New Hip Joint and I look forward to Bridge Path

Attitude of gratitude: yesterday I was in a store and walked quickly between the aisles of clothes and other items to my destination. Then it hit me: I was walking without thinking about the artificial joint moving me forward.

This week I’m 14 months post op and resuming my shared use path training.

Last March I received a dual mobility hip joint to replace the arthritic one that was crippling me. Walking was painful, sometimes unbearable. I’d lean on walls, tables, chairs, even on my car, for balance, limping to alleviate the bone-on-bone pain. It disappeared after my brilliant and compassionate surgeon replaced the joint with an artificial one.

Part of my enthusiasm to walk along the new path when it opens comes from the anticipated thrill of seeing an unencumbered view of Hudson Valley, and part comes from joy of being able to walk those six-plus miles without wondering if the next step will bring pain.

Because of the new joint I stayed away from tugboats and missed a few Tappan Zee Bridge milestones this year, notably when its main span was lowered, when its east anchor span was carefully demolished, and last week, when its west anchor span was cut and lowered.

However, my new hip joint and I are looking forward to when the new path opens.

I’d like to know what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2019

TZB West Anchor Span Removal and Dismantling

Making the last critical torch cut before we could begin to lower our old bridge's 600-foot west anchor span using the yellow-wheeled devices called strand jacks. pic.twitter.com/9rB7JxQh8y

— The New NY Bridge (@NewNYBridge) May 10, 2019

Governor Cuomo was at the project site yesterday to document final removal of the Tappan Zee Bridge, whose east anchor span fell after a controlled demolition early this year. Now in the Hudson River, it will be lifted and removed.

Top of east anchor span that will be lifted, removed from river bottom/© Press Office

While the old bridge became property of the design-build team, the state had an interest in how and when it was removed from the river. Last spring, the main span was lowered onto a bard and removed, and pieces of that span became part of the artificial reefs being built off Long Island.

Remaining west anchor span will be lowered into barges and removed./© Press Office

The remaining west anchor span, attached by four columns, was cut and is being lowered onto barges, then moved south and dismantled.

I’d like to know what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2019

Fourth Falcon Egg opens; Eyases need Names

Mom and dad falcons yesterday awaiting the birth/hatching of their little ones. They didn’t have to wait long: by the afternoon, three of the four eyases arrived.

This morning at a little before 9:25 a.m., the lone egg sat and waited . . .

until suddenly its shell cracked, and the little one joined its siblings:

Four eyases, the first hatched in the nest atop the new bridge, need names.

I’d like to know what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2019

Falcon Eggs are waiting to Hatch; We wait, Too

Disappointing not to see a live falcon cam that’s fluid as now viewers have to click the time to see if the birds are there or not. It took me three clicks (I must have guessed correctly when I picked a time!) to see the falcon parents gone, and the four eggs soaking up the sunlight in their absence.

Waiting for the falcon eggs to hatch into eyases, waiting for the westbound span’s path, and the visitor center, to be completed and then open, waiting for Exit 10 traffic to find a routine, waiting for the remaining pieces of the Tappan Zee Bridge to be removed from the river . . . and waiting to know what our tolls will be once we reach New Year’s Day 2020.

I’d like to know what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2019

Perfect Spot for NYC Fireboat John D. McKean

A few days ago I wrote about the safety turnarounds on the westbound span that would aid first responders in case of emergencies. Last week I went to Sleepy Hollow to see the New York City Fireboat John D. McKean. She sat quietly at the end of a pier near Horan’s Landing, and I wondered why people said she blocked their view. There wasn’t much to see nearby; the new bridge and Rockland shores were quite visible.

True, it’s not my neighborhood; however, why the fuss? She is part of history and saved lives after one of our country’s most horrific attacks. This seems a perfect location. The nearby boats and equipment that belong to consortium Tappan Zee Constructors, LLC (TZC) are an eyesore; the brightly colored vessel is an addition.

Less than one-half mile south at the Tarrytown viewing area, people were talking about the new and old bridges. One couple drove from New York City and asked how long it would take by train to get to Tarrytown; one friend was explaining to another how crews removed the Tappan Zee Bridge’s center section and, later, its eastern anchor span via controlled demolition.

I’d like to know what you think.

Copyright © Janie Rosman and Kaleidoscope Eyes 2019