Alright, let’s talk about them big ol’ brick things, the biggest ones in the whole world, ya know? Folks say the Great Wall of China is the biggest. Can ya believe it? They say it’s like, 13,170 miles long! That’s a whole lotta bricks, I tell ya. More bricks than I got chickens, and I got a whole coop full!
Imagine layin’ all them bricks, one by one. My back would be achin’ somethin’ fierce! But them Chinese folks, they did it. For miles and miles and miles. Must’ve taken ’em forever. Longer than it takes to churn butter, that’s for sure.
- It’s so long, they say it could wrap around things many many times. Makes my head spin just thinkin’ about it.
- And tall too! High enough to keep out them pesky varmints, I reckon. Though I ain’t sure what kinda varmints they were worryin’ about. Bigger than raccoons, I bet.
Then there’s this place, Sainte Cécile cathedral, down in France somewhere. They say it’s the biggest brick building, not just a wall, mind you. A whole cathedral, all made outta bricks. Now that’s somethin’ to see. I bet it’s prettier than my old barn, though my barn’s got its own charm, ya know?
I seen pictures of it once, in a magazine my grandson left behind. Fancy lookin’ place, with all sorts of pointy bits and statues. Makes our little church look like a shed, I tell ya. But I bet the good Lord don’t care much about fancy bricks, long as you got a good heart.
And then, there’s this Fort Jefferson, out in the water, down Florida way. It’s on some islands, they call ’em the Dry Tortugas. Sounds like a funny name, don’t it? Dry Tortugas. Makes ya wonder if they got turtles there, and if they’re thirsty. Anyway, this fort, it’s made outta bricks too. Big ol’ bricks, strong enough to withstand a hurricane, or so they say.
They built it to keep folks out, I guess. Like a big ol’ lock on a door. But now, folks go there to look at it. Funny how things change, ain’t it? One minute you’re keepin’ people out, the next minute they’re payin’ money to come in and gawk.
So, them’s the biggest brick things I know about. The Great Wall, that long, long wall, the fancy church in France, and that fort out in the water. All made outta bricks. Just goes to show ya, what you can do with a little bit of mud and a whole lotta hard work. Makes ya think, doesn’t it? All them bricks, all that effort. For what? Well, for keepin’ folks out, for prayin’ in, and for… well, for lookin’ at, I guess. Just like my quilts, folks look at ‘em but at least my quilts keep ya warm!
Makes my hands hurt just thinkin’ about it. I’ll stick to my gardenin’ and my quiltin’, thank ya very much. Least I know what I’m makin’ those for. But them big brick things, they’re somethin’ else, alright. Somethin’ to marvel at, even if ya don’t quite understand it.
Now, I gotta go feed them chickens. They’re probably squawkin’ their heads off, wonderin’ where their supper is. Bricks don’t need feedin’, that’s for sure. But chickens, well, that’s a different story.
So next time you see a brick, remember them big ol’ structures. Remember them fellers and gals who spent all that time puttin’ them bricks together, all over the world. Just regular folks, I reckon, just like you and me. Just with more bricks, is all.
Tags: [bricks, structures, Great Wall of China, Sainte Cécile cathedral, Fort Jefferson, architecture, history, biggest, largest, world]