Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Crossing the Mighty Mac

There's home, so close, yet so far!

We spent the weekend downstate, which meant a trip across the "Mighty Mac" was a necessity.

I've been crossing the bridge my entire life, by car, by motorcycle - I've even been beneath the bridge in a boat.


But I've never before had to come to a complete standstill for maintenance, and so discovered that you really CAN feel the bridge sway, which made for an interesting experience.

Maintenance on the bridge is a never ending cycle of tasks. These days, maintenance involves all kinds of safety equipment. But many years ago, when my father and uncle were young, they painted the bridge with not so much as a rope harness - it's a different world these days.


A very popular fundraiser in this area is auctioning off a trip up the towers. I'd love to see the view from that vantage point, but alas, it always goes for far more than my budget allows.


The architecture of the bridge is visually stunning and a frequent source of inspiration for artists, even me. Here's a view of the bridge, at night, with fireworks above and the reflections below, all in bead embroidery.

2 comments:

  1. enjoyed your post--bridge facts--very interesting. The embroidery is gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  2. when i was little - my dad - who never went anywhere without his camera would take me to mackinac city and i would play on the beach of lake michigan while they were doing construction to build the bridge. my girlfriend - who has the last name of brown - her uncle was just one of the people instrumental in the coming of the bridge to be built. my folks and some relatives walked across the bridge the very 1st labor day they held the event in 1958. i love that bridge. i also would love to see it from the top. i entered the raffle last year ($5 a ticket) but alas did not win.

    ReplyDelete