Featured – Richard McGuire Publishing

Free slideshow and talk about new book, “A Landscape Like No Other” – June 12, 2024, 10 a.m., Osoyoos Library

Richard McGuire shows a copy of his new photography book, “A Landscape Like No Other, which he photographed and wrote. The book celebrates the landscapes, landmarks, communities and history of the South Okanagan, Similkameen and Boundary Country. (Richard McGuire Photo)

Osoyoos photographer and writer Richard McGuire is presenting a free slideshow and talk about his new book of local photography, “A Landscape Like No Other: South Okanagan, Similkameen & Boundary Country.”

The event takes place on Wednesday, June 12, 2024 at the Osoyoos Branch of Okanagan Regional Library at 10 a.m. The library is located in the Sonora Community Centre at 8505 68th Avenue, Osoyoos.

The book highlights local landscapes, landmarks, communities and history. Copies will be available for purchase and signing. If there is interest, Richard will answer questions about his experiences with self publishing.

Copies will be available for purchase and signing.

Due to limited space, please register at: https://orl.evanced.info/signup/EventDetails?EventId=94760&lib=1015&backTo=Calendar&startDate=2024/06/01

Osoyoos Desert Centre cuts ceremonial ribbon for new boardwalk

MLA Roly Russell (in red) and Lee McFadyen, president of the Osoyoos Desert Society, cut the ceremonial ribbon to open the new boardwalk. At left is MP Richard Cannings. The walk was built over the winter by Osoyoos business C3 Industries, and was completed in early April. (Richard McGuire Photo)

A little rain and wind didn’t stop a ceremony to officially open the new 1.5-km boardwalk at the Osoyoos Desert Centre on Thursday, April 21 – the day before Earth Day.

The centre opens for visitors this Saturday, April 23.

Cutting the ceremonial ribbon were Boundary-Similkameen MLA Roly Russell and Lee McFadyen, president of the Osoyoos Desert Society. Continue reading “Osoyoos Desert Centre cuts ceremonial ribbon for new boardwalk”

Winter e-biking: Learn from my mistakes and falls

Richard McGuire rides at Kettle Valley Recreation Area on his Rad Power RadMini with knobby tires and chains for winter conditions. (Richard McGuire photo)

By Richard McGuire

Most years, the first snowfall has signaled it’s time to put my bicycle away for the winter.

But last summer I bought my first electric bike, and I was having too much fun to put it away when we got an early snowfall on October 23. Besides, my sister in Halifax, who commutes by bicycle through the winter, encouraged me to keep going. Just watch for ice, she warned.

So although I’m an experienced cyclist, I’m a newbie when it comes to winter cycling. I hope that you can learn from my mistakes and falls.

Watch video on YouTube:

My e-bike is a Rad Power RadMini with four-inch-wide fat tires. The fat tires are good on snow, but their 20-inch diameter limits their ability to ride in snow deeper than a few inches.

The South Okanagan of British Columbia, where I live, has mild winters by Canadian standards, and its semi-desert climate means there’s often no snow, or the snow isn’t very deep. But with a short drive, you can be at a higher elevation and real winter conditions. Continue reading “Winter e-biking: Learn from my mistakes and falls”

Ebikes, Seniors and Osteoarthritis – How an ebike has changed my life

Richard McGuire rides on the KVR Trail up the west side of Skaha Lake between Okanagan Falls and Penticton. (Richard McGuire Photo)

Watch video on YouTube:

I’ve been a cyclist since I was five years old, but four years ago the osteoarthritis in my knees made cycling much more challenging – especially dealing with the many hills in the South Okanagan.

But cycling – like swimming – is excellent exercise for those with osteoarthritis in the knees. You’re not carrying your full weight on your knees and it’s low impact. Cycling strengthens leg muscles which – in combination with other exercises and medication – makes the arthritis more manageable.

When I rented an ebike in Vancouver in October 2019, I was hooked. Nine months later, after doing research and waiting six weeks because they were back ordered, my Rad Power Bicycles RadMini arrived. It’s a foldable (but heavy) ebike that I can load into the back of my car and take to interesting places.

With a traditional bike, I was no longer able to get up steep hills, and I had to walk my bike up, which defeated the purpose. Now, I’m able to increase the electric pedal assist and pedal up steep hills, still getting a good workout.

On flat ground, I can use minimal pedal assist, getting more or less the same exercise I would get on a traditional bike.

Ebikes allow seniors to continue cycling later in life and they’re a great way to get out and see the beautiful South Okanagan.

Cycling is fun. I feel like a kid again.

Osoyoos woman releases book about her lifetime struggle with childhood trauma

An Osoyoos woman, Bonnie Dust, has released a book telling of her lifetime struggle to cope with the impact of childhood trauma.

“It’s a Long and Winding Road: Finding Peace After My Struggle with Childhood Trauma” is a personal account of her mental health problems and a psychiatric system too eager to prescribe high doses of stupefying medications.

On the surface, Dust, now 71, appeared to have a normal childhood. She grew up on a farm near Osoyoos, British Columbia in the 1950s and 1960s. She rode horses and excelled in school and Girl Guides.

But for years she kept a secret about her encounters as a young child with an older man who lived nearby – encounters that left her traumatized. Continue reading “Osoyoos woman releases book about her lifetime struggle with childhood trauma”

Hello (again) world!

Welcome once again to richardmcguire.com.

In the past, this website has simply redirected to my Richard McGuire Photo website (richardmcguire.ca). Today I’m relaunching richardmcguire.com as a separate website, Richard McGuire Publishing, focusing more on the written word.

Watch this space for articles and commentary on subjects of interest, both to the South Okanagan of British Columbia and in the wider world.

This space will also be used to showcase books written by other writers, which I’ve been involved in publishing. Continue reading “Hello (again) world!”