What's in a Name?

The Ego of the Orange Arch

For nearly ninety years, we have been staring at that orange arch over the Fraser River and calling it the Pattullo Bridge. It opened back in 1937, right in the thick of the Great Depression, and was named after Thomas Dufferin "Duff" Pattullo, the sitting Premier of British Columbia at the time. Sticking your own surname on a massive public works project is the ultimate flex of political ego. It was the classic colonial way of doing things. You build a bridge, you completely ignore the thousands of years of human history that happened on that exact spot before you arrived, and you permanently name the steel after a guy in a suit.

Calling a Crossing a Crossing

Now we have the shiny new cable-stayed replacement, and thankfully, it abandons the politician's vanity project entirely. The new name is stal̕əw̓asəm (pronounced stah-luw-ah-sum), which comes directly from hən̓q̓əmín̓əm̓, the traditional language of the Coast Salish peoples who have been navigating these exact waters for millennia. It is a beautiful and highly literal compound word. "stal̕əw̓" means the Fraser River, and "asəm" refers to a crossing or facing across. Instead of naming a vital piece of geography after an administrator, we are finally just calling it what it actually is: the river crossing.

Correcting the Colonial Typo

This switch is about a lot more than just updating the highway signs to confuse the local traffic reporters. The old colonial habit of plastering European surnames over ancient geography was a very deliberate form of historical erasure, operating on the arrogant assumption that nothing of value existed here until the British showed up. By ditching the political branding and embracing the original hən̓q̓əmín̓əm̓ name, we are actually correcting a massive geographical typo. It is a tangible bit of reconciliation that forces every single commuter crossing between Surrey and New West to acknowledge the real history of the land, proving that occasionally, we actually do learn from our past mistakes.

First Crossing: stal̕əw̓asəm Bridge

It wasn't raining today. This morning we chose to try out the old Pattullo Bridge replacement. During the winter, they rushed to open the new span that has been years in coming, decades actually!  First, I stopped at the petrol station in order to put some air in my tires.  The EV has some low rolling resistance tires.  They are designed to have 36 psi and were down a tad after sitting all winter.

The main deck is open but it'll take the rest of the year to get all the interchanges on either end of the bridge completed. The old structure is in the middle of being dismantled which will open necessary space for some road connections.

We crossed to do a little shopping in an Asian grocery store chain called, T&T Supermarket.  They have a store as a part of the Surrey Central Mall.  We've been back more than a week from our winter away, yet we're still stocking up on food that we'll use during our summer and fall in British Columbia.  We got some pandan leaves that Jay uses in his cooking.  We got some kimchi too.  They have a great selection of hot, cooked food that can be taken away.  So, we got some additions that we'll eat with our normal rice and curry meals.  

 

Jay snapped these pictures as we were coming back to the New Westminster side of the Fraser River.  I saw there was an exit for Brunette Ave but it wasn't possible to turn in the right direction to go home.  So, we had to drive up near the Glenbrook Ravine.  It's a nice hill-top part of our town but we seldom have a reason to visit.

It wasn't busy during the late morning, so as I passed a street with cherry blossoms, I stopped to take this photo.  Being retired means we have time to stop and smell the roses.

 

Crossing the Fraser River

The weather was nice again today.  We chose to hop on the SkyTrain and cross the Fraser River into Surrey.  Really, I wanted to see how the replacement bridge is coming along.  It's already much behind schedule and planned completion dates simply seem to come and go.

We've been watching the bridge deck inch closer to joining near the New Westminster end of the span.  It's impossible to view from our apartment.  From most downtown points, the old bridge is in the line of sight and prevents viewing too.

I knew if we took the SkyTrain we'd have a chance to see how big the gap is.  It seemed pretty small from our angle.  On the left side of the picture above, it is to the right of the white tractor trailer (crossing on the original bridge).  There is still so much to do on the connections on each side that it'll still be months before the new bridge opens and 88 year old infrastructure is dismantled.   I read the change-over may begin in December of this year.

We went to buy goji berries at the T&T Market.  That is a huge Asian market chain here.  We couldn't help but pick up a few items from the premade foods.  

Although we got off the SkyTrain in Surrey Central, as we had to walk through the mall to get to the supermarket, we left by crossing the street to King George station at the end of the current line.  What a brilliant day to be free and outside in the optimum September weather!

Over the River and Up the Hill

If we exit through the parking levels in the basement of our building, we can directly access the Columbia SkyTrain Station.  Tracks run in both directions, but we can go in any of three ways!  One side heads towards downtown Vancouver.  We often take that.  

The tracks in the other direction split off just outside our station.  One direction is towards Braid and the Lougheed Town Centre.  The other, and the older one, heads across the Fraser River on a transit only suspension bridge towards Surrey, BC.  This is the one we boarded today.  

We viewed the missing gap in the new Pattullo Bridge.  This is a long weekend in Canada and the old bridge is closed for work on access roads for the replacement.  In the image, it was a little hard to see the progress behind the 88-year-old original bridge.  The new one will go into operation late this year, we've heard.  The iconic orange structure of the original will be torn down upon its replacement's completion.  The rail bridge in the photo above will remain untouched.

We went to Surrey Central Station, just one stop before the line's terminus.  It takes eight minutes to get there and is near bus connections and the Surrey Central Mall.  We went to the mall today to pick up several grocery items in a Walmart.  We also visited the T&T Asian Supermarket.  Jay found the thick, frozen, chopped sheets of lemongrass that he uses when cooking.  There must have been supply chain issues as we have had a hard time seeing any until today.  The Asian market chain also has a self-service area of cooked, hot Chinese food for takeaway.  Jay selected mostly meats to include with our own food when we came back home for lunch.

Crossing the Fraser River

We drove over the river to Surrey, BC. The population of our neighbouring city stands at around 700,000 and is due to surpass the size of Vancouver in a decade or so!

 

Today, we drove over the old, two-lane Pattullo Bridge from our home in New Westminster. The four-lane replacement sits next to it and was due to be completed in 2024. Now the completion date is set for this year.

 

We stopped at the T&T Asian Supermarket to see if Jay could pick up some chopped, frozen lemongrass for cooking. We haven't see any since we've been back and there was none today either. 

On the way back, we also drove to the new Recreation Center that is near the Home Depot by the Scott Road SkyTrain station. My app showed six new provincial DC fast EV chargers. I found them and only three from six were occupied. This was just a scouting mission and I didn't need any juice.

 

Another item of note today was that my new Canadian passport arrived in the mail.  I'd dropped off the application form and photos on March 20th.

A Great Day for a Bit of Flying

I don't think the temperature reached 20°C (69°F) but it was the first day since getting back from Sri Lanka a month ago that I didn't feel cold when outside.  I knew it'd be a perfect chance to dust off my old drone.  I have an original DJI Mavic Mini.  I think the fourth version is selling now but I got mine four years ago.  I've only flown it for a total of 32 kilometers.   

My flight records show I haven't flown since last summer.  I didn't bring along the drone this winter but have several times in the past.  I wondered if I'd remember which buttons did what.  I strapped my Pixel 7 Pro into the controller and took off.  I'm happy to report that flying a drone is somewhat like riding a bicycle in that one never really forgets.

I walked down to the end of our street in New Westminster.  Carnarvon Street ends near access to Albert Crescent Park.  The photo above is a selfie.

The images below show the grassy area between the SkyTrain suspension bridge and the original Pattullo Bridge built in 1937.  You can see the current construction on its replacement structure that will cross the Fraser River.  This month the main thoroughfare through downtown is closed because of the work on the New Westminster side onramps.

It did prove to be an excellent morning to fly.  The final photo was snapped by the drone at an elevation of around 45 meters (150 feet).

A Respite from the Rain

We had rain every day earlier this week.  A storm system slowly rolled off the Pacific as they do at this time of year.  At least our drought has finally ended! 

Today, the weather cleared up a bit.  It looks to be quite a fantastic weekend.  The photo above shows where we live.  We're in downtown New Westminster, BC in the taller of the two central towers.  Our balcony looks towards Columbia Street, the New Westminster Parkade, and Westminster Pier Park.

Pier Park is like a personal lawn, except the city does the mowing and maintenance.  I snapped a couple of pictures during my little morning walk.

In the picture directly above, the SkyTrain bridge crosses the Fraser River.  Two trains are on the left side of the crossing.  Behind, the 86-year-old Pattullo Bridge is finally being replaced.  In fact, you will note the central bridge support of its replacement further back.  The new bridge is expected to open next year and the old structure will come down.

Around Town

 

This morning we did errands, including buying fruit and vegetables at Langley Farm Market.  In addition, we bought some vitamins at London Drugs.  We still supplement C, D, and E.  I didn't take my phone out of my pocket and consequently, I have no images to include.

Yesterday though, I wanted to put a bit of electricity in the car.  I keep it topped up to around 80% should we decide to do a long day trip somewhere.  We generally don't though.  I knew that I'd need to stay plugged into the DC faster charger for about a half hour.  It was a perfect amount of time to do a little bit of a walk in Queen's Park.

As well as a trip around the park, I walked out to the pedestrian overpass.  I looked towards the new Fraser River crossing that will replace the Pattullo Bridge.  It seems as though there will be less of a corner as the bridge will line up more directly with McBride Boulevard.  The new bridge is due to open next year.

Crossing the Fraser

We drove over to Surrey Central this morning. Primarily, we stopped in the T&T Supermarket. While there, we also stopped at the Walmart in the same mall.  We were totally lost because the layout is different and nothing is in the same place as our uptown New West branch.

 

We do not drive over the old Pattullo Bridge all that often. So, it was interesting to get a slightly closer view of the ongoing work on its replacement which will be completed next year. From the current bridge deck, we could better see the ongoing progress. However, as I was driving, I was focusing mainly on staying on the dangerously narrow lanes. I also needed to keep a keen eye on foolish drivers.  Here's what's going on in July from the official website.  

 

Along the New Westminster Riverfront

During the last month in New Westminster, we've had, what seems like, just four days of nice weather.  I surely hope the large amount of rain, especially over the last week, will ensure we don't have many forest fires later in the summer.

I did snap the top photo on a tiny walk this morning. We live in one of these buildings. Jay and I have owned an apartment at Carnarvon Place for 25 years this spring.   I've started taking more wide-angle shots with my cell phone lately.  I sort of like the perspective.  It shows that New Westminster is on quite a hill.  We are more than a few stories higher than our actual floor due to this situation. 

I walked to the bottom of Fourth Street and crossed Columbia Street.  From the parkade structure, there is an elevator with access to a waterfront park.  Pier Park is situated along the Fraser River.  From the elevator area, I looked up the river for this shot.  The transit-only SkyTrain bridge is closest.  The orange Patullo Bridge connects traffic to the city of Surrey, BC.  Since we arrived in this town in 1996, there'd been talk of replacing the aging span.  Finally, work is progressing on the new structure.  One can now see the large 'H' behind the bridges. 

Looking down the river, the largest change is the construction of the 53 and 43-storey, new residential towers at the river's edge.  Bosa's Pier West project was originally scheduled to be completed this year.  I think it's been pushed back, so perhaps 2024 will witness the completion of both projects on New Westminster's riverfront.

The Replacement Opens in Two Years

The Pattullo Bridge is an iconic landmark crossing the Fraser River between Surrey and New Westminster, British Columbia. The current structure opened in 1937. It is narrow and scary to travel across by car and even more so as a pedestrian. A replacement has been discussed since we arrived in the Lower Mainland in the late 1990s.

   

FINALLY, the replacement bridge is well underway. More information can be viewed here: PattulloBridgeReplacement.ca

I'm Talking Terraria

We took a drive over the old Pattullo Bridge today.  Its days are numbered, the digits may still be in the hundreds; nevertheless, they're numbered.  We hear the pounding of pile driving for the support structures regularly now.  I don't think the replacement bridge opens until 2024.

Anyway, that is not what I wanted to mention.   We crossed the river to pop in at a Home Depot.  We have about thirty bucks extra on our Home Depot Card leftover from the bathroom work this summer.  I wondered if we could find a suitable LED light for the laundry closet.  An old LED light there seems to be on its last legs, even though lights don't walk.

We didn't find a suitable lighting fixture.  However, in the plant section, we found out about a hot, new gardening trend.   Terrariums are obviously popular at the moment.  I blame COVID-19.  Anything at all can be blamed on the COVID situation nowadays.

A Step Closer to Completion

 

This project has certainly been a long one. On June 8th we got a city of New Westminster Building Permit for our bathroom reno. (And we initially started the paperwork a few weeks before that!) 

Another step in its completion occurred today. We drove over to the North Surrey Home Depot and picked up our door for our washer/drier closet.  The doorway is an odd size and the pre-made doors were not an option.  Our first door order arrived incorrectly sized for the opening.  This was because the employee didn't notice that the computer expected the opening size and not the exact dimensions of the bifold door required.  The first time, we got a door that was about two inches too short.

Today, we squeezed the newly created door into Kimchi.  Jay held on to it as we bounced back over the Pattullo Bridge.  It's been so long since we last saw our contractor, it'll be like meeting up with a long-lost acquaintance.  

 

The Far End is Gone

With the recent smoky days and now the fall storms and wind, I've not flown my drone in weeks.

   

I did find this drone photo and I uploaded it just today. It was taken near the end of July. Now, the far end of Pier Park, the bit with the sand on original piers, is history. It burnt down on the evening of September 13th. The cranes have pretty much dismantled the old part of the park. Barges have been taking away much of the remains this week.

"Hey Google, Who Was Here Tonight?"

"I'm sorry I cannot help with that, yet."

Don't worry. I can remember from a few hours ago without the help of a digital assistant. Today, we had a 'duck dinner' here. We found that today was the only day our friends could all get together this month. As one of the group members has to work odd hours we called everybody over for dinner at 3:00 as we had to end the evening at 8:00.



Today we ate couscous and chicken tajine. That was a different choice than Jay had ever created before.  I picked up a few growlers at Central City Brewing early today. So, after chatting a bit, we went for a pre-dinner walk. It was my idea to head up on the Pattullo Bridge. It's not far away but very scary as the eighty-year-old structure is really narrow. The zooming traffic, none of which follows the posted speed, is inches away from the one, tiny sidewalk. Oh, and there's literally no barrier for the pedestrians. Apparently, we all made it off unharmed for walked around Pier Park after looking down on it from the ageing right-of-way.



After the meal, we used our short remaining time of the evening, sitting around talking. We talked amongst ourselves and kept shouting, "Okay, Google!" It was the first exposure to a speaker with a built-in electronic assistant for our guests. We asked questions, played songs, and watched silly YouTube videos by saying as unlikely things as, "Play cat videos on the TV."

Not Available at Safeway

It was a delightfully sunny day, not the 100% sunshine that was promised, but sunny enough nevertheless.

Being a Sunday with fewer drivers on the roads, we ventured across the Pattullo Bridge and up to the T & T Supermarket in the mall at Surrey Central. We were out of some of Jay's staple ingredients which are not carried at our usual supermarket. I love the fresh produce of this market chain as we can pick up things seemingly a little more exotic.

The Major Roads are Clear

I can admit the snow really is rather pretty.

After picking up a prescription uptown, Jay and I decided to run over to the other side of the river across the Pattullo. The roads were clear but now my truck is covered in salt. Central City Brewing is only a hop/skip from here really. The traffic on the ancient bridge means the best time to cross is around noon.

I filled several growlers. For some reason the world seems a better place when there's a gallon of beer in the fridge.

Pier Park on a Sunday

When there's a sliver of sun at this time of year, one's gotta get out and grab it.

I walk out the front of the building and down Fourth Street. I cross Columbia and walk across the New Westminster parkade to the pedestrian walkway over the train tracks.





It takes just a couple of minutes to go to Westminster Pier Park. On a day like this lots of folks wanted to walk near the Fraser River, many with kids or dogs in tow. An afternoon like this more than makes up for a solid week of rain and clouds.