UPDATE and something I miss right now

UPDATE: Still very little peripheral neuropathy or aching knees. Yes! The biggest side effect is fatigue, but I continue to listen to my body and take naps when I just cannot stay awake. I'm sleeping at night, too. Yes! Thank you for your continued prayers, love, and concern. Y'all are special to me!



I took this photo on a glorious October 25, 2008. Look at that fall foliage along the east side of the Willamette River! I miss seeing sights like this so much this fall. However, I'll be well and out and about next year, taking lots of photos with matching street level accessories, like the Broadway Bridge and the rail cars. I know that I will!

Seen last week while out and about with Sarah

After we visited Tanner Springs Park last week, Sarah headed for my apartment by crossing the Willamette River on the Broadway Bridge. I haven't paid any attention to the bridge on the rides I've been on with Lamont--the bridge is alongside Interstate Avenue which is the street where Kaiser is located; we've been there quite a bit lately for doctor appointments and blood draws. I will be going on Interstate Avenue to Kaiser a lot between now and probably February, 2016, as I undergo chemotherapy and then radiation therapy.

Seeing these workmen on top of the bridge puts its size in proportion, doesn't it? I mean, we're used to seeing vehicles crossing it, but I've never seen people on it. What a job! When I checked it out at its next-to-largest size, it was easy to see their safety harnesses. Gosh, I remember when my husband used to wear a safety harness, now and then, on his job--he was a construction laborer. Am I ever glad that I didn't witness any of that. Whew.



Here's a 10-second video I shot as we drove out from underneath the cover that protects vehicles while the bridge is being painted.

I read this online: Field work began on June 26, 2015 for a project that will complete the repainting of Multnomah County’s historic Broadway Bridge. The project will repaint the truss structures above the traffic lanes and handrails on three spans: two at the west end and one at the east end. The center spans and the substructure of the entire bridge were repainted in 2004 – 2005.

The bridge was closed to motor vehicles from 7 p.m. on Friday, June 26 until Sunday night, June 28 while the contractor installed traffic control for construction. Two of the four lanes on the bridge will be closed during the work.

F.D. Thomas of Central Point, Oregon, is the general contractor for the $6.9 million project. Work is scheduled to be completed by the end of March 2016.

The contractor will remove failed paint from the three spans and apply a new three-coat paint system (featuring the same Broadway Red as the rest of the bridge). After scaffolding is installed, painting will take place within containment structures designed to prevent the release of contaminants. Some steel repairs may also be required where corrosion has occurred. Most work will take place during the day on weekdays.

Traffic Impacts

The contractor plans to keep the two center lanes open to traffic throughout the project, with one lane in each direction. With the two outside lanes closed during most of the project, bridge users will experience some delays, especially at peak commute hours. Other bridge users may want to consider alternate routes to avoid delays. Highlights of the traffic plan include:

The project will shut down Portland Streetcar service across the bridge and to the eastside from June 26 to August 15, 2015 while the contractor paints the area above the center lanes. This will require deactivation of the streetcar’s electrical system. After mid-August, one sidewalk may need to close at times during repainting of the sidewalk handrails. The contractor will keep the other sidewalk open to two-way bicycle and pedestrian traffic. We recommend that large trucks, trailers, campers and buses avoid the bridge during peak travel times to reduce congestion.

After we visited Tanner Springs Park last week, Sarah headed for my apartment by crossing the Willamette River on the Broadway Bridge. I haven't paid any attention to the bridge on the rides I've been on with Lamont--the bridge is alongside Interstate Avenue which is the street where Kaiser is located; we've been there quite a bit lately for doctor appointments and blood draws. I will be going on Interstate Avenue to Kaiser a lot between now and probably February, 2016, as I undergo chemotherapy and then radiation therapy.

Seeing these workmen on top of the bridge puts its size in proportion, doesn't it? I mean, we're used to seeing vehicles crossing it, but I've never seen people on it. What a job! When I checked it out at its next-to-largest size, it was easy to see their safety harnesses. Gosh, I remember when my husband used to wear a safety harness, now and then, on his job--he was a construction laborer. Am I ever glad that I didn't witness any of that. Whew.



Here's a 10-second video I shot as we drove out from underneath the cover that protects vehicles while the bridge is being painted.

I read this online: Field work began on June 26, 2015 for a project that will complete the repainting of Multnomah County’s historic Broadway Bridge. The project will repaint the truss structures above the traffic lanes and handrails on three spans: two at the west end and one at the east end. The center spans and the substructure of the entire bridge were repainted in 2004 – 2005.

The bridge was closed to motor vehicles from 7 p.m. on Friday, June 26 until Sunday night, June 28 while the contractor installed traffic control for construction. Two of the four lanes on the bridge will be closed during the work.

F.D. Thomas of Central Point, Oregon, is the general contractor for the $6.9 million project. Work is scheduled to be completed by the end of March 2016.

The contractor will remove failed paint from the three spans and apply a new three-coat paint system (featuring the same Broadway Red as the rest of the bridge). After scaffolding is installed, painting will take place within containment structures designed to prevent the release of contaminants. Some steel repairs may also be required where corrosion has occurred. Most work will take place during the day on weekdays.

Traffic Impacts

The contractor plans to keep the two center lanes open to traffic throughout the project, with one lane in each direction. With the two outside lanes closed during most of the project, bridge users will experience some delays, especially at peak commute hours. Other bridge users may want to consider alternate routes to avoid delays. Highlights of the traffic plan include:

The project will shut down Portland Streetcar service across the bridge and to the eastside from June 26 to August 15, 2015 while the contractor paints the area above the center lanes. This will require deactivation of the streetcar’s electrical system. After mid-August, one sidewalk may need to close at times during repainting of the sidewalk handrails. The contractor will keep the other sidewalk open to two-way bicycle and pedestrian traffic. We recommend that large trucks, trailers, campers and buses avoid the bridge during peak travel times to reduce congestion.

After we visited Tanner Springs Park last week, Sarah headed for my apartment by crossing the Willamette River on the Broadway Bridge. I haven't paid any attention to the bridge on the rides I've been on with Lamont--the bridge is alongside Interstate Avenue which is the street where Kaiser is located; we've been there quite a bit lately for doctor appointments and blood draws. I will be going on Interstate Avenue to Kaiser a lot between now and probably February, 2016, as I undergo chemotherapy and then radiation therapy.

Seeing these workmen on top of the bridge puts its size in proportion, doesn't it? I mean, we're used to seeing vehicles crossing it, but I've never seen people on it. What a job! When I checked it out at its next-to-largest size, it was easy to see their safety harnesses. Gosh, I remember when my husband used to wear a safety harness, now and then, on his job--he was a construction laborer. Am I ever glad that I didn't witness any of that. Whew.



Here's a 10-second video I shot as we drove out from underneath the cover that protects vehicles while the bridge is being painted.

I read this online: Field work began on June 26, 2015 for a project that will complete the repainting of Multnomah County’s historic Broadway Bridge. The project will repaint the truss structures above the traffic lanes and handrails on three spans: two at the west end and one at the east end. The center spans and the substructure of the entire bridge were repainted in 2004 – 2005.

The bridge was closed to motor vehicles from 7 p.m. on Friday, June 26 until Sunday night, June 28 while the contractor installed traffic control for construction. Two of the four lanes on the bridge will be closed during the work.

F.D. Thomas of Central Point, Oregon, is the general contractor for the $6.9 million project. Work is scheduled to be completed by the end of March 2016.

The contractor will remove failed paint from the three spans and apply a new three-coat paint system (featuring the same Broadway Red as the rest of the bridge). After scaffolding is installed, painting will take place within containment structures designed to prevent the release of contaminants. Some steel repairs may also be required where corrosion has occurred. Most work will take place during the day on weekdays.

Traffic Impacts

The contractor plans to keep the two center lanes open to traffic throughout the project, with one lane in each direction. With the two outside lanes closed during most of the project, bridge users will experience some delays, especially at peak commute hours. Other bridge users may want to consider alternate routes to avoid delays.

Highlights of the traffic plan include:

The project will shut down Portland Streetcar service across the bridge and to the eastside from June 26 to August 15, 2015 while the contractor paints the area above the center lanes. This will require deactivation of the streetcar’s electrical system. After mid-August, one sidewalk may need to close at times during repainting of the sidewalk handrails. The contractor will keep the other sidewalk open to two-way bicycle and pedestrian traffic. We recommend that large trucks, trailers, campers and buses avoid the bridge during peak travel times to reduce congestion.

River traffic will not be impacted.

Noise

The contractor may work on some nights, usually to set up a new work area. The project has taken several steps to mitigate construction noise and maintain neighborhood livability during construction:

All equipment will comply with US Environmental Protection Agency noise standards, including mufflers. Reduce truck movements at night. Use silent “smart alarms” instead of standard reverse signal beep alarms on vehicles at night. Use portable noise meters onsite to measure noise levels. The containment structures will help contain construction noise. Maintain a 24-hour Construction Information Hotline (503-988-4884) with information on the work schedule. Maintain a 24-hour telephone response line for noise complaints (503-329-5490). The contractor will assist the County to address complaints within 24 hours or before the next scheduled night work. River traffic will not be impacted.

Noise

The contractor may work on some nights, usually to set up a new work area. The project has taken several steps to mitigate construction noise and maintain neighborhood livability during construction:

All equipment will comply with US Environmental Protection Agency noise standards, including mufflers. Reduce truck movements at night. Use silent “smart alarms” instead of standard reverse signal beep alarms on vehicles at night. Use portable noise meters onsite to measure noise levels. The containment structures will help contain construction noise. Maintain a 24-hour Construction Information Hotline (503-988-4884) with information on the work schedule. Maintain a 24-hour telephone response line for noise complaints (503-329-5490). The contractor will assist the County to address complaints within 24 hours or before the next scheduled night work. River traffic will not be impacted.

Noise

The contractor may work on some nights, usually to set up a new work area. The project has taken several steps to mitigate construction noise and maintain neighborhood livability during construction:

All equipment will comply with US Environmental Protection Agency noise standards, including mufflers. Reduce truck movements at night. Use silent “smart alarms” instead of standard reverse signal beep alarms on vehicles at night. Use portable noise meters onsite to measure noise levels. The containment structures will help contain construction noise. Maintain a 24-hour Construction Information Hotline (503-988-4884) with information on the work schedule. Maintain a 24-hour telephone response line for noise complaints (503-329-5490). The contractor will assist the County to address complaints within 24 hours or before the next scheduled night work.

UPDATE and the blog post - Size, often it's all in perspective and location. Sometimes, it's just flat out huge. No. 4

UPDATE: Dr. Steiner's nurse Naomi let me know Monday afternoon that the final pathology report says it's probably cancer, so I'm having surgery on Thursday, probably at 1:30 p.m. I'll check in at 11:00 a.m. or so. I will get a phone call on Wednesday with a definite time for both. I will be in the hospital at least one night, probably just the one. I will then be recovering for weeks and, if all goes well, will return to work on August 10. During those six weeks, I will have two appointments with Dr. Steiner, one a post-op, on an evaluation of my fitness to return to work. Probably at the post-op, I will learn the results of the pathology of any tissues removed during the surgery. If it is really cancer, I'll have to have chemotherapy and/or radiation.

To tell you the truth, this is what I expected to hear, that I would have an operation on Thursday. I am thankful that I found out for sure today and didn't have to wait any longer--Thursday will be here very soon. I am ready for what's next and feel certain that Dr. Steiner is paying the best possible attention to my situation. My sons and I thank each of you for your prayers, your love, and your concern.



Close up as The World approaches the completely open Steel Bridge.



Closer but with maneuvering left to be done.



Looks like it's a straight shot from here, doesn't it?



You can see that The World must angle its way through the raised Steel Bridge. The Steel Bridge is a through truss, double-deck vertical-lift bridge across the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States, opened in 1912.



My goodness, but that's one huge ship, y'all. Clearances . . . 26 feet closed, 72 feet with the lower deck raised, and 163 feet fully raised as it is here.



Now it is headed for the Broadway Bridge which is where I'm standing and taking photos.



Commuters held up by the lift of the Broadway Bridge.



So close and so huge, about the head beneath the Broadway Bridge.



Slow going.



There in the background, a portion of the Big Pink.



You can see the barricade with its reflective section in this photo--it's down to keep folks from falling off the bridge while the bridge is up.



A tugboat which surely has been working with The World to help it leave Portland.



Folks waiting for the bridge lift to be over so that they may continue on their way. Their view certainly is amazing.



Looks like all or most of The World is now past the Broadway Bridge and headed for the Fremont Bridge. It is not a bridge that opens and was built high enough for even ocean-going ships like The World to pass beneath.



Good-bye to The World.



By the time I'd walked part way to the bus stop so that I could catch one and get to work on time, the traffic had cleared very well. You can see that the bridge is completely closed, of course.



Here's a view of the bridge deck as it joins the streets at the west end of the Broadway Bridge. I took it through the bus windshield.

Size, often it's all in perspective and location. Sometimes, it's just flat out huge. No. 1

The World docked on the west side of the Willamette River. I took these photos on June 16, 2009, when I walked across the Hawthorne Bridge on my lunch hour. I had seen the TV news story about the ship and knew that I'd be a total fool to miss the chance to see it for myself. The Portland Spirit, a local river cruise boat, is docked to the left of The World. And beyond the center of The World, you can see the 30-story Big Pink--it is about a mile away, walking.

Found this quote in the June 17 Oregonian, made by an acquaintance of mine, as well as a bit of interesting info about the ship:

"It's something I have to go take my camera and get a look at," said Dan Haneckow, a ship enthusiast from North Portland. "You just don't see very many big ships below the Steel Bridge anymore."

Haneckow was talking about the 665-foot ship described as a floating luxury condominium complex, which boasts a variety of restaurants, two pools, a tennis court and a running track, among other amenities. The ship's 140 residents and crew of about 270 are touring the Portland area and seeing sights such as Multnomah Falls and Mount St. Helens.

They're also leaving behind some cash. Travel experts predict the ship's stop might inject some extra life into the local economy. While the exact economic impact of the Portland stop was unclear Wednesday, the industry standard for spending by cruise ship passengers is $125 a couple per day.

Bruce Connor, vice president of Sundial Travel & Cruise Center, which helped arrange the local itinerary, said the passengers could easily spend three times that.



Well, you can certainly tell that is is a close-up shot, can't you?



Here's another look with three of the four bridges which had to lift for The World to dock here and which will have to lift when it turns and heads down river, north to the Columbia, and then west to the Pacific. The closest bridge is the Morrison Bridge, the two bridge supports you see through the Morrison Bridge are part of the Burnside Bridge, and the black two towers in the distance are part of the Steel Bridge. The bridge not visible here is the Broadway Bridge. There is a westward bend in the river which, at this perspective, situates the Broadway Bridge to the left of the Steel Bridge. The tiny bright blue boat is a Willamette Jetboat, one that people pay to ride on, see the sights, get all wet. All that motion, turning, speed--not for me.



I took this photo from the 5th floor rooftop garden of my work building which is on the east side of the Willamette River. Remember, The World is docked on the west side of the river; my work building is five city blocks from the river--I don't know the distance in feet.



Here's that jet boat, speeding away after providing its passengers with a close up look at The World. They must've felt like flies on an elephant, size-wise.

Come back tomorrow for some photos I took as I walked alongside the sea wall, right beside The World. And the next day for photos which I got up very early to take on my way to work, well out of my way to work but on purpose. You'll understand when you see them.

Bridge lifts and Fleet Week, 2015

So, this morning at my break, I walked around on the rooftop garden for a bit of exercise, and I noticed the Broadway Bridge up, then I noticed the Steel Bridge up. That meant the US Navy ships in town for Fleet Week, a part of the Portland Rose Festival, were leaving Portland as scheduled. I took this photo, hoping to be able to label it accordingly and use it on the blog. The two bridges are more than two miles from my work building. I'm surprised that I got decent photos with my iPhone 5, zoomed in. The labels on the photos don't show up as well as I'd like, but I'm too tired to fool with them again.



At my afternoon break, I took this photo for comparison purposes.



Also for comparison, here's a photo that I took of the Broadway Bridge from the MAX Yellow Line while on the Steel Bridge. The Broadway Bridge is a Rall-type bascule bridge spanning the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States, built in 1913.



Also for comparison, here's a photo that I took of the Steel Bridge in 2011 when I got to be on a boat with the ships came in for Fleet Week. See the wavy looking bridge behind it, close to the bottom of the Steel Bridge? That's the Broadway Bridge which is north of the Steel Bridge. The Steel Bridge is a through truss, double-deck vertical-lift bridge across the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States, opened in 1912. Its lower deck carries railroad and bicycle/pedestrian traffic, while the upper deck carries road traffic (on the Pacific Highway West No. 1W, former Oregon Route 99W) and light rail (MAX), making the bridge one of the most multimodal in the world. It is the only double-deck bridge with independent lifts in the world and the second oldest vertical-lift bridge in North America, after the nearby Hawthorne Bridge. The bridge links the Rose Quarter and Lloyd District in the east to Old Town Chinatown neighborhood in the west.



During Fleet Week, 2011, I got to be on a boat on the river, taking loads of photos. Here's one of the completely open Broadway Bridge with one of the ships passing through it during the bridge lift. This is how a bascule bridge looks when it is open. The boat to its left is one of the River Patrol boats, part of the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.



And here's the Steel Bridge with one of the ships passing through it, headed to dock for Fleet Week. This is how a double-deck, vertical lift bridge looks when the ship going through means that both decks have to be lifted. Sometimes only the lower deck has to be lifted, when the ship is much shorter than this one.