2005
Acrylic Paint on Canvas
50 inches x 20 inches
Bridges are one of my favorite subjects. They must be because I’ve done so many of them. Riegelsville’s two-lane bridge over the Delaware River has some notoriety. It’s a three span wire cable suspension bridge only 15 1/2 feet wide but 581 feet long. It was constructed in 1904 by John A. Roebling Sons Company. The patriarch of the family, John A. Roebling, built the Brooklyn Bridge.
But beyond the unique history and appearance of this old construction lies one of the reasons I wanted to commit it to canvas:
This view is from the Jersey side. The Riegelsville Inn stands on the opposite riverbank. Behind me is the closed and boarded up Riverside Bar and Grill. In my youth it was our prime source of alcohol. The drinking age in New Jersey was eighteen back then, and we would drive the two-lane roads from Saucon Valley on Rt 412, then 212, then River Road to Delaware Road past the distinguished Riegelsville Inn and over Roebling’s bridge to the divey-est bar anyone can imagine.
After a halfhearted attempt by the bartender to determine our ages, we were back in the car with a case of Rolling Rock and a bottle of vodka. I can remember the humorous look on his face each time we came in and how he rolled our suspect draft cards around in his hand while he made up his mind to serve us or not.
Those were the days.
The bridge still stands.