Before we got started, the bridge builders invited our team up to cross; I was so pleased that at least some of my colleagues had the chance to experience the bridge!
And since I had done it already, I felt I could take some photos this time....
How the cables were secured to the abutments. This one was of several anchoring points. Not only are they wrapped around several bars, they are tied in too.
It's really quite beautiful in design.
And the view from the top. Our photographer who visited the bridge in Peru was on hand this morning, and took our photos at the halfway point. I can't wait to see them! And while that matting may be just "show" and mental security, I was very glad it was there. Interestingly, while the second time was easier, they were laughing at me again at the end. Why? Because I was puzzled over how much the bridge was moving this morning, only to find out that Roger was bouncing the cables on me during my crossing! (Roger is from Cusco, and has been our local contact and organizer for years. He was with them because he knows them all, also speaks Quechua in addition to Spanish and English, and so was their interpreter and presenter.) So as he laughed and apologized and gave me a big hug, I told him (in Spanish, not Quechua!) that with friends like him I didn't need enemies, and that set the bridge builders laughing all over again. It took a long time to build that relationship and get them to accept me and talk with me, and I really do miss them.
The tech director had a plan to take the bridge down with tension. But like with all things during the two weeks, the bridge builders had their own plan, and their own schedule. Suddenly, one end was down!
I audibly gasped when they put the saw to the bridge. They looked at me, and laughed again. And then they tied off the ends so they wouldn't unravel. All business.
Grass. Gosh it's stunning.
And they had a plan, clearly worked out long before they arrived in Washington. They folded the bridge...
then started folding in this direction...
until it was neatly piled on the pallet. This was the DC piece, the smaller piece. One of our fabrication shop guys then carried it off with a forklift.
We then got started on the NY piece, which was twice the length. Finally, my chance to help pull and carry the cables! I was thrilled to get to join and work alongside them. And I can attest to how heavy those cables are. It seemed so much easier to pull and walk and fold the bridge itself than the extra cables at the end. Eventually, though, that one too was secured to a (larger) pallet and forklifted back to the museum, to wait on the loading dock for a truck the next morning to Pennsylvania. (NY had arranged with a company in Pennsylvania to collect the bridge, bring it to their warehouse for drying and freezing, and then deliver it to NY where it will wait until next spring to be installed.) Our team weighed it so that NY and their company knew what to expect: 970 pounds! So ours is close to 500. Wow.
They invited me to stay for lunch, which was a lovely way to wrap things up. But eventually, the time came. I called for their shuttle. I was reminded that I was now officially invited to come visit them, and walk the real Q'eswachaka with them. It was hard, but I helped them into their van, said my "come back soon"s and "I'll let you know when I'm coming to Peru"s and "see you soon"s, closed the door, and waved goodbye. They had an afternoon free and flights back to Peru the next morning.
In the meantime, the DC bridge was in a hallway with some fans, getting some help in drying out. The soggy Festival weather meant that the cables were still fairly wet. Wet grass gets moldy, not good for museum environments. And freezing wouldn't be great for sopping wet grass either. So a dry-out period was ordered by the collections manager. On Tuesday afternoon it went into the freezer. This is standard treatment for organic materials for pest management. Having been outside for more than two weeks, undoubtedly there were numerous little creatures hanging out in the bridge, innocently intentioned, but very harmful to museum collections.
After a week in the freezer, the bridge came out and spent a day thawing. Then it was stretched out in a hallway between the fabrication shop and collections, with its own private fans, to help it dry out some more.
And then last week it was sprayed with fire retardant. It then had to dry again. But hopefully between the freezing and the spraying, it is bug-free, flame-proof, and also mold-proof!
Next step, the company building the faux stone platform and the framing system to anchor the bridge into the floor and the wall is readying their materials. Looks like the week of August 10 we'll get it into the gallery. That should be a fun process, as we're likely to be "on exhibit" ourselves, working while the gallery is open to visitors. More soon!
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