| Location | Honolulu |
| Age | 52 years |
| Date of Death | 8/2006 |
| Visitors | 29,014 since 29/08/2006 |
| Creator |
A Joe phrase
A strange Joe phrase developed last year in Lommel (June of '06). In fact, looking back, it was scary. Joe started joking about
A Joe phrase
A strange Joe phrase developed last year in Lommel (June of '06). In fact, looking back, it was scary. Joe started joking about
Pictures added
A picture is worth a thousand words. I've already done the thousand words, now I've added a few pictures to the photo gallery. Enjoy.
Glen
"shuddup"
okay, I've read 5 pages of posts, which of course bring more stories to mind. not having seen Joe in several years (yup, feeling guilty now), I can't recall all his quirks, but I know by now, in a way only joe could say it, I'd be hearing "Shuddup" in his impish way. The other thing I recall him saying a lot was "sure", in a very distinct drawn out way. But joe, I can't resist telling a couple more stories without you being able to rebutt (for once). With love Joe...
One of my favorite moments of all time was a TV interview the team did with Whiterock cable 10. I believe Joe was on his throne, a 5 gallon bucket, with his goblet, a coconut. The building for the day was done, and we were in the running against Todd's team from San Diego for the championship (so I guess it was 1982). Joe had the poor reporter eating out of his hand in no time with his well thought out "adlib" sound bites, and then she went into a comment about how lovely the garden was in the complex we had built and caught us all off guard by asking us if we had brought the flowers with us from Hawaii (which was about all she knew about Joe). Well there was a moment of silence as racing throught our minds was the evening before when we (four of us I believe, names omitted to protect the guilty) spent a couple hours collecting fresh flowers from mom's back yard (but not enough), the neighbors front yard (still need more colors), a yard or 3 more before hitting the mother load at (picture John Belushi sneaking up on the girls dorm in "Animal House", yup, we actually played out the scene) Vancouver City hall. Come to think of it, John and Joe must be getting on great! anyway, all this was flashing through our minds during the pause, and fleeting glances were exchanged before 10 team members in unison, and completely unscripted answered "no comment" and then all cracked up laughing. That was the poor reporters 1st inkling that there was something special in the Hawaiian Punch. Which, by the way was our way of getting a stiff drink past the police checkpoints that were trying to control the mayhem of 160,000 people heading for Whiterock beach. An event that was a victim of it's own success. (Todds team won that year, we came 2nd). Unfortunately the sound guy was having so much fun listening to the interview, that he didn't record it. We never got a copy. It would have been a classic.
Joe always had some new angle to have fun with. We always flew the Hawaiian flag and the Rolling Stones flag in those years. Another favorite story...
1980's again. We ended up in Robs garage pilfering, ooops, I should use a Joe-ism I still use today, but had forgotten it was his... we were actually, ahem, "liberating" some PC boards from inside an old TV. They went into a garbage bag with some wire, a Primo beer can, an umbrella, a tape machine, a roll of tin foil, some masking tape, and a tape of Honolulu's 98 Rock.
We always arrived early to set up. In the 1st couple years Joe saw the use of forms as a bit of an abomination (but then he never had to dig did he?). Ooops digressed again. So, out comes the garbage bag (just after the Coconut shells with Hawaiian punch), and we procede to assemble a satelite dish with a tin foil lined umbrella, with a Primo can as the feed horn, wired to the TV components which were wired to the tape player which was continuously playing Honolulu 98 Rock as we built. We had a blast listening to each poor victim who managed to work his/her way through the crowd (we usually had them 5 deep) an caused the murmur through the whole crowd when he triumphantly noticed we were picking up honolulu on our "ET phone home" contraption. Most of them came to the apiphany during a surf report from the north Shore. Lots of sly smiles from Joe that day!
Oh and Mr Belushi, the Toga year, we played the sound track to Animal House all through the the contest. There was one song we all stopped and danced to too, was it the Worm? Help me out Rob, I'm drawing a blank on that one.
Another year we built a palm tree with a piece of driftwood for the trunk and palm leaves made from cardboard box pieces spray painted green.
The time in San Diego when Rob, Joe and I went to a Mexican restaurent. Rob and I were 21 or 22, Joe was about 30, Rob and I were served beer, but they wouldn't serve Joe without ID. Which he didn't carry in CA due to that pesky outstanding warrent thingy. It took half an hour before they noticed the beer we were slipping into uncle-Joes water glass, and cut us off.
Joe was the king of sound bites. I always wondered if his "Mr and Mr America" quote on "Real People" was really a slip of the tounge. Man, am I gonna catch it when I catch up with you eh Joe?
Sat in your spot on the beach today. My eyes are getting watery just typing it. We will drop by Mooses this week too.
Please post any Joe-isms you recall him saying, I have this nagging feeling I'm forgetting a few.
I'll bug Rob about scanning some of the old photo's and we'll post 'em somewhere. We'll let ya know.
I'm gonna find that sand dollar necklace you gave me Joe, and even though the sand is showing through the gold paint, it'll get another wear for old times sake.
Cheers - Glen
Imagine this in Sandscript
Joe - the smartest slacker I ever knew ;-)
You are deeply missed.
A shout out to Jackie in sympathy, and Rob for a great post.
I'm in Waikiki as I type, and it's a sad trip. I've never been here without seeing Joe.
We first met in 1980 (the same trip Rob describes earlier). Randy was with us as well. Three good friends from Vancouver who hooked up with this dude 10+ years older than us who was making unbelievable sandcastles in front of the Royal Hawaiian.
Joe had a keen insight into people and the press. I always thought he could have had a great career in publicity, but of course that is SO not Joe to have a career.
Joe made up his own alphabet he called sandscript. For those that knew him, they will remember his signature in it was
C
LOD
Not nearly as cool looking as it was in sandscript. And it reminds me of the time my girlfriend (wife now) went to Hawaii, and came back with baseball caps for us from Joe.
I tried my on and it was a little deformed around the bottom. touching it, there was obviously something in the lining. Rip. Well, a little baggie of pot in each hat. Well, now that explains the C for Canibus in his signature.
Rob and I participated in a lot of the contests with Joe in the 80's, til kids and life got in the way.
He made me a World champion in Whiterock, not bad for a digger.
We built with him in Seattle on year, and drove the coast to San Diego, and built at the US Open on Imperial Beach. that's where we met his sister Jackie who later came to the Parksville contest as a belly dancer.
The stories go on. But alas, the family calls me back to reality. So off to the beach we go, sad that the spot in front of the Royal Hawaiian is no longer the place you'd find Joe.
We miss you Bro!
(and the slave girls & Togas and....)
Glen & Jo
Never forgotten
This year the world lost a brilliant mind, an extraordinary teacher, the ultimate prankster and an unforgettable sand sculptor. Joe was sickeningly funny with his observations about sand sculptures and his brutal honesty may have cut like a knife sometimes, but it was always useful and entertaining.
He was part of epic struggles to build sand sculptures against all odds and weather disasters. He taught his techniques to new (and old) sculptors around the world.
Joe, you are missed very, very much. You are a legend.
Love, Suz
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