Doing it... Natural

Ok, so I will appologize in advance for the picture today. I've just been running out of photos! I thought I would take this relative lull in my photography to post up a picture that was taken 2 years and about 20lbs ago. Looking at this beer swiggling, laxsidasical body really makes me appreciate the efforts I've taken this year to exercise. I'm now down to a nice svelt 5'10" and 175lbs. Give or take. This I would believe was at 5'5 and 199. The critical point in a man sub-6foot. So, in addition to the exercise, here are a few tips that some of you may use for keeping healthy, in a natural way. Some, you may just not believe I participate in!

1. Meditate - I try to spend at least 10 minutes a day allowing my mind to clear itself and focus on an activity or thought that is positive and productive and something I've been meaning to do for some time. This is a very stress-reducing rather that stress-provoking event. Take time, seat yourself comfortably, and allow for time you know will be without interruption. Keep this a very 'active' activity with full mental awareness, but in a relaxing situation.

2. Eat Organic/Local/Whole foods - I get a tote of organic veggies (different every week) and I find it forces me to find places to put these great veggies in. I have since been reaquainted to the beet and really find that variety is the spice of life. Cumin is the spice for steak!

3. Know how your systems work - I don't poop outside like the rest of my street. No kidding, I am the only one in the entire neighborhood with inside toilet. That being said, it is a composting toilet. We all know how composts work right? Organic material degrades down with sawdust, peatmoss and time. This little rig I have does it inside and all I bring outside is fresh soil. Pretty neat eh? Although this is probably not an option for most of you, nor even a thought. It is still good to know where your water comes from and goes to. Ask your civic official what is done with the water in your town.

4. Regular exercise - Keeping exercise as a routine is not always the best option. Spontaneous exercise is sometimes more fun! Keep in mind to burn fat you must exercise for an extended period of time to get into the aerobic system, so multiple hours of activity is always best provided you stay hydrated and avoid injury. Whatever it is, do lots of it and keep pushing yourself.

5. Live in the present - I was just given good advice that stress and worry comes from dwelling in the past or worrying about the future. Peace comes from the present. We are all presented with amazing gifts and pleasures and knowledge thoughout every moment of every day and to focus on these are the ideal way to achieve a heightened level of awareness of self and your interactions with it's surroundings.

Well, once again, sorry for the pic, but maybe this will be a little motivation to do it... natural

Marvin the Martian Lands on North Beach

Well it's been 5 straight days of surf and the last two have been epic. Huge overhead barrels that have been just relentless. Tuesday had a great day with the boys and the girls all out together at the bakery that ended up with a good old fashion west coast home-made sauna afterwards. Very nice to strip out of your wetsuit in 100+ degree sweat lodge. Then have a nice cool beer and smell the sweet scent of cedar. Yesterday had another amazing incoming swell that we took part of at Agate beach first, and when the tide got too high for there we booked to the keyhole break where the boys all showed up. After it got really pumping they brought out the video camera and Mike brought his waterproof into the water to get some great shots. I'm going to have to get a copy of some of those because I think he caught me dropping into a nice one and jumping off an 8 footer that closed out too quick. Geronimooooooo.....

Once again to put into perspective, 8 foot wave, 6 foot man puts my eyes at 14 feet in the air. I then drop head first into thousands of gallons of surging water that keeps you underwater for a very frantic and worrysome 15 - 20 seconds, then the foam of the wave becomes so 'squishy' for lack of a better word, that it's like climbing quicksand to get to the top. Sounds like fun eh?

On top of the big'er' wave business, fatigue is beginning to take effect. I think about my triathalon friends who exercise/compete for hours at a time. We are doing very much the same thing being in the water for sometimes 4 hours at a time, sometimes up to 7 or 8 hours a day. This is spent paddling, beating, duck-diving, being thrown, battered and bruised, in ice-cold water, oh yeah and occasionally we get to surf. I really think that the hormone levels and endorphins have an effect as well. Adrenaline and anxiety are truly heightened with such scary surf for beginners. After good long sessions in primo surf I'm not sure whether I want to laugh or cry. Very obscure, but extremely enlightening.

This feeling has really made me appreciate my migration to the Charlottes and realize that leaving Rupert was such an imparitive step. Although I had and still have very good friends from town, and had some great times in, and out of town, there were some people that were just mean and I still get a horrible pain in the back of my skull from a shot I took to the head. It is probably manifested too much now and I need to get over the difficulty and get to a point to where I will no longer dread visiting or even thinking about that city anymore. The departure from that town was very difficult and it's still taking me time to heal. Any suggestions on how to rid yourself of manifested pain?

But alas, this site is more about the good times, and my healing has been definitely worth the time on-island. Todays' pic is my windowsill covered in stuff gathered on the beach. Including Marvin the Martian, by far my favourite collectable. I've got a few of these beauty stones and shells boxed up right now, so perhaps some of you will be getting a package in the post soon as per the resolution to use the snail mail a little more often.

Back to resume writing. Going to have to rejoin the real world here soon. Have fun all!

Please yourself

Once again a pic of the edibles. Certainly no lack of food around here if you know the right places (or the right people). This is a section of 'gow' (like cow) or 'roe on kelp'. It is herring eggs that affix themselves to a piece of kelp. This is a pretty amazing spawning cycle. These little fishies spawn for not months, not weeks, not even days, but hours! The fishing season in some areas is 15 minutes!!! Can you imagine the frenzy! This was harvested last season and lucky for me, someone needed to clean the freezer and I ended up getting a schwack of it. This can be cut into small slices and used for sushi or as I prefer, eaten raw. A true treat. I wanted to give some of this to my friend Albert when he visited, who was terribly dissapointed not to be mentioned on the website in a loving fashion, but if that slack-ass took that piss-pot full of money he has and got his fat ass on a seaplane for 45 minutes I could feed him this stuff. I'm beginning to think the love boat may have already sailed for Albert and I. I mean, we haven't slept together or anything, so why should I be so heart broken. But, sometimes when you know, you know. Alas...
On a less disturbing note... Surf is up! It's been a pretty good last couple of weeks with the surf finding north beach every day or so and tomorrow is supposed to be epic. I've been able to really hone the fun board with super long rides lasting 20-30 seconds and finding some great shape to them as well. Last weekend was spent down on the south island at Moresby camp again with the crew and a very good time for sure. Got to canoe around the lake and I even caught the only trout of the trip which served up as a good snack for us all. Beginning to think I may have a bit of luck/ability when it comes to the sport of angling. Jonathan has a great service available here for the island kids and the world really. I hope it really comes to fruition in the near future.
Not too much else to report. Lots of play practice for Godot, swim team is taking lots of time, and certainly cutting into the high tide swell, but the kids are behaving, so I'll take their hard work and chalk it up to a good advance.
Thanks to all for commenting and emailing, please feel free to do so, and I thank you for so. Have a great week! I am already and it's only Monday. Please yourself.
Howa'a

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day Christine. For those who've never met this lovely lady sitting in front of what I call 'Devils Toothbrush', she is a lovely lady ( I consider to be the best looking on the island), a wonderful cook, friendly person and someone who for one reason or another puts up with my crap. Thank you. And a thanks to all the women of the world who get treated the way you should today. To my mother, grandmothers, and all the women of the world.

A true gentleman is a man that knows how to play the accordian, but doesn't

Well, eventful week despite the lack of surf. I finally got my kite out again and what a hoot that thing is. The wind is very rarely out of the east, so I took full advantage of the day with the clean wind. We're looking at a big swell coming in this weekend and with all the earthquake warnings over Vancouver Island, hard to say what may come next.

Today's pic is a long overdue deliver of firewood. Thank goodness, I was living on beach wood for the last 2 weeks and carting this wet stuff back to the house and splitting was beginning to become a serious attempt to keep fires burning. This stuff is split too, so easy breezy this month!

So, my first stand-up routine was a hit at the "Valentino's" Cabaret this weekend in town. This is an annual fundraiser to develop a private school for the Tow Hill Community. What an amazing spectacle again with a Jazz band, a reggae band (very awesome), circus performers doing amazing juggling and balancing feats, some great skits making fun of all of us out at the beach and of course yours truly telling the filthiest jokes I could find. Those hippies didn't know what hit them. And they loved them all! Here is a quick sample... ever heard of social security sex??? It's when you get a little bit each month, but not enough to live on....

Susan Musgrave gave an amazing reciting of some of her original poetry with an accordian accompaniment. I loved her line that 'a true gentleman is a man who knows how to play the accordian, but doesn't' That's funny! What a gift to have such a talented lady in our community as well as all of the talented people around. Professional artists are probably 1 in 3. Once again testimony to beauty en mass in Haida Gwaii.

Thursday had a beautiful 15 knot easterly that made for a long overdue dusting off of the kite.


Monday had some relaxing time on the east beach and these lovely little knee-highs.

What kids should do on their summer vacation

The starting point. These amazing long houses (traditional meeting lodge) are the kitchen and bunk houses for Mount Moresby Adventure Camp. Check out the size of the cedar beams. Pretty cool eh? This lodge sleeps 40 easily and can accomodate up to 100 for dinners and adventures. The trip over the weekend was filled with good knowledge on bush living and a general overview of the area. As it stands, I will be visiting the lodge every other weekend until the end of May to familiarize myself with outdoor education planning, and the unique parts of the area. There is hiking, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, etc ++ available in the area. This training session should be a good way for the camp to generate a think-tank of like minded people and recruit quality staff. Everyone was very eager and amazingly positive on the future of this area, and with one look around, can you imagine not? Enjoy the pics.




Stairway to heaven? 500+ year old Cedar.




A hike begging to be done barefoot! Keep in mind this is January in Canada??


Spelunking in a kayak!