a bridge crossing like no other.....

this morning as i was driving across the george washington bridge, i had an eventful series of moments happen that i think no one will really believe, but i know what i saw.

on the radio, a new song called "beautiful" or something like that by a man from "across the pond" james blunt. a slight drizzle filled the overcast morning sky and i was on my way to work.

as i turned from the palisades parkway on to the bridge there was a crane that literally reached the top spans of the bridge. there were men being carefully loaded or unloaded on to the tension wires that hold up the bridge, for what i can only assume was an inspection. (glad to know that someone is checking on this giant thing that people just drive across with faith that it WILL hold them up- more on that later)

as i passed this amazing collection of machinery and man power i caught a glimpse of the car getting ready to pass me on my left side. there in my side view mirror i saw a man, in a blue old style chevy something or other (not good with car types). as he whizzed by and i got a good long look, i couldn't help to think how out of this time period this man seemed. there he sat in his little blue car, in his light grey felt fedora complete with black band, his spectacles that bore a strong resemblance to something that teddy roosevelt would have worn, his left hand on the steering wheel and his right hand properly perched in the air with a long, freshly light cigar nestled between his stubby pointer finger and middle finger.

the only thing that i imagine could complete the look of this misplaced man is that i will guess that he was wearing a dapper 3 piece suit, starched shirt and bow tie. mind you i am using artistic license here, as i can only really say that i saw that he had on a sport coat of some kind, shirt with a collar and dear god, i can only hope that he did actually have pants on.

he seemed content as he cruised by getting ready to take another long puff from his burning cigar. a slight smile sat pleasantly on his face. his car passed mine and a flurry of what i can only explain as a whirlwind of glimmering confetti followed. there behind this pretty nondescript car carrying a slightly odd character was quite possibly the most magically site that i have yet to see in my driving adventures.

the rectangular cut pieces of metallic gold, blue, white and yellow floated off the bridge span into the air and cartwheeled down the road after the blue chevy as if they were devote followers of the man with the cigar. this little breadcrumb trail of sparkles seemed to track completely across the bridge and continued to catch any available light in the dark tunnel that burrows under the apartment building on the new york side of the bridge. then as quickly as the car and confetti trail appeared, they seemed to disappear. no sign of confetti as i merged on to fdr drive, no hint of the man with the cigar who i can only assume headed off across the cross bronx expressway, bring the glitz of the extraordinary to some other unsuspecting motorists.

now, i can't say for sure where this confetti came from....

i know that in all of the great advances there are in car manufacturing there has yet to be a confetti spitting model to hit the sales floor.

there could have been a parade on the bridge? (not before 9am when i was crossing and it wasn't there last night when i was coming home)

could the crane men have something to do with it?

if the confetti was already there, why didn't it stay stuck to the wet pavement after the morning rains?

and why was there no evidence of confetti when i crossed the bridge on my return home this afternoon? (and believe me i looked desperately for a sign of the sparkle and shine- not a glint)

so some unexplained moment of cinematic worth that i can only hope was shared with the other drivers that flanked the right and left of me as i made my journey into the grand city of ny. i can only think to myself that this is a moment in life that is mine. it does not need explained it just needs to be wondered at and packed away in the catalog of my mind as the grandest crossing of a beautiful bridge on a rain soaked sunday morning that i might ever have hoped to have.