Time

As I sit here at the window of the VC, I think about time.  Or rather what a time warp this window presents.
 The view over the computer screen is of a replica of a building established by an arm of the British government in 1825, nearly two hundred years ago.  The land was not "owned" by anyone, but shared by both the United States and Great Britian.  Things changed dastically upon the signing of the Treaty of 1846 establishing the northern borders of our country at the 49th parrallel.
  Directly behind it in my line-of-sight is the Vancouver Land Bridge which was dedicated in August of 2008.  It is a land bridge that was constructed to both literally and figuratively  re-establish the connection between Fort Vancouver and the Columbia River.
   Directly behind that I see one of many trains that move up and down the river front.
   Directly behind the tracks are the trees that signal the mighty Columbia River, which was important then and is important now.
   Directly behind that is the I-5 bridge over the Columbia River with its green metal lattice work and normal heavy flow of travel in both directions.
   Finally, directly behind that in the distance are the west hills of Portland which look surprisingly pristine considering the number of residences in them.
   Above all this, the sky is filled, on a regular basis, with large planes filled with passengers heading for places distant.

   What a conglomeration of sights and sounds and time.