McGillveray Studios

Peace Island Park

Last weekend I spent at Peace Island Park, which is just south from Taylor BC, across the bridge spanning the Peace River. I have been camping there for 30 years now and does it ever have more campers now! Well we used to be campers, with tents,  portable stoves, sleeping bags and out houses. Now a days everyone has a big rigs, with kitchens, double beds and their own toilets. My rig is the camper in one of the pictures below, and still use the outhouses as it it easer than flushing toilet tanks.

The park has expanded over the years, with new sites compleat with power and a new boat launch.

You now have to make reservations to camp there on the weekends as it all gets booked up (in the old island part anyways). Phone (250) 789-9295 Their web site is http://www.camping.bc.ca/Peace_Island_Park_1623MID.aspx

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All these images are HDR shot with a Canon 40D and a Canon 17 – 40L USM. Taken hand held, with auto exposure bracket  -2, 0, +2 stops. RAW files developed in Lightroom V 2.3, HDRs created in Photomatix 3, and then tweeked again in Lightroom. Of course more time was spent on the top image.

The Fort St. John Child Development Center is having a silent auction on March 6th, 2009.  Ashley Bader contacted me and asked if I would like to make a donation.  Which I did, and the items were, one each framed 11×14 inch prints of the two pictures below.

Williston Lake

She also sent me the following email and info.

This year is the 35th year that the CDC has put on a talent show and also the first time (and only time) we are doing a silent auction.  For the silent auction, we are focusing on local talent in our community since that is really what the talent show is all about!  The beautiful photos you create definitely take talent and we were wondering if there would be anything you could donate for our silent auction?

Prior to the talent show, we will be discussing the items we have up for bid on Moose FM radio station.  This will be a good opportunity for some advertising plus on the night of the talent show you can display your donation in anyway you want!

The talent shows have been to raise funds for the “Project Build-A-Fort”  The building expansion will have a bigger impact than the simple construction of a building. At present the CDC serves over 450 children per year and is to continue to rise. The project will include space for programs and services that will enrich the lives with special and typical needs. It will enable us to offer a broader range of programs, enhance our service delivery, and allow us to better meet the needs of children and families in the area.

My daughter used some services of the CDC some 18 years ago.

So get yourself down to the CDC March 6 and bid on my pictures and all the other stuff.

Peace River - Near Alwin Holland campground

Since October, four bombs have been detonated: at two of the company’s remote natural gas pipelines, a wellhead and a metering shed in the Tom’s Lake area near Dawson Creek in northeastern B.C.

Coming into Tom's Lake B.C. from the north.

The local residents around the Tom’s Lake area are having a heck of a time with this. The RCMP has everyone as a suspect. People are being pitted against each other in this small community and the RCMP are no closer than at day one of the investigation. I think the RCMP have forgot how to solve real crimes and only know how to intimidate the little people and then Taser them. Gone are the days when parents told their children that if you ever need help call for a cop.

RCMP Sergeant Tim Shields said there are many individuals of interest in the case but so far, not enough evidence to consider anyone a suspect.

Update Jan. 24 3 cops from 3 different detachments in the lower mainland of BC got drunk and beat up a news paper delivery guy. It is getting worse and worse  with all the punks we pay.

Here is a Link to the CBC article about the 3 cops, beating a man.

Here is a Link to a CBC news video about the $500,000 reward.

It has been cold here now (and the rest of Canada) for about 3 weeks, ranging from -20 deg C. to -40. That is without the wind chill. Today you can see the wind is not to bad. If the wind is not blowing, it can be nice outside even at these low temps. as the air is dry and crisp. But still should have gone to some tropical country. If the stock market never crashed.

Looking Out My Front Door This Morning

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I have lived in Fort St. John B.C. for the last 24 years and in Taylor B.C which is 15 KM south for 4 years. I got some kind of idea of the mentality of this place. It always amazes me how people manage to get their way and push things down other peoples throats. You can’t even call it an old boys club as the people that do these things are not old boys from here. They do however have the odd self interested backer.

When I first moved up here 28 years ago, one of the people that broke me in said that in Fort St. John if you can’t do it without a bulldozer it is not worth doing. How right he was.

The forman comming to chase me away. He asked if I worked for the city. I said no, that I work for me, myself, and I. He could not believe that. I had no safety clothing on. He was right and I never put up an argument. He said that I had to destroy my pictures. Right.

This is a massif structure for a town of 18,000 people (5142 taxpayers at 3.5 people per house). A speed skating rink. There is a skating rink on the second floor. City council said that this will attract athletes to Fort St. John. Right. How much money do young people training hard bring? How many athletes will come to Fort St. John when we have more coaches in the bigger cities?

City council tried to raise business taxes by 40% and home owner taxes by 15% a short time ago. They had a good show up at the next council meeting. When they started this project they said that they would get money from the provincial and federal governments. Well they started things before they got the money. Ha Ha. The Feds gave money to B.C. already for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The Province did give them money, but where will the rest come from? You can see in the pictures that not to many construction people are around. When you talk to contractors that are around town they laugh and laugh about who is paying. Well Fort St. John stopped paving streets this year. We have a lot of unpaved streets as there has been no industrial tax base in this town. The oil industry is outside of town. We get ripped of this way.

Well I just have to say, well done city council. What ever the Mayor’s name is. You remind me of the past Mayor Pat Welsh. He paved streets that had no houses on them for 15 years and I lived on a street with no pavement for 20 years. Well done. You screwed this town for many many more years to come.

Welcome to High On Ice 2008

This was the 4th High on Ice show in Fort St. John. It was held on January 18 – 20, 2008. It attracts artists from all over the world and is second to none. There is only 3 others of this event in Canada, one soon in Lake Louise, and one in Ottawa. The weather was perfect, sunny days and -10 deg C. in the day. It attracts visitors of all ages and is a perfect reason to head outside in the winter.

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