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Orion’s Belt
Most couples have a favorite song, or a favorite movie or a favorite restaurant. We had a favorite constellation. Even though he’s no longer here, those stars still watch over me. We chose it because it was the first constellation we could see as we stepped out of our house in Vero Beach. That town…
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Battle of the Birds
It seems you can’t sling a dead cat without hitting an osprey nest here in Northeast Florida these days, which I happen to think is a wonderful thing. Just a few short years ago, they were a rare occurrence indeed. From where I sit on the drawbridge where I work, I can see 4 nests.…
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Bearing Witness
When you are a bridgetender for any length of time, you start to notice certain patterns on the river, both human and animal. For instance, the crab fishermen come to empty their pots every morning at exactly the same time. You can set your watch by them. Certain joggers run by at specific times as…
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Mother Nature Trumps the River Goddess Every Time
It can be a heady experience being a bridgetender. After all, you are operating a piece of equipment that can weigh several million pounds if you work on one of the larger bridges. You also control the flow of marine, vehicular and pedestrian traffic. You can make people very late for work. If a boater…
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I’m Freezing My Patooties Off, People!
Here I am, working graveyard shift on the drawbridge on the coldest night of the year so far. The tenderhouse is suspended 25 feet above the roadway and right in the center of the river for maximum wind chill. The floor is a steel plate with questionable insulation, so the cold radiates through my feet,…