After living in those tiny places of the Silvacan Camp and Avola, we really felt like we needed to put down some roots in a bigger community. We had traveled through McBride several times, and were impressed with its scenic beauty, and so, after I resigned from my teaching position in Avola, we made some trips to McBride to see what kind of real estate was available.
We found a 5 acre “hobby farm” down a dirt road for sale, and although the house wasn’t that impressive, we loved the way the land was situated between two mountain ranges, and its agricultural base. We bought the property for the $30,000 asking price.
McBride with its population of about 700 people, had no stop signs or franchised stores, but had a couple of grocery stores, a couple of hardware stores, several gas stations, some restaurants, an art community, and a library, but most important, it had a lot of people our age, who held the “Back to the Land” and “counter-culture” views and values similar to ours. It was the first place we had lived in, where this was true. It gave us a wonderful social life.
Reading back through my diaries, I was amazed at how often we gathered with friends, usually several times a week. There were dinners, parties, hikes, skiing, playing music, and watching movies (once VCR video tapes came out). The tiny Village of McBride gave us the real sense of community that we had been seeking.
You can view my paintings at: davidmarchant2.ca
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