Rockin' the Ramp

With special consideration for our children in chairs, Tim and the guys worked hard to create a beautiful and manageable sidewalk slope to the pool decking. Tim says "It'll be ready for you on Tuesday, kids!"

Dream Team

Desiree and Joe have joined forces to help speed up our timeline to make Bridgewater safe, functional, and accessible for our kids. From hanging lights to painting to plumbing, no job is too big for Bridgewater's own "dream team."

Artistic direction

Our design folks, aka "Bubba"and his partner Kim, are working to develop a logo and theme for our upcoming therapy summit in October. Can't wait to see the final results on our t-shirts and conference bags!

Come on in, the water's fine!

Diane's brother Matt cleaned the pool (no small feat!) so the kids could try it out over Labor Day weekend. Everyone had a great time!The pool uses a salt water chlorine generator instead of chlorine tablets for sanitation. That plus the heater will keep things comfortable for an extended swimming season.

Wide open space for our kids and their families!

Tim and the guys from DCII Concrete carefully set the grade and pour the remaining concrete decking around the pool. Now it is all starting to come together! Looking good! We are almost ready to swim!

Our wheelchair pathway takes shape

Dean of Campbell Grading and Tim of DCII Concrete mark out the proposed wheelchair path and sidewalk along the lake. Tim created a beautiful winding path including areas reserved for benches and resting spots for our kids in chairs.

The guys from DCII Concrete delivered absolutely breathtaking results! Only a few more short lengths to finish and ALL of our kids will be able to enjoy the lake and grounds at Bridgewater. Thank you so very much Tim and DCII!!

A little demo(lition)!

The downstairs patio out to the pool was a dark, cramped space until Dean "moved" one of the stairways for us. Now we have a clear path out to the pool!

Watch that first step! It's a long way down!

Tub Trade

The old hot tub was moved off its precarious perch by Dean Campbell of Campbell Grading. Dean agreed to take it off our hands in exchange for some of the grading work he is doing. Just so happens he has a wedding anniversary coming up next week . . . I think his wife will be happy to see the new bubbly bathtub out on their back deck!

Gazebo Go-Go!

Dean Campbell of Campbell Grading graciously offered to move our gazebo off its shifting foundation (sink hole is more like it!). He found a lovely spot near the woods along the planned wheelchair path. The gazebo is screened and has lights and a ceiling fan to provide a comfortable place to rest while down at the lake.

Expressions of Love

Thanks to an identification band on our white dove's foot, we were able to locate her owner via the internet. Dove and Clementine Bryant were reunited Thursday afternoon. Clementine raises doves to be used in dove releases for special events and her husband Jeff raises racing pigeons. Our little dove got tuckered out on one of her first training releases and took a detour to Bridgewater for a little R&R. Fly by anytime, girl! We'll miss you!

Back at it!

The hard-working men from Torres Concrete Co. in Matthews, NC, arrived Monday to frame and fashion the cantilever decking along the perimeter of the pool. Additional decking will be added later when the path from the driveway is added.

As in the days of Noah . . .

A friendly visitor greeted us at Bridgewater this evening! Although she was not carrying an olive branch, hopefully she is a sign that the rainy weather has passed, the ground is drying up, and the pool guys can give it another go this week! Bob and the boys from Cabarrus Pool will be back first thing Monday morning to lay the forms for the decking and start pouring the concrete.

Beaver re-location program accelerated

The pond at Bridgewater Farms has a fairly significant population of beavers that are destroying valuable hardwoods along the shore as well as damming up overflows and waterways between adjoining properties. Several ideas have been "floated" to address this issue and, being in South Carolina, you can imagine that many of these plans would result in the beaver's demise.

However, thanks to an animal-loving friend, an alternative solution has emerged . . .

Beth McKinsey, a PT from Asheville, NC, is in charge of the Bridgewater beaver re-location program, in collaboration with Rachel Maddow of MSNBC. Beth's plan is to transfer the beavers to friendly parts of Canada where their intelligence and strong family values are appreciated (beavers are loyal family animals who are monogamous). OK, so it is not really Beth in the photo and Rachel Maddow is not actually collaborating on our relocation program (although she did do a special report on the incredible intelligence of the beaver). But Beth truly does advocate (strongly) for our furry friends and so no beavers have yet been harmed at Bridgewater Farms. They just continue to destroy trees and dam up waterways. God bless 'em.

A beaver is seen here hard at work carrying the trunk of a beautiful Maple tree intended to shade the wheelchair pathway along the pond's edge. OK, OK, this picture is from the internet public domain, but the local beavers have really taken down some trees meant to shade the wheelchair pathway. Really.

Desiree uses the front end loader to clean up branches and overgrowth on the peninsula. Who knew it was the top of a beaver lodge?

Just looks like a pile of sticks to me . . .

Ding-dong . . . . Avon calling . . . . are there any beavers at home? We are having a special on musk and tooth whitening gel!

No, no. The burrow-cam shows clearly that no one is home. Thank goodness, because my hand on the camera shutter was very close to whatever may have been sleeping in there. In any case, these beavers will need to build a new lodge. The peninsula has been re-claimed for humankind. I know, it is so very selfish. Just remember, no beavers were harmed (homeless, but not harmed) in the recording of this adventure. Please do not contact PETA.