It will not always be summer; build barns. ~ Hesiod
This photo was taken as I hung out a car window with the camera (double-wrapped around my
wrist, of course) at a speed of 40 or so mph.
wrist, of course) at a speed of 40 or so mph.
I couldn't resist.
Most of my life I've traveled state roads like this one in Indiana and viewed barns in various states of ill
repair. What keeps a structure like this upright during the roughest of winters? How could a barn like
this keep standing when it appears so long-abandoned and forgotten?
repair. What keeps a structure like this upright during the roughest of winters? How could a barn like
this keep standing when it appears so long-abandoned and forgotten?
Why would a landowner allow a barn like this to continue living on his property, almost like a tattered
squatter living in squalid conditions? When is it time to just let the barn go?
squatter living in squalid conditions? When is it time to just let the barn go?
It intriques me.
These misshapen, ramshackle structures were once functional, full of life in the form of siloing grain,
sorting sheep, or stabling horses. Maybe the family spent springs and summers tilling, planting, harvesting, threshing and dispersing food into the community from these shelters. Perhaps the barn hosted broken-down vehicles, housed cherished farm machinery, harbored young lovers in the hayloft. A barn has always had a romantic air of mystery to me . . . like the scene in Witness when Book helps with a barn raising and eventually -- almost electrifyingly -- courts Rachel in the barn to "What a Wonderful World This Would Be."
sorting sheep, or stabling horses. Maybe the family spent springs and summers tilling, planting, harvesting, threshing and dispersing food into the community from these shelters. Perhaps the barn hosted broken-down vehicles, housed cherished farm machinery, harbored young lovers in the hayloft. A barn has always had a romantic air of mystery to me . . . like the scene in Witness when Book helps with a barn raising and eventually -- almost electrifyingly -- courts Rachel in the barn to "What a Wonderful World This Would Be."
I counted barns like this one from Indiana to Walton. 31 along the roadside, to be exact.
Rustic barns tell us a story. Although they appear battered and broken, deserted and desolate, unloved and untended, barns bear witness to a simpler time when we depended more on the land surrounding them.
A structure full of spirit and strength, that stands resolute through storms, winds, snow -- and time.
A structure full of spirit and strength, that stands resolute through storms, winds, snow -- and time.
Barns exude beauty despite gaping holes, rotting timber, decaying beams.
Like hope?
Hi Laura, I just found your blog and have enjoyed reading it all. I look forward to more entries in Take Good Notes. The pictures and your thoughts behind and down deep into them are very insightful. Thanks for taking the time to create the blog and share it with the world. Denise
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