Sunday, January 5, 2020

A Drive in the Country

It was two weeks ago, the Saturday before Christmas when we decided to go for a drive and have lunch down near Eugenia.  It was one of those bright sunny winter days when you needed to take advantage of the sun just to get out.  And back then we had snow, unlike now!

This is a new barn owned by a young farm couple which we watched go up a couple of years ago.  They have opened an on-farm store and moved into selling organic pork and chicken,  Sometimes you can actually see the pigs out in their small pasture!  There's a great very well done video on the farm website which will give you a taste of farming here.

We drove straight down the 7th Line past farms we've seen many times, but it was different to get some winter photos.

I should really dig out my summer pictures to provide you with a seasonal comparison.

This picture is notable for what's missing - the old farm house and barn which just came down 3 or 4 years ago.  They sat over near that silhouetted tree on the right.  I'm sure I have a 'before' picture but I just can't find it.  Now it's just crops from one end to the other.  That's my red jacket faintly reflected in the window.

This small old barn is well-maintained, but I've never seen any evidence of it being used.

This cattle farm just north of our former house always seems busy, with lots of haybales for winter feed.

And this one is a few farms to the south of our former home.

Finally a line of big old Sugar Maples in front of an old rural home.

I'm experimenting with a new camera, a 'mirrorless' Canon which was a little expensive but light enough for me to manage with one hand.  I still don't have the trunk strength to lift up a heavier camera with both hands and stay stable.  All of these photos were taken from the passenger seat in our moving van.  I find that anything too close to the road ends up blurry, but aiming at a structure like a barn 200 yards away seems to work fine - hence these photos.  The lighting, although providing harsh contrast, is very realistic for a bright sunny winter's day.

I haven't linked to Tom's Barn Collective since before my fateful surgery nearly two years ago, but it seems appropriate to do so today.


10 comments:

  1. That new camera seems to be doing just fine with the glare of winter snow. With a snowy landscape I adjust the exposure compensation to +2/3 or +1 to reduce the tendency for the snow to appear as a dull gray. For almost 20 years I've been a Canon fan and have had great service from the company the two times it was necessary. Which model are you using now?

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  2. ...I remember when you would link your wonderful barn posts to The Barn Collective, they have been missed. The news of your surgery hit hard on this dull January day. I linked this post and I thank you.

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  3. Great photos and a nicce representation of our time now in agriculture. I am reminded of how fragile agriculture really is in the U.S. I am glad you have that new camera. It is getting good reviews. Do you have an exercise regime for lifting hand weights that will build stregth.

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  4. Super photos. I have developed a subtle shake so it is difficult to have fine detail photos. Your photos are very well done through the windows. What model is your camera?

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  5. These pictures are great! You are enjoying your new camera.
    Thank you for sharing and at the same time, I'm glad your snow is gone. :)

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  6. That camera seems to be working fine. I'm glad you told me what that faint red was in the one picture. I wondered. :-)

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  7. I was pleased to see your link on Tom's site. Welcome back!

    So often there is no place to pull over and stop in farm country. It's good that you have a driver so you can take photos without having to park. Sometimes I do but often I go out by myself in search of pictures. I guess it's an addiction. ;-)

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  8. Looks like that Canon camera is working well for you. Good stuff.

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  9. The new camera has taken some great shots. That first shot of the barns shows an interesting building.

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