Not Much Traffic Here
A Guidebook provided by Urasoe City Board of Education led to this find.
Buzzing along the highways and byways of the island, you never see things like this.
There are a couple dozen more treasures like this, I'll be hunting down.
Folks who can read these signs, might find the place, quicker than, I did.
But, if they are, flying down side streets, in little 4 cylinder cars, they could miss out, too.
It's best, to get off your rump and, do some walking. Even doctors will tell you that.
The bridge, isn't visible from the road up above but, it's a beauty.
Stone-work like this, takes plenty of hard labor to accomplish, I know.
It should be photographed and, displayed for the whole world to admire.
Walking across, to the other side, I shot this scene, showing the river below.
More than a few centuries old, it must have been a struggle, building this bridge.
Imagine the laborers, jumping into the river, to cool off, at the end of the day.
For me, it was important to, get close-up photos of both sides, showing the stone work.
What if, they had an east side and a west side construction crew?
Both crews deserve to have their work displayed. That would only be fair.
Backing off with the camera, gives an idea, why it's not visible from the city street.
A Long Long Time Ago
It might help if, I explain my interest in architecture such as this.
When I was very young a stonemason from Italy taught me something.
Maybe, eight years old or so, I hauled heavy rocks, in a wheelbarrow, for him.
As fast as the stones could be hauled, he would use them, going higher and higher.
Hard labor, sweat and tears from dawn until dusk, he kept on building.
From a foundation, dug in the ground, to above the roof in the sky, he built a chimney.
That chimney and fireplace, were the first time, our house got heated.
From That Foundation
Learning hard work, mixing mortar, handling stones, did something for me.
It gave me an appreciation for architectural design and, respect for those in the industry.
Some folks, these days, would consider that work, child labor and criminal.
It wasn't. It was friends and family, helping each other and more.
Consider it, character building. That's what I do.
With all my heart, I appreciate the work of builders, laborers and engineers.
All that's left to say is, something I should have said, way back then.
One night, when the old stonemason was sleeping, something strange happened.
Signore Caccavale, "I didn't mean, to piss in your boots."
"I'll buy you a beer, when I get to the other side. OK?"
