The Day After Tomorrow

Have you been following the "Polar Vortex" that's walloping Winnipeg, the prairies and central Canada? And of course the central Midwest in America too. 

As I found myself home with a cold/flu the last couple of days I had a bit of unscheduled time (a precious rarity it seems). I was feeling a bit better today so I decided to look up a movie online that I haven’t seen yet (it’s only been out for 15 years, LOL) that feels somewhat relevant this week, “The Day After Tomorrow”. It’s about climate change, but sped up about a hundred or a thousand times. Amazingly enough I found it easily online and watched it this morning. And lo and behold, this movie unexpectedly coughed up a bit of political irony.

Although it is of course fiction (but don’t take that as a personal denial of Climate Change please), it was interesting to note a couple of scenes in particular. The first one was weather-related disaster footage of a pier having been torn apart by high winds and hurricane-force winds (does the White Rock, BC pier ring any bells?)

"The Day After Tomorrow" fiction vs January's White Rock, BC pier
catastrophe.

But the most ironic scene by far was the mass American exodus to the southern border to flee rapidly approaching deadly cold only to be greeted by a closed Mexican border (in my imagination to be followed by The Simpsons’ Nelson’s sing-song guffaw “Ha, ha”). Of course the next scene shows Americans abandoning their cars en masse and crossing a river by foot to gain illegal access, carrying children and suitcases.

“Move along people, no sarcasm to be seen here.”

In this scenario I bet a certain un-named President would be pretty happy there's no wall to impede the climate "refugees".

River District Time Progression

Before the River District transformation progresses any further, I thought I'd share some past photos of an old warehouse at the east end that will surely be demolished soon in the constant push for more condos.

Circa 2013.

2019: The only real change is the brightness added by the graffiti.

Still a blank canvas in  January of 2013.

2019: I  need a translation from Hipster to English. What's the last letter?

A similar warehouse still exists in the Olympic Village development. I don't know what the plans are for it, but I've been meaning to return to photograph it again for a similar time lapse photo spread. I shot it way back in about 2006 before construction even started on the Olympic condos.

We've lived in Vancouver for almost 20 years now and I regret not having photographed an even older warehouse that was demolished long before the winter Olympics. The bike route along the south shore of False Creek had been started, but it included a U-shaped detour around an inlet where a large deteriorating boat was moored. The warehouse I believe was supported by piling over the water. I wish I'd taken a few photos of it, but that was before the convenience of digital cameras and I didn't often bring my 35mm with me in those days.

Airport Inn at Fraser and Main

December blogging was a bit of a wash. Crazy work deadlines got the upper hand during the lead-up to the Christmas season.

However, on my way to the recycling depot near Kent Avenue yesterday I passed the old Airport Inn (it's last official name) on Fraser Street at Marine Drive. I've been monitoring its demise for the last year or so. It's designated as a re-development site for a bunch of condos and other amenities. As I drove past I noticed the windows have now been removed and it appears to be down to its bare concrete shell. I parked the car and walked back to get a few last photos.

This is its current state.

And this is the artist's (me) conception of what will happen to it soon. Of course
it won't be blown to bits, but that's how my camera interpreted it.