Majeck Books

09/03/2026

HILLSIDE NOTES by Lloyd Jeck reviewed by Elma Schemenauer

Born in 1931 and raised in British Columbia's Robson Valley on the edge of the Rocky Mountains, Lloyd Jeck has much to tell us about life in the early days in that area. For example, what did people do for fun? See his stories about skiing, curling, hiking, camping, mountain climbing, square-dancing, outdoor games, and more.

How did people make a living? Jeck's stories about logging, lumbering, making railway ties and telegraph poles, farming, maintaining roads, fire patrols, trapping, and hunting are vivid and informative.

A multi-published author, Jeck writes with honesty, careful attention to detail, humour, and a deep understanding of emotions and motivations—his own and those of other people. Among my favourite stories are "Mountain Goats," "Token of the Past," "1949 B.C. Road Maintenance," "Country School," "Bare-Bear Facts," and "Ladies—Pull up Your Socks." My favourite poems include "Tomorrow," "Who Am I?" and "Love Beyond the Water." The author's love and respect for his family, especially his late wife, Ev, shine through many selections in the book.

Hillside Notes is a 232-page paperback illustrated with a number of photographs, most of them historical. For more information, please visit https://www.facebook.com/share/p/SPyYS86urXUth7tK/ or https://majeckbooks.weebly.com/new-books.html

Book Review by Elma Schemenauer
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08/30/2026

The cover photo, on my Majeck Books page, shows a bridge spanning the Fraser River at Mount Robson, B.C. A packtrain once was a common sight in the area. The guest ranch, operated by the Hargreaves family, was located on the south side of the river, close neighbours to the Canadian National Railway. The ranch operated a chalet at Burg Lake, situated against the east side of Mount Robson. Guests, and supplies for the chalet, were transported by horses which required crossing the river on this rustic structure. The bridge was designed to carry automobiles and I recall my first visit to the ranch in that way. The year may have been 1936 when my dad took mother and several children on a motor trip. The starting point was the family farm a few miles east of McBride. Included in the tour, in the Mount Robson area, was a stop at Hargreaves Ranch. Roy, the proprietor, opened the little store and dad bought us each a bottle of soda pop - I chose Cream Soda. That was the first soda I ever had.

07/06/2026

HILLSIDE NOTES, my 232-page book published in 2024. Short stories, poetry and images. Here are the opening lines of my poem entitled TOMORROW:
If we could see inside tomorrow
Before the streaks of dawn arrive
Would we then approach it differently?
Or even not begin the drive?

04/11/2026

04/11/2026

Mind stretcher: 11 images corralled by 4,592 descriptive words. Alluring Omineca.

Majeck Books, B.C., Canada. Specialty is Nonfiction; New Books, Vintage and Rare Newspapers and Magazines. Used Books in Nonfiction and Fiction.

03/29/2026

Majeck Books
March 27 at 8:37 PM
·
In the early evening, of a spring day, I sit in a cushy chair reading from a book which attracts my attention during fleeting moments. As I reach the end of a philosophical statement, the book automatically slips to my lap as my concentrated gaze penetrates invisible moods. My vision hesitates on the view beyond the window across the room. Deep thoughts instantly shift to the outdoor scene.
My view centres on the distant skyline in the west. That low-lying, timbred ridge, provides as broad a vista as my large window's focused perspective can possibly reveal. I am sure that fortress of tree covered rock, with a dip in its centre, is thirty-one kilometres away at its furthest point.
That whole, bland looking skyline, is the base of a softly unfolding sunset, creating a magical moment of wonder. Feather light, wispy clouds, are fanned in an easterly direction, the multi-fingered tips touching the air above my home. This delicate expanse carried a restful colour in shades of golden yellow, tinged with faint pinkish threads.
This captivating moment, with daintily applied brush strokes by the highly skilled artist, hung on for one-third of an hour. The effects of the experience carry's on.
- Lloyd Jeck

03/28/2026

In the early evening, of a spring day, I sit in a cushy chair reading from a book which attracts my attention during fleeting moments. As I reach the end of a philosophical statement, the book automatically slips to my lap as my concentrated gaze penetrates invisible moods. My vision hesitates on the view beyond the window across the room. My thoughts instantly shift to the outdoor scene.

My view centres on the distant skyline in the west. That low-lying, timbred ridge, provides as broad a vista as my large window's focused perspective can possibly reveal. I am sure that fortress of tree covered rock, with a dip in its centre, is thirty-one kilometres away at its furthest point.

That whole, bland looking skyline, is the base of a softly unfolding sunset, creating a magical moment of wonder. Feather light, wispy clouds, are fanned in an easterly direction, the multi-fingered tips touching the air above my home. This delicate expanse carried a restful colour in shades of golden yellow, tinged with faint pinkish threads.

This captivating moment, with daintily applied brush strokes by the highly skilled artist, hung on for one-third of an hour. The effects of the experience carry's on.

01/13/2026

A few more images from the Williams album, dated late 1920s - early 1930s.

01/10/2026

Relating to the Williams album, and possibly the original owner of the album, Margaret Williams. This photo shows Margaret, with her friend Cliff. There is reason to believe that Cliff may be from some other place, not Croydon, B.C. He may have travelled to B.C. for a hunting trip as there are such photos in the album. Here is the caption written on back of the photo: "Cliff and I and the tractor. I'm merely an ornament. Don't run away with the idea that I was manipulating the plow."