over the river

The Hamilton-Fish Bridge (aka the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge), glowing with rosy light reflected off the Hudson River at sunset in August, 2009.

For the past 5 years or more, we had been going down to my in-laws’ in New York roughly one weekend per month, including most major holidays. In fact, last Thanksgiving was the first that we did not spend down with them for easily more than a decade. (Unless I am forgetting something, which is, of course, possible.) This year, since we have been busy with our move and many other projects, we have not been down to New York since the summer. Happily, John’s two sisters have each been able to visit their mother, and each has even been able to drive her up here for a visit, first see our new house back in September, and then again last week for Thanksgiving. So, we did not make the trip down over the river and through the wood to Grandmother’s house this year. But it did get me thinking, along with my stream-prompted nostalgia for my own grandmother’s house, of the trip we would regularly make over the Hudson river to visit one of my children’s grandmothers. Here are several photos of the Hamilton-Fish Bridge across the Hudson River that I took over the years, from my position in the passenger seat. Most often, the photos were from our departure, as we tend to head down late at night after the traffic lightens. (I do have a few photos of the bridge after dark, but you can’t see much.) I do like the way the bridge looks different at different times of day, in different light conditions.

Looking very stark and gray in December, 2010.

A bright afternoon in January, 2013

Partially wrapped in September 2013.

Silhoutted in August, 2012.

Bright sun and sharp shadows in October, 2012.