Garden Bridge---complete!

First things first, my dad constructed the Garden Bridge for me and brought it over Tuesday night. It was SO heavy. It is quite large because I decided I wanted it big enough to drive the riding mower across in case Clint wanted to start using that instead of push mowing that side of the yard. The lumber my dad used was just stuff he had left over from previous projects so it was a little rough in some areas. I decided to sand it by hand to get rid of some discolorations, flaws, etc. I had decided earlier that day that I would put Jude to bed about 45 minutes early so that I would have some day light left to get it sanded and stained. Putting him to sleep went perfectly, as it usually does. I retreated to the garage with the baby monitor to gather my supplies (stain, sanding wedge, rag, paintbrush)...until I realized after searching for about 15 minutes that the paint brushes were not in their usualy place and that Clint must have moved them. Obviously, I couldn't call and ask him where they were, so I called my wonderful father in law who was kind enough to bring one over. I literally had about 10 minutes left to get it stained. It turned out wonderful. I have all the lumber to construct the side rails but am unsure now if I want to put them on because I like the way that it kind of blends into the yard. Maybe I will for a few years until I feel comfortable with Jude not falling over the side since I can always remove them later. We'll see.

Here is a photo of it in the yard now without the side rails.