Thursday, August 09, 2012

Scenes from the country...barn storming

My parents live on a very old farm, it was here by the time of the Civil War. In fact rumor has it that there was a tiny battle between the two sides when two soldiers, one from the North and one from the South, met down by the creek at the bottom of the road and fought to the death. There is also a field that must have been an Indian campground in a field just down from the house, as we can always find arrowheads and such there. 

The original barns still stand. They are very rustic, but I think they are beautiful in their rusticity.

The wood the barns are made of has silvered over time, but wears like iron, and Dad has hung all manner of things he has found around on them, like some sort of sculptural art project. Here a rusted chain hangs from the almost two century-old logs.


I hope this is not Mom's old hooch supply. Looks like moonshine bottles, but I fear it's about 25 years worth of empty Gallo wine bottles. I am not sure why my parents kept them all. (Note they are NOT hoarders.)

A random assortment of stuff in one of the barns. I remember that huge mask from when I was a kid, I think it hung outside the house I grew up in,  in Houston. The mask right now reminds me very strongly of that British actor, Bill Nighy. Something about the wry smile.

Dad builds Japanese gardens and uses stone he hauls up from the creek for landscaping. So here is a little 'butthenge' bench he built at the base of a very tall tree. The bench is very sturdy. Dad does nothing by half measures.

Another view of the inside of the barn with the Bill Nighy mask. I didn't use any color filters or anything, everything in there is just that warm washed-out sepia tone. (Photo taken on a hot sunny day.) I like the juxtaposition of the rounded shapes piled next to the long boards, next to the mask.

My 2cv is being kept in one of the barns, I feel as if it has been somewhat ignominiously banished. Anyone want to buy a nice 2cv? Lovingly maintained and kept warm and dry in a pre-Civil War barn!

3 comments:

  1. Old barns are awesome. I remember crawling through my great-uncle's barns as a kid. We would all stay away from the original cabin built on the property, because that's where he kept the Evil Guard Dog when we were visiting. That thing sounded like the monster from The Sandlot. These are great pictures, and thank you for sharing them!

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  2. jaymo5:37 AM

    Great photos and great stories. Your folks' place reminds me so much of Tennessee, it's both heartwarming and makes me miss my own stomping grounds. Thanks.

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  3. Oooooh! A very collectable 2cv. What year is it?

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