Barn Charm

I've passed this barn many times on my way to see my Mom; but usually it's going in the other direction. There are a couple of ways to go back and forth from my home to hers. Today I returned home in the opposite direction and found this barn quilt that I didn't know was there.

I stopped my Jeep in the road and was trying to take a couple of pictures. This is how the barn sits in the middle of the meadow. You can see a farm house just beyond the barn.

I zoomed in from where I stood for a closer look. I could here dogs barking at the farmhouse behind me. My husband said if they came in the road I might want to slip into the Jeep. I told him I didn't think they would.

I turned and glanced over my shoulder on the other side of the road and saw this field of sheep that were bleating loudly. Thinking I would pull closer to the barn and take a photo of the front I started to get in the Jeep and as I turned to look behind me to make sure there was no traffic coming I saw four dogs barreling down the road. I hopped into the Jeep!

They ran along side the Jeep as I slowly inched down the roadway.

Stopping in front of the barn I took a photo looking through the barn; but I stayed inside the Jeep to take it.

This guy and his three other companions let me know I was treading too close to their turf. My husband talked to him as I took his picture and then I went on my way.
Linking to Tricia's Barn Charm.

Barn Charm

A couple of months ago after visiting my Mom I had seen this barn off of the interstate. Round barns are not the norm here so I was excited to catch a glimpse of it. Hubby and I couldn't find it when we exited the highway. A couple of weeks ago we were in the same area and this time we figured how to circle around to get to it. On the day we were there we didn't see anyone or any activity and no lifestock of any kind. It was hard to see inside the door of the barn but it looked empty. I hated that the electric lines were in the way but they were just unavoidable. When I took this we literally were parked on the little country road and I was sitting in the passenger seat. I added a little texture to this first image in post processing. I like the feel it gave the photo.

(Remember when you finish reading to click on the pictures and view the slideshow.)

The back of the barn.The barn with a small shed.

This was our first look at the barn. The little shed kept me from getting a long shot of the front of the barn. I hope you enlarge the pictures. If you do take a look just to the right of the telephone pole on the right hand side. See that stone?I zoomed in when we passed the barn to see this small family cemetery in the field down from the barn. I wondered if those buried were some of the original owners of the land. Before the interstate highway it would literally have been in the middle of nowhere. No sign of an old farmhouse. Perhaps it was long ago replaced with the little trailer. I'm sure there's a story. I just wish I knew what it was.

Linking to Tricia's Barn Charm.

Barn Charm

Last Monday my hubby stopped as far to the right of the road as he could for me take this pic. A couple pulled up beside us an asked if we needed any help. My husband said, "No, she's just taking pictures of barns." The woman smiled; the man said "oh" but he politely left off the "jeeze" and drove away. Hubby didn't rush me and pulled down a little further for this less obstructed view.Along the same road we were traveling was this beauty nestled back away from the road.Luckily I had my zoom lens so this is a closeup shot. Remember to click on any of the pictures and click through the slideshow of larger images. I like the two lightning rods on top.Hmmm....doesn't this pattern look familiar! It is why I was excited to find this particular barn quilt.   When I first walked into hubby's dorm room at college this quilt was on his bunk bed. It was made by his Mom . She didn't make quilts for show she made them to use. This one has been well used and well loved. We still have it. As an added note, on my own dorm room bed was the quilt my Grandmother had made me when I was very young. Seems like we both took a little love from home when we went to college.

Linking to Tricia's Barn Charm.

An Americana Charmer

(click to enlarge)

I was looking for a different photo entirely when I came across these barn photos. I took them four years ago with a little point and sho0t camera when I didn't know much about taking photos. The bright afternoon sun didn't help. Let's just say the images are very grainy. Better yet, let's say they were very vintage looking. Yeah, let's go with that!

It's a wonder I didn't delete them but I'm glad I didn't. In this case the photo stands to document a piece of Americana History. Regular readers will know that the more familiar barn ad dealt with the Mail Pouch Tobacco Company that paid farmers for letting them paint ads on their barns. I tried to research what I could on the Melo-Crown company but pretty much came up empty handed in the forty-five or so minutes I surfed the net to find some information.

Assuming Blogger is being cooperative you should be able to enlarge the photo. Looking just past the barn behind this one you can see it appears the silo was being repaired or taken down. The gray outline of a building is the farmhouse. The barn is near Barlow, Ohio.

This was an equally grainy image so I added some texture to this one as well and gave it an Andy Warhol pop art effect. Not art gallery worthy but I like how it came out.
Linking to Tricia's Barn Charm and Ruby Tuesday 2.

Barn Charm

The weekend is over and here it is Monday again. Not much going on Round The Bend. I did watch the Super Bowl  but mostly for the commercials. My favorites were the M&M and Pepsi commercials and Detroit's push at patriotism with Clint Eastwood. I passed on halftime before it hardly got started. It's just my opinion; but Madonna is still trying to be something she's not.

I did have some yard visitors this weekend that were very exciting. Saturday a whole rafter of turkeys came through my background. We always have some around during the breeding season and into fall but hadn't seen any for a few months. There were approxiamtely 25 together. I did manage to get a photo of a few as they were spread out and one did wander underneath the bird feeder to eat a little fallen birdseed. Shortly afterward about fifteen deer crossed the backyard as well. Photos to follow later in the week. Those were the highlights of my weekend.

My train trip weekend last October gave me many barns to share each week. Today I'm posting the last one from that weekend. This one literally sat beside the side road we were on and was hard to photograph. You can make out a couple of fence posts in the lower left hand corner. The fence ran alongside the road with no where to pull off. The barn is plain but quaint in its small surroundings. I want so much for someone to put something on the silo for decoration. I vote for a big barn star or a painted American flag. It would be so much more charming don't you think?

Linking to Tricia's Barn Charm.

Barn Charm

The weekend trip Hubby and I took in October gave me many opportunities for barn photography. This is yet another of our finds that weekend.

It was a gray overcast morning when I took this photo not far from the entrance to Spruce Knob which is the highest point in West Virginia with an elevation of 4863 feet.

I added a texture to my original photo and played with different blending modes to achieve a much brighter photo.

(Click to enlarge and enjoy the detail.)

Linking to Tricia's Barn Charm.

Barn Charm

This little white barn was another barn I spotted on my weekend trip back in October. It is badly in need of some roof repair. I like how it is nestled there below the mountain. A view from the front shows it is storing round hay bales. If you look closely you will see a railroad track running directly in front. I took these somewhere close to Cranberry Glades, West Virginia.

Linking to Tricia's Barn Charm.

(click to enlarge for better detail)

Barn or Hangar

This is another barn from our weekend trip in early October. It was across the road from the barn I posted with the ad on it. It sat in a huge field - no cattle or horses could be seen. There was a long stretch of bottom land on both ends. Look closely and you can see to the back of the barn an aviation windsock. Everything we saw led us to believe this was a short airstrip. We passed this barn both ways and could not see behind it. It would have been nice to know if a small plane or helicopter was parked behind.

Enlarge the image to see the windsock, the lightning rods and the lovely fall foliage.

Linking to Ruby Tuesday and Barn Charm.

Barn Charm

This is the scene Hubby and I came upon as we left the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park last month. We rounded a curve and I saw the barns and asked him to find a place to pull off of the two lane road. He really only could pull over on the berm so I took these rather quickly. It was early morning and the sky was white and overcast with a little fog.

You're probably wondering what that big dish is in the center of the photos. The dish is at the center of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank West Virginia. This radio telescope is the largest fully steerable dish in the world. I zoomed in as much as I could to capture the barn above. I love the cupolas.My camera couldn't bring in the back barn quite as well but it was enough to bring out the green and white silo and all the rolls of hay.The barns on the opposite side of the field were harder to get close shots of. It's hard to say whether they were all part of one farm or two. I zoomed in one the dish for a better view. We had passed the observatory on our way to Cass but didn't stop to visit. If you look closely you'll see a smaller dish to the left of the larger one.I little farther down the road I happened to look out the back window on the drivers side of the Jeep and saw another view. We stopped to get this view as well. One day we plan to visit and take the tour.
Blogger's new interface lets you click on the pictures for a much bigger view. Go ahead, make em' bigger!



Posted for this week's Barn Charm with Tricia.

Barn Charm

I think this is a charming old red barn. Those of you who visit me often know I love these barns known as quilt barns for the painted wooden quilt blocks attached to the barn's siding. The name of the quilt pattern used here is Annie's Choice. It is one of several in a barn quilt trail in Roane County, West Virginia. The trail isn't far from my hometown of Spencer where I grew up.
Posted for Barn Charm.

Barn Charm

I posted this photo a couple of years ago on my photoblog long before Tricia's barn meme. I thought it was worthy of repeating here for those Barn Charm folks who appreciate these wonderful old relics of the American landscape. When it comes to charm this one fits the bill for me. It sits high atop a hill with wide open sky behind it with its bright red color contrasting beautifully with the green field of grass that surrounds it. The charming old fashioned lightning rods point to the wispy clouds overhead. The outline of three windows can barely be seen and my mind wistfully wonders what the rest of this little charmer looks like. The barn is adorned with a wooden quilt patch named Bold Star. Given the bold statement this little barn makes sitting high on the hill the owners couldn't have chosen a more appropriate pattern to adorn it with.

Posted for Barn Charm and Ruby Tuesday.

Having unexpectantly felt an earthquake last week and then sat on pins and needles waiting for Hurricane Irene to move up the coast and away from our kids and grandkids, Hubby and I were finally able to relax and took a long quiet Jeep ride on Sunday. We were able to roll the windows down and enjoy the afternoon. Driving down a familiar road I knew a barn would be coming into view. I was quite surprised by the amount of growth around the barn as the field in front was very well kept.

The barn is in excellent shape for the age it appears to be. I wish I had thought to take a closeup of the lightning rods on top. If you enlarge the image you should be able to see them better. I just love these with the old ceramic balls on them.

I found a photo I took with my old point and shoot about three years ago of the same barn. Sure wish someone would cut away all the growth. The brick foundation is worth being able to see.

Both kids and their families are fine and were spared most of Irene's wrath. Our daughter is still without electricity having lost it before noon on Saturday. Her neighborhood is on the list to be back online by six 0'clock this evening. We're crossing our fingers.

Posting for Tricia's Barn Charm.

Ruby Tuesday with Barn Charm

I saw this little barn from the interstate the first year we moved back to West Virginia. It sits down in a little valley and unless you know it's there you don't see it. We've passed it many times but never remember exactly where it is in order to stop. A couple of weeks ago while driving the route that goes by it I grabbed my camera and told Hubs to slow down that I thought I knew where it was and I was right. He pulled to the side of the rode and I shot down the hillside with my zoom lens to capture this little beauty.
I'm not sure what it is used for but I suspect collectables going by the many signs I can see on the left wall. You can hardly see it but there's a rooster weathervane on top and the exhaust pipe of a stove. The fence you see in the back surrounds the yard of the nearby house.
I love it's charming whatever it is used for. Of course, the quilt block is a big bonus. What I like about this quilt block is that it is actually painted on the barn and not a piece of wood painted and tacked on.

Posted for Ruby Tuesday and Barn Charm.

Barn Charm on Ruby Tuesday

This is another of my found Quilt Barns. For new readers here it is a Quilt Barn because of the square quilt pattern painted and hung on the barn. They are all over our country. If you aren't familiar with the history click here for a link that explains their beginnings. The lady responsible was born here in West Virginia just a few miles from where I grew up. It was a rainy misty day last July when we passed by this barn and lighting wasn't very desirable; but I think you can still see the beauty it beholds.

This is a closeup of the quilt pattern. I tried finding a name for the pattern but haven't been successful so far. Hubs and I have a two story barn-like detached garage that I hope will have its own quilt pattern square sometime this summer.

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Barn Charm

(enlarge for more detail)

I've posted about this kind of barn before; but I always stop and photograph one I haven't previously seen. For those of you who aren't familiar with them they are called Mail Pouch barns. It was a form of advertisement for a tobacco company out of Wheeling, West Virginia. I've said before I don't condone the advertisement itself. However, to those of us who grew up seeing them along the highways these old rustic barn billboards have become treasured as a vital piece of Americana.
In my latest research I found the Mail Pouch Company sold a sweet tobacco called WOW back in 1938. The product was short lived and only lasted about ten years. Fewer barns advertised WOW and today they are considered a rare find. Which is why I was happy I had stopped and taken a photo of this one last week. If you look closely the WOW logo is bleeding through the Mail Pouch one on this particular barn.

I included this shot especially for Tricia. She commented to me last week that all the barns I've posted seemed set among the hills. Yes, my West Virginia Hills...majestic and grand!

For more Barn Charm visit Tricia here.

Barn Charm

(click to enlarge for best view)

This barn sits right beside the road. The top of the gate you see in the foreground is almost at the shoulder of the road. I took this from the passenger's side window. Hubby stopped in the middle of the road and I took a couple of shots. It wasn't until we were driving away that both of us almost instantly laughed and looked at each other. We knew we had been looking at cows but didn't realize the little billy goat was lying on top of the hay. I was just so glad I had gotten him in the picture. I love the star cut into the peak of the barn. If you look closely you'll also see the side of the barn to your right is red.
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