The Narrows Bridge is Nearing Completion

Since it was a beautiful sunny day today (after the fog burned off), and since it was Sunday with less traffic on the bridge, and since the last two spans of the new Puget Sound Narrows Bridge are poised to be put in place, I thought I would walk out onto it and take some photos. I began taking photos of this new addition to the existing bridge back several years ago before the construction had actually begun and have continued ever since. This new bridge parallels the existing bridge and is being added at great expense (to be paid by tolls!) and great effort to relief the traffic that has resulted from the cancerous population growth that has occurred in the region.

The last two spans are about to be placed. Each span is about as large as an apartment building and have been brought into position under the bridge by two different ships. Specialized cranes then lift the bridge sections into position where they are bolted together to create the mile plus span that is needed to reach across the "narrows" of Puget Sound. Instead of trying to fit the last two sections into the space that is left (about 8 millimeters of clearance), the workers will pull the entire existing span to one side to allow more room to put the new sections in. Since this will be done any day now, I wanted to photograph the last two spaces with the spans hanging just below ready to be moved in.

I was shooed away by a security guard when I attempted to walk down what was once a pedestrian walk on the north side but which now has been covered with plastic and sandbags. I was told to walk a couple of hundred yards away to enter the new pedestrian walk way which was set off by a series of rubber boots on the new highway. I did this, passing past piles of equipment and earth moving machines that was stored on the new highway leading to the new bridge. Most of this highway has been completed, with the finishing touches now being applied. I walked out onto the old bridge, which I really don't like to do because the only thing separating me on the narrow walk from the traffic whizzing by four feet away is a raised curb or pipe about ten inches high. The buffeting wind from the traffic also tends to blow my hat off, and I have to always hold tight to it.

Coming back after I had taken numerous photos (I will soon put them on my website, texified.com), I was eyeing my car which was parked near the top of the old walkway above and to the side of the new highway, and was thinking that I could make a quick dash up the slope (since I didn't see the guard) and save myself a longer walk (as if I don't need it). Just when I was about to make the dash, I saw the guard's pickup approaching the top of the old walkway. He got out and began putting warning tape across the entrance. I continued nonchantly on my way to the "approved" entrance and passed a family who had driven their car past the barriers and was proceeding down to the entrance to the bridge where all the equipment was stored. "Oh," I muttered to myself, "you are going to be sahree!" Sure enough as I finally made my way back to the road and had turned back toward my car, I saw the guard hurriedly jump into his truck and speed off around the block to the entrance to confront the intruders. Meanwhile the family had parked amongst the piles of equipment stored at the north entrance to the new bridge and numerous children, dogs and grownups piled out and began cavorting about. Children runnng amongst the equipment, dogs barking and chasing them...everybody having a grand old time. I wondered how the party intended to go out onto the bridge as I had done with all the running kids and dogs. It took a while for the guard to drive around the block to the entrance, and by the time he had sped hurriedly down to the hapless family, they all were making their way to the pedestrian walk on the old bridge. I could only imagine the conversation that ensued, but I saw the apparent father of the brood tale off chasing the children with the dogs barking at his heels as I got into my car and drove off.

I'm Tired of Talking About the Weather

I mean it! I'm tired of meeting people and all they talk about is the weather. I am ready for the weather to fall once again into the realm of the ho-hum. Last Wednesday we had a big weather system come in and dump about 5-7 inches of snow. It immediately cleared and then became very cold. The ice and cold continued slowly melting until yesterday morning when another 3 inches fell on top of the existing ice. It wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for my driveway. It's long and steep and almost impassable when covered in ice. Fortunately my little Ford Escape with its four wheel drive makes it with little problem (until last night when I almost slid off the driveway and down the slope; also the other day when I was coming down the driveway, I began to slide and saw my neighbor's car parked at the bottom. Knowing I couldn't stop, I began to honk wildly...fortunately she pulled forward just before I hit her). It also does very well with the icy roads. In fact I would have little difficulty in getting around if it wasn't for the other drivers. Some creep along at 6 miles per hour and drive me to distraction and others blaze along throwing slush everywhere, acting as if their four wheel drives renders them immune to the laws of Physics. It seems to be finally getting above freezing now though and melting seems to have set in.
Have you noticed that it is actually a special time just after or during a snow? It is very quiet, the birds are silent and everything is covered with all this beautiful snow...sometimes all you can hear is the soundless sound of snowflakes or the plop of snow falling from a tree branch.

Musings on the first day of 2007

I'm afraid that I haven't made any New Year's resolutions. After years of breaking them, I tend to not make any, although it is a good time to turn over some new leaves. I did determine that I would go out very early this morning and take some photographs--if it wasn't cloudy and rainy, which of course it was. Up here if you wait until you have good weather before attempting anything, you may have to wait quite a while.

I DID clean up my room and begin taking down Christmas decorations, however. I have accumulated quite a number of picture frames, now it is time to begin putting photographs in them and hanging them. I think that tomorrow I shall dig out some of my old slides (Kodachrome 64) that survived the fire and see if I can scan them. They are the only remnants from my extensive collection of photographs and negatives. All the negatives were destroyed and I only have these slides from that era of my life.

End of the Year

I watched some television yesterday--something that I rarely do. I watched some of President Ford's funeral and a bit of news, including the hanging of Saddam Hussein. I was surprised at the unprofessional atmosphere of his hanging. People yelling slogans, accusations, Saddam himself answering them in a calm sort of way. I'm afraid he came off much better than his executioners in the way that he conducted himself...chastizing them for acting in such a way. Afterwards the scenes of people dancing in the streets brought home to me just how different our cultures are.
Today it is very sunny with blue skies and a mild breeze. The Narrows Bridge is having its final bridge decks raised, including the ones that go between the uprights. This has to be done very carefully since there is only a quarter of an inch clearance between the bridge deck and the upright towers. See my web site (texified.com) for photographs of the bridge and bridge decks that are being raised from the ships below.
This is the last day of 2006. I remember long ago that the idea of actually living into the 2000's seemed something so unlikely that it seemed like science fiction. Now I am typing this on an instrument that I couldn't even imagine back then, much less the idea of an "internet."
I am interrupting my vacation by working my days off, and by working my holiday, New Years Day. This way I can use up my vacation time (use it or lose it!) and make a bit of change in the process.

Fife, WA--The City That Sold Its Soul to the Devil.

Another sunny day after a storm yesterday, and I picked small branches off my car and driveway. I took the opportunity offered by the good weather to clean my car out. It was full of books and coats mainly. I emptied it out and vacuumed it. It's amazing what such a change can make in how the car drives :).
I also drove out to Fife (the city that sold its soul to the Devil) and visited Brown and Haleys the makers of Almond Roca, et al. I bought lots of variations on their Almond Roca. Their candy is amazing. I have to stay away from it though and bought this mainly for gifts.
I say that Fife is the city that sold it's soul to the Devil because it actually is. It was a nice community when I came out here in 1980. Large poplars lined its streets and many farms took advantage of the rich alluvial soil of the Puyallup River which flows milky with glacial melt from Mount Rainier to Puget Sound. The flat river bottoms proved to be ideal places for factories and plants of all kinds. The entire place has turned into an industrial park, interspersed with an almost continual row of car and rv dealerships lining I-5. The poplars are gone (old and dangerous the city elders said) and the apartments which have sprung up amongst the car dealerships are revealed in all their starkness. The city has the highest income of any other city its size in the state of Washington from...traffic tickets. A Tacoma News Tribune article (October 7, 2001) reported that the city issued more tickets than the city has residents. Nobody I know willingly drives through this benighted berg after dark because of the danger of being pulled over by the local gendarme for...dim license plate lights among other excuses (I was stopped for my license plate light being out)--any excuse will do for them to pull you over while they do a computer search in the hopes that they can stick you for something more serious.
I used to take a short cut through Fife on the way to work and passed homes with these fantastic western cedars growing in their yard. I recently passed that way only to see that the homes were gone and so were the great cedars--except for their stumps. Another industrial plant was going up. I couldn't understand why the trees had to go though since they were on the margin of the property. I guess the beautiful trees weren't part of the image the company was trying to project.
Part of the city is on an Indian Reservation. Because of this they are able to have gambling casinos with their large lighted signs. They are able to skirt the laws regulating billboards and I-5 which passes through Fife is lined with huge billboards lit up like Christmas trees, flashing their message to passerbys. At night this presents a definite safety hazard with the large animated signs dazzling one's eyes. It seems incongrous that Native Americans, so often protrayed as "keeper's of mother earth," would flaunt the environmental regulations in such a way.

Christmas and its aftermath.

I had the best Christmas present that I could ever ask for...Jessica, my daughter, is officially engaged. She made the announcement and showed me the ring Christmas day. I mean it's not as if they weren't planning on getting married, but now it's official :).

Also she made straight A's on the courses she is taking! Wow...that really made my day. Steve also came over and we all had an enjoyable Christmas day. Even the weather was cooperating with sunshine and blue skies. It is raining again today of course, and this afternoon the Choi's came over for a nice supper.

It is nice to relax for a bit since I haven't had any days off this month. Last week I worked 37 hrs of overtime and 28.5 hrs the previous week making a total of 66.5 hrs of overtime for the past two weeks. It would have been over seventy if it hadn't been for the power failure during the windstorm Thursday before last (70 mph).

What is that bright thing in the sky?

For over two weeks there has been an almost unrelenting wave of rain storms sweeping in from the Southwest. I have awakened innumerable times to things hitting the roof, blown off from the surrounding trees, and then hearing the sound of whatever it was rolling down the roof. Probably mostly Douglas Fir cones since they are the few things that will roll, but lots of twigs, small branches have also been blown helter skelter over the roof and yard. But now I sit here, bathed in sunlight at Cutter's Point, drinking hot coffee and enjoying the warmth. In fact it is so warm here that I had to take off my sweat shirt.
I got up just after 7 am to blow off the driveway, deck and street. The accumulation of fir needles, leaves, twigs and cones had reached such a depth that it was embarassing especially when my next door neighbor, with his powerful leaf blower, continually blows not only his driveway off and the street in front of the house, but he also blows the street in front of my house! It took just over an hour and used up one tank of gas in my puny leaf blower. Much of the driveway was still wet and the fir needles were almost impossible to blow off. On my deck it was so wet that it was impossible to get it all. I don't even try to use the blower on the needles until it dries off somewhat.

Politics...yawn

Ok, now the democrats have a chance to show everybody how they will handle all the pressing problems. Funny thing is that I never heard very much about their plans before the recent election during which they won control of congress, so I am doubtful that anything workable will be presented. Politics as usual...
Lessee...oh yes, there was one and a half days of nonrain this week. Now it's back to normal (looking out at the television-monitor grey sky and the drizzle, the windshield wipers, the dimples of rain in the puddles).
Yesterday, going into the library, I heard a hoarse croak and looked up to see what appeared to be a Raven in the top of a Douglas Fir. Wanting to make sure, since I rarely seem them in the lowlands here, I rushed back to my car and took out the binoculars to take a look. As I did another one joined the first. Yep, there was no doubt as I looked at the thick beak and the raggedy appearance of its neck feathers as it bent over to give some more croaks. I have never seen them in this immediate area until about a year ago. I see them in the mountains fairly commonly though. The crows, which they resemble, seem to have a built in antipathy toward the ravens and often mob them as they do owls, hawks and eagles. Perhaps the Raven prey upon their young.
I am working straight through this week with no days off, and I have to whine a bit. Sniff...too bad I can't resist the money.
Last night I checked out Hotel Angela in Bocas del Toro, Panama. That was my favorite place during my visit to Panama last Spring. It showed that the weather was in the eighties with rain expected every day this week. How fondly I remember sitting out on the covered deck/dining room over the waters of the Carribean, drinking hot coffee, watching the sun rise, and checking out the reef fish feeding in the pilings by my table. I must go back if only for that.

Sun at last!

The rain continued all day until about 3:30 pm, when the sky cleared and the sun came out. The rivers are still high and running over their banks, but for two days or so the rain should let up before another rain storm moves in.
I was trying to get my home network set up with Network Magic which coordinates all the computers on a person's home net. It seemed to be working fine until I tried to adjust it so that all the computers could share the common printer. The program would freeze up each time I tried it.

Pineapple Express

Everybody knows the reputation that the northwest has for rain, but this is ridiculous. It has been raining steadily since last Friday (this is Wednesday!). The news agencies, paragons of understatement, shout that this is a record breaking storm (storm? It's just rain with a little breeze!), which may dump as much as ten inches. It does get a mite damp, however, and I find myself yearning for a bit of sun and it's only November.