Stormy Bridge Building

The thunder was rumbling outside, but I was busy engineering a brand-new bridge on the dining table! A gap between two thick wooden place mats needed a sturdy crossover. I rounded up four jumbo craft popsicle sticks and hauled them straight across the polished tabletop. Wedging the first two side by side across the wooden gap, I laid a metal butter knife right down the middle to anchor the frame. To test the strength, I grabbed a heavy red checker piece and marched right up to the crossing, slamming the counter down firmly in the center. Solid as a rock—no wobbling on my watch!