The start of something big

As of now I’ve had a couple of days to digest the announcement that was made the other day regarding what is to start happening in Baltimore soon. It is an apt time of year for such a proclamation, as yesterday while I was at a client’s home I noticed that just the tips of some spring flowers were beginning to protrude out of the soil. While nothing is yet in bloom, if one looks hard enough, signs that spring is on the way are all around. Shoots erupting from the earth, the swollen buds on my rhododendron bushes, and the tips of many tree branches are also decked out with growing buds. Nature is gearing up, mostly in secret, for the arrival of warmer weather. When you look at a bud on a plant, unless you have previous knowledge, you’ll have no idea as to what colors you might get, and perhaps not even the general appearance of the flower. Deep inside these developing structures the plants are busy creating their bright spring apparel, sight unseen, that is, until it is time for the blooms to open.

Things seem to be progressing in a similar manner with what is developing in south Baltimore, in and around the Patapsco River. But this is no spring flower, nor is it a plant, and not even a living thing that is in the process of being created. No, this is a monstrous entity, a most intimidating structure that thus far, only exists on paper (or, rather, in some computer program and on the web). An enormous, towering tree of the future that is but little more than a seed at this moment. All of the incredible statistics on this epic monster have now been made public, and they are breathtaking. Frankenstein truly is building a monster! Igor and his minions are currently hard at work, checking out the site on which this great edifice will be erected. And out from the mad scientist’s (engineer’s?) lab had just came the official tentative rendering of what the monster will look like.

I suppose I might as well just go ahead and share the information from the “horse’s mouth” as the old saying goes. Here is the link, if you are interested, so that you can see to what I am referring:https://keybridgerebuild.com/updates/bridge-design

My first impression of this steel and concrete monstrosity to be is that it reminds me much of Savannah’s monster, the Talmadge Memorial Bridge. However, this beastly Baltimorean bridge will span a much wider section of water and be a good bit taller than that southern monster. Comparing it to the Savannah bridge would be like comparing a bobcat to a mountain lion! In addition, it would also dwarf the demon bridge of Tampa, in both height and span length. But here is the sick thing I noticed when I was reading thru some comments on the Facebook page dedicated to the rebuilding of the bridge. This is the official page, run by the state. Here is a link to that page:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558692757377

Anyway, I was rather horrified to find that some people were comparing the new Key Bridge rendering to Tampa’s highway from Hell, including some who wanted to see it lit up like that at night! But I bet that those who made such comments have no idea of the history of the Tampa monster, that blood splattered savage steel and concrete structure that stands in the bay like a towering monument to darkness and death. But I am glad they have created that Key Bridge page; as I will find most interesting not what official announcements are made, but rather in what people are saying in response. I did post a couple of comments on that page, although of course I did not make some of my true feelings known. They really do not want to know what I think of that bridge, and the one before it….