Scotiabank Charity Challenge Blues: Sunday, June 22nd!

Truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it. -Flannery O'Connor, writer (1925-1964)

Hello Old Oakites et al! Just a quick note to say we had a wonderfully enjoyable evening with Myra/Ron, Zoe/Matt last night. Started out on the patio and then moved inside to have dinner. Great to hear about their travels and catch-up, as well, of course. Fairly early evening as the "Young Things" had to be up early this morning for Scotiabank Charity Challenge, half marathon.


Must away, myself, as I'm to drop Chloë downtown shortly as she has to set up a table for Aunt Leah's before start of event. Then back home to chauffeur Cora Lee, Flamin' and Joanne back down to near Denman/Davie as they are doing the 5 km walk component of the Challenge. Fondestos and Cheers, Patrizzio!

Hi Jennifer and Rhys! Trust you are both well. Sorry that it has taken me so long to send along these snaps! Delighted we bumped into each other at Dram and that you were able to join us back at The Islay Inn.
 

Social merry-go-round seemed to have been spinning even faster after Dram as we've had a series of visitors since then. Last to leave were Pat/David Coffaro, winery owners from near Healdsburg, Somoma. Grand visit and Elaine and Ted were over, this past Thursday, to farewell bbq for Californians. Pleased that Elaine was actually feeling well enough to join us but she is still very weak, as you probably know. Anyway, all the best. Pop in when around GI and we can have a java or something stronger! Cheers, Patrizzio!

Pat, Do you want to turn the pedals this morning? 10 or so? Ray 

 Hi Coach! Thanks so much for fabulous ride yesterday! I was simply exhilarated to turn into The Heartbreak Terrace posting 24.1 km/hr! Very, very pleased, as I just mentioned, with highest AVG I've ever managed to sustain over 100 km. Certainly wouldn't have been able to achieve this figure without you, Sara, so I'm truly appreciative, obviously, of your generous companionship. Only wish I could tire you out! Stats for ride:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/525539490#.U6X323uJp_Y.email 

Once back home from delivering the Babes I had a bite to eat and then noticed that Robo Man had sent me an email, responding to last night's message about whether he was interested in a ride today. I called and we agreed to meet at Point Grey at 11:00 am. Proceeded out to UBC, fighting a fairly strong head wind all the way to the Foreshore Hill. Once on Marine, however, we were laughing all the way to Barnard. Raymondo had not been all the way to the end of 75th, past Fraser River Park so he was pleased to see that part of the waterfront. Then over Arthur Laing to make for Steveston.
  

Enjoyed the still lovely poppies and other wildflowers along much of Railway and once near Steveston rode past the wonderful community gardens at the end of the thoroughfare, marveling at the very well tended and appointed raised planters, filled to overflowing with healthy looking vegetables and attractive flowers. On return leg Robo Man opted for the dedicated bike path but I chose the one on the road, the better to dipsy-doodle at the various lights on way back to Granville Avenue. 

We paralleled each other about halfway down Railway and then I pulled ahead as Raymondo stopped for a red light, as he should! When we left for our chosen paths we agreed to meet "at the end" which I took to mean at either Lynas Lane and Westminster Hwy or Lynas and River Road. When I reached the former no sign of Robo Man so I circled back to Granville. Still no sightings so I crossed Westminster to take a gander at River for lost rider. Still no hide nor hair so I went back across Westminster but hope was fading by now. One last look south on Lynas and with no Kale Man in sight, I made for River Road again.  

I thought I'd head back along the dike path which parallels the road at this point but close to where I could have taken a path to top of dike I noticed another bike path sign, pointing back towards the No 2 Road Bridge. I'd not known about this route before so decided to explore it and was delighted to find that it curled right back to sidewalk/bike path on east side of bridge and I was soon back on Russ Baker Way. Once near the intersection of Miller Rd/Moray Bridge/ Bridgeport Rd Bridge I decided to loop under Bridgeport to take me back to path we took yesterday. 

Glad I did as I avoided The Dreaded Burning Ground, in all likelihood, as although there is a bike path on the south side of the bridge it drops you onto No 3 Rd which is a one-way, coming towards you, south, at this point. I happened to notice another couple who I believe took the route I just described and they had to stop to cross over No 3 Rd to gain access to the sidewalk with the bramble bushes, the one we travelled yesterday, to Iona and back. You can decide, on future training runs, which route you prefer, Coach!  

Sans domestiques, I headed up Cambie after crossing back over CSTB and didn't have much difficulty making most of the lights all the way up and then down so happy about that turn of events. Home by just before 2:00 pm. Great ride as temperature was almost perfect. Had been sunny all morning until I left to meet Raymodo and then it was quite overcast. Bit of blue showing when we reached Steveston and much sunnier as I made for Olympic Village. Stats for today's ride! 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/526526044#.U6dLSnCqRXU.email  

Much more of a "stretch" ride today as I could feel yesterday's exertion in my legs. Still glad to have been out with Robo Man, if not until bitter end, and also pleased about scoping the new, fairly straightforward return route from Steveston. Let me know about another "training" session next weekend if that should work for you. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Pic: Babes before event!

Hi Raymond! Trust you are home! Not sure what happened.  Let me know about another ride this coming week, if that should work for you. Cheers, Patrizzio!
 

PS: Cora Lee told me that Brian and Linda Covernton had the booth next door to Chloë, I gather in support of Autism Canada. Their son, Patrick, is autistic. 

Ahh, thanks for letting me know that all went well.  Ron and Myra will tell everyone within a thousand miles of here about your hospitality.  I'm about to look up the results of the Marathon, and read a missive from Z on it.  Cheers. 

Hi again, Stefano! Trust you have heard about Zoe's/Matt's run. How did they fare? The Goils didn't see them at Aunt Leah's booth after the run/walk.Talk soon. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Looks like a lovely party, Sarge and Mrs looking good too. Continue!

hi patrick, thanks for this. got in last night worse of wears from business class hospitality and jet lag.so nice to be home. well done on your cycle. from matt 

Pat, No worries. We had mentioned MaCallan and the Olympic Oval earlier and thought you were going to turn down there. Anyway, I enjoyed the ride and got in just under 60km by the time I got home. Maybe Tuesday - I'll check the 7 day forecast later. Ray
 
Hi Raymond!

You'll be pushing 100+ km soon! Took a look at Google maps and found Maccallan Road. I didn't realize it was one street over from Lynas Lane. How did you get there? Just wondering how we missed each other. 

Know it doesn't take much to lose sight of one another but just curious to find out which route you followed. Did you ride on the top of the dike, past Olympic Oval? And then over CSTB? Assume you climbed up Heather as opposed to Cambie.

Looks like a few showers on Tuesday while Wednesday offers up  a bit more of same. Probably dodging showers both days so let me know what you might like to do. Cheers, Patrizzio!

Hi friends of Pete Edwards I hope you don't mind me writing, but Pete is approaching one of those birthdays that end in a zero. It occurred to me that I bet he'd love to receive some birthday cards from far-flung places, so I thought I'd ask for your help. If you have a spare stamp, could you please consider sending him a card or postcard or note to say happy birthday? It's on the 21st of July so there's plenty of time. Our address is: 23 Beach St, Island Bay, Wellington 6023, New Zealand. Obviously he doesn't know I'm writing to you, so it would be great if you could keep it between us Have a great weekend Gemma Poke Indike A'gama Hi Gemma I'm going to address it to your name so you can hand over it to him on his birthday tc Gemma Poke Sure, sounds great. Thanks, he'll love it.  Hi Gemma! Cards are in the mail, in an envelope, addressed to you! Cheers, Patrizzio! Chloe Alexis Dunn shared Aunt Leah's Independent Lifeskills Society's album: Our runners with a cause. From The Economic History Review, "Poor relief in Elizabethan English communities: as analysis of Collectors' accounts" by Marjorie K. McIntosh. Although welfare has often been portrayed as a modern development, there is ample evidence that laws of this type were present in societies centuries ago. In medieval and Elizabethan England, for example, laws existed that mandated rates (or taxes) be collected from citizens in parishes and boroughs by "Collectors for the Poor" and then distributed as income to the needy. "Collectors for the Poor in Elizabethan England ... were appointed by parishes and incorporated boroughs in accordance with the poor laws of 1552 and 1563, but few of their fragile records survive.  The accounts ... document early use of compulsory rates to provide income [for the poor]. Adult male recipients outnumbered women in many of the parishes; children were frequently helped directly; and cities and towns assisted a smaller fraction of their total populations than did villages but awarded larger per capita payments. ... Elizabethan Collectors were moving away from the late medieval practice of providing only occasional aid; increasingly they awarded regular payments to a selected subset of the local poor. ... "The standard historical narrative has been that a formal system of relief based upon compulsory rates was introduced by the poor laws of 1598 and 1601. Scholars working on assistance to the needy, however, have long observed that the late Elizabethan legislation built upon earlier local experiments and Parliamentary measures. [Paul] Slack pointed out that many of the country's major urban centres, facing severe problems with poverty starting in the mid-sixteenth century, imposed poor rates and distributed that income. Slack and [Steve] Hindle noted that in the late Elizabethan period a few parishes in smaller communities, located mainly in south-east England, were likewise starting to use rates.  Dyer pushed the history back several centuries earlier, showing that some late medieval parishes or 'the village community' administered charitable bequests to the poor, on a one-time or continuing basis. ... "The statutes of 1552 and 1563 ... required all parishes and incorporated boroughs to name Collectors for the Poor to gather money from those who could afford to pay in order to assist people unable to work for their own support. ... The help given by Elizabethan Collectors was sometimes augmented by ad hoc assistance to people in special need as provided by churchwardens out of general church income or from bequests.    A few fortunate communities had endowments of land whose rental income was earmarked for the poor. Additional aid might come from private charities or almshouses, and the government's orders for 'general hospitality' in the later 1590s instructed householders to provide food for the needy. Such help joined the entirely informal support given by relatives, friends, and neighbours." Poor Relief in Elizabethan English Communities: An Analysis of Collectors' Accounts, Author: Marjorie K. McIntosh, Edited By: Professor S.N. Broadberry and Professor P.R. Schofield Journal: The Economic History Review: a journal of economic and social history, Wiley and Sons, Volume 67, No. 2, May 2014 Thanks to everyone who came out on Sunday!!!!  Woodcut-16th century, gentleman giving alms to beggar Hello all my lovely suporters!!! Thanks to you I exceeded my goal of $500 and raised $575!! With Aunt Leah's total amount raised at $5106.00 I feel and hope you do as well that this was a great first time sucess for us!! Thanks again for your support!! Chloë