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| On the mountain. |
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| Down the road. |
Tuesday, May 30, 2023
Sunday, May 28, 2023
Thanks for the link D.S. - we'll see if the tomatoes survive the night!
The directions say it is a 3 person assembly, but it was pretty quick to put together. Specs say no more than 5cms of snow on the roof.................
Race Winding Down
Teams who have been seriously struggling and lagging way behind in one leg of the race, can be ferried to the next leg. They are not ranked as a result, but can possibly have the experience of crossing the finish line.
There is one team just heading out on the trek now. They want to do part of it, but have been advised that they aren't up to doing the whole thing.
Canadian Team "Epic Endurance" certainly exemplifies resilience. They spent 13 hours on the Baldy Trek, going up and down sections trying to find all the check points. They were so disappointed to learn that they were very close to the checkpoints they missed. When they took their boots and socks off, it was hard to imagine them putting on shoes again for the final bike ride from Baldy to Penticton. The woman on the left is from Grand Prairie. Their team was down one member - there was one mountain bike incident that injured the arm of the other male on the team.
Canadian Team Four-Ward Motion, setting out on the last leg.
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| One of the young members of the community made the sign and delivered snacks. |
Better Day for Competitors
There are teams at the base, teams on the trail, and the last competitors on they way up. Hopefully the day will stay dry for the last sections of the competition. 8 teams have finished.
Saturday, May 27, 2023
Quicksand - so much for that idea...........
I thought I'd start re-seeding and restoring the erosion protection bands of rock down the side of my property today. All the soil that was nicely placed after the sewer feeder line was dug up last fall, is now completely saturated.
Severe Thunderstorm Watch
Check Castanet or Environment Canada for updates. Don't worry about Bentley, he is off the mountain for the weekend.
It was wet and cold last night...........and these people pay big bucks to enter this event!
When I went to bed last night, it was pouring, and there was one team just above the powerline below the burn pile. The third place team was approaching Vaseaux lake, on the way to the finish.
It is amazing how these competitors keep going in all conditions. There are currently 3 teams at various locations on the hiking portion at Baldy.
If you are out and about when they are transitioning to the bike, it is interesting to see how small the little storage bags are on the bike - no big saddle bags.
Friday, May 26, 2023
The Race
Two teams are finished and in Penticton. The third team is now back at the lodge after the big hike. The fourth team looks to be starting the climb out of Rock Creek. The website says the race goes until the 29th, so the teams that are way back still have a chance to finish.
Bentley has been found, in fine shape.
An owner asked someone to check his vacant cabin for a possible squatter with a dog. Guess who was inside. There is no mess inside, so after six days missing, someone has been letting him in and out. If anyone on BlueJay has seen anything around the older log place, please let Alan know.
Wow - all about endurance, planning, and no luxury
https://www.expeditionracecanada.ca/
Live tracking on the link above.
Competitors get the map and instructions 6 hours before the race starts.
Even Ironman has aid stations, and people handing out bananas and water. Competitors in this event have to put everything they need for 583kms in two totes per team. Your bins are at the next major check in station . There are requirements for what you must have with you on each leg. For Baldy, the requirements are carrying bear spray, and a shelter.
On an early leg, one team was caught without carrying the required gear, and received a two hour penalty. I believe they dropped out of the race.
These people are in incredible shape. The foursome I watched head out for the last leg looked as relaxed as someone going for a Sunday ride. Bike from here to Penticton, and they are done.
The first team, (I believe from France) came through here last night and finished in Penticton around 2:00am.
One team I saw was resting from the bike, before heading up on the hike.
One cyclist reclined on the ground with a thin film over her, when she could easily have gone into the lodge.
The volunteers manning the Baldy checkpoint expect the Lumpy hikers here in a bit, and the next team is about 5 hours away. They are under a tent with a propane firepit.
Thursday, May 25, 2023
A sign of the times? When councillors are missing the point of who they represent. Well worth the read. Originally Posted April 4th
Unprecedented conflict becoming more common around BC council tables
CIVIC POLITICS GETTING NASTY
A council meeting in the small Island community of Tahsis descends into chaos, with members of the public in a yelling match with Deputy Mayor Sarah Fowler, and a councillor grabbing a gavel from the deputy mayor’s hand.
In North Saanich, Mayor Peter Jones shuts down questions from councillors concerned about the advisory committee on the district’s official community plan, prompting one councillor to refer to Jones as “Mr. Hitler.” The councillor later resigned.
In the Lower Mainland, council meetings in Lions Bay and Harrison Hot Springs are marked by acrimony, to the point where the province looks at hiring an adviser to sort out their differences.
Jen Ford, president of the Union of B.C. Municipalities, said the UBCM has been hearing from local governments across the province that are struggling with conduct problems and calling for resources.
While each community differs, Ford said one dominant theme with recent council strife is that some council members believe they represent only those who voted for them. Those mayors and councillors, she said, are missing the point that “when we’re elected, we’re elected to represent all members of our community.”
It’s important that councils work out conduct problems professionally so they don’t erode community members’ trust in the institution of local government, Ford said. “When these things get out of hand, they take us away from the business that our communities have elected us to do.”
In response to municipal requests, a Working Group on Responsible Conduct was formed, with members from UBCM, the province and the Local Government Management Association.
The group provides training and education for recently elected municipal politicians on how to conduct themselves and focus on the work of local government, “and to not distract from the work with these personal issues coming to the council table,” Ford said.
Training includes a short online course that involves making decisions based on real-life scenarios, a guide to help local governments deal with conduct issues and a database of external resources providing coaching and guidance.
“This is a serious issue that local elected officials really need to take seriously, to hold themselves to a code of conduct, and to hold other members of council to understand the rules of engagement and to work well together,” Ford said.
Kim Speers, an assistant teaching professor in the University of Victoria’s school of public administration, said while there have always been clashes around the council table, the pandemic years have further polarized society and eroded the middle ground where people used to find consensus.
Former U.S. president Donald Trump’s tumultuous presidency “didn’t do any favours” for the public looking for ways to deal with issues and anger, and overall trust in government has plummeted, she said.
Speers said elected representatives and the public alike sometimes lack understanding of how to manage a government. With no experience in the public sector, some elected leaders try to run a government like a private business, she said.
“It generally doesn’t work very well.”
The motive to run for office has changed in some cases, with people sometimes campaigning on a single issue that’s important to them.
Speers said courses and training on responsible conduct offered to councillors are great, but it might be time to consider making them mandatory. A pre-election orientation for all interested candidates could also help increase understanding of what it means to run a government.
David Black, a communication theorist and historian at Royal Roads University, argues councils are facing unprecedented demands in areas such as housing, homelessness, social order and policing, mental health, chronic offenders and public health.
Those issues come with greater complexity and urgency, and more public attention — and sometimes outrage — than has been seen historically, he said.
“For many councils, these impose stresses that citizen legislators and city staff were not prepared for, and have led to renewed public attention and often, anger and vitriol, at this more accessible level of government.”
Combined with a council system that depends on good will and collaboration among council members, along with effective relations with staff, those pressures have “not surprisingly, yielded more conflict and conduct issues.”
While at provincial and federal levels, politicians undergo a degree of apprenticeship, professionalism and vetting by political parties, council members are “citizen legislators,” Black said.
“That means that ordinary people, with a naturally varying level of competence, integrity and interest, can find themselves elected to council and making decisions that can materially affect their communities.”
Most councillors act independently and aren’t subject to party discipline, which makes councils responsive and democratic, but also makes them subject to the personalities and internal dynamics of mayor and councillors, he said.
Under provincial legislation, municipalities have a lot of autonomy from the province, which leaves them largely alone to sort out dysfunction and conflicts, said Black, adding it might be time for the province to review governance, funding, and the relationship between the province and local government in a more formal, explicit fashion.
Michael Prince, UVic political science professor, said some of the council turmoil can be attributed to the lingering impacts of COVID, and the awkward readjustment to interacting in person after three years or meeting virtually.
On top of that, the 2022 municipal elections saw huge turnovers in some communities. Many new people were elected with limited experience in council roles, said Prince, who speculates that explosions among council members could be a symptom of “recovering pains as we come out from the COVID period.”
Prince also suggests we are living in a scrappier age. “There’s very few people giving the benefit of the doubt to the public office holders. Not as much deference as, say, our grandparents gave to people in positions of authority.”
As citizens watch conflicts break out at city halls, Prince said all we have to do is look south of our border to see how fragile democracy is.
Monday, May 22, 2023
The Proxy Game
If I am unable to attend a meeting and wish to have my vote counted, I will ask someone I trust to take my proxy and vote on my behalf.
I do not support the practice of actively soliciting proxies, particularly from people you don't know, or haven't talked to for decades.
Still no Bentley
I think it is weird that a dog so much like him he could be a sibling was found 19kms from here. Family checked him out.
If Bentley was close by, he should have responded to the familiar voices and vehicles that were out looking for him in between storms.
He is so scared of thunder, he could have got in anyone's vehicle.
Family is out looking - please contact me if you see him.
Sunday, May 21, 2023
Bentley - Still Missing
The dog found at Jolly Creek looked so much like him, but unfortunately, it wasn't Bentley. Please keep looking.
When the storm hit yesterday, I wasn't home. When Bentley's owner opened the door to let him in - he was gone. Have you seen him? Is he inside your cabin?
Saturday, May 20, 2023
Wet
Any haze that was in the air has been washed out. Anything that was dry is now wet. My windshield wipers couldn't keep up at one point coming home.
Friday, May 19, 2023
Wizard Water
First time I have been in the right place at the right time to see the water flow down through Wizard.
Fortis and Dead Trees
The FireSmart Board member who communicates with Fortis on our behalf sent in photos of dead trees last fall, after Fortis said there weren't any. I wasn't home when it happened, but the photographed trees and a few more dead ones have been taken down.
Staples - Terracycle Writing Instruments
Those old pens kicking around that don't work? Staples in Penticton and many other participating Staples stores now have a Terracycle drop off box for used writing instruments.
Our Community, and Voting Platforms
I received a zoom link this morning for a Special General Meeting. Zoom has been a wonderful platform to help us through so many things during the pandemic. I've also enjoyed WhatsApp, when a three year old can walk around the house with Grandma's phone and show me things.
Property Flute is a platform that has been developed specifically for BC Stratas, and addresses secret ballot, proxy management, vote tallying, and other things. It also helps with the scrutineer function. I would like to hear from anyone who has used the Property Flute platform in another strata. Perhaps someone with a CHOA connection could get an opinion.
If this platform is as good as it claims, $350 is a small price to pay to have use of it, along with an operator. Council was made aware of this platform, and has chosen not to use it.
If CHOA endorses this platform, and someone wants to pass the hat, I would be happy to chip in toward using it for the SGM.
Check out the website.
This is a community service post.
Thursday, May 18, 2023
FireSmart, an ongoing project
Wednesday, May 17, 2023
Sharing resources, helping out..........
Two members of the Oliver Fire Department are on their way to Fort St. John with one of their water tender trucks.
Smoke from northern fires now starting to affect the southern part of the province.
Disappearing fast...........
Thanks Hilary for the McKinney view.
Fair sized black bear spotted on the way to Oliver today.
Monday, May 15, 2023
Sunday, May 14, 2023
Cougar Creek
The culvert that goes under Kendal's driveway appears to be full of silt. With some digging by Rob, we managed to see a little bit of flow, but not much.
Thanks to Rob, Nicole and Teresa for tending to the creek.
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| Thank-you Teresa |
Tomato Experiment Number 4
I've owned my lot for 50 years, and have had this cabin for 45 years. I've tried to grow things from time to time. The most successful has been chives. After several years of tossing the bucket off the deck in December, and finding a healthy plant at snow melt, I planted them in the ground.
My first attempt at tomatoes was in the native soil, the plant did not change from the day I planted it to the October day I pulled it out. One year I planted tomatoes in pots in the valley, and brought them up here toward the end of July. I was able to harvest tomatoes for about 2 weeks.
I tried cherry tomatoes in my aerogarden one winter - I picked two or three before I transplanted them at the community garden in Oliver.
Trial number 4. This one might work as long as I don't get tired of putting the pots out, and bringing them back in.
Saturday, May 13, 2023
The melt exposing the winter snow load snapping.............
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| Some tree tops still not totally upright after being bent over for so long. |
Friday, May 12, 2023
July 2nd FireSmart Event
Save the date, July 2nd. The latest FireSmart newsletter went out today. We are hoping that after the July 1st festivities in Osoyoos, you will plan to spend FireSmart time on your property on July 2nd. More details to come, but as that is the first weekend of summer operations for BMR, we plan to gather for a burger and beverage after the work day.
(full size pdf in your inbox)
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
YRB Wants to hear from you..........
Survey link:
Here is your chance to give feedback on winter operations, and make suggestions for summer.
Province Wide Emergency Alert System Test - Today at 1:55pm
Expect to be startled at 1:55pm this afternoon with a noise on your phone, radio or TV.
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