Shocks Mill Bridge on the Susquehanna

Finally! The weather improved, and on a sunny afternoon I took my bike and hit the Northwest River Trail just outside of Marietta, PA.

There was plenty to observe and appreciate along the trail.  There's a lot of moisture in the ground from a very wet spring, and now that the sun has come out the plant life is exploding.  These fox grape tendrils were growing with great vigor.

The air was sweet and redolent with the scent of honeysuckle. I stopped to taste the nectar from a few blossoms.

Jewelweed was everywhere.  The leaves can be crushed and the juice applied as a trail remedy for an encounter with stinging nettles.

Here's a macro shot of a wineberry blossom and a small sweat bee busy pollinating. I am very much looking forward to the berries ripening.

There were drifts of fluff on the ground from the eastern cottonwood trees.

My goal was the section of trail where it meets the river at the Schocks Mill Bridge, in order to take pictures for my almost-completed, self-directed project, 52 Ways to Look at the River.  (You can track back the posts about the project by clicking on the 52 Ways tab in the top header, or click here.)

 The Susquehanna was running very high and fast due to all the recent rains.

 I'd been here before, way back in week 18 when the autumn leaves were just beginning to turn colors.

52 Ways to Look at the River, week 18 panel

This time I wanted to focus on the hybrid nature of the architecture.  The stone arch railroad bridge was originally built in 1905. In July of 1972, in the aftermath of Hurricane Agnes, six center spans collapsed into the river. With Federal aid they were replaced by nine new concrete piers and steel girder spans.  .

The old sections of the bridge have bits of vegetation growing in the cracks.

I love the textures and colors revealed by the telephoto lens.

It's a cool bridge and a unique structure from any angle.

I chose this view as my inspiration image for week 50:

52 Ways to Look at the River, week 50 image

And here's the fiberart panel I made in response. The panel is 6" x 12", wool and silk, needlefelted, printed, painted, and stitched.

52 Ways to Look at the River, week 50 panel

Two more weeks to go, and then I will begin assembling the panels into artquilts.  You can follow along with each week's reveal on your platform of choice:
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As always, thanks for reading and commenting.