Most barn photographs are of front exteriors. The photos on this post are all of backside exteriors of a large gambrel-roofed barn and its few remaining farm outbuildings. No farm house in sight. A busy highway road roars by the farm's frontage.The surrounding rural land is mostly large tracts of acreage belonging to farmers.
If one discovers the small entry road along the back of this farm's property one can pull in with a vehicle, park for a few minutes while imagining its past use and if for more than a few minutes invent some farm stories about the place.
Together, the structures stand straight and appear in good condition. Are they vacant ? -- perhaps.
One would expect to see some tools of the barn world in this back area -- hay wagon, truck, tractor, and perhaps an old harrow. But no -- the place has been "swept" clean of all vestiges of farm implements.
The one and only modern item I noticed in this environment was a wooden stake driven into the ground with a posted paper sign saying "No Trespassing."
The rusting steel roofs combine nicely with the old natural wood buildings capturing a nice contrast with the wild ones growing tall in the soil. This photo above reveals that very few, if any, humans have walked by this way lately.
Even the robin-egg blue of the old corrugated siding of the barn felt right at home with the unpretentious plant colors.
For whatever reason the overcast skies, the old patina of the buildings along with the various hues of the wild plants took me back to some of the farms I was familiar with from my past.
Except for the whizzing noise of the highway I felt very peaceful here.
Peaceful yet sad as I felt this beautiful place just might not have a bright future ahead?
What do you think?
What do you think?
I feel that there is absolutely a story to be told here, but with so many rural stories these days, it is a sad one.
ReplyDeletevisualnorway -- unfortunately your comment is true. Our heritage of family farms is disappearing at an exponential rate. thanks -- barbara
DeleteNice view! I does have a wildness to it, which is part of the charm.
ReplyDeleteMelissa -- A great book published in 1915 by Joseph S. Coannouer probably can be found at your local library --- "Weeds - Guardians of the Soil." He was one of the first to sing the praises of weeds. thanks -- barbara
DeleteBarbara, you go beyond the surface, beyond the obvious...your curious mind and your sharp powers of observation make you into a journalist, a detective, an artist...Thanks for sharing it. So much is temporary, ephemeral in this world of ours...(including us...) I do not know the destiny of these buildings, but i do know you have honored them here.
ReplyDeleteRita -- thank you. My heart and soul is with the land and the folks who made a living from it. The fact that family farms are sadly disappearing along with such buildings as in this post is very disheartening. Family farms not only provide food for the family and community but also nature's community of birds, insects, reptiles, mammals, and more. All of life is tied together -- we need to encourage all parts of it so we can remain viable.
DeleteI'm really attracted to the black and grey effect on the outbuilding wall.
ReplyDeleteHattie -- The weathered look of the outbuildings give us that black and grey look. They are unpainted as many farm buildings are left natural. thank you -- barbara
DeleteI love the colors and abstract quality of the third picture. Lovely textures in all the shots.
ReplyDeleteVicki -- thanks for the nice comments. Old farm buildings have so much to offer when it comes to color and light. -- barbara
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