looking for a bridge -

“The hardest thing in life to learn is which bridge to cross and which to burn.”   David Russell

A bridge too far – water under the bridge - the bridge of the nose – a connection between two points or bridging your differences – A bridge is an often used metaphor expressing our need to move forward, to connect,  to change.  So why couldn’t I find a photos of a bridge, any type of bridge in Rio; the land of water flowing, and people walking, crossing, going and getting somewhere.  Let me back up, I do see walkways and crossings everyday, why can’t I find a beauty, graceful, curving, colored lights, aesthetically pleasing bridge to take a most spectacular photos of.

We do have the 13 km bridge (high causeway) that links Rio to Niteroi and beyond, taking the 101 north.    I’ve posted some photos of it before.  It is a much needed bridge, functional, a getting the job done bridge but I wouldn’t call it a beauty.  Maybe this is the issue, a reflection of the culture here, the building with functionality versus aesthetics.  The outside of homes being simple and straightforward, functional not often aesthetically pleasing.  I often wonder if it is more expensive to build something of beauty than something that is stark and plain….. sorry side-tracked…..

Bridges, being in Rio this weekend I hoped for an opportunity to find a new, not photographed or posted before, bridge.  A walk around the Lagoa netted me 6 photos – a pedestrian walkway the is the start (the finish even) of the canal that drains the Lagoa into the sea.  Beautiful no, interesting story maybe.

functional – getting us walkers were we need to go – safely and with dry feet.  One end offering someone a dry home away from home.

the protected pool of water, waiting to flow to the sea, offering food and leisure entertainment to the locals.

    

and next to it a way across the water to a private space.  (a ferry does bridge the gap between land and island.) 

MT FSO Bridges in Black and White

You all know by now that full, bright color is my thing. I think I see more through color than shape or size or lines – when I said this to my mother this week she ask ‘why’. I don’t have an answer and maybe this has no basis in fact – bottom line though is I like color. So to do digital photos in color then turn them to black and white and decide if any are good enough to put in this post was a difficult task for me.
Add to that that I am back in Houston with no archives of the Rio-Niterói Bridge or the train trestle in Nova Friburgo and that in Houston I didn’t find one, not one neat looking bridge. There has to be some, this is the bayou city after all; laced thickly with waterways running a little downhill to the gulf. What is here and available for photos was freeways, high arched overpasses of one freeway over another. Over on the east side of town the exit of the beltway 8 off I-10 headed south the exit (not ramp but bridge) is a terrifying arched, two lane MONSTROSITY – sorry no photo just a memory of finding myself soaring high above the birds as I headed home last summer. I considered briefly making the 50 mile drive (100 two ways) just for you then decided that a $40 fill up with no guarantee that I could stop and get a photo, was too much sacrifice to make for the FSO.
I did manage though to take photos of the 59 as it passes beside the George R Brown in downtown Houston. See how the color adds so much more to the photo? Of course I just got lucky with the red truck coming through at the right time, blending with the red supports. Maybe the problem is when you take in color then digitally convert to B&W – if photos are taken with B&W 35mm film are they better? And manual settings – would that improve the clarity of shadow to sun? I don’t have these answers.

In downtown Houston theater district there are several parking lots that lend themselves to interesting – bridge – tunnel effects. And Memorial Park now has an interesting walking path that crosses over Memorial drive right along side the old railway trestle. (Humm?)
FINALLY A photo that seems to be more interesting in Black and White. BRIDGING power lines.	opinions and advice are welcome.

I also have a few photos from Sarasota that I took while visiting this week, but i decided to show them when I show you that city – don’t be kidded this separation of subject was to limit my confusion.