WESTERN WEAR IN AN URBAN CITY

Western wear is still going strong at a store in Portland, Oregon. I took this photo some time ago and thought it portrayed the still on-going culture of the West. Here in this widow display it stands humbly before the reflected high rises of Portland. 

PATTERNS AND CHANGES

An old plant display stand casts a shadowy pattern on the broken cement. The plant stand's pattern tells us change is upon us -- time to prepare for a change in the weather. Plants will have to wait until next spring to again sit upon the open wire plant stand. 

For me change is in the wind again too as I have just moved  to a college town about a hundred miles from the home I have been residing in for the past seven months. 

My living pattern since retirement (long ago) has been one of many changes. I wander about learning from the folks and landscapes that create the culture of different areas. Sometimes I feel that I will stay in an area forever but eventually get itchy feet and move on. 

I feel fortunate that I have been able to do this. I find that it has made my life experiences in retirement rich and varied. I'm looking
forward to discovering the odds and ends of my new area. Although I lived in this area several years ago I feel there are many opportunities yet to uncover especially in photography. 

So my exploration  will soon begin  -- when I unpack everything and get fairly settled in my new apartment in the woods. 

OLD HOUSE IN SMALL TOWN KENTUCKY

My thoughts often wander back to Kentucky where I lived for six years before moving to Oregon. One category of thoughts was the historic architecture in the rural areas and small towns. Old rural architecture has been one of my strong interests since I was young. The house above resided on the main road of a small town I often rode through. Its exterior appeared to be original to when it was built  -- probably about the late 1800s. I especially liked its gingerbread trim on its front porch along with its old metal roof. 

Before I left I found out some bad news about this old lady of a house. It was going to be torn down -- probably.  I moved before a decision was made. I didn't want to know that this home, full of over a hundred years of cultural ways, would be removed from the town's main street. 

So I moved and never inquired what the decision was. I wanted to remember it like it stood so old and elegant in its worn sort of way.

To me -- change is not always for the best.

A "TINY" FARMERS MARKET

This month Farmers Markets are exploding throughout Oregon with freshly grown produce from local gardens. Farmers Markets reflect the needs of the folks that are located near them. As an example a less populated area will not have a large farmer's market while a larger city will have a large one. So Farmers Markets come in all sizes -- large, medium and small. But in this post I am adding a forth size I came upon in my Oregon wanderings. -- "tiny". The area surrounding this tiny market is called Deadwood an unincorporated community of less than 300 people. 

Above is the homemade sign on its way to be posted at the market. The day I visited there were less than half a dozen vendors. But the produce offered was diverse and fresh. 

Here is a sampler of the "tiny" market images ----

Fresh picked blueberries -- no chemicals.

Some of the vendors and their booths.

Fresh picked wax beans, peas, and zucchini.

No chemicals.

An ancient scale to weigh the produce in this case -- blackberries. 

Two different kinds of sweet plums. 

My taste buds will attest to their sweetness.

No chemicals.

Have some fun with friends and/or family . Visit different Farmer's Markets during the growing season. Support your local growers.

APPALACHIAN HOME IN THE BACKWATER AREA

Appalachian Backwater Area

Vacant

The house above is an example of the vernacular architecture found in the backwater areas of central and eastern Kentucky. Backwater having two meanings; one, that the area is peaceful and isolated and two, that the area's culture can be moving to a different drumbeat than other parts of the nation. 

Most of these small cracker box types of homes were built in the early 1900s when many backwater areas did not have electricity nor plumbing and schooling was not emphasized as important. Today these types of homes on the Kentucky landscape  are swiftly disappearing along with the culture they symbolize.

Like any culture we can always learn something from it. When these homes can no longer be spotted on the land we will have lost a friendly handshake along with values such as making do, hard work, and simple ways.

ONE ROOM SCHOOL HOUSE TRADITION

ONE ROOM SCHOOL HOUSE
October, 1940. Breathitt County, Kentucky.

Library of Congress, Farm Security Administration Photos

Mary Post Wolcott, Photographer

Tis the time for all young folks to parade back to school. There are different types of school choices today -- private, public or home schooling. 


Notice that none of these choices are the one room school house which used to dot our country's landscape during the latter part of the 19th century and into the earlier part of the 20th century. Primarily rural in nature -- they were located in the country and small towns. 

I have always appreciated the tradition of the one room school house. I thought it would be interesting to find some old photos of students attending one of these types of schools. Luckily the Library of Congress provided a couple from their archives.


As I am sure you know, the one room school usually held quite a few grades all taught in one room with one teacher. The usual school room scenario seemed to be first through eighth grade.

MOUNTAIN CHILDREN PLAYING
 MARBLES AFTER SCHOOL

October, 1940. Breathitt County, Kentucky.

Library of Congress, Farm Security Administration Photos

Mary Post Wolcott, Photographer

These schools had a traditional social culture where everyone knew each other and you didn't compete by wearing fashionable clothes. Children learned from the students as well as the teacher, and most students assisted those who needed help.

Also, you usually walked quite a distance to school, sometimes brought your homemade lunch in a tin lunch bucket  and got time off to help with work chores at home -- these activities would keep children healthy and strong.


It was a tight school community onto itself. It was self regulated in a sense.

Today young folks are attending large consolidated schools where they do not know all the teachers or other students. The idea of "school community" has become a loosely knit phrase.


My question is -- are we going in the right direction with our school culture today?