A Collection of Daily Wisdom by Dennis Sylvester Hurd since September 2003.

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.

Labels: Fraser River, New Westminster, Quay

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.

Labels: New Westminster, Quay

I can never tell. Sometimes the silliest pictures I upload to Flickr become popular. As I shoot something every day, there are surely examples of both the strange and mundane. On the other hand, there are shots that I sort of like that do poorly as far as visitor views. I've decided that I can never accurately guess what an image's popularity will be.


We took the Seabus across the harbour. July 1st had beautiful
weather for Canada Day.

Labels: Canada Day, Flickr, Quay

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.

Labels: camera, New Westminster, Quay

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."

Labels: balcony, Bret, Joel, New Westminster, Quay

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.)

Labels: Bret, fireworks, Quay, transit

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.

Labels: Fraser River, New Westminster, Quay, transit

Labels: New Westminster, Quay

We ran around yesterday afternoon during the break in the weather to capture a little of the area on digital video tape as it will interest Jay's family in Sri Lanka. We went to the end of the SkyTrain line and then hopped on the SeaBus to Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver. At first it feels embarrassing to take video of your own city until you realize that people will just assume you're a tourist.

There were four cruise ships in port. Three were docked at Canada Place and they were about to leave because most 7-day Alaskan cruises start on Sunday evenings. I'd forgotten just how enormous those babies are! Some carry over 2500 passengers plus crew. Yesterday, I took the GPS, so I can include several (WGS84 datum) waypoints:

Lonsdale Quay, North Vancouver, BC

N49 18.577
W123 04.971

Canada Place, Vancouver, BC

N49 17.292
W123 06.814

Granville SkyTrain Entrance, the Hudson Bay Co., Vancouver, BC

N49 16.979
W123 07.036

Labels: GPS, Quay, transit

Posted by: Dennis S Hurd / 7:45 AM 0 comments

As Britney once said, "Oops, I did it again!"
This time, however, I hid a micro.
New Westminster Quay - Coin Cache


The New Westminster Quay Public Market is on the Fraser River.

Labels: Quay

I have been playing with a/v equipment since my Super-8 film camera in 7th grade.

No, I take that back; my parents provided me with a reel-to-real tape recorder when I was much younger. I loved running around recording people and sounds. I sat by the television during the landing on the moon in 1969 with it.

In seventh grade however, I spliced together a number of three-minute film reels and then recorded a cassette audio track with voice and music. It was the whole summer of various times we went camping in the NH White Mountains. About 22 years after making Waterville Valley 72, I tried to run it in front of an old camcorder and made an unbelievably blurry copy which may still be around here somewhere on a VHS tape. Later in the late 80's, I put camcorder video together with radio. That was when Joel Thomas first bought a camcorder. I even used a Sony tape editing machine when I worked at the Higher Colleges of Technology in Dubai.

It doesn't matter. Technology has finally caught up and surpassed me. In fact, I'm in the dust and it's all because of computers. The combination of a digital camcorder and Pinnacle Studio 9 is a dream. I've only scratched the surface but just burned an eight-minute DVD. Last night, we got a few clips of fireworks over the Fraser from the balcony. And today, I just walked down Columbia Street and to the New Westminster Quay. It was sunny and is Fraser Festival weekend so lots of people were out.



Today's DVD work has titles, and synthetic-muzak tracks were a breeze to drop in. The video is automatically cut into segments when being captured. I just needed to drop the chosen ones on a storyboard. It's simplicity is deceiving as I can imagine spending hours 'tweaking' a scene that nobody, except me, would notice!

I'm both amazed and amazing!

Labels: camera, Quay, software, technology

Antique Cars on Easter Day - New Westminster Quay

Labels: Quay

You know there are deals just too good to pass by. Sears advertised an extra ten bucks off pairs of in-line skates and I just couldn't help but to spend a little to save some.

How hard could skating be? I am Canadian now, so be it on ice or pavement, I should have acquired the skill by osmosis, right?

The weather today is excellent. It seems as though there's a high-pressure area over us that reminds the weather prognosticators of a summer pattern. It is also Good Friday and therefore a vacation day for most workers. What a great day to walk to the New Westminster Quay and strap on the new devices.

As strange as it may seem, I never really spent time on ice skates as a New Hampshire kid. I do remember that one of the town road ploughs used to get out on Sunapee Harbor on years of sufficient ice. It’d dig down and create a rink. I wonder if that still happens. I am sure I spent a few days skating with school kids at rinks in Kuwait and the UAE; not necesarily the first places one would consider taking up ice skating.

Regardless, the process today surely wasn't like riding a bicycle. In order to move well one has to be on a smooth hard surface. The problem with that is when one falls, it also occurs on a smooth hard surface!

My ankles hurt. I only fell down once but there was enough of an audience at the busy Quay today. Practice will make perfect so I have to promise not to let 'em sit in the closet.

.
For some reason I just had to include this
song by Melanie. I guess this goes to show
my age as I thought of this song before
Avril Lavigne's Sk8er Boi.

Labels: New Westminster, Quay, Sunapee

When I was taking yesterday's picture at the Quay, I took this one too. You can send it along as a photo message to someone you want to impress. It's much cheaper than sending real flowers!

View a Webshot Photo

I've got a number of albums on webshots.com. Check 'em out now!

[Editor's Note: I now use Flickr.]

Labels: Flickr, flora and fauna, Quay

Somehow, I had missed Finding Nemo at the theatres. I got the DVD at Blockbuster yesterday. What amazing technology to tell a story! One would think that believable water would be a difficult computer generated effect. The scenes were extremely well done and beautiful. Surely, the guys at Pixar were just showing off.


These were NOT Nemo's buddies. I took the photo
of these fish at the New Westminster Quay Market.

Labels: movies, Quay

This photo seems to fit right into the upcoming time of the year. It looks like a gigantic, German nutcracker to me. In what other season are walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts sitting on your coffee table?

This is actually the world's largest tin soldier. He stands right here at the New Westminster Quay. This guy is nearly 35 feet tall and weighs in at 5 tons! Perhaps he needs to cut down on his carbohydrate intake. His waist looks quite trim though, so I guess he just has a big skeleton (of steel).

(To read more comments and pictures about Quay entries on this blog, enter a query into the SEARCH WEBLOG option to the right.)

Labels: Quay

The quay is a type of open market where food is sold. There are also specialty shops such as galleries. It is on the New Westminster Waterfront and was developed at the same time as many condo and high-rise residences in the area. It's a convenient walk from the apartment.

Labels: food, New Westminster, Quay

From a balcony picture earlier in the month (September 8th), one could see the New Westminster Quay. Parked near the market is a casino riverboat which seldom leaves the dock nowadays.

Labels: balcony, Quay

Laurie, you should recognize this scene. Doesn't it seem a long time ago that you were visiting?

This apartment is on the tenth floor overlooking the Fraser River in New Westminster. There is still some industry up river, so barges with logs and working tugs regularly pass by. The apartment faces south, but for this picture, I was looking down river. Can you see the river-boat casino that's parked at the New Westminster Quay? Behind that, you should be able to see the Alex Fraser Bridge. The river splits into a north and south branch almost within view. The Fraser's waters enter the Strait of Georgia about 18 kilometers from here.

I took the picture just seconds ago:

Labels: balcony, Fraser River, Laurie, Quay