Worn and Weathered

A Neutral Color Pallet

2011-07-26T17:35:00.000-07:00

Love this color pallet, yet find it the hardest to work with and do it justice. Also love the lines, shapes and positive/negative spaces found in these photos which were taken at a local farm.

Architectural Favorite

2011-04-26T17:34:00.000-07:00

This barn is one of my favorites due to it's unusual architectural design.

It sits near one of the roads that I take to visit my Mom.

The way part of it is built into the hill makes it all the more special.

I wish I knew more about it's history. How old is it? Who built it? Where were they from? Was it similar to the barns from where they were born? So many questions. If only these old places could talk.

When No One's Left to Care

2011-04-07T11:40:00.000-07:00

Came across this abandoned old red barn the other day sitting very close to the road. The farmhouse next to it looked empty as well. I imagine an elderly couple having lived most of their lives here, finally died, and no one is left to, (or interested in) keeping the aged homestead going.

The old gal may be in bad shape,

but she has lot's of interesting shapes to her.

She also has some mystery... look very closely, as there is something interesting in this photo below, (that I didn't even notice until I was back home)...

It's part of an old license plate from 1927 hanging above the doorway. (See photo below for a close-up)

Was it a depression era attempt to patch a hole? A spirit of make do with what you have on hand?
I don't know, but I like it.

And I also like this...

A secret little hideaway. I imagine once, long ago, the couple's laughing children running in and out. Playing hide and seek, and relishing the coolness this root cellar would provide on a hot summer day.

I feel like someone owes this barn some thanks. For years of service and shelter. For literally hanging in there. So, before it falls completely apart, or someone comes along with a bull-dozer, I'd like to take this opportunity to say it,

"Thank you, Red Barn, and may you rest in peace."

Solitude

2011-02-16T17:00:00.000-08:00

The Color Of February

2011-02-11T15:38:00.000-08:00

This photo of a nearby farm, pretty much sums up the look and feeling of this current February.

How can the shortest month of the year, always feel like the longest???

A Patchwork Barn

2010-10-18T15:25:00.000-07:00

The fall harvest season is one of the most beautiful times of the year in this area. And despite the evils of tobacco, (I gave it up years ago) I can not help but love the sight of it drying in the barns.

Check out that fabulous patchwork siding. Isn't is great?!

And the old farm equipment is the icing on the cake.

Scenes like this are what I love about living in the country. How fortunate am I to live where life, at least for some, is still lived slowly, with all senses engaged. What a lovely reminder to the rest of us to take some time to unplug.

Faster and easier, is not always better.

Enchantment

2010-10-01T11:18:00.000-07:00

While traveling the local back roads, of which there are a zillion, (most full of wondrous things, which unfortunately I can never remember as to how to get back to again) I came across this truly mysterious abandoned house, rising out from the ground.

vines grew all around it...

with two wonderful smoke stacks growing out of the beautiful, moss covered roof...

and look who I found, (I kid you not) standing nearby...

imagine my continued surprise as around the bend I spot this fellow in the grass...

and further down the road I passed this family walking their dog! ...

I wish I had a better sense of direction, and hope I stumble across this fairy tale place in my local travels again, as it was truly magical. (If it weren't for the photos I would have guessed it to be a dream.)

Rusted Railroad

2010-08-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

I love the scratch marks, dashed lines, (reminds me of stitching) and rusted patina on this metal window covering, which is part of the abandoned Reading Passenger Station in Wernersville, Pa.

Opened in 1926 and closed in the late 1950's, I am happy to report that an effort is currently underway to restore this building.

Standing on the deserted platform, you can still feel those old trains rumbling down the track...

Choo-Choooooooooo

Loops, Lines and Letters

2010-07-15T17:53:00.000-07:00

Part of an old cemetery sign found leaning against a country stone wall.

Lines and Shapes

2010-06-16T07:34:00.000-07:00

Rusty Gears

2010-05-17T12:50:00.000-07:00

I think the color and patina on these rusty gears is simply gorgeous.

Last One Standing

2010-04-07T21:08:00.000-07:00

This is the last standing cottage found on the grounds of an old, religious camp site.

My husband stumbled upon it a few years ago, and took me to see it for the first time the other day. (He has an amazing memory and sense of direction... I couldn't possibly remember all the back roads we took to get there.)

He was surprised and saddened to see that only this one cottage remained, as when he first discovered the abandoned retreat their had been many just like it.

As I was taking these photos, I looked down and saw this one lone flower growing up through the leaves.

I hope the little cottage and the flower continue to endure and somehow thrive.

Abandoned Farm

2010-03-17T11:53:00.000-07:00

Someday I'll walk closer.

Cherished

2010-02-16T07:34:00.000-08:00

This garage/shed structure sits across the road from our small local grocery store. In all the years that I have stood, pumping my gas and looking at it, I have never, ever seen a single soul in or around it.

... And yet, someone must still use this little building as a path has been shoveled, (hard to see with all the white, but its right up the middle where the grass peeks through). Now I am even more curious...

I want to go up the path and peek in the windows, but also don't want to be rude.

For now I will be content with just knowing this building's outside... delighting in the gifts that it quietly gives.

I will tuck and hold its wonderful graphic shapes and its gorgeous colors into my imagination and hold them dear.

Update: 2-11-17 Someone several months ago removed all the windows, and replaced them with plywood. Sadly, the charm is gone. I am grateful I took this photo.

Natures Weathered Valentine

2010-02-12T13:03:00.000-08:00

Valentines Day is this weekend so I thought it would be nice to post these two pics I took last month...

Passing time peeled off the bark from this tree trunk, exposing it's once hidden heart.

The wood grain knots on the right hand side of this door look to me like two hearts joined as one... maybe left by the the spirits of two young lovers who met secretly here at night...

Wishing you all a Happy Valentines Day. xo

Pretty isn't Always Pretty

2010-02-07T05:52:00.000-08:00

I know that this farm isn't what we would generally consider pretty.
At first glance it may look like it has very little going for it.... But wouldn't you agree that the color of the rusty roof, against that stark white siding, with those black empty rectangular windows, paired with the textural lines of the topless silos and the multi hued tones of the semi snow covered winter grass... wouldn't you agree that those elements are indeed pretty? I think so.

Inspiring

2010-02-03T17:45:00.000-08:00

I pass this barn and silo often as it is on the way to my daughters school. The colors are wonderful, very subtle and soft... I like the dirty gray of the silo, the worn faded red of the barn and those little hints of yellow-green found from the few leaves still hanging from the viney bare shrub and that stained patch found just under the silo's small black window... just right. I also like the layers of textures and the various lines throughout... all of this feeds my mind with color combinations, patchwork and stitching!

Red Shack

2010-02-02T09:40:00.000-08:00

This little red shack seems to have been long ago abandoned.

Sitting alone and close to the railroad tracks, I wondered if they once were connected in some way.

Who put these two little American flags in the door and how long have they been there?

The glass is missing from this side door... chicken wire and a simple hook lock offer the only "protection".

Items are still stored inside, overgrown with nature... I wonder... who owns this little shack, when was it built and was it ever loved?

Perfection

2010-01-29T09:29:00.000-08:00

To me this little outbuilding is pure perfection...

Funny that I see it that way, seeing how we, (myself included) tend to think of perfection as everything exact and just so... straight lines, clean, pristine.... no flaws.

So why, when I look at this structure, with its peeling paint, patched and semi sunken in roof, and nary a straight line to be found ANYWHERE... why does it sing absolute perfection to me?

I think it sings to me because its got soul. It's lived. And all of its perceived flaws tell its story. This little shed is just infinitely more interesting then any new structure ever could be, and I am grateful for the lesson it helps to teach me about redefining perfection.

Rust

2010-01-28T10:36:00.000-08:00

How could something so corrosive be so beautiful?

Rusty shed doors.

Rust on an old heating oil tank.

Forgotten

2010-01-25T21:29:00.000-08:00

This barn sits right outside of my neighborhood. I see it every time I leave and every time I come home. Despite the fact that it is filled with someone's stuff, it has been neglected and slowly falling apart over the years. It intrigues me. I worry about it and I will miss it when it's gone.

Update: 2-17-11 Winter storms did it in. It's gone.