Build a bridge, of course! We set a date for buildin the brige (May 6, 2001). Mister Bob took responsibility for getting the materials (two telephone poles, lumber) and permission to build the bridge (since our side of the creek is actually on the neighbor's property) and Sharlotte & I were responsible for getting the manual labor.
Luckily we have a true friend in Kevin P. Daugherty, whose friendly enthusiasm frequently overrules his common sense (I know some household projects in the Daugherty household got neglected during the bridge building). Kevin is a retired Navy Senior Chief (Submarine Dude), and he's managed to get some of his Navy friends to move to the area. They came over to help. Muchos thankos to Kevin (and spousal over-unit Debbie and daughter Erin Kathleen), Dave Matthews (wife Sue, sons Brandon and Zach, daughter Erin Marie), and Todd & Kathy Blackburn. They all came over to help out (and enjoy the picnic afterwards in the bizarro picnic pavilion that came with our house)
On to the pictures. Clicking on a picture will open a larger version in another window.
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Our bridge supplies (as Mister Bob heads home for some tools) Two decommissioned telephone poles (at least I hope they were decommissioned. I don't recall hearing about any service interruptions in the area) |
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Kevin? Being a ham? Never Here he is prepping the first pole for transport. |
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Dragging the first pole across the creek. The pole is chained to Mister Bob's pickem-up truck. |
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Dragging the first pole the last couple of feet to its final resting place. That's Miss Marjie on the left. |
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Starting the second pole across the creek. |
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The second pole being dragged across the way |
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Preparing to lever the second pole up onto the bank. The near side of the creek is much softer soil than the far side, which is why they're more on the bank than on the other side. |
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All of the Chiefs moving the second pole. L-R Brandon, Dave, ???, Duck, Todd, Kevin, Mr. Bob. |
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Everyone shifting the the second pole over. |
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Brandon demonstrating his balance beam technique, transporting boards destined for sawing. |
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Mister Bob and Todd figuring out the planking strategy as Brandon and Crew implement. |
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Todd and Kevin transporting planks |
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Zach offering his opinion of Dave's saw noises. |
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Todd and Kevin starting to plank. (Planks for the memories) |
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Kevin planking as Todd demonstrates his RiverDance technique. |
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Zach helps out with planking. |
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Brandon and Dave attaching planks after Kevin & Todd finished the first half. |
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Now that the bridge is done, the picnic starts and folks start relaxing. Here Mister Bob takes a swing on the in our back yard |
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Mister Bob showing the young'uns Extreme Swinging(tm). The swing is attached to a limb about 30 feet above the picture. (the tree it's all attached to is a massive old oak tree. It takes three people to hug this tree properly. |
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The Bonnie's "Dirt Cake". Vanilla ice cream with an oreo / chocolate stripe down the middle, with oreos on top. Plus gummy worms. We figured that since The Gang was playing in the dirt, Dirt Cake would be appropriate. |
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You'll notice that I'm not in any of the above pictures - I took them all. The bridge got built and I didn't have to do any work! Woo hoo! To make up for my slothfulness, I brought out the balloons, decorated the pavilion, and made a couple of hats. Here Erin Kathleen models the roach hat. |
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Erin and Zach posing with their new headgear. Brandon eventually took custody of the Roach Hat, and Erin got a Princess Leia Cinnamon Bun hat. |
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Kevin climbing to the top of the treehouse as Dave climbs the rope. This is the most use the treehouse has gotten since we moved in last year. |
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The treehouse club(tm), Erin, Dave, Kevin and Todd. |
Sharlotte & I feel most fortunate to have friends stupid nice enough to
come out and build this bridge so that we can go visit the Bobs in their natural
habitat. Gang, it's greatly appreciated!