Monday, December 15, 2014

A Few More Barns

I'm getting quite captivated by all the different barns around the landscape here in the valley, now that I've started collecting photos of them.  And there are enough to keep me going for quite awhile.  They're such a big part of the farming landscape here, and they tell us a lot about the farming that has gone on.

These first two are on the drive up the 7th Line to Meaford, taken on that bright sunny day when I photographed the ice along the shoreline.  I think this is my favourite, both in terms of composition, with the tree framing the barn, and because it's a gambrel or hip-roofed barn.  Until I started taking these pictures I didn't realize these were so unusual.

A nice red barn that I drive by frequently, until recently the home of a small herd of beef cattle.

These pictures are on a more typical grey December day, and are all just around the corner from us.  I must have driven by this barn dozens of times - and never noticed!  Take a close look at that silo!  I don't know why this farmer collects the big cranes.

More commonly the barns around here are simply weathered barn board, unpainted.  They seem to last just as long as the painted ones, but perhaps aren't as attractive.  These are two simple bank barns, joined at the corner to make an 'L'.

And here's a restored barn - notice the new barn boards on the east side, rapidly weathering to grey, and the low horizontal line of windows across the wall.  It's always nice to find rural residents maintaining these barns, and best of all, using them.

Hope you enjoyed more barns around the valley; to see more, check out The Barn Collective.

23 comments:

  1. Mercy! is that red truck setting on the silo, or hanging from the crane! All beautiful! Keep collecting and sharing please!

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  2. You found some wonderful red barns. I'm longing for the opportunity to see blue skies like in #1 and #2. What's that red pickup truck doing atop the silo in #3? #4 is a great barn, I like the add ons. #5 is lovely, the splash of color with red roof and gnarly sugar maple framing the left side is nice. You are fortunate to have barns aplenty in your area. Lucky you and lucky me. Tom The Backroads Traveller

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  3. I like the barn with the horses on it!

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  4. That last barn in particular appeals to me!

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  5. I love barns. I always wonder at the stories they could share.... Michelle

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  6. Lovely photos ! I love old barns ,Thanks for sharing ! Have a good day !

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  7. Another fine collection. Do you happen to know anything about the history of these barns? Were the different designs indicative of different original uses? Here in the UK, strictly speaking, a barn refers to a building where unthreshed grain crops were stored in the form of sheaves and where the subsequent threshing took place. Nowadays the word tends to be used for other agricultural buildings such as cart-sheds, cattle-sheds and so on. Very few are retained in their original form.

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    1. John, your question makes me realize that I could be providing a lot more information, beyond the pictures and a brief comment. I'll pull some things together and expand on the history of these barns in next week's post - come back on Sunday. I've also got an answer about the closely-spaced posts in some of our fences which I'll describe tomorrow.

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  8. Gorgeous barns! The one with the truck on the silo is interesting. I'm curious if it is actually on it or just suspended by the crane.

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    1. If you look closely, the crane is behind the silo. I think the truck is just sitting there.

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  9. Every time you do one of these barn things, it makes me want to run out and take pictures of the ones around here. Very nice collection of barns, and I especially like the colorful ones. :-)

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  10. Maybe the farmer is getting ready for some major renovations on the barn, although it looks pretty sturdy. Interesting.

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  11. Love them. And I'm collecting some pictures of silo tops for one of these days, but yours wins hands down for unusual.

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  12. You were clever to get out on that sunny day to take photos. I also enjoy taking photos of old barns!

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    1. If you get a sunny day in the winter, you just gotta get out! That was the 2nd sunny day in a month!

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  13. Hello Furry Gnome, you take some interesting photos. There is something about old barns and coastal towns that strike a cord in my heart and from the looks of your blog, you feel the same way. I do most of my traveling over the internet, but hope that this year we will be able to have sometime to hop in our little motor-home and see a bit of the country. We bought this little secondhand motor-home and our plans are to get out and see what we can see without going more than 300 miles from home. It's a good start and will give us a feel for the gypsy lifestyle. That photo you took of driving into Meaford and seeing Georgian Bay, in the horizon, is wonderful. You live in a gorgeous part of the world. I am your newest follow #100. I always invite new friends to visit my blog and follow me back . . . but only if my blog is of interest to you. It may not be, I'm an artist, crafter and quilter. My husband and I purchased a little fixer upper bungalow and spend most of your free time fixing it up.
    Well, have a lovely Christmas and thanks for letting me tag along on your photo journeys.
    Connie :)

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    1. Connie, welcome to my blog. Follower #100 - I never would have believed it! Hope you enjoy my photos and stories.

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  14. All nice but that first one is my favorite. It is post card pretty.

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  15. Hi Furry....
    Believe it or not, I have also starting really noticing the barns, farms and silos on our weekly drive to the cottage...
    Yours are outstanding!
    I take mine while whizzing past them...some turn out quite well!!
    Hope you are on the mend....
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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  16. Thank you for the beautiful pictures of your barns. In Abruzzo where I live there are several. I like those not restructured and in particular I like those of the mountain. Good evening Lina

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  17. Really nice barns! Is that a truck on top of that silo or am I seeing things?? Some older barns here are hip roofed. Beautiful photos!

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  18. Great barns - love the grey weathered look - though the red ones do stand out nicely in winter. We are fast losing our barns in this area - it is build build build build build and no thought to what is being lost. I'm getting photos of as many as I can while they are still here.

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