Sunshine Quilts

Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Bridges I Can't Cross

This is a wall hanging made by Eve in GA. Eve does gorgeous applique and she made me this little wall hanging to carry with me when I cross bridges. Why would an adult need a wall hanging to help cross a bridge? Because I've gotten to the point where I have a fear of bridges. Don't know how that happened. As I was crossing the blue Ohio River Bridge from Owensboro to Indiana today, I wanted to share my bridge wall hanging. I'm the one in blue and Eve is the one in green. Wasn't she sweet to make that for me? The Owensboro bridge is old, narrow and is full of pot holes. I just hate crossing it .. too bad I have to cross it to get to the quilt shop! It really is a pretty old bridge though. There's a new one a bit farther down the road but it would be way out of my way. But, this is a bridge! This is the I-10 bridge from Westlake to Lake Charles. Try being a 15 year old new driver, sitting stuck in traffic on this bridge and every time you try to inch forward if you're on the uphill side, you roll backwards. Ughh! I'd never be able to do that now. There are a couple other bridges in the area now so you don't have to cross this one if you don't want to and they're supposed to be building a new bridge for I-10 and I guess they're going to take this one down. Here's another shot of the Lake Charles bridge that kinda shows how high up it really is. Seem scarey to anyone besides me? Judy

posted by Granny at 2/28/2006 06:33:00 PM

18 Comments:

  • I grew up in Pittsburgh, a city built at the point of 3 rivers. In other words, there are bridges EVERYWHERE. And yes, I was VERY nervous crossing bridges there. Maybe when the city was nicknamed "The Pothole Capital". I saw water through the pavement once. Now, in New York, the bridge crossing the Hudson is over a mile long and doesn't even seem like a bridge.

    By Blogger Debby Brown, at 2/28/2006 07:57:00 PM  

  • *capitol, sorry.

    By Blogger Debby Brown, at 2/28/2006 07:58:00 PM  

  • Oh, Judy, I remember being so scared driving across that bridge! My mom's car was a manual, and I burned out her clutch once on there! I always breathed a sigh of relief when I reached the top! You know, we probably were sitting right next to each other in traffic up there! LOL

    By Blogger Vicky, at 2/28/2006 09:33:00 PM  

  • The Chesapeake Bay bridge from Maryland (?) into Delaware is a good one for the bridgephobic, too. Bridges are one thing that has never bothered me, but there are things that do, so I sympathize.

    By Blogger Kay, at 3/01/2006 05:49:00 AM  

  • Bridges don't normally bother me, but the Luling-Destrahan, LA bridge scares the heck out of me. I went across it once by mistake (got in the wrong lane) and went all the way to the Huey P. Long in Metairie rather than cross back over it again! On the other hand, my sister can't stand the Huey P. and will go out of her way to cross via the Greater New Orleans.

    Now the Lake Ponchatrain bridge I love! Don't know why but whenever I visit my sister I have to make a tourist trip over the bridge.
    And the Greenville, Ms/Lake Village, AR. never bothered me. I crossed it many times when I was growing up. But when my BIL brought his 18-wheeler to move me to Texas he said it scared the beejezes out of him. He wanted to go back via Vicksburg so he didn't have to cross it again. Until then I had never thought about how narrow it is. And now when I go back home it kinda scares me!

    By Blogger Nancy, at 3/01/2006 06:03:00 AM  

  • Good heavens, Judy! That bridge looks like a lift bridge that's...lifting! What were those engineers were thinking???

    Very pretty wallhanging. You two must be pretty great friends!

    By Blogger Darcie, at 3/01/2006 06:51:00 AM  

  • So funny that you posted about bridges today. I dreamt about a very narrow, no sides scary bridge last night. It was steep adn crossed a strange looking harbor. I was afraid crossing the bridge. Now you write about your fear of bridges.
    Your wall hanging is so pretty and such a meaningful gift from your friend !

    By Blogger Patty, at 3/01/2006 07:59:00 AM  

  • that would be a daunting bridge to be stuck on for sure! Good for you to post about this fear and what a caring friend to make and give you such a sweet and wonderful wall hanging too.

    By Blogger Cher, at 3/01/2006 12:55:00 PM  

  • I'm not afraid of bridges per se - just heights. As long as the bridge has good side rails I'm OK - unless grating forms the roadway and you can see the water through it. There is one bridge on I-5 in Portland, OR that I hate because the side rails are so low and the span so curved that it seems a car could go over the edge very easily. I avoid that bridge whenever possible. Then there is the bridge across the Columbia River from Stevenson, Washington to Oregon. You can see the water through the grating all the way across - no solid roadway anywhere. Don't like that one either!

    By Blogger Patti, at 3/01/2006 01:12:00 PM  

  • What a lovely wall hanging and a lovely gift from your friend.

    By Blogger Jan Mac, at 3/01/2006 05:09:00 PM  

  • Portland, Oregon has a zillion bridges, and most of them are fairly nice. The one that I avoid like the plague is in Seattle, Washington. It floats on Lake Sumpthun-or-Other. And the wind is always blowing, white caps on the flippin' lake! And ... microsoft was not cool enough for me to do it again.

    Love the little bridge quilt tho.

    By Blogger Unknown, at 3/01/2006 05:16:00 PM  

  • Thank goodness I'm not bothered by bridges. I grew up in north Seattle, where you had to cross drawbridges across the canal to get downtown. Drawbridges make a distinctive noise when you go across the metal grating (lighter for lifting), and you can see through to the water! Of course, they're never very high, or they wouldn't have to "draw" (raise).

    I understand the reasons for high guardrails, but I always wish for a better view when I'm on a bridge!

    Very nice of Eve!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3/01/2006 05:24:00 PM  

  • Oh.My.God! That bridge is horrible!!!

    While I don't mind bridges, my sister does. Whenever we cross the Mississippi I have to sing "You Are My Sunshine" for her. Even when I am not with her she calls me on her cell phone. I sing it to her over speaker and it keeps her calm. LOL! Crazy huh?

    By Blogger Unknown, at 3/01/2006 07:01:00 PM  

  • Cute wallhanging. I'm not scared of bridges now but as a child I hated riding across the span (the part that lifted)on the James River Bridge in Virginia - I didn't like the noise.

    By Blogger Mary Johnson, at 3/01/2006 07:45:00 PM  

  • http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/wonder/structure/sunshineskyway1_bridge.html

    This is a cool bridge - from St. Petersburg to Bradenton Fl. We lived in the Tampa area for 3 years and I loved this bridge.

    By Blogger Mary Johnson, at 3/01/2006 07:49:00 PM  

  • The applique wall hanging is certainly a work of art. This is certainly a true and thoughtful friend who puts so much time and energy into helping you overfome your fears.

    By Blogger Coupon Queen, at 3/02/2006 06:13:00 AM  

  • That I-10 bridge looks like a doozy - DH did not believe it wasn't a drawbridge up - so I had to do an internet search to find some other photos of it!!! Going up, in traffic, with a clutch - no thanks! I see they have plans to replace it in the future and hopefully they will get different engineers this time around!

    What a wonderful and personal present your friend made for you with that thoughtful wallhanging. That was really, really sweet of her.

    Cheers!

    Evelyn

    By Blogger Evelyn aka Starfishy, at 3/02/2006 09:42:00 PM  

  • i hate that bridge from westlake to lake charles. first time i crossed it was night in the fog. petrified. my car was a stick shift, too. don't like the one in baton rouge either but i think this one is scarier. i would cross this one on the way to my grandparents (from houston). also cross it going home to texas from florida. you are so totally not alone about fear of bridges. patti in florida (pleal@cfl.rr.com)

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3/03/2006 08:49:00 AM  

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