The View from the Top

Every once in awhile the bureaucrats get it right, the men and women sitting on tall, leather chairs in the semi-circles of small town authority.  Sadly, more often than not ambition far outweighs wisdom and common sense.  But this time, this time they got it right.



I wasn't a fan of the project.  It seemed overkill to have four lanes of traffic zipping on and off our little slice of paradise.  But as usual the powers that be turned a deaf ear and the project went forth as scheduled.  Following a year of gnarled traffic and much inconvenience for those living within a block or two of the project (that would be us), our new bridge was christened.  (On budget and ahead of schedule, how often does that happen?)





Now that I'm back on the island and enjoying life in the sun again I see the value.  No longer will traffic on and off island come to a stand still for hours on end when at 4:30 p.m. at the height of season there is a fender bender on the top of the bridge.  But more importantly, the bridge is beautiful.  The landscaping on both approaches is understated and welcoming.  And the best part of all....the walkway.  For the first time ever you can walk from one side of the bridge to the other and not fear for your life.  And someone, somewhere had the brilliant idea to strategically space benches along the walk allowing residents to sit a spell and savor the sunset.





And the view from the top, nothing short of spectacular.





One night last week our dinner guests had the bright idea that we should walk the bridge.  Since none of us had had the opportunity to experience the pleasure yet, it seemed like a good thing to do.  The hour was late, around 11:00, but we weren't to be discouraged. Okay, so maybe The Kid was discouraged but the remaining members of the party were determined.  (Our lovely daughter (in-law) was impressed.  She thinks we still have a little spunk left for our advancing years.  And number one son was concerned we might be arrested.  So glad we didn't consult him prior to the journey.)  At any rate we headed out and were completely smitten with the new structure.  The view from the top was spectacular.  (Have I mentioned that before?)  The island lights sparkled in the night sky and glistened off the water.  We didn't get hauled off to jail and enjoyed the experience so much that The Kid and I walked it the next evening to enjoy the sunset.



And the view I might add..... was spectacular.