The View from a Drawbridge

Tag: wind

  • Ka Lae, Hawaii, and Other National Extremes

    What’s our southernmost point? That’s a loaded question.

  • Christmas Lights

    Colored lights at night are absolutely gorgeous.

  • Cooperation

    Once, I was crossing a very long bridge over the Intracoastal Waterway in Florida. Actually, I should say that I was trying to cross it. Traffic was backed up for miles. Ah well. At least I had a wonderful view. And then I heard the sirens. An ambulance was attempting to get by. My heart…

  • Wind

    The day I wrote this, we had 60 mph wind gusts in Seattle. Isn’t nature amazing? I watched as someone’s umbrella turned inside out as they crossed the bridge. Think about that for a minute. A completely invisible force had the power to physically alter an object. That very same completely invisible force had the…

  • Want to Defeat ISIS?

    Every paramilitary organization on the face of the earth is only as powerful as its bottom line. Without money, there are no bullets for guns, gas for tanks, or food for soldiers. Without money you are simply throwing a tantrum in the wilderness. It is now estimated that ISIS makes up to 3 million dollars…

  • My Prayer

    I am grateful this day for the rain that sustains me     for the sun that nurtures me, for the wind that buffets me.  I wish to give back more than I take from this world, value more than that which is has been given me and shore up that which has always endured me.…

  • Happy Earth Day!

    It’s Earth Day, and that has me thinking about the intimate encounters I’ve had with nature in my lifetime. I have swum with manatee, dolphins and stingrays. I briefly dated a guy who could imitate a barn owl so accurately that every owl in the region would respond to his call. He also taught me…

  • Weather, ’tis Nobler

    Whenever we are at a loss for something to say or things are on the verge of getting awkward, we talk about the weather. That’s because it’s the one thing that we all have in common. All of us have experienced some form of extreme weather, whether it be storms or extreme heat or extreme…

  • 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,…