The two younger girls wanted to go sit by the gate and watch them work, so they packed up a blanket and some toys and went on down the driveway. I told them to ask the guys if we could keep the wood they removed. I think they'd be nice to use as seating around the fire pit. Just another way we could integrate the history of this home into our homestead. As it turns out, it saves the railroad money to give the old wood to the homeowner upon request, so they don't have to send someone else to come and pick it up to dispose of it. They even offered to bring the logs up to the fire pit in one of their big machines.
I'm looking forward to getting the fire pit dug out and lined with bricks so we can have a nice fire and s'mores before the snow flies. Hooray for pieces of the past that can be salvaged and made useful again. These wood beams will likely last close to a lifetime as seating, even if they weren't suitable as crossing beams anymore. I imagine the kids walking on them, setting their plates and a cup of lemonade on them as they warm their toes by an evening fire.
Perhaps it's just my peculiar fascination with old things. Or maybe it really is fantastic to integrate the past with the future.