From a distance it looks to be in very good repair, but cropping the photo for a little closer look shows some of the ravages of time. Even so it looks like it is still in usable condition. 
I took this photo on the fly while we were on the road on September 17th. To see more old barns from around the world visit Old Barns, hosted by Tricia.
This afternoon many were floating with the current, reminding me of kids playing at a water park.
The sun was shining and the temperature was around 8 degrees, making for a beautiful day for taking a few photos.
Add to that 3 to 4 inches of new snow and the resulting photos showcased winter's beauty.
The photos were taken about 2:00 p.m., and the sun was already low in the sky, with sunset approaching at a little after 3:00. We do have long twilight hours, so there was a little over an hour more after that before it got dark. As I took the photo below I was wishing for a view without the power lines. Later as I looked at the photo the power pole and lines seemed to merely highlight the magnificence of the sun. 
We may not have a lot of daylight hours now, but when the sun is shining and glittering off the snow I am often mesmerized by the exquisite beauty around me.
Happy Thanksgiving!
If you have spent any time in the Pacific Northwest you know that it rains a lot. Somehow I don't think you'd stay dry in this barn, and I'm afraid the roof isn't going to hold up very much longer.
The photos in this post were all taken in late August when the fields are full of Canada Geese, Sandhill Cranes, and various other waterfowl. The photo below is around to the right of the barn view shown in the first photo.
In 1938 the largest of the two Iowa-type barns was built. It was designed by the Louden Machinery Company of Iowa and cost $13,700 to build. It measures 110 feet long and 36 feet wide. The photo below is around to the left of the barn view shown in the first photo.
It features a Gothic-arch roof, a rounded version of the popular gambrel roof found on most barns. The hayloft was capable of holding 165 tons of hay, enough to get 55 cows through the winter in Fairbanks.
It had a bottling plant for the farmer, and low pressure steam heated blower units and exhaust fans to keep the cows warm and dry in the winter. As was often done in Fairbanks in the early days, the foot-thick walls were insulated with sawdust. A cart on an overhead track carried the manure from throughout the barn to a point 80 feet out a side door where it was dumped to be later spread on the fields. The grain in the manure and leftovers from the previous fall's harvest began drawing the annual migration of waterfowl to the fields. The photo below is further around the barns to the left from the view in the first photo.
Click HERE to read more about Creamer's Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge. I have done many posts on Creamer's Field, and you can click on Creamer's Field in my sidebar to read more of those. I'll post more photos of the barn in different seasons. To see more old barns from around the world, check out Old Barns, hosted by Tricia.
To see more old barns, go to Old Barns, hosted by Tricia.
When we stopped at the mud pots, a pair of ravens came running over to the truck to see if we had anything for them. Hey, Lady, it's snowing pretty hard out here. Can you spare a treat or two for a poor starving raven? 
We're not picky. A candy bar, some peanuts, popcorn, french fries, hot dogs?
Well, I can't believe you are not going to share with us!
Well, George, what did you get?
Matilda, it's unbelievable! I didn't get a single scrap.
I just don't know what the world is coming to! Here we are at Yellowstone, it's snowing, it's cold, and those people have the nerve to not even give us a bite or two to eat. I guess we'll have to go check out the dumpsters behind the Visitor's Center.
Ravens are a fascinating bird to watch.
I included a photo of the house in a post I did while we were traveling and you can see that post by going to Along the Road. In that post I said that some things make you stop and take a second look. This house was one of those things.
I thought it worth going back now and taking a second look. The house was in a general state of disrepair, but the striking feature was the method used to prop up the porch roof. One of the columns had failed, and someone had made an interesting repair. Looking a little closer it looks like the whole porch roof is close to collapse.
The shutters on the windows on the ground floor are painted white, while the upper shutters are a different design and a weathered gray or green, perhaps to coordinate with the green of the porch prop? As I look at the windows, it almost appears as if there are observers peering out. Remember you can click on the photos to enlarge them to get a better look. 
The house sits very close to the road but I feel sure things were very different when it was built. As for now, it sits alone and abandoned, its windows eyeing the traffic passing by. Are the spirits of its early inhabitants also looking out? What stories would they tell us?
One interesting side note, Coy of Country Captures left a comment on my original post. He drives by that spot every day on his way to work. How crazy is that? Check out Coy's blog. He takes some of the most incredible wildlife photos.
It looks like it's in need of a haircut. To see more old barns around the world, go to Old Barns, hosted by Tricia.
