Many Lives of an Old Barn

After my first husband and I moved from the city to the small rural town where I still live, I continued to work in the city for several years.  My route to work had me driving past this old barn twice a day.  I seldom have a reason to go that way anymore but last month I had to make two trips into my old neighborhood a few days apart.  I snapped one set of these shots each trip.  This first set were actually taken on the second trip.   

This barn is on highway 100 between the towns of Pond and Gray Summit.  The above shot was taken going east into the city and the one below is the other side taken from the east on the return trip  

As you can see this barn sits in the middle of a sharp curve and only a few feet from the edge of the road.  I watched the changes in this old place over the course of forty odd years because my parents once lived a half mile down the road.  I even remember when it once got a fresh coat of paint, but you would never know that now.  

I almost missed taking both of these shots, as the cut off rooflines will attest, on my first trip into the city. Knowing I would be returning in a few days I swore to do better next time around.  

Just out of sight on the right is a large two story farm house that shares this property. It has had several owners over the years.  The original (to my knowledge) actually farmed the land, another fenced in the property and started raising livestock.  Over the years I have seen cows, pigs, donkeys, mules, sheep and even lama's.  Currently, there does not appear to be anything in the pens or fields but a ever growing collection of broken down salvaged machinery.  

Between this visit and the one above the grass had been mowed and the fence developed a decided lean.  The sign on this end of the building has gone through many changes as well.  For a couple decades it contained a huge sign that filled the entire space between the windows advertising Camp Fiddle Creek which has its entrance just down the road. Camp Fiddle Creek is a summer camp for girl scouts.  After a change of ownership a "Rent this space" sign went up for a short while and now I expect it goes to the highest bidder on a yearly rental.  Purina Farms is the research center for the animal feed division of the Ralston Purina Company.  

Linking to Barn Charm