Liz and I recently had a wonderful afternoon at Shelburne Museum seeing the Impressionist exhibition as well as a stunning exhibit of star-pattern quilts. There is always much to see and enjoy, especially on a sunny, breezy day like we had.
At one point I ducked inside the double-covered bridge and was delighted by the bright summer sun streaking through the cracks in the board siding in high contrast with the dark, cool interior of the bridge itself. The play of light was a magical world unto itself where it became easy to imagine days gone by even though the bridge no longer serves its original function.
This unique structure, dating from 1845 and originally crossing Lamoille River with its 168 foot long-span, is a marvel of history and engineering.
Such is the case with all covered bridges. Vermont is fortunate to still have many, most of which are still in daily use. On the drive back to Montpelier, we managed to cross two more bridges with their own patterns of sun and shadows and their own remarkable structures and stories.
Here is the Quinlan Bridge, built in 1850 and 88 feet long, in the town of Charlotte, showing both some of the structure as well as the play of light.
As we drove through the Great Eddy Covered Bridge in Waitsfield to find the sunlight still playing with the shadows and a number of kids jumping into the pool of the Mad River below the bridge. Built in 1833 this is the oldest working bridge in Vermont and spans 107 feet.
What a lovely way to spend a late summer day!
Still Learning To See 