Giant reclaimed wooden blocks

Some of our neighbours down the street have been landscaping, and as part of this somehow they dug up some dirty chunks of wood. I have no idea what they were part of, but they gladly gave them to us rather than take them to the dump. The kids helped us pile them in the car and we drove them up the street and hosed and scrubbed the mud off. Here they are all scrubbed clean.
They are in poor shape, but still really interesting, especially the ring patterns that have kind of weathered to be really prominent and will probably be great for crayon rubbings!
Once they had dried out fully the kids had a go at them with the sander. This was their first time with an electric sander and they really liked it!
I've just noticed that in this picture above it looks like I must be doing some strange contortion to have my other leg around the back of my neck or something. Don't worry, it's just my shoe was sat on the picnic bench ;) (I should have just let you think I was that bendy)

Then the kids had at the blocks with a load of kiddy paint in yoghurt pots and some big brushes. They kept at this for a good long time, especially my four year old.

I'm hoping that the neighbours chuck out more lumber as they keep landscaping, because the bigger the collection of building parts, the more exciting projects the kids can come up with.

I don't really have any set ideas of what to do with these blocks. So far the kids have built towers and stepping stones and bridges with a couple of other bits of wood we have.

Sometimes the free section of craigslist calls out to me. It's a good job we don't have a truck, or I'd be trying to grab all the wooden furniture from the curbsides around here!