Tag Archives: bridges

Mission Accepted Part 2: A Handsome Crossing

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My quest began simply because she said, “I’ve always wondered about that tower. The one across the river.” I found the Witch’s Hat, the tower, but I knew my mission was not complete: I had to find the second tower.

Throughout our school years, we are reminded constantly to read all of the directions carefully before beginning a test. As I continued my quest, let’s just say I didn’t read the directions carefully.

I had gone to the library to research the Norwegian architect and engineer, Frederick Cappelen, who had designed the Witch’s Hat and as I learned, he also designed a second tower, a darker tower.

[Not to insult my regular readers, but they were probably intrigued by engineers of the late 19th century and willing to read on. To any new readers who have stumbled across this page and have no interest in 19th century Norwegian engineers, stick with me. This story also includes a bald eagle and Rachel Green.]

On a quest, omens take on greater import. I was looking for a book in the Hennepin County Library on Frederick Cappelen, who moved from Norway to the United States and eventually became the Minneapolis city engineer in 1893. To find a book that is devoted to Norwegian engineers and architects working in the United States from 1879-1929 is a bit like having a neon sign pointing “your quest continues here.” Continue reading →

Washington Avenue Bridge

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When I began writing weekly letters home at my mom’s request several years ago, I quickly set a challenge to discover something new each week. If for no other reason than it allows me to write about that something new and gloss over that second doughnut I may or may not have had.

This past week, I embarked upon one of the more random new experiences – I wanted to walk across a bridge (perhaps surprisingly having nothing to do with my fear of heights), a particular bridge in the dead of winter. It’s a walk that would combine Berlin and Minneapolis, “take” me to Vienna, and I’d return just in time for snow. Continue reading →

Under Wildwood

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My powers to continue grow.

Previously, I weakly denied my ability to conjure the objects of my thoughts. For instance, this spring I was thinking about macarons and they suddenly appeared before me. Then this summer, I was reading The Confederacy of Dunces in Fuller’s Coffee Shop in downtown Portland, and when I left, Mrs. Reilly’s 1940s Plymouth was parked out front.

Evidence of my powers has continued to stack up. Continue reading →

The Steel Bridge

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My morning commute is normally by bus. It’s generally a quiet ride. This being Portland, most people have their nose in a book. When the bus comes to the Willamette River, everyone looks up.

They look up to view the city, the clouds clinging to the West Hills, and on a clear day, Mount Hood. It’s a pause in the day.

(Yes, I have used this picture once before. You may recognize it from My Monday, My Sandwich.)

The bridges crossing the rivers of Paris, London and New York may be more famous, but like them, Portland’s bridges are part of the fabric of the city. Some pretty, some industrial.

And I have a favorite bridge, not just in Portland. It’s my favorite bridge. Continue reading →

Two Goals: One Forest, One Bridge

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I had two goals for today. I wanted to get out of the city and I wanted to cross a bridge.

About the only difficulty that I have with not owning a car is not being able to get out of the city. Portland, however, has Forest Park, more than 5,000 acres of forest. It’s huge. I was surprised to learn that there are 18 bigger city parks. If you live in Anchorage, New Orleans, Raleigh, Phoenix or Houston – to name just a few – I hope you are enjoying yours. Forest Park, usually draped in clouds and fog, is located on the Tualatin Mountains as they slope down toward the Willamette River. I see the hills every morning as I walk out my door; the park is the backdrop to downtown Portland.

Technically, I didn’t meet my first goal. I never left the city. Continue reading →