Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Thursday, February 3. 2011

Last winter our footbridge washed away

Late last winter the Spring snowmelt combined with a late nor'easter washed out our footbridge along with some multi-ton marble blocks that formed the old mill dam. Nature's entropy is always trying to destroy whatever man does.


We still haven't figured out how to fix it all in a cost-manageable way, but the beavers are always working on rebuilding the dam now. The mill which had been here was built for cutting marble blocks, then rafting them downstream in the Spring high water towards NYC and Boston. Oxcarts too, I believe. Lots of marble in the Berkshires.


Pics from last year.


The footbridge had been here:



It ended up here:



 

Posted by Bird Dog in Our Essays, The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 18:14 | Comments (4) | Trackbacks (0)

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Know what you mean. Our old mill dam at the end of the street literally went south during the big floods a couple of years ago. Those of us who used to fish the pond behind the dam and the owner have wanted to fix it for years - put it back into it's original condition. At first, the state wouldn't allow it, but we managed to get around that, then the state DOT got involved with all kinds of requirements (sluice ways, etc.) but we solved those problems. The Army Corps of Engineers is looking the plans over, but now they have to get clearance from the USCG (of all organizations) to approve the plans. Apparently, the "creek" is considered a navigable river and thus, under their jurisdiction.

Honestly? We should have just rebuilt the damn dam and forgot about all the legal beagle stuff. I mean who the hell was going to object?
#1 Tom Francis on 2011-02-03 18:55 (Reply)
The creek below my house is dry 350 days a year, yet, as I understand it, the channel can't be altered without Corps of Engineers approval as it is considered 'navigable".

I know in your case I would have done just as you suggest, rebuilt it and hoped no one noticed. Best to let sleeping dogs lie if you can.
#1.1 feeblemind on 2011-02-04 23:15 (Reply)
It's not all that pretty, but very easy to and quick, and due to dun color of cement not all that ugly either: lay bags of cement, unopened, in the water. They set in the paper before it weathers away, and you have the cast concrete 'bag' forever, right where you put it, if you lattice the bags (lay 'em longway) to let the stream flow through.
#2 buddy larsen on 2011-02-04 01:45 (Reply)
The footbridge ended up in one piece? Now that's construction.
#3 Alan Kellogg (Link) on 2011-02-05 00:37 (Reply)

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