Our Bridges a Constant Battle with Mother Nature

 Indeed, living near a stream you face an ongoing battle with Mother Nature...

Such as seen here, our bridge and wood trail being completely damaged by high water and wind...

This was in March of 2003, when the entire bridge (our center bridge; one of 3 in total) got lifted up and smacked elsewhere.

You see all the debris, tree trunks and whatever that came in the water our way from God knows where.

Also there is a kind of a sandy beach created after such a flood, visible in photo above to the left and all along the stream's edge here below.

After a lot of work it looked neat again... Except for the heavy part of the bridge, that got smacked all the way to the left (seen in this photo), it still resides there!

Too heavy for moving it and our Spunky-Tiger girl often sits there, it is her 'throne' in the wood garden.

Here Spunky-tiger is on Wednesday, December 22, enjoying her sun rays after another miserable day of rain...

On Sunday, October 20 of 1996, Pieter posing proudly in front of his 3rd bridge and wood trail; all built by hand!

Along the stream we had a row of all varieties of Canna Lilies but when they got plagued by an insect, a nasty leaf-roller, we got rid of all!

That very bridge got several repairs and this was May 8, 2013.

The foliage you see below the part where Pieter sits on the bridge section are the leaves of Canna Lilies.

Once more our center bridge got beaten badly by high water and wind and on November 29, 2021 Pieter went to work on some repair.

Looking neat and safe again!

Old left overs...

Pieter had a hard time for removing the old 'rusted' screws.

But repair work is always more tedious than new jobs!

Our 1st bridge near to the road, also needed repair... So Pieter loaded up his tools.

Pieter had to exchange the left tire for a new one the other day...

Found it on line and it arrived fast, so he could pull his work horse along.

Oh, you see the ladder against the house on our driveway, top right, as the painters had started to paint the exterior.

A long wait since April, due to a wet spring and a wet summer and the autumn weather was also tricky.

Doing repair work and also discovering that the 'end' part got completely covered and hidden, by dirt from the flooding.

So, the spade had to be used!

Pieter unearthed a muddy 'sunken' part of the bridge...

Now it needs to be attached again... using metal brackets.

It is a heavy, and also a very muddy job!

But the end is in sight!

Pieter used part of the vinyl picket fence.

Treating the wood and a dirty job is once again DONE until the next toss up by Mother Nature with brutal force 😜

Pieter Cleaned our Front Door Lights and HURT his Eye

 Having your own home requires ongoing maintenance and or repair...

One of the LED lights next to our front door did no longer work.

So Pieter started to take them off the wall, to replace their dusk to dawn light control.

This is AFTER Pieter did the job, successfully!

In 2013, the spot behind them has not even been painted...

They needed some deep cleaning!

The contractor that build our home, did not leave much of the wire outside of the wall, for working with.

That made things complicated, for disconnecting and re-connecting.

The hand carved wooden name plaque got made in Indonesia and was a gift for Pieter's help in the mushroom cultivation there.

Cast aluminum in white, that we brought back from Italy.

They both needed a new dusk to dawn light control.

Pieter also did sand the cast aluminum and paint the lights, before hanging them back onto the wall.

In doing these various chores, somehow, he must have gotten something inside his left eye...

There are also glass panels...

While we were living and working in Indonesia, the house got build.

The usage of such LONG screws proves that the professionalism at times was not the best!

On November 3, I had to be with Pieter at the Vision Eye Group Ophthalmology Clinic in Macon for his 8:00 AM appointment...

One hour drive...

We tried on Friday, to get an emergency appointment in at the local Dublin Eye Associates.

But he could only be seen by mid February!

Review for Dr. Felicia Carolyn Fountain, MD in Dublin

Review for Dr. Jeffery C. Hinson, MD

So I was so glad that they fit us in for seeing the ophthalmologist in Macon, the one that did my eye surgery end of 2020 and early this year.

Grateful, as it turned out Pieter had a swollen eye and it got scratched, very painful all together!

With some special drops for two weeks, which we picked up at the pharmacy on the way home, he got fast pain relief and also better vision.

That was quite a scare!

On Wednesday, December 1, we both went back, again early appointment at 8:00 AM and all looked well again.

Pieter Acrobat High on Ladder

We did have the tree cutters, but this odd branch also needed to be cut off as it was hindering another oak tree.

So, Pieter put up his aluminum ladder and on the 22nd rung he started sawing off the branch.

Even sawing left-handed...I certainly held my breath, as I stood far away, against a big tree.