Saturday Evening

 

Come back soon for a visit............

Long John Baldy

Rick's Tele Turns

A brief goodbye the other day with Rick. The cabin has sold, and stuff is being removed by the new owner.

Rick first came to Baldy with a colleague of Marian's. Shortly thereafter, he purchased the cabin, and loved to tele here and make music. Jim didn't ski, but he loved spending time up here.

The last few years, they have been incredibly busy, and have not been able to come here much from Seattle to make use of the cabin. Rick told me it was time to sell, but they would be back to visit.

Long John Baldy had a good run of entertaining us in the Baldy Bar. Rick has become a true professional musician - being in demand in the Seattle area, and "they fly me places." He talked about performing at a new level with stages equipped with sound systems and technology way more advanced than a guy with guitar and an amp.

 

Wednesday

 

Cougar

 Cougar on McKinney road this evening, just below 30km mark. A very long tail.

Work Party September 6th - for the trail network on the McKinney Side

If you enjoy the hiking/snowshoe trails, please consider contributing some time to the work party September 6th. This is a continuation of the volunteer manpower component of the trails grant project.

🌲 TRAILS WORK WEEKEND 🌲Volunteers needed

"Hello everyone! The recent rain has washed away the smoke—for now—and brought a definite feeling of fall.

Our new trail maps are at the printer and will be ready for our next trails work weekend. With enough volunteers, we hope to:

🔨 Complete the yellow trail markers on Twisted Tree

🔨 Fill in the remaining gaps on 11 to Heaven up to Gruhls Pool

🗺️ Install trail maps at the major intersections

🪚 Complete some saw work on the backside of Gruhls Pool and around Frog Bog

We’ll meet at the Roundhouse and be ready to head out by 10:00 a.m., aiming to return by 2:00 p.m. for some well-earned replenishment of vital fluids and nutrients!

If possible, please bring:
• Hammers and nail pouches
• Cordless screwdrivers
• Pruning saws for any branches obscuring maps or markers

I’ll bring three ladders, nails, screws, maps and trail markers.

Please confirm if you can attend so we have an idea of numbers and can organize the work crews ahead of time."

Thanks
Rod
snowmacb@gmail.com

 

Monday Sky

 

Water shut-off/Upgrade Lower Village

 

Not the best image - I took it from the road.

Sunday

Mix of sun and cloud, already dropping from high of 13C. Those who are working today appreciate being able to have layers, instead of sweating all the time. 

Soaked

We have had one heck of a soaking, and it is still coming down. The intensity has varied, so I am hoping that has given the moisture a bit of a chance to soak in. It feels like a summer ending event. 

Snow?

In the forecast for tonight, and for Thursday night. Possible thunderstorms later today. 

Alpine Club Registration?

I don't know when registration starts, but this old bull is first in line.

 

Smoky Thursday

 An indoor day for me with the smoke, then I ventured out later for some social time. Sunnie is growing fast, and I didn't invite her on to my lap, and she hasn't quite got the message that I don't like her tongue in my ear.

I got everything ready to wash the truck this evening, then it was snowing ash.

SOGH Emergency - "Service Interruption"

 

Interior Health

 

 Emergency services at South Okanagan General Hospital in #Oliver will be unavailable from 5 p.m. today, Thursday, Aug. 27 to 7 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026. Patients can access emergency care at Penticton Regional Hospital during this time.

Power Back On

My power outage routine is to get info online and post it before I lose internet and/or cell service. After that, I usually go for a drive.

 

Power Out

*update - outage may have been a Fortis shut off in the area of a grass fire near Grand Forks while they were extinguishing fire from the base of the poles. Turned back on when determined safe. Pole replacement may be done at some time in the future. 

7:30pm. Looks like it may be an outage to repair damage from a vehicle fire earlier this evening

Vehicle/Grass Fire

* last FB update, fire is out, Hwy open to single lane traffic.

FB report of vehicle/grass Fire this side of the Conkle Lake turn off, Hwy 3. Was reported to 911 almost an hour ago, not yet on BCWS site.

The Heavenly Mountains - Marion Boyd

Sue Webster, Marion,  and Ethel Jones on the right.

1974 - Marion, Sue Webster, My Aunt Irene Fairweather

Rest Easy, or Rest in Peace are common sayings that don't quite fit my friend, and Baldy lifer, Marion Boyd. By now she has connected with some old friends from the UBC Varsity Outdoors Club, and is hiking the heavenly mountains. She will be looking forward to ski and snowshoe season.

Marion and Bill Boyd were the first to start construction of a cabin at Baldy, but our family was the first to occupancy with the resources of the family and Osoyoos Hardware and Lumber.

I was the eleven year old kid from across the street hanging around while Marion was peeling poles for the construction of their cabin.

When the young Boyd family arrived for the weekend, Marion and the children would come in to our warm cabin, while Bill got the wood heat going in their cabin.

Sometimes Bill would bring his guitar over to our place. Baldy used to have family dances at the lodge - young Steven would sleep in a cardboard box nearby while his parents danced.

After the sale of  the cabin to Tom and Hilary, Marion and Graeme had a condo at Apex for a time. Marion would host a group of Baldy women for a mid-week overnight and Apex ski day. We knew it was time to get out of bed when the stereo came alive with the sound of bagpipes!

There is still a little bit of the original Boyd cabin in Tom and Hilary's home, and Marion has enjoyed staying there.

The obituary has lots of info on Marion's career in social work. When she had a private practice, I was going through a difficult time and I called her. We adjusted our relationship to counsellor and client for a time, and that was immensely helpful.

If I had been able to talk Marion into a lighter, shorter pair of skis, she might have skied longer, but she loved to snowshoe, and was a valued elder in the Baldy Babes.

Maybe the ski thing was her Scottish heritage. When she went to cross/back country ski in the Rockies, she preferred my old 1980's leather boots and the dated skinny tele skis. No need to spend money on modern rentals.

I am in the process of looking for photos for Marion's family, so this post only has two at the moment, but there will be more. We miss you Marion. 84 years well lived, and a huge hole in the lives of those who loved her.

Obituary courtesty of Nunes-Pottinger. Condolences to Marion's family can be sent from their website.

Marion Boyd

 February 4, 1942 - August 17, 2026

Marion Carole Boyd (née Gardiner) of Oliver, BC, was born February 4, 1942, in Vancouver, and died August 17, 2026, at her home in Oliver at the age of 84 years. She was predeceased by her father, James Gardiner, from Glasgow, Scotland and her mother, Gertrude Gardiner (née Sully) from Cereal, Alberta, who settled in Vancouver, where Marion was raised. She is survived by her siblings, Kyle (Lynne) Gardiner and Jean Gardiner, her children Steven Boyd (Shana) and Monica Devereux (Armin), and stepchildren Jan Nelson (Michiko) and Ian Nelson (Sarah). She was surrounded by the love of her grandchildren Duncan, Max, Caitlín, Connor, Saya, Kana and Ren, each of whom held a treasured place in her life. Family was at the very centre of Marion’s world, and she loved hers fiercely, loyally and with enormous pride.

Marion was trained as a social worker, with degrees in a Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and Masters of Social Work (MSW) from the University of British Columbia. Her career began in Vancouver, where she made lifelong connections (Leza) and then moved to Oliver with her former husband, Bill Boyd, in 1968. As a social worker in Oliver, she worked in the Extended Care Unit as well as Acute Care at South Okanagan General Hospital. Her work was with patients and their families, including counselling for those who were depressed, grieving, and recovering from abuse. She had a special focus on the needs of women and children. At the hospital she chaired the group who set up hospice and palliative care and started the Sexual Abuse Intervention program. After retiring from the hospital, she had a private practice and provided counselling for the Mental Health program of the Nk’Mip Indian Band. She did adoptions of both local and international children throughout her career. She retired in 2013 after providing decades of service to the Oliver community. Her work as a social worker was an extension of something that came naturally to Marion. She had a remarkable ability to listen, to understand what lay beneath the surface, and to know what someone needed to hear – whether or not it was what they wanted to hear. Friends and family turned to her throughout her life for comfort, perspective and guidance, and she, in turn, drew strength and support from the deep relationships she nurtured.

Marion loved to explore the mystery of life and approach it with both awe and wonder. She was passionate about nourishing curiosity and encouraged her family to explore the world, discover its wonders, and take a positive and hopeful outlook on life. Her core identity was her love of writing. She wrote articles for the Oliver Chronicle in the 1970’s called “Off The Top”, in the 1990’s she wrote a series that was read on the CBC about her year in China, and she continued to share her love of reading and writing with her poetry club. She travelled extensively throughout the world including Central and South America, Europe, Africa and Asia. Some of her fondest memories are of treks in Nepal, led by her treasured friend, Ang Dorjee Sherpa. Her lifelong love of hiking and skiing in the outdoors was born by becoming a Sea Ranger in West Vancouver as a young woman, led by her godmother, Aubin Fairley. Later at UBC she joined the Varsity Outdoors Club and its members became a constant thread throughout her life, maintained through annual gatherings that happen to this day. 

In Oliver, she poured her energy into creating and strengthening community. She was a founder of the South Okanagan Concert Society and helped found and nurture many of the groups and circles that became such an important part of her life, including the infamous BAGS, Val Friesen’s opera group, Baldy Babes, Grandmothers for Africa, Monday Ladies Bike Club, Book Club, Sage Valley Singers, Spirit Group (women’s group) and much more. In the past 15 years, she reconnected with the United Church in Oliver and Penticton. Marion had little interest in relationships that stayed on the surface; she was genuinely curious about people and wanted to know them deeply. Many of those friendships lasted for decades.

Marion loved her Scottish roots and her red hair that gave her license to assume a fiery flare. Those who know her will appreciate the courageous decisions she made throughout her life – her bravery and determination were an inspiration to many. Her favourite places to be were on top of a mountain or at her beloved Tuc-el-nuit Lake, where on her patio she forged deep connections with countless friends. Above all, her favourite thing was her family. We will all miss her immensely.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to one of her favourite charities: BC Cancer Foundation (bccancerfoundation.com), MADD (madd.ca), Indspire: A Richer Life for Indigenous Youth (indspire.ca), or the Canadian Wildlife Federation (cwf-fcf.org). Or choose one that is close to your heart.

A United Church memorial service will be held at Park Drive Church, 6570 Park Drive, Oliver at 10:00 am, Saturday October 3, 2026. For those who cannot attend in person a live stream will be aired through Marion’s tribute page, click the red LIVE SERVICE button and once the stream goes live:

Condolences and tributes may be directed to the family by visiting 

 https://nunes-pottinger.com/obituary/marion-boyd/

Peachland, new fire this evening

Ground crews are making progress, but air support was grounded by some thoughtless person with a drone. 

Wylee's Hike

It is very dry, even at the top. Trees are dying.

If you are a regular reader, you know I am not fond of Facebook

I tried to be helpful and answer a question about hydrants, then the thread expanded to the point, that I am not interested in giving a history lesson and answering too many questions from someone I don't know.

I deleted what I had posted, which in turn removes comments posted under my comments.

The guy probably won't be happy with me for doing that. When I bought my lot in 1973, I did my due diligence, knew what I was buying, and what was and was not in place.