Through the bridge to Grandma's house.

 When I was a child, almost every Sunday afternoon we went to Grandma's house, Grandpa was there as well some times but when we were little, Grandma was the star of the show. I remember trying to figure out who she was, it was like having another mom only older, more patient and kinder. Plus she had some crazy baking skills unrivalled by anyone on earth. It made total sense to me that she was my mom's mom when I was finally old enough to understand. I have a lot of great memories connected to our Sunday visits.

 Like a story in a book, "Off to Grandma's House", go by the church, past the fields, down the hill, through the covered bridge on our way to Grandma's house. Every week that was our routine. The covered bridge, a local secret, the road is an obscure road mostly used by farmers and summer cottage types. I'm not sure how long it's been there but had the title of being one of the few remaining covered bridges in Canada. Once while in a doctor's office, he saw me staring at his painting of a covered bridge. It was giving to him by the previous elderly doctor who himself, had received it as a gift back in the 60's from a patient. The doctor said to me that no one knows where the bridge is or if it even exist anymore. I told him, "yes it's still there, I know because it's about two miles from my parent's farm", it was the bridge found in my life's story.

Yesterday however that story ended because of the destructive nature of some people. On a cold winter day when everyone was staying off the roads, some piece of garbage set fire to the covered bridge. I can't tell you how sad that made me. A local landmark, a part of our heritage gone forever. It's like we can't have anything nice these days, some idiot has to ruin it for the rest of us. If I had heard that the person or persons got trapped while doing that, I would have no sympathy, I'm so sick of this garbage.

 I have always been worried about something like that happening. There was someone setting covered bridges on fire around here years ago. I was uneasy that some government sites started advertising the bridge as a tourist attraction. I think what saved it for all these years was the obscure road it serviced. Only a few weeks ago I passed through it and was going to take pictures with my phone and blog about it. I changed my mind and felt I should return with my camera for better shots. I regret that so much now. It's also unsettling that there is someone so destructive like that around. Sometimes they start with bridges, then houses closed up for the winter, then barns. The thing that drives me crazy as well is, if they catch the person who did it and they are local, ninety nine percent of the time that person's parents were scum when they were young as well, generations of idiots and they will get off with a slap on the wrist.

 I feel sorry for the residents on the far side, many will have to travel far to get to work. Many farmers have farm land on both sides, making them have to travel for hours with machinery this summer. It will probably take a couple of years before a new bridge is built because it's not a main through way, it will have a low priority on the construction list but definitely one thing for sure... it won't be a covered bridge, it will be a modern, functional bridge that you won't even notice crossing.