Friday, May 21, 2010

STILL MEANDERING!

Having "collected" barns of just about every style, color, and state of stability, we have decided that we will now stop only for the ones that make us say, "Oh WOW!"  We thought those would be few and far between, but the old characters are everywhere here in the Oregon back country.
On this stunner, we didn't count the windows, but they are on all sides:
( I have noticed on my previous posts that the color of the post pics is washed out in comparison to the original photos; I don't know why, but it is disappointing to put up a photo and have it not represent the actual work.)



We drove the Hells Canyon Byway, feeling the calm of being in Ponderosa pine country.  This moment was so rewarding!  There is something magical about seeing elk in the wild country as opposed to the pasture and backyard-grazers we have at home.  To be able to catch them on the run as if they were directed, "Lights! Camera! Action!" was thrilling.  This photo is not cropped to bring the elk closer; we were that close:


It was refeshing to leave our backroad to explore an intriguing back-back road into a campground  in the Payette National Forest.  The galloping Whitehorse River provided natural air conditioning in the deep woods.  I didn't have my macro lens on, but I still had to catch this stand of teasel while the sun shone, so-to-speak:




Guess what the name of our road was today?  "Journey Through Time Byway"!  It didn't take us long to understand why. We drove through old-growth forests and towering rock fossil beds.  And everywhere were old  buildings in various stages of collapse, the hand-hewn logs sadly playing out "dust to dust". The grand prize of the day was a collection of original homestead buildings displayed in a verdant valley not far from the road.  We couldn't believe our eyes!  But it was on private property.  We drove through the narrow gate and down the long sloping road, looking for someone to approach about taking photographs.  No one. So, we blatantly trespassed.  Yes, the barn was irrisistable, but this photo is the one I post today:


1 comment:

Lynda said...

What variety! The first picture, for me (the interior designer), is the essence of what "barn red" means. I don't know about how the other colors posted, but can I assume that is the real deal - so rich and proud? I can't help but wonder about the cost of all of those windows, and the love the builder put into that beauty.

What a find in capturing the elk as you did. It's been so long since I've seen truly "wild" creatures; I envy you the experience. It's so magical and mystical, and peels back all of the chaos and fluff of the world.

I love the last picture with the tools assembled and waiting for use. Don't you just wish you had the back-story? Each of these photos is wonderful.