Friday, March 25, 2011

The Longevity of Bridges

This week's Sepia Saturday theme has to do with bridges. That started me thinking about various bridges and their durability. I had visions of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge swaying and twisting in the wind and the collapse of the Honeymoon Bridge near Niagara Falls.

And then there's the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, still standing today. It was completed in 1883 and is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. This is a tiny little (1.75" x 2.75") view card that fits inside an equally tiny folder with a number of other views as a souvenir from a visit to New York.  Despite the diminutive size, it is magical and a little haunting.
One of the best features of the Brooklyn Bridge is the pedestrian promenade, which allows large numbers of people to cross the bridge above the automobile traffic. Although the original bridge designers probably didn't foresee the importance of the promenade for transit strikes, traffic issues, and calamities, it has proved to be extremely useful in ensuring that people could cross the bridge during these events, perhaps most notably following the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

A bridge built in 1883 doesn't seem so old when you contrast it with a bridge built by the Romans in 134 AD. Here is my father standing on the Ponte Sant'Angelo in Rome. Both father and bridge have withstood the tests of time very well.

And here is my mother standing in front of the sandstone bridge across the Neckar River in Heidelberg, Germany. This is a bridge with many incarnations. The original wood bridge was built in 1284, but fell victim to high water and ice, as did a number of bridges that followed it.  A  stone bridge was built in 1786, and lasted until it was partially destroyed in 1945. The bridge was quickly rebuilt, but has now been added to the World Monuments Fund, a list of the world's most endangered monuments. I am certain that I bear responsibility for this status, because as a child when we lived just down the Neckar, my friend and I would scratch our initials and whatever else into the sandstone with a stick. It's amazing how soft sandstone is. Even then I wondered how a sandstone bridge could hold up to the elements.


And then there are bridges that are never intended to be anything but temporary. Here is my brother with a self-built bridge across a creek in Oregon. Rest assured that he did not go on to become an engineer.

23 comments:

  1. Your brother looks as though he's intending to pan for gold in that stream! Thanks for sharing the photos.

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  2. Ha. What a great bunch of bridge photos. So amazing that you had so many bridge photos with family members in them.
    I loved walking over the Brooklyn bridge on a visit to ny recently. What a view.
    Nancy
    Ladies of the grove

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  3. Love this post! Too funny with the comments. Your mom looks sooo cool.
    Herrsching has no bridges. Dang!
    xox
    Susi

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  4. Great set of photos for the theme, the Brooklyn Bridge image is really atmospheric.

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  5. You did well to find so many "bridge & relative" photos - I couldn't find one in my collection! Jo

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  6. Great photos of your family with the bridges. I especially like the one with your father.

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  7. Judging from your brother's footwear, I'd say he didn't have much faith in his engineering prowess either!

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  8. Amazing composition of the postcard - and what fun family photos. Your mom was a stunner!

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  9. Loved the family photos -- I swear I have a shot of me in HS wearing that exact same orange dress! I walked over the Brooklyn Bridge about a year or so ago and it is as lovely as ever. Don't forget the Golden Gate Bridge....

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  10. I might think twice about walking across the Brooklyn Bridge if it is still populated with shadowy figures like that! And speaking of shadowy figures, that ruffian in black in Rome was probably shaking down tourists for lire as they headed to the Vatican... Great shot of mom, a real fashion plate. And the authorities in Heidelberg will be glad to know where to send the bill for the bridge repair/replacement, thanks for fessing up!

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  11. Do you know what the name is of the very very tall and scary bridge that goes from Oregon into Washington. Near the coast. I remember going over it and I'd never been scared on a bridge until I got on that one. I couldn't wait to get to the other side so my heart would stop racing.

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  12. I love the Brooklyn bridge postcard and your family pictures are very sweet

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  13. The photo of the Brooklyn Bridge is amazing. I want to go there and take a photo like that myself (minus the people and in color!). What fun that you have photos of family and bridges.

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  14. Pamela,
    As often as my family visited San Francisco, i couldn't find ONE picture of anyone with the bridge in the background.

    T&L,
    You must be thinking of the Astoria Bridge. It's not so scary if you're headed north and focused on the delicious oysters in Osterville, WA. This would be a very scary bridge to be on in the event of a tsunami though.

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  15. Oh they are all great photos! Your mother was a beauty there!

    The Spider Web...what a great name for that bridge!

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  16. Oh I loved your post. All of the bridges are wonderful but it is your mother and father that really took my eye - they are gorgeous, both of them! nd you brother is so cute standing proudly on his bridge.

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  17. Oh my what lovely photos and beautiful family too! The first photo should be a cover for a mystery spy novel....or something in the Holmes collection...very stunning...thanks for sharing the interesting stories with these photos too!

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  18. That is a fine collection of bridges. I remember watching a documentary about the building of the Brooklyn Bridge - and I am certainly looking forward to seeing it for real for the first time in about ten weeks time.

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  19. The stone bridge in the town near where I live dates from 1400; prior to that there was a wooden bridge from the 1200s. The Roman bridge has stood the test of time; will Brooklyn last as long.

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  20. Super series. Bridges, in their service to us humans, make for some fantastic photos. Oh, thanks for stopping by my blog. I've got something there today, in response to yours and Mr. Lincoln's comments. Hope you like it!

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  21. Despite your sisterly disparagement, your brother seems quite proud of his minor accomplishment! Very nice post, all around.

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  22. Wonderful post! I love the last one especially, it reminds me of the little bridge my dad made for me when I was three so that I could cross the little chasm between our cottage and that of my grandparents. That's also a terrific view of the brooklyn bridge!

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  23. The Spider Web --- appropro name. Really enjoyed this post and all the comments. One of my fav movies is Kate and Leopold. I'm thinking the 'time warp' door is on the Brooklyn Bridge, isn't it?

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