Changes in Latitudes

Under the Surface of Gjelvågan from Justine Diaz on Vimeo .

I have been volunteering for Greenpeace Norway since March, and I haven't really gotten into any campaigns until this summer. The campaign is called Act for Arctic. It is the first campaign Greenpeace has handed over to the community, and I really enjoy it. A declaration was written asking Arctic region countries to take action to protect the Arctic, since currently there are no laws prohibiting destructive activities. We are getting influential people to sign the declaration, which will be taken to the embassies of Arctic nations at the end of September. Our goal is 1500 signatories, and so far we are just over 700. I am proud to say that I have signed up eight relatively high-profile people. Bart Yasso - Chief Running Officer at Runner's World Magazine Eric Philips - Polar Adventurer Aleksander Gamme - Polar Adventurer Kikkan Randall - Olympic cross-country skier Andy Newell - Olympic cross-country skier Dean Karnazes - Ultra marathon runner Steve O'Shea -...

On to the second half of our time up at Gjelvågan/Vågaholmen! We pick up from Tuesday - sorry this is a big post After a relaxing day of snorkeling, kayaking and running. We took the boat out to an island for camping. We didn't think of leaving til after dinner, so by the time we had gotten packed in the boat and out to the island it was already nearly midnight. There were many islands, but only a couple to choose from because the others were designated areas for bird nesting. Marius made a fire while Rigmor, Tron and I set up camp. I ran around our island with a cup to pick cloud berries. The island was mostly a marsh, so we slept very comfortably on the moss. We cooked some hotdogs on the fire before we went to bed around 2:30am. By then, the sun was already on the way back up, so it was a little difficult to fall asleep. Nonetheless, we slept til 9 the next morning and had an easy breakfast before we took the boat back to Gjelvågan. I would have liked to camp out anoth...

Marius and I took a flight at 6:30 am from Oslo to visit the Hansen side of the family for the week. We flew to Bodø via Tromsø, and then took the ferry from Bodø to Vågaholmen. 12 hours of travel later, we arrived to the summer house, Gjelvågan. It was also Rigmor's birthday! Of course the first three days were full of activity. I was so worn out, so, lucky for me, today is a "free day". Clear blue sky and temps in the upper 70s - low 80s (quite warm for here since the sun is very strong). Marius and Tron are working on a set of stairs to make it easier to get to and from the boat, Rigmor is preparing for Saturday's big party and I'm working on job applications and will snorkel. Saturday went by very fast. I don't even really remember what we did. We bought some groceries, picked up the boat from the pier and visited some family on the way. I ran 27 kms (approx. 17 miles) - fantastic long run. And afterwards I took an ice bath in the sea. We rounded...

This weekend Marius and I made a coffee table from some pallets he found at work. We sanded them, painted them with a white primer, and attached little swivel wheels on the bottom. The project was so easy and quick! [Preparing the pallets] [Sanded and cut in half] [Equipped with wheels]

Not much news over here, but it has been a while since the last post. I have been taking care of Kajsa (the dog) at least 3 days a week and training for my fall marathon.  Last Saturday I ran the farthest I have ever gone in my life - 25 km (15.5 miles)! It was rough. My knee started to hurt on the way back. My long runs are "out and back", up along the river in Oslo up to the lake where Oslo gets its drinking water (Maridalsvann). I ran up 12.5 kms in a slow hour and 10 minutes before turning around.  It felt good to be done. I was tired. My legs were tired. That run made me question how I'll be able to do 42 kilometers 11 weeks from now. We will see.  [Oslo] Sunday was fun. The American Coordinating Council of Norway put on an Independence Day gathering in Frogner Park. There was a classic car show with maybe 15 cars (4 of which were Ford mustangs) and a handful of food booths with American style food, of course. I was also able to re-register to v...

Meet my first client! Her name is Kajsa ("Kai-sah"). She is an 11-yr old cocker spaniel. I created a profile on a website over here called finnenhundepasser.no and I was contacted a week later by a very nice couple living 400 meters away. Kajsa has been with me two days now, and we pre-arranged a few other days this month. During the day Kajsa usually sleeps while I work on job applications and when I take a break we take a nice walk. We don't get too far since she likes to sniff everything  but we are out for at least half an hour. Unfortunately, she is deaf, but very good with hand signals. Ozzie definitely doesn't get the same treatment - but only because he isn't deaf and will come when called.  It's nice having a dog with me at home. I actually feel more productive!