Over the river

I am sure I am not the only one who has an issue with bridges. Even before this Minnesota disaster, I have been a little wary of parking on the West End Bridge during traffic, feeling it swaying and bumping.

What has always impressed me about the bridges in Pittsburgh is that they LOOK old. It seems no one has made any attempt to mask the fact that these suckers are decaying, but in a way that gives a sense of safety... like it's just cosmetic in nature. But now I'm not so sure!

My boss counts 22 bridges on his way to work. I have only the West End Bridge, which is among my favorite in Pittsburgh not only for the view of the city, but for the fact that it enables me to cross only one river to get to the opposite side of downtown. The fact that Pittsburgh has more bridges than anywhere else in the world makes it tough to get around without crossing a few here and there.

On my way in to work this morning, there were workers on the north side of the bridge. I imagine they were checking it out, like the rest of municipalities across the nation are probably scrambling to do. On the way home, though, there were emergency workers blocking two lanes of traffic, and they were all looking over the edge. It was with great trepidation that I continued over the bridge. But in Pittsburgh, what choice is there?




Tom and I met briefly for dinner tonight before he started his vacation. A whole week he'll be gone, touring Buffalo and Toronto. I have gotten quite used to him, so it will be weird without him around. What is most weird is that it will be weird.

He is a really wonderful person. I came home tonight to a flower delivery on the front porch.





I really can't say enough about him... I keep waiting to figure out what is wrong with him...

So far, so good.