All Fired Up

We have a guest blog reporter today in the form of photos emailed to me by my mother out in North Vancouver, on the other side of the continent to where I live.  Seems there's a sporty little event happening out there on the west coast called the Winter Olympics.  She got a great picture of the flame being paddled by proud members of a local tribe when it arrived in her neck of the woods.

Being an observant sort, my mother noted that the war canoe looked familiar.  In fact, we had seen it the previous October when I was there visiting.  I had taken a picture of it sitting outside a neighbourhood garage.  We had wondered what it was doing there.  Now we know--getting tuned up for its big Olympic moment.

And here's another torch-bearer enjoying her big Olympic moment.  My mother said there was an enthusastic crowd on hand, in spite of the drizzle, to cheer the torch bearers on. 

A parade of sorts rolled down the highway, spreading more Olympic enthusiasm and leaving very large carbon footprints...er...tire tracks.

I'm quite taken with this big red truck that's admonishing us to "open up happiness"...in the form of Coca Cola, supporting the Olympic dream since 1928...back when real cocaine was part of the ingredients? 

Some enthusiasm in action.  Note the Canadian flag in the background, the Olympic volunteer in the foreground, and a man with a fibreglass penguin middle ground.  He said that he has taken his penguin to 19 different countries and introduced it to numerous celebrities.  A different sort of Olympic sport.

My mother says of this little creature: " Miga is an official Vancr. 2010 mascot and the tale is "Miga is a young sea bear who lives in the ocean with her family pod, beyond Vancouer Island, near Tofino, BC

Sea bears are part killer whale and part bear. (Miga is part Kermode bear, a rare white bear that only lives in BC.)"

Let the games begin!