Old Barn Boards

In September we were traveling in Pennsylvania and a bit in New York. In the late afternoon we headed southwest out of Corning, New York, and into Pennsylvania. I don't know whether we were still in New York or were in Pennsylvania when we drove past this old barn. We didn't stop, so this is one of those fleeting images taken out of the window. When I posted the photo above, I started looking at the construction of the barn. It had various colors and materials, so I asked my resident carpenter Marty about the construction of the barn.

The face of the barn is covered with board and batten siding, which has alternating wide boards and narrow wooden strips called battens. These battens are placed over the seams between the boards, providing very good weather protection. It became popular for siding barns in the mid-1800s.

The silo is built of wood, and the bands around it are metal, placed closer together at the bottom for greater strength. The roof appears to be different metals, part of it covered in rust. This barn looks to be abandoned, but who knows what might be stored inside. It could be full of old junk, old farm machinery, or perhaps the holy grail for a car enthusiast like Marty, full of old cars. It's fun to speculate what might be hidden behind those old walls.

Check out Tricia's meme at Barn Charm to see more old barns from around the world.

Old Red Barn

We drove past this old barn in September not too far from Niagara Falls. It is in pretty good condition and looks to be still in use.To see more old barns, go to Old Barns, hosted by Tricia.

A Second Look

In September when we were traveling in Pennsylvania we stayed off the main roads as much as possible. After we left Gettysburg we drove west through the southern portion of the state. Many of the sights we just enjoyed as we drove along and many I tried to capture as we kept on driving. Every once in a while, though, something caught my eye, and I persuaded my very patient driver to turn around and go back so that I could get a photo. One such occasion was the sight of an old brick house falling into disrepair. 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.

Shaggy Barn

While on our roadtrip through Pennsylvania we traveled mostly on smaller state roads. We came across this old barn while in Southwestern PA. 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.

Butterfly Conservatory, Part Two

There were many varieties of butterflies at the Butterfly Conservatory. Some were easier to photograph than others, and some completely defied my abilities to capture because they were constantly in motion. Below is one of the larger ones, the Rice Paper or Large Tree Nymph. Click on the collages for a larger view. Next are Common Birdwings.

Another similar butterfly is the Cairns Birdwing, along with the smaller photos of the Common Mormon and the Julia.

One of the more beautiful was the Blue Morpho. The underside of the wings are a dull brown color, but the upper side is a brilliant blue. They were only still when they were feeding on the oranges that were put out, and then the blue was mostly hidden. I spent a lot of time trying to capture the blue, with mixed results.

I hope I have correctly identified all of these butterflies from the little pamphlet I bought at the Conservatory, but if I have misidentified any feel free to correct me.

Beginning of the Roadtrip

Tuesday morning at 1:00 a.m. we left Fairbanks on a flight to Seattle, where we caught a connecting flight to Chicago. The photos here were taken in the Chicago airport.

Sometimes when you are sitting in an airport waiting for a flight you begin to think you are like the dinosaur whose petrified bones sit in one of the concourses.

We caught a flight from Chicago into Pittsburgh and arrived there at 9:00 p.m. Pittsburgh time, which would have been 5:00 p.m. Alaska time. The flight was about 10 minutes ahead of schedule, but we just beat a heavy thunder and lightning storm. Because they couldn't pull into the gate at the airport until the lightning was over and then 12 more minutes after that, we sat on the tarmac for about 45 minutes. There were several other planes that were affected also, but some of them were waiting in the air. I'm glad we were on the ground! We got off the plane to an airport that was basically empty, except for the hordes of people that got off of all the other planes that had been waiting too. The large crowd all moved through the airport together to the baggage claim area. It was kind of like a huge flock of sheep being herded to a different pasture. Sorry, I didn't get any photos of that. I was just too tired I guess, after having been awake for about 38 hours. I don't sleep well on an airplane, and maybe napped for 20 minutes. We caught a shuttle to a hotel and crashed for the night.

This morning we got up and went back to the airport to pick up a rental car, and then headed north about 15 miles to Monaca and checked into a hotel and we'll be here for the next five days. Ten miles up the road from Monaca is Beaver Falls. Marty, along with his two brothers, was born and raised in Beaver Falls. They haven't been back at the same time since they left in 1959, and this weekend is his youngest brother's 50th high school reunion. It seemed like a good time to all get together, so here we are with his two brothers and their wives.

They lived in the same house during the entire time they lived here. The photo above is of their grandparent's house that was next door to theirs. Alas, their house was torn down, and in its place is a parking lot.

Their dad built a small barbecue restaurant next to their house, and the three boys all worked there while they were growing up. There is still a restaurant there. It has been added on to, and the old logs covered up. The only thing that you can still see on the outside of the original building is the old chimney.

That's Marty and one of his brothers discussing the renovations. Throughout the area there have been a lot of changes in the last 50 years, but surprisingly enough there are many things that have not changed. There will be a lot of reminiscing over the next few days. Then next week Marty and I will be off to see some of the sights in Pennsylvania and the surrounding area. We've got lots of things on the list of things to see that we have missed on previous visits, but if anyone has any suggestions for places to visit, let me know. We will end our trip at the end of the month in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, at a big car show/swap meet. Go figure! Marty is in search of pieces and parts for Vicky, his '56 Crown Victoria. Vicky has been sitting patiently in his shop since last fall, and the plan is to work on her renovation this winter. More from Beaver County, PA, in the next few days.