Uncle John's Bridge

I am reading a book about the construction of the Panama Canal, "The Path Between the Seas," by David McCullough.  He quotes Theodore Roosevelt, extending a tribute to the workers on the canal:   He says, "Each man must have in him the feeling that, besides getting what he is rightfully entitled to  for his work, that aside and above that must come the feeling of triujmph at being associated in the work itself, must come the appreciation  of what a tremendous work it is, of what a splendid opportunity is offered to any man who takes part in it."
    That's how we felt about "Uncle John's Bridge," the McCullough Bridge across Coos Bay. The bridge, along with a handful of others (Siuslaw River Bridge at our home of Florence, OR, among them) were huge public works administration projects during the great depression.  Vake told me once that when Congress approved the construction of the bridges, there was a holiday declared in Oregon.
     Uncle John had a job working on painting the McCullough Bridge. For us, it was always "Uncle John's Bridge." As children,our means of celebrating that was distinctly juvenile.  We tried to hold our breaths for as long as it took to drive across the bridge.