When I first hosted parties at Footlights I described the lead-up to our property as,
“Downhill, across a bridge, first on the right.”
Of course, I know there’s a bridge, I’ve checked it out creekside,
but anyone who didn’t live here, driving along up top, would not recognise it as a bridge, there’s no suspension, guard rail or wooden boards, no steel piers…just plain old dirt at the end of a hill leading to a rise that reveals our entranceway.
“What bridge?” they’d say when they eventually arrived having called me at the end of the road.
But bridge it is…a dirt road bridge across a trickle of a creek…until the rains come.
Then it grows into a fast running, deep, waterway.
In recent years we’ve had a few heavy concrete mixers and excavators crossing over; gradually, with the help of winter and spring storms, it’s finally succumbed to the additional weight and begun to fall into the creek bed,
narrowing our access precariously.
Within a week, all of us who lived on the other side of the bridge, that isn’t a bridge, decided it had become a liability we weren’t covered for.
We closed the lane to through traffic,
except for the property owners.
There followed negotiations-between the twelve families north of the creek and a steady stream of contractors.
Different ideas were brainstormed, the bidding began and we were awash with emails.
Effectively cut off from services we carted our trash over for pick-up….
had our parcels dropped off at homes to the south of us,
drove into Weston to collect mail,
and crossed the narrowing bridge with caution.
I was aware that even when walking the road was steadily eroding.
We prayed there was no emergency as a 55,000 lb ambulance or fire-truck would be pushing its luck.
We narrowed the search to three bids and cast our vote last week and now the work is about to begin.
This evening we are to park our cars on the other side in kindly neighbours’ driveways.
Tomorrow we have been told to either leave early and return late or stay put while the demolition takes place.
By the evening the load bearing culvert will be in place and foot traffic may be possible.
The new structure will be a little wider than the original with crushed cement and ric-rac support. Guard rails will make it look more like a bridge and give it a semblance of safety.
Completion will be Saturday and we Rigsby-Laners will have navigated just another bump in the road to pandemic recovery.
Oh that COVID-19 could be solved so quickly.
Well hello there! My name is Vivienne McNeny.
I am an empty nester exploring life as a Boomer…you could say I'm happily Boomering along!
As a homeschooling Mum I have finally quit the job of role model and mentor to my four children. I do what I want to do, eat when I feel like it, enjoy life with my blue eyed cowboy and clean my house once a month or so whether it needs it or not!
In true English form I write about the emergence of my true identity now that I can no longer hide behind my children as their Mum.
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