21 - FROM BRIDGE TO BARN

FROM BRIDGE TO BARN

11 ¼ x 13 ¼ inches

(Cattle barn made from recycled bridge)

Over and over again, Dad embraced the practical benefits of recycling. He used the huge wooden planks and iron beams left over from the rickety old bridge to build this functional cattle barn; a building he had always dreamed of having on our farm.

Dad let my older sister and me watch during the construction. He gave us little jobs to make us feel very important and needed during the process. Later he bragged to neighbors and relatives about how we had helped to build the barn, even though I’m sure we were mostly in the way. Dad knew the importance of building confidence in his children—he also taught us how to see value in the discarded.

I suspect that when Dad first heard that this bridge was going to be replaced by a culvert, his creative mind instantly knew what he could do to make something useful. As usual, his progressive thinking benefited everyone. The county did not have to spend money to haul away the bridge remnants and Dad got his dream barn—it was a win-win!