Hollow Memories

You probably won't be surprised to hear that the road thru the hollow was a dirt road sparsely covered by gravel and hardly maintained by the county. There were two small wooden bridges each side of the long driveway to our home. Those bridges were washed out more than once when I was little. I remember walking thru the woods to a more shallow area of the creek so I could cross the road since the school bus couldn't get across the bridge. It was uphill both ways. Well, not really, but you get the idea.
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When the county decided to pave the road, they also widened it. There were some lovely trees that lived on both sides. They bent over so much, it was usually shaded during the day. One winter, Daddy took us sledding thru the hollow. He rigged up a sled on a piece of tin roofing and pulled us behind the tractor. The trees in the hollow were heavy with snow and ice. They bent so far over it looked like we were going thru an ice tunnel. It was a true winter wonderland. Anyway, when the road was paved, it didn't look much like a hollow anymore.
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Funny things happen as years pass. Without our help and without really paying attention, trees like to take back the road. Recently going thru the hollow, I noticed how much more it looked like the road of my memories. The trees are large again and branches bent. One bridge has been replaced with a huge culvert, but the other is still wooden. It's pretty rickety too. I know the county will trim the right of way soon and probably replace that bridge. And, I know it's for the best. But, it is nice to see the hollow again with my eyes instead of just in my memories, even for just a little while.