysters, and he even found a morel there. I can't wait.

I thought I should at least include a picture of Gigi because you can never have enough cat photos to look at.

Sunday's bike ride

2010-05-12T09:43:00.000-07:00

Achilles Update

2010-05-07T18:00:00.000-07:00

I know you are all desperately waiting to find out what my decision is (lots of sarcasm).

I decided to see my physiotherapist, get some treatment, and ask her what she knows about the injection option. db also suggested that I ask her if she would suggest a specialist. She's an excellent physiotherapist who is an ultra trail runner (meaning she runs ridiculously long distances on trails. Ultra usually refers to 50k and up-- yes, there are further distances that people willingly run), so I feel well cared for and know that she understands how frustrating it is when you can't run.

This morning I got up much earlier than usual, and went to the gym (I've got to get the most out of my month's pass) to put in some bike mileage. It took me exactly 12 minutes to know that I'd had enough of the bike, and was itching to try the treadmill. I hopped off the bike and took my chances on the treadmill. While I ran, I looked out at the inlet's trail that I often run. It was an absolutely glorious morning. The sky was solid blue, and the temperature was warm enough to run in shorts. Oh well. Inside on the treadmill, I ran for 18 minutes at an easy pace. I stopped when I started to feel a little pain.

That was it. That was the extent of my workout. I would have spent more time there, but I had to get home to get ready for work. I didn't even have time to do a proper stretch, which is how I probably got this injury to begin with! Not wise. Anywho...at least I could run a little bit without too much pain.

I see my physiotherapist on Tuesday!

Ah my Aching Achilles

2010-05-05T12:58:00.000-07:00

There it is connecting the two larger calf muscles. It looks resilient doesn't it? My left Achilles tendon is not, and any amount of running I do right now makes it very sore. The sore point for me is at the insertion point of the heel.

The theory was that Achilles tendonitis was an inflammation of the tendon caused by "too much too soon" in your training (too many accelerations, too much mileage before you're ready). However, there is another theory that suggests it is not caused by overuse, but rather restricted blood flow. Whatever the cause, my problem has resurfaced.

When I first started running (when was that? 2004? 2005?), I acquired an Achilles injury that sidelined me for almost a month, and I was panicked because I was planning my first half marathon. I applied the RICE treatment (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation), and was fine. Since then I've been nagged by that injury that seems to flair up randomly. This suggests to me that it's a chronic problem.

So here's my dilemma: Do I go with my Naturopath's suggestion and start an injection treatment, a Traumeel solution (homeopathic remedy), of 3 injections around the ankle once a week over six weeks twice a week the first week though) that would permit me to run the Scotiabank half at the end of June; or do I go with visits to my physiotherapist, which involves the usual heat, ice, massage, and exercises, for who knows how many weeks? Since I haven't seen my physiotherapist yet, I'm not sure how long my treatment would be. There's also a price difference. The injections are $90, and my physiotherapist is $50 (since I don't get coverage since I switched jobs). What to do, what to do.

I've also had to go back to the gym, which I don't really like, but it's a necessary move to keep my endurance up. I bought a months pass so I can use the bike and the rowing machine. I did use the treadmill after the bike yesterday, and went on the track, but I paid for it later with an achy heel.

It's so hard to not run. I'm missing my long Sunday runs the most. The short runs often feel more like work than the long ones so I don't mind that so much, but the long Sunday run with no pressures on how far to go. I just go out and run until I'm tired. It's pretty unstructured right now, but it is working for me, or at least it was.

2010-04-27T12:07:00.002-07:00

here we go again

2010-04-23T17:53:00.000-07:00

After a short run this morning, I decided that I do need to go back to the physiotherapist, but I really don't want to. Not only am I having problems with the knot again in my right calf, but I am also worried about a tender Achilles tendon on my left heel. Needless to say but I'll say it anyway, this is very frustrating.

I've been pacing myself quite slowly to build up to a training program that starts in May (just around the corner) with hopes of running a marathon in the fall, but even "the best laid plans of mice and men..." or however that goes. The point is my season has barely started and I'm already faltering.

The calf has been getting worse. Last week I ran 45 minutes before it started to ache; today, it was 15 minutes when the ache set in. My Achilles only seems to be bothered when I run uphill. Ha! Okay, so I can stop running up hills. Haha! There's no such thing as flat terrain around here.

I'm not so eager to go see my physiotherapist who will quickly realize that I have done little to improve the strength in my calves. Lesson learned? Not really. However, after my morning run, I did do some strengthening exercises and my static stretches. I also rolled a tennis ball under my calf hitting that knot to try and work it out a little. Am I grasping at straws?

Sunday is the long run day. Let's see how it goes. I was hoping to bump up the distance, but that may not be possible.

craigslist posting

2010-04-23T17:09:00.000-07:00

I found this ad on craigslist today, and not only did I like the pictures, but I really liked the info about the free items.

Just left out around the back of ****St.

PLEASE DO NOT KNOCK ON DOORS!!!!! Residents do not know anything about it. If it's not there, then you are too late!!!

Everything is in good condition. Double mattress/boxspring, Sony 27" TV with remote, small loveseat/2 seater couch. Please do not rumage through anything by the house, they belong to the residents living there.

Pictures are kind of reddish. Just imagine everything to be a bit brighter. Come get it before the rain gets it!!!