A past time that has fallen by the wayside in today's world is "The Sunday Drive in the Country." Before the days of computers, TV's, shopping centers, and air-conditioned cars, people sought other means of entertainment on the weekends. I bet most of you don't remember the world without shopping centers and certainly not TV. I did not see my first TV until I was in the 3rd grade when we moved from Amarillo, TX to Dallas, TX. Staying in a hotel, awaiting the moving van to arrive so we could move into our new home, I noticed the bar across the street from the hotel had TV and was also "air conditioned". Naturally the P's wouldn't let me go alone and gaze into that funny looking tube called a TV. Even after we settled into our new home, it was a couple of years before we actually bought a TV. So Sunday's were spent taking drives in the country, exploring our new surroundings. If you were a baseball fan, as my Dad was, you didn't watch the game on TV, you listened to it on the radio. Many drives found my Dad with his ears pitched listening to the radio while driving his family to the country.
While we drove we spotted the barns as they dotted the countryside, counting how many red barns, how many green barns, how many were square or round or rectangle.
How many were in dis-repair, ready to fall down if not tended to.
As my brother and I grew older and became more involved with school activities, girlfriends and boyfriends, part-time jobs and sports, we lost interest in those Sunday drives and it wasn't until I became a "photographer" (we can say that because when you take pictures, you are a photographer) that my interest in taking drives to the country to spot the various barns, not to count the colors or the shapes, but to snap photos, was restored.
My drives to the country these days usually follow a visit to my sweetie. He is at a facility that is pretty much surrounded by corn-fields and farmland, so after I kiss him goodbye, many times I head out, turning down whatever road that beckons, to find whatever surprise is just around the bend. I take great delight in finding a new route with interesting barns and as an added bonus maybe some farm animals too.
Do you take drives to the country? Are you in love with barns and discovering just the right spot to stop and take that shot? Please join us the whole month of August in posting your barn images on our flickr site and tag them "barns" to be considered for our weekly spotlight right here on "Focusing On Life".
"The world was made round so we would never be able to see too far down the road."
~ Isak Dinesen
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19 comments:
Oh Deanna , of course I am in Heaven here! These pictures are just lovely. Like you, being in the country and seeing these kinds of sites brings me comfort. I got up really early today -- thanks for staring my day so peacefully.
Deanna, your post is beautiful from start to finish...the images, the words, the memories it evokes...all of it! I do remember Sunday drives, and thankfully hubby and I still take those drives every once in awhile. He loves the driving on country roads, and is very patient when I want to stop and take photos. Your barn photos are so lovely...thank you for sharing! P.S. I also love that quote!
Oh my word, Deanna, you should do a barn calendar! I'd buy it in a flash. There aren't many barns near me, mostly fish-houses that look like barns but are build on wharfs and hang over the water and the fisherman store their gear there and clean the fish. Your shots are stunning!
Deanna ... wonderful post from beginning to end. The photos are such a delight, the memories ... so similar to mine. But the chord that resonated with me was when you told about your Dad,the baseball fan. I get it! My dad was, too, and family events were put on "pause" while Dad watched on TV or more often listened to the games on the radio. He grew up within a stones' throw of the old Yankee Stadium and was a life-long Yankees fan, a tradition my brother and his kids still follow. Yes, my dad loved his baseball, too ... and we were often forced to listen to the games in the car. There's so much to say here, I might have to write a post about this ...
Thanks for the smiles!
xo
:-D
And to think that I am searching the area desperately looking for barns! You have so many! Your images are so beautiful. I do remember the Sunday drives. Have to admit, as a kid, I didn't always like them. I mean, "where ARE we going??" But, good memories too. I grew up in farm country. My dad had a great barn. Now I'm searching for them, and searching for them!
When I read that your theme for the month was "barns" I was in heaven. I love to go barn hunting and we do have aplenty in this part of the world...being in the midwest definitely has its advantages. thanks for pickin' barns!!
Enjoy those Sunday drives with your hubby....they are precious!! Thanks for stopping by!!
One more reason to come visit!! Find a REAL barn!!
Thanks, Dotti, my Dad was a St. Louis Cardinals fan...he listened to every game and ofcourse, when we finally bought a TV he was in heaven.
And...a good reason for YOU to come visit. We have so many barns in this area that you would be in "hog heaven" (hee hee, a little "farm" joke) Thanks!!
Deanna, thanks for the post and the remeberence of barns. Most Sundays Mr. Radish and I drive the fields of Skagit Co. looking at barns. It is a great thing that you are doing by photographying them.
Holy Batman, I never tire of your barn photos....I was so hoping to pop up this summer, but not sure I can make it happen before school starts, maybe a little after? I love Sunday drives, did as a kid while we had our DQ treats, in the station wagon in the back with all the seats down, a blanket and a pillow, ahhh such good times! Now a lot of my Sunday drives include a stroll down the seawall . . . but you knew that! Wonderful post Deanna!!
I grew up in Dallas, too.
We took those Sunday drives out to the country. Windows down, and the wind blowing our hair in our faces. Sometimes we'd stop at some store in a 'wide place in the road', with a screen door with a sign for Rainbow bread on it. I was allowed to get a 'coke' (in Texas, all sodas used to be 'cokes'...whether they were Dr. Pepper or root beer..or, actually a Coca Cola.).
Now that I'm all grown up and a 'photographer', I'd love to find one of those stores, with one of those screened doors. Wouldn't be the same with air conditioning.
Love your barns. I need to get out and find some Central Texas ones.
This is such a sweet post. Like you I was older when we got our first BIG tv. (I think the screen was about 18" wide) Black and white. Sundays were our "drive" day.
I loved the photo of the barn in blurr w/ the corn (my guess) stalks were tac sharp! Great shot. Actually all of them are. Such a peace in all of them.
You are a wonderful photographer my dear dear friend.
hugs.
Simply stunning barn shots, Deanna! Oh, how I would love to come for a visit and be able to see these in person. I think you may have hit on a way to get us all there to visit you! I LOVE that round white barn with the green roof! So unique!
Your post brings back so many memories of Sunday drives, baseball on the radio and not having TV, but I agree with Judy, I sometimes wondered WHERE we were going! Funny how things that we weren't that crazy about as kids turn into fond memories for us as adults.
With scenery like this to shoot, I'll bet you were jumping for joy when you saw the monthly theme! Thanks for this wonderful post.
These are so beautiful! Images with old barns just soothe me and make me want to slow down!! My dad was a preacher. I would call him a traveling preacher, since we rarely lived close to the church. I remember one church he pastored was about two hours away. Our Sunday drives were always along the same road, staying with church members for lunch, and driving back in the dark with all three of kids bedded down in the back of our station wagon. I guess after those years of traveling, my mom and dad had had enough of Sunday driving. I really don't remember ever going for "just a Sunday dri I've taken a couple of road trips looking for barns. The only ones I've found are right on the road. I wish I could find one off in the fields like you've found!! These are just wonderful!
Well, something happened to part of the post!! It was supposed to say "just a Sunday drive."
Lovely country pictures, Deanna! I can't help but love a pretty barn.
Oh, I feel like I just went for a wonderful Sunday drive! Your photos are awesome, Deanna! Thanks for sharing all of them. And I'm with Fishgirl....you need to make a barn calendar!
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