Barns, And So Much More

Carol's post, and monthly theme choice of "Barns", has had me on a barn hunt since the beginning of August. Just like Terri mentioned in her post on Tuesday, there aren't many barns near where I live just north of New York City. (Or so I thought..)

Until this past Sunday, I had been limited to taking barn pictures on the fly on my iPhone as I drove by them on the NYS Thruway. I was happy that I had at least seen a barn, but those shots weren't exactly what I had been hoping for.

So this past Sunday I remembered Deanna's recent post about Sunday Drives, and I set off to points unknown, searching for barns.  Also like Terri, (our google queen) I too had googled barns in my area and had come up with one. Yes, one. It didn't sound like the old, worn, in need-of-repair barn that I was hoping for, but beggars can't be choosers. It actually sounded like a great place to visit - a working farm, area environmental center, where you can pick your own veggies. I thought, at the very least, I could get one shot of a barn to post and I'd be happy. Not so much. When I drove in the long driveway I was greeted by a sign saying "Property Closed on Sundays." Are you kidding me?? (Terri would tell me that I should have googled the hours of operation too!)

Well, not one to give up easily, I made up my mind that I wasn't going to just drive back home. I also kept remembering my last post about viewing where we live as a tourist would. Find new things. Take new roads. I turned the opposite direction that I had come from and just drove. And drove.

When I saw the flashing lights, cars parked all over the sides of the road, and a policeman directing traffic, my first thought was "ughhh, what's this??"  Well, what it was, was serendipity! There was a sign that said, "Art at the Farm."  I pulled into the big field parking lot and hopped out with my camera so proud of myself that I had found a barn for our Carol! :)

Barns all over the place. Big ones and small ones. New ones and old ones. I was so happy, clicking away. But there was so much more than barns. There was a man in the shade of a tree playing guitar and singing. There were families everywhere, picnic blankets down, little kids running around. And vendors. Fresh out of the field vegetables that made my mouth water. An art exhibit in the main house. And what could soon become my favorite vendor table, since I have recently discovered that I have a gluten allergy, the Gluten Free Dessert Kitchen!

There was so much going on. There was so much laughter and such a great family feel. (I was actually a little jealous that I was there by myself.) If Carol hadn't chosen barns for this month's theme I never would have known about this place. And again, as Terri wrote, this was all in my "own backyard."

No matter what the reason - get out there everyone! Take that Sunday drive. Google something and go hunt it down! Find all those hidden treasures that are all around you - you just don't know it yet!

We are thoroughly enjoying all of your barn photos and hope that you will continue to search for them to post on our flickr page. Label them "barns" to be considered for our weekly INFOCUS selections. Happy Hunting!

Oh, and we have exciting news! We are having a "linky party" next Thursday! It's all about stories! Watch for more information coming soon, right here on FOL! In the mean time, if you have ANY questions about what a linky party is, how to participate, or any other question, just leave your questions in any of the comment sections of the next few days posts. Then be sure to check back in those comment sections to see the answers to your questions so you'll be all set to play with us!