What’s it like to blog about New West for almost 20 years

A lot of things can change in 20 years, but Dennis Hurd – who lives in downtown New West – has consistently published a blog post almost every day in the past two decades. Some of the posts include trips to different places around the world, but for the most part, photos and written entries cover his life in New West.  

Glancing out the glass doors of his high rise balcony, he reflects on the changes along the waterfront – the cranes going up, the construction of towers, the differences in watching people walk along pier park. (Parts of the pier connecting to River Market are still closed due to construction.)

Hurd decided to start an eJournal after spending time in the Middle East where he met his partner, Jay. Hurd is originally from the US. The duo learned about New Westminster after reading about it in a book they found while in Vancouver.

“We ended up coming over on the SkyTrain, and we thought, ‘this is a cool place, and it just seems nice,’ ” he says, adding that they started off with renting a place and later purchased their condo unit in 1998. “This was an exploratory situation where you’re like, ‘hey, New Westminster is cool.’ It was easy access because of SkyTrain.”

As Hurd continued to explore, he found community. “You see the mayor go by, you see the same people, and it feels great.”

Some of those things that make New West so great serve as another reason why he started the blog — Hurd enjoys photography, and all of his posts are accompanied by one of his images. “I have Flickr, I don’t try to be artistic. I just try to record where I am and what I’m seeing,” he explains. 

And with years of entries compiled, Hurd says it’s incredible to go through what he’s snapped photos of – and what he’s written. “Most people’s life, it’s just gone. [Sometimes] you don’t know what was for dinner. I wish I had the capability of doing this right from college. Working in the Middle East, I saw so many things,” he says, wishing he’d been able to take pictures of the kitchens or buildings that they’d lived in.

“I thought, ‘I’ve done so many things, but I have nothing to show for it. I have no way to even remember it.’ So now I try to take pictures – and they don’t have to be of a beautiful sunset.” Hurd says remembering something as simple as a bathroom renovation can hold so much information when you’re looking back at all the things you’ve done – ultimately, consistency is key.  

“Sometimes, there’s nothing interesting about that day, but it’s nice to force yourself into creating something that you want to remember,” he explains. “I think with age, I’m noticing I’m using [the eJournal] differently.”