Enjoying Our Walk by the River

I was going to make a note to myself that we should always arrive back in New Westminster during the second week of April.  Doing so would eliminate that taste of the BC winter that we hit when arriving earlier.  Yet upon further thought, perhaps it's useful to feel the sting of grey skies, rain, and temperatures near zero just to feel the joy of having it finally turn nice.

Today felt nice.

We were going to drive Queen's Park but decided just to walk along the riverfront here.  The entrance to Pier Park is around 250 meters from our building's front door.  We walked around the Pier West skyscraper and continued to the Quay.  We walked back over the tracks on McInnes Street Overpass and through the New Westminster Station.  Finally, we came back to the apartment via Carnarvon Street.

It was a nice morning for the 4K walk in the sunshine.

The New Westminster Waterfront Esplanade

Jay and I walked past the new Pier West towers yesterday.  Years of construction work had discouraged us from stopping at the popular area along the western end of downtown New Westminster's riverfront.

Seeing the Quay encouraged me to walk the whole length of the Waterfront Esplanade today, especially because of how nice the weather was.  I strode past the public quay and the 'World's Tallest Tin Soldier' both going and returning!

For a month or so, I've been trying to put in four or more kilometer walks for exercise. I've been doing these on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. 

Today, was the first day I didn't walk uptown though. My Fitbit still rewarded me with similar statistics. For example, I managed to burn an extra 619 calories in one hour and seven minutes. During the outing, I averaged 118 bmp in Fitbit's heartrate zones.  My trip west and back totaled 4.25 kilometers.

 

So although I got in my exercise this morning, I was happy just to enjoy the scenery along the Fraser River in our downtown.  The temperature was around 19°C at the time.  The sunshine felt wonderful.  

We have never once had a single regret in the choice of our adopted little city in the geographic center of the Metro-Vancouver area.

A Closer Look at the Pier West Towers

 

From the balcony we have two huge new towers that block a bit of our view to the southwest and down the Fraser River. The development has been going on for a very long time. Of course, the land along the river had to be prepared for such large buildings.  The project is well over one year late most probably due to COVID-19 supply chain issues and delays.

 

During these years of ongoing construction, we have felt somewhat cut off from the New Westminster Quay.  However, earlier this week, we noticed cars and pedestrians walking along a formerly closed street next to Pier West.  We decided that a Sunday morning walk was required so we could see the area for ourselves.

The restaurants in the Quay were busy even though the main walkway over the train tracks to the Hyack Square was closed.  We could not walk all the way to Westminster Pier Park along the new boardwalk but we were able to get a better idea of the future.

Next summer is going to be more awesome as we will be able to reconnect with that end of the downtown riverfront.

The New Westminster Quay

Cloudlessness is a nice situation in BC during July.  I live for this weather and wish that all our time in the province could be spent with similar sun and the temperatures of today.  After running uptown, we drove to the Quay and parked long enough for a lengthy morning stroll.  

This riverfront development was completed before we moved here.  It is a nice neighbourhood with a mixture of low and high rise housing, and even has a large cooperative housing component.  The city's parks department outdoes itself with the flowers and vegetation along the Fraser River Boardwalk.  

The New Westminster Quay

Walking to the quay never seems to get old.

The Fraser River is high due to the rapid snowpack melt up north. Lately, we have seen fewer trees and debris floating down towards the ocean.

I walked inside through Donald's Market, really just wanting to add extra steps to my Mi band. My 'hoofing-it' distances haven't been very consistent this month. Some days, I walk a lot but little on others.

For instance, so far today, I've only completed 4903 steps. That equals a measily 3.3 kilometers. That's not enough, but at least I didn't sit around all day. I'm glad I didn't or I wouldn't have had the chance to take the following images with my OnePlus 6 phone:

Alive!

It used to be I would dismiss cloudy days as not being appropriate for my 'photo walks'. Now, that's not the case. With a little editing, a dreary day can become quite dramatic.


I love the vibrancy of this image. It was taken from the end of the New Westminster parkade now that the western portion has been demolished. Front Street was to partially re-open from yesterday, but that has been pushed forward about a week.

I've said this a thousand times here already: I much prefer living in a place where change is constant. Solitude is for losers.

Less of an Eyesore

We were away when the west end of the New Westminster Parkade was finally removed. It will be nice when Front Street reopens and much of the truck traffic is again diverted off Columbia Street. I am looking forward to see what parking will be added and what landscaping will be done in this area.

Primarily Along the Fraser

On bright, hot days, such as this, the primary colours stand out.




Today's short walk to get a little exercise took me by the New Westminster Quay at around noon. In the first photo, I was lying on the slope of the berm in luxuriously green grass of the Westminster Pier Park. The second two shots were taken near the Fraser River Discovery Centre.

The Fraser

The New Westminster Quay is a short distance from our building. I often head uptown when going for a walk. The cardio effect of the hill does make it more of a workout, but today's stroll was pleasant. With the land reclaimed by Pier Park plus the Quay Esplanade, the city of New Westminster does now have a great deal of enjoyable riverfront area.

It seems right to see the city's renewed focus on the river. The reason there's a city here at all is because of the Fraser. Between 1859 and 1866, we were the first capital of British Columbia.

Fine Weather Continues

In jest I posted on my Facebook wall that having day after day of sunshine was getting a little old. In reality, I feel blessed. Presently, I'm only teaching on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. That means I have had a lot of time today to just be out in the fabulous weather our area is receiving.

I am definitely not used to seeing so many nice sunny days in a row. I am sure we must be continuing to break the 116-year record for dry weather at this time of year. It all seems a bit of a miracle!



I walked uptown, to the other end of downtown, and to Pier Park returning by way of the Quay. There were many others out enjoying the chilly but bright weather.

Fondly Remembering the Royal City Star

Should I consider myself on a roll or simply too lazy to think of something new? In yesterday's entry, I mentioned ongoing work at the New Westminster Quay. Today, I want to continue thinking about that area.

I feel sort of sad not seeing the Royal City Star any longer. The floating casino first opened to the public in 1999. It was docked near the market at the New Westminster Quay. Of course it never ever really lived up to its expectations. The casino was supposedly going to ply the river daily and not remained moored along the waterfront. That never really panned out. Also, the old gal sat so sadly for such a long time after the gaming license moved to the Starlight Casino in Queensborough. Day by day her lights burnt out and upkeep was neglected until she was a bit of an eyesore.

Rumour has it that a tug pulled the boat away to Campbell River. At the time, its future was unknown. Yet, I shall always remember the boat in its better days. Here, Jay is standing near the Royal City Star in April of 2007.

Renovations to Our Quay

I added The River Market to my local news list on Twitter. That got me thinking about how the renovation was progressing at the New Westminster Quay. I took the photo above on a little walk this morning. I found that about 2/3rds of the roof has been replaced. I saw quite a number of construction guys running around.

When will it be completed? Is there any target date for a grand re-opening? I couldn't find any schedule or details in a general net search. The Tourism New Westminster site mentions early to mid 2010.

FraserFest 2008

I think this is the nineteenth year of our annual summer celebration in New Westminster, BC. Things kicked off last night with opening ceremonies at the New Westminster Quay. Several stages were set up and each end of the boardwalk area had different musical performers. More people than I can ever remember seeing at the quay were walking around. The events continue today and tomorrow.



Small fireworks occurred last night. There's an encore presentation tonight. The barge with all the gunpowder is pulled out onto the Fraser River. Whereas, we usually just watch from the balcony. Last night, we spent an hour down at the quay. The show looked more impressive from beneath the explosions.

New Westminster and Hollywood

Shooter (2007)


Long before today, I've blogged about film production occurring in BC. In fact, New Westminster itself boasts a fair share of shooting locations. Not all are blockbuster presentations but a fair share of big-budget actors do roll through town on different projects. For example, I blogged an example of my city's Front Street with Will Smith in I, Robot from the DVD.

The photo above was captured from the trailer of the upcoming release of Shooter with Mark Wahlberg. The car is flying into the Fraser River from the parking area next to the Quay. The trailer also contained a brief segment of a car flying down Sixth Street. That segment was filmed about 500 meters from where I'm typing. A photo of the filming can be seen in my Flickr collection from last August.

Juxtaposition

This photo was taken nearly three years ago. I'm including it today as I really hope that over the next few days, a bit of cold will be able to add a dusting of snow to this month of seemingly non-stop rain.



You can see tropical vegetation in the photo although it's only a few blocks from the apartment. As I've said here a thousand times, just because we're in Canada doesn't mean we pass igloos on the way to work. Our winter storms generally blow in from the tropics; therefore the winters usually consist of warm rain. It's possible to coax non-native plants to grow here. Once in a blue moon, the weather's cold enough to force the precipitation white. This is why this photo contains a juxtaposition.

Hyack: It's Chinook for 'Hurry Up'

It started yesterday. The annual spring festival always begins during the Victoria Day long weekend and runs through the end of the US Memorial Day weekend. It's a tradition in New Westminster.

Probably the most famous and popular event is the Hyack International parade with around 140 entries from around British Columbia, Washington state, and as far afield as California.

The history of the events spring from festivities around May Day. The city likes to boast that this it the longest-running celebration of its type in the Commonwealth. Another deeply-rooted part of the festival is the anvil firing. The anvil battery has fired a 21-gun salute to Queen Victoria since the late 1800's. The Hyack Voluntary Fire Brigade first used anvils because there was a shortage of guns. In colouful costumes, members continue the event tomorrow at noon. The modern version of the festival with its many scheduled, community events started in the early 1970's.

Fireworks were exploded from a barge on the Fraser River last night. Here's an example I photographed from the balcony of the apartment.

Empty Nest

You might not be able to make out this picture. Maybe I'll get a digital camera with a decent zoom in the fall.

There are two seagulls to the right. One's a parent and the other hesitantly following is the 'baby'.

We get a free nature-show each year. It is available right from the window. Down on the roof of the Met Hotel, gulls nest in the summer. We get to watch the entire process from initial peeping beaks to the runt's last flight away. It's now August 20th and there are three young'uns this year. They're at a point where they'd terribly much like to fly. They start at one side of the building and run, flap, and screech to the opposite side. I expect that at least one will take a maiden, winged voyage by the end of this weekend.

The picture, though, was taken at the New Westminster Quay yesterday. In this case the mother was teaching the, still brown, offspring to swim and hunt for food. It was continuously peeping and although I don't speak gull, I'm sure it was shouting to be fed. Becoming independent can be damned hard work.

Random Thoughts

Yesterday evening I was finally able to sit on the balcony and enjoy the summer weather. For some reason, it seems as though it's taken a long time in coming this year. It becomes very hard to sympathize with the news of sweltering heat in other locations, when one still has a quilt on the bed. Here are a few thoughts that I wrote after a hard day of teaching and a glass of Canadian Club.

"I'm watching barges and pleasure craft running up and down the Fraser River. The top of Mr. Baker, in Washington State, looms over the horizon. People who are barbecuing dinner on various balconies are providing a wonderful aroma of burning sauces. There are quite a limited number of people at the New Westminster Quay considering how fine the weather is. Perhaps I'm just comparing the present numbers to those who were here for this weekend's Fraserfest firework shows.

After a wait, I must've felt the same technological contentment that my friend, Bret must've felt well over a year ago when we installed a wireless network in his house. At that time, he was able to do computer work while sitting near the fountain at the small oasis at the back of the house. Here it my balcony that matters.

I just returned an email to my sister whom I hear from on occasion. I am so pleased to have got to know her more in the last several years than the previous two decades. It's also nice knowing that Lynne and Joel will be up for a short visit from tomorrow. Although their visits are rare, it only takes a second before it feels like we've never been out of contact.

I'm also happy that Jay will return from work shortly."

Quay - Windows Media Video

My friend, Bret, started an email-a-thon regarding video editting. I mentioned how much better Pinnacle Studio 9 is when compared with Windows MovieMaker. Here, quite literally, is my first attempt with Studio 9. Last spring, I simply walked out of my front door, down to the Quay, and then back via Columbia SkyTrain station. Initially, there are some fireworks shot from my balcony during FraserFest.


I rendered the original on DVD and just tried to output to Windows Media today. Please let me know your success at being able to 'stream' the result which is approximately eight minutes. Were you able to view it? I'd like to request that any reader feel free to email me. (IN THE AFTERNOON, I REDUCED THE FILE SIZE TO 1/4 OF THE ORIGINAL.)

As the Crow Flies . . .

I have had a large picture sitting in my web directory for at least five years. It goes mostly unseen as the only link is from a seldom-viewed page. I can provide access so you needn't rent a small plane.

You can simply click the small picture to see an aerial photograph of British Columbia's Lower Mainland. A new browser window will open but the 396 K (1024 X 768) picture may take a few moments to load. You'll probably need to scroll around to see the complete view! Downtown Vancouver is at the top, center section of the image. The Fraser River runs along the bottom of the photo. You will find the New Westminster Quay on the lower, left-hand side, this apartment near the bottom center, and the edge of the SkyTrain Bridge on the lower right.