ALL.
ALL. I
ALL. I DON'T KNOW. WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS.
WE'RE ALL GOING TO CHANGE.
YEAH.
SO HEY, YOU KNOW HERE ON NEW
DAY WE LOVE TO HIGHLIGHT
SMALLER COMMUNITIES IN WESTERN
WASHINGTON.
WE'LL CHECK THIS OUT.
I RECENTLY SPOKE TO THE AUTHOR
OF URBAN BREMERTON WHICH GIVES
US A DEEPER LOOK INTO KITSAP
COUNTY'S BIGGEST CITY.
HERE'S MY CHAT WITH AUTHOR
DAVID ALBRIGHT AND CONTRIBUTOR
FRANCES LEE.
WHY PREMORTEM?
WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO MOVE
THERE?
YES, EVERYTHING IS KIND OF A
COMPROMISE.
MY PARTNER AND I I'M A BIG CITY
PERSON.
I'M ALWAYS THINKING ABOUT URBAN
DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE AND SO
I LIKE TO BE A CITY WHERE HE
LIKES TO BE A LITTLE BIT
FURTHER OUT, A LITTLE QUIETER
PLACES.
SO RAMATTAN IS A PLACE WHERE WE
CAN STILL GET TO SEATTLE, STILL
HAVE A WALKABLE NEIGHBORHOOD
THAT I REALLY LIKE BUT IT'S A
LITTLE QUIETER AND A LITTLE
MORE OUT OF THE WAY.
THAT'S REALLY UNIQUE.
I HADN'T THOUGHT ABOUT THAT.
I'VE ALWAYS DREAMED FINALLY
LIVING MYSELF SO THAT'S
INTERESTING.
SO HOW DID THIS BOOK THIS
PROJECT HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT
WHEN COVID HIT LIKE ALL OF US I
WAS GOING ON A LOT OF WALKS
AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE
CITY AND I JUST KIND OF STARTED
NOTICING ALL THESE REALLY
UNIQUE BUILDINGS AND
STREETSCAPES AND SO I STARTED
PHOTOGRAPHING THEM KIND OF WITH
NO PARTICULAR PLAN IN MIND.
AND AS THE PANDEMIC DRAGGED ON
I KIND OF STARTED HOLDING IT
TOGETHER INTO A BIGGER PROJECT
SO THAT I COMBINED IT WITH SOME
ESSAYS FROM LOCAL WRITERS AND
INTERVIEWS WITH A COUPLE
OF ARTISTS AND TURNED INTO A
BOOK THE BEAUTIFUL THING TO
CREATE SUCH A DIFFICULT AND
DARK TIME.
WHAT IS SO UNIQUE ABOUT
REMINGTONS ARCHITECTURE?
SO ONE OF THE THINGS I LOVE
ABOUT MODERN ARCHITECTURE IS
THAT IT'S IT'S ALL KIND OF AT A
REALLY SMALL SCALE.
SO COMPARED TO A PLACE LIKE
SEATTLE THINGS ARE JUST BUILT
SMALLER.
THEY'RE CLOSER TOGETHER.
IT KIND OF HAS THE VIBE.
IT'S NEVER BEEN A PLACE THAT'S
LIKE DREAMED OF BEING THE NEXT
MANHATTAN LIKE SEATTLE OR EVEN
TACOMA DID.
SO THINGS ARE KIND OF AT A MORE
MODEST SCALE AND I THINK THAT'S
REALLY UNIQUE.
SOUNDS REALLY AUTHENTIC.
THE AUTHENTIC SPIRIT OF A TOWN
.
BUT FRANCIS, MY QUESTION FOR
YOU WHAT INSPIRED YOU AS A
WRITER LIVING IN BREMERTON,
LIVING IN BERGEN HAS BEEN
WONDERFUL IN SO MANY WAYS AND
ALSO LIVING IN VERGENCE DURING
THE PANDEMIC GISELE'S IT'S A
UNIQUE EXPERIENCE BUT JUST THE
ACT OF SLOWING DOWN AND
WATCHING THE HUMMINGBIRD DRINK
NECTAR OUT OF THE FUTURE
OUTSIDE THE WINDOW OR EVEN JUST
TALKING TO MY NEIGHBORS NEXT
DOOR JUST HAVING THAT SLOWER
PACE OF LIFE I THINK IS JUST A
REALLY GREAT, GREAT WAY TO LIVE
A MORE REFLECTIVE LIFE AND TO
THINK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, ALL THE
PROBLEMS THAT ARE GOING ON IN
THE WORLD AND WHAT IS MY ROLE
AND HOW CAN I AND ENCOURAGE
OTHERS TO PLAY A ROLE IN THEIR
OWN COMMUNITIES TO TO MAKE A
DIFFERENCE, TO MAKE A CHANGE.
SO DEFINITELY THE SILVER
OF LIFE BUT ALSO I THINK PEOPLE
ARE JUST REALLY KIND TO WHEN
I'M AWAKE OF COURSE WE'RE ALL
SOCIALLY DISTANT BUT YOU KNOW,
PEOPLE WAKE ME AND YOU KNOW,
BEFORE THE PANDEMIC THEY WOULD
SMILE AT ME AND THEY NEVER GOT
THAT VIBE.
BEING IN SEATTLE I JUST FEEL
REALLY, REALLY HUMBLED BY
COMMUNITY MEMBERS, EVEN PEOPLE
THAT I DON'T EVEN KNOW THAT
IT'S STILL TRUE.
I WILL ENSURE THAT BECAUSE
EVERY TIME I'VE BEEN RETAINED
FOR WORK AS A REPORTER ALWAYS
WELCOME IN THE COMMUNITY ALWAYS
WONDERFUL, NICE PEOPLE BUT YOU
SPECIFICALLY FOCUS ON BRIDGES.
WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE
OF THAT?
YEAH, SO THE ESSAY THAT I HAVE
IN DAVID'S BOOK IT'S CALLED
BECOMING A BRIDGE PERSON AND
PRECARIOUS TIMES AND IT'S
REALLY INSPIRED BY LIVING IN
BRITAIN AND I LIVE IN WEST FROM
BRITAIN AND IN BETWEEN TWO
OF THE BRIDGES THAT CONNECT ARE
PART OF THE PLAN TO USE BRITAIN
AND SO JUST ON BRIDGES ALL THE
TIME GOING TO GET PLACES GOING
FROM HERE TO THERE.
YOU KNOW, WORDS I HAVE TO TAKE
THE LONG WAY AROUND TO GO TO
EAST BREMERTON AND JUST REALLY
APPRECIATING BRIDGES,
APPRECIATING THE BEAUTIFUL AND
THE EXPANSES OF WATER THE DAYS
THAT WAS UNDERNEATH THE
BRIDGES.
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY JUST
THINKING ABOUT HOW DIFFERENT
OF A PLACE THIS WOULD BE
WITHOUT BRIDGES IT WOULD JUST
TAKE US SO LONG TO GET ANYWHERE
AND SO JUST LIVING IN THE TRUMP
PRESIDENCY DURING THE PANDEMIC
AND ALSO DURING THE BLACK LIVES
MATTER RACIAL AND UPRISING JUST
THINKING ABOUT HOW MORE PEOPLE
NEED TO BE ACTING LIKE BRIDGES
TO KIND OF BRIDGE OUR DIVIDED
NATION AND I KNOW THAT'S A VERY
LOFTY THING BUT I'VE SEEN THAT
HAPPEN IN BRITAIN.
YOU KNOW, THERE WERE LIKE TRUMP
AND BIDEN SOUNDS LIKE ON THE
SAME STREET IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD
BUT WE ALL SHARE RESOURCES AND
A LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES.
PEOPLE KNOW EACH OTHER, PEOPLE
KNOW THEIR NEIGHBORS AND SO TO
ME LIKE BEING A BRIDGE PERSON
IS THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE
COMMITTED TO JUSTICE DO YOU
HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO BE
BRAVE AND TAKE RISKS, LEAVE OUR
IDEALS BUBBLE IN THE SAME WAY
THAT I LIVED SEATTLE AND TO
REACH OUT TO PEOPLE WHO AREN'T
LIKE US BUT TO FIND PLACES
OF COMMON GROUND SO WE CAN
BUILD TOGETHER?
WELL, I FEEL LIKE APPLAUDING.
YES, THE AVERAGE PERSON I LOVE
THAT TERMINOLOGY.
I LOVE IT.
YES.
AND IN THE BACKDROP
OF BREMERTON I LOVE THAT.
I LOVE GOING THERE AND IT'S
BEEN A WHILE FOR ME.
WELL IT'S TRAVEL EVEN THOUGH I
TRAVEL I KNOW TRAVEL DIFFICULT
RIGHT NOW DUE TO COVID AND
ACTUALLY THAT'S WHAT YOU AND I
ARE TALKING ABOUT WHEN WE COME
BACK OUR THOUGHTS ON THE
MARATHON OF ZOOME CALLS