Wednesday, 23. September 2009, 15:01:35
family, Milton, Indiana, history
...
The Madison In.-Milton Ky. Bridge over the Ohio River and taken from the Madison riverfront (Jefferson County, IN). When my grandma was 10 years old, her mother brought her, and her siblings to Madison to see the bridge opened and cross it the first time.
In this picture from 1929, the same year the bridge opened, in front of their Vevay, IN (Switzerland County, IN) home, is from left to right, My grandma, Mary Alice age 10, Her mother, Martha, and my Aunt Lucille, age 7. It's not apparent in the picture, but my grandma and her mother have dark brown hair, and Aunt Lucille has bright red curls.)
There was only a ferry at her small town near Madison and they'd never been over such a bridge before. It has two ten-feet lanes and no shoulder or walkway but at the time it was big enough. They crossed the bridge to Milton (Trimble County, KY) and then drove east on the Kentucky side and took the ferry back to their home in downtown Vevay, IN.
My grandma just celebrated her 90th birthday and now the bridge needs to be replaced. It is old enough to be considered a historic landmark and is in danger of being condemned and closed for use in the next few years. People want a new one, in a different location, but the most economical plan appears to be building a new superstructure on the old piers. Despite the certainty of Kentucky officials and the pretty website, this is not a plan without opposition. Since the bridge is primarily owned by Kentucky, and with the current economy and their state budget difficulties the cheapest option, replacing the superstructure only with federal stimulus grant money, seems to be a foregone conclusion.
(My mom and grandma on Mother's Day 07. I don't have any pictures of her 90th birthday fete on my computer, because I got to use my parents expensive camera for that 
)
I do wonder how 80 year old piers will be safe to build on and then drive on for another 80 years. At 26 I should see the new bridge opened, but I doubt I'll be here to see it close as my Grandma is with the current one.
~muse
Saturday, 30. June 2007, 22:03:00
camp, sister, family, operaland
I've had a great week drifting around OperaLand and meeting new Friendly People. I'm leaving the big city (Louisville~Ky) for home and the rural southern Indiana life for a bit. One of my sisters has some special needs and is going to camp for the first time. She isn't ready to go alone, so I'm going as a Big Sister and Big Kid but Cleverly Disguised as a Responible Adult Camp Counselor so that we can have this experience together.
I'm entirely certain that pictures will be taken, poems will be written, and
funny things will happen to be recounted and posted among the unruly games played
, popsicle stick crafts made, and campfires burned along the way.
Don't cause too much trouble while I'm gone
~muse~
Wednesday, 27. June 2007, 19:56:37
quiet, summer, family, silent
...
Dichotomy
Strangely early for my loud family house
to be quiet.
Always someone up with the TV too loud and carrying
down the hall.
Lights flipped for random but continuous trips
to bathroom, kitchen, closet, car, laundry, trash,
looking for stuff.
Summer tired siblings fast asleep,
one holdout tries to wrestle the best words into
the best order.
Why quiet beds, and such early stillness?
I have an answer that I can't say.
I know why Dad depressed hushed
everyone to bed so early,
but I can't say.
and I write
and I wonder
What is more important, the truth, or an intact
silent family?
~muse~
Wednesday, 27. June 2007, 19:41:25
family, summer, music, goals
...
I don't know master Timm very well for myself, I've only become aquainted with his writings as we frequent the same blogs like our dear Loku and Alan and others, but I'm so impressed with his willingness to try and learn and fail and try again especially as I said earlier in his post about summer break before college.
I decided to try to think of what I wanted to learn or do this summer. I want to be a little more reliable, be more there even when in weakness or depression its hard. But as for skills, I'm studying Greek on my own in preparation for when I take it as a class this fall if that counts as a skill. I went to music festival a few weekends ago and was very inspired and I want to spend more time playing my guitar and learning enough so that I might be able to write my own songs to sing. I love to sing and I love to write so we'll see what happens there. I do also want to spend some time re-personalizing my blog appearance again. I liked it before but it got all jabberwockied when the templets on opera were updated.
I've been sitting with my Grandma in the hospital for some of this span of time that I didnt' post. She had heart failure and also Alzheimers and she couldn't stay there alone. She didn't understand what was happening. I don't know if it helped having someone there but now she's back home again and things are back to relative normal.
I have some great pictures of the Kentucky sky and of 
's from the ST Louis Zoo to post if I ever get my camera, cable, and computer in the same place! ~muse~
WIDGETIZE