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 

Airy Old Barn

If your'e a regular here you know we travel to Omaha often to visit my sister.  On a trip about two years ago, a late start had us expecting to hit downtown Omaha during the height of rush hour.  My sister suggested we take a different route that would add some extra miles but avoid traffic.   During that detour I noticed an old barn beside the road that I could see light through in many places.  Conditions that day prevented my getting any decent photos so I planed to stop again on the return trip. Well, best laid plans of mice and men ...as they say, that didn't happen.  Nor did quite a few more trips.  I was afraid that by the time I actually got to make that detour again the old place would have fallen down and been hauled away.

Last March the hoped for detour finally happened and I was delighted to find the old relic still standing.  It sits close to the road on highway 50 outside the town of Weeping Waters, Nebraska.

The Old Salt swears that one day I will get arrested for trespassing in pursuit of an old barn.  But, this wasn't the day.    

The barn was close to a house.  So, we pulled into the driveway and knocked on the door to ask permission. Finding no one home and since we had to drive right by the barn to leave, we paused and  I snapped away.  

I said this old place had light shining through it everywhere.
I didn't go inside, I snapped all my shots from the open doorway.


I'm going to assume this old barn was replaced by these two that were a few hundred feet behind it.

Linking to:
 Barn Charm 
Mosaic Monday 

Spotty Old Barn

A Craigslist find recently had the Old Salt and me making the drive over to the little hamlet of Campbellton, Missouri.  While there I captured this old barn.

 While the siding is a little less for wear, there appears to be some great old barn wood underneath it.  

To see my favorite shot from this series jump over to Cashjocky's Photos by clicking here. 

I am linking to Barn Charm, Ruby Tuesday and Rednesday. 

Hopeless Barns

It really saddens my heart to see so many old barns in my area that are wasting away from neglect. I came across this while taking a short cut to the interstate one day last year. It is just across the river from us near the pumpkin patch we visit each fall. I was surprised I had never noticed it before.

It was so overgrown that I could not get close enough to get any better shots then these.

Another one of those hopeless barns. Snapped this one during our recent trip south, it is located in northern Alabama. We usually pass this old barn each trip and I have never seen it looking so bad. I suspect this is what survived those horrible tornados they had last year.

This barn is also in Alabama. It was actually in the city limits of a small town we passed through. But, at the moment I would be hard pressed to name the town.

Linking to Barn Charm

Quonset Hut Redo

 I captured this old barn, made from a WWll era quonset hut, during my recent visit to Pine Mountain Georgia.  I learned from my cousin that the fencing and one side of this old quonset hut had been destroyed in the 2011 tornados.  The fence and damaged area of the building were recently replaced.  While the medal part of the building was still a deep red the new wooden wall was a soft adobe pink.

I am linking this post to Barn Charm and Ruby Tuesday 2

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Cornfield Surprise

I live in a small rural riverfront town named after our first president, George Washington.  Just across the river is an even smaller town that some believe was named after Washington's wife Martha. 

Marthasville is located in the Missouri river bottomlands and is mostly an agricultural area.  The bottoms consist of hundreds of acres of farmland.  We have friends who live there and every time we travel to their house we pass an old barn that sits in the middle of a huge cornfield.  

During a trip to visit with out friends last fall, the Old Salt and I decided to leave a bit early so we could photograph a few points of interest along the way.  

First, being that old barn. We were even lucky enough to find a dirt road that took us right up to it.  

Please click to enlarge 

It was a chilly, overcast day and not ideal for camera shots, but, stopping to take the above shaps of this barn turned out to be a better photo opt then either of us expected.  

 

Hidden behind the barn, we found a large brick house buried under years of vines and other growth.  The old house must have been quite a showplace in its heyday.  Now it was nothing but rotting wood and broken windows. It is sad to think someone had to leave such a beautiful home knowing it would fall victim to age and neglect. 

While trying to photograph the surrounding hazy cornfield the sun poked its head out for a few minutes, as if in answer to a prayer.  The resulting shots of sun dappled trees was like the frosting on the cake for this photo shoot.  

I am participating in:

Scenic Sunday

Barn Charm
Mosaic Monday

Ruby Tuesday 2

Rednesday

Outdoor Wednesday 

 

What a difference a day makes.

Outside of town on Highway 94 sits a small old barn that I pass rather offen. This barn sits close to the road at the edge of a large soybean field. I have tried to take a photo of this building dozens of times, but, my shots have always needed to be snapped through the windshield of the moving car. Road conditions prevent stopping to take the shot. Of the many shots I have snapped, I only have two I would care to share.

This shot was taken at sunset this past winter.

This one was shot two weeks ago on a very gloomy afternoon.

The season and time of day certainly give the old barn a different feeling.

I am linking this post to Barn Charm.

Barn Charm is a Monday meme hosted by Tricia.

To check out those charming barns posted by others visit Bluff Area Daily.

Old Red Barn

Last Thursday we visited with some dear friends who recently rented a house in the country. I snapped the following shots while standing beside their garage.

This pastorial scene is part of the property owned by their landlord and just a short distance across the yard. It is located in Warren County just outside the small town of Treloar, Missouri. The Katy trail runs just a short distance from that road in the background going up the hill.

I can't wait to get permisson to go exploring inside this old barn, I can already imagine the photos that I will be able to take.

I really like this cupola that sits on top of the barn, and regret that the weathervane did not show up in my shot.

I am linking this post to Barn Charm, Ruby Tuesday and Rednesday

Barn Charm is a Monday meme hosted by Tricia.

To check out those charming barns posted by others visit Bluff Area Daily.

Mary at "Work of the Poet" hosts Ruby Tuesday. Rednesday is a Wednesday meme hosted by Sue at "It's a Very Cherry World." Both memes are dedicated to the color red. To join the fun or just check out what Red others are excited to share visit Mary and her friends at Ruby Tuesdayand Sue and her friends fromRednesday

Fresh Paint

Every time the Old Salt and I visit our doctor we try to avoid the highway traffic by going the back way. Just down the street from the doctor's building is a large field with an old barn. It was old and weathered with the door hanging on one hinge. The building listed to one side.

On a recent trip we discovered someone had done some repairs to the old structure and given it a bright new coat of Red paint. The door was still not square and the list was there but you couldn't miss noticing the changes in the old place.

Since this old barn has been incorporated in the city limits of Union, Missouri, I wonder if the city requested the improvements because the old barn had become an eyesore. Regardless, I'm delighted to see the barn has a face lift.

I am linking this post to Barn Charm, Ruby Tuesday and Rednesday.

Tricia at Bluff Area Daily host Barn Charm. To join the fun by posting your old barn photos or to just enjoy the photos taken by others visit Bluff Area Daily.

Mary at "Work of the Poet" hosts Ruby Tuesday. Rednesday is a Wednesday meme hosted by Sue at "It's a Very Cherry World." Both memes are dedicated to the color red. To join the fun or just check out what Red others are excited to share visit Mary and her friends at Ruby Tuesdayand Sue and her friends from Rednesday