Barns...

Frawley Homestead

Honey and I went on a road trip yesterday.  We were on the way to the Big City to do some shopping and decided to take the back roads part of the way.  We had to stop by a golf course for some supplies before our trip to the NJCAA National golf tourney and the back road was the prettiest way to get there.  I asked Honey for a couple photo stops along the way and he gladly obliged me.  I hope you enjoy the old homesteads and barns I captured along the way.  I'm a collector of barn photos and these local barns will go into my collection. 

 

 Frawley Estate, Lower Ranch, Elkhorn Ridge

 

 Reddick Ranch (note the dugout/cellar in the background)

 I don't think this is a barn, but rather, a home. 

Whatever it may be, I think it's a really interesting building along the St. Onge Road.

The building in the background of this photo is what we call The Shearing Pens.  Not a barn, really, but a structure that was used to shed sheep when storms came and to shear sheep in back-in-the-day.  We got the ewes and lambs in a couple of days ago and wormed the lambs. Oh my, but the lambs have grown -- so big and healthy!  It was fun to get a close look at them again.  Aren't they beautiful creatures?

 

Here is the grandgirls' new puppy, Charlie.

He is just learning about sheep.  He's half Australian Shepherd/Border Collie. 

He is very calm and quiet and thoughtful.

 

Sue did most of the dog-work that day.  She's getting a bit old and fat so she had some trouble jumping over the gates.  It used to come easy for her; now it's hard work.  I know how she feels.

If you are a barn lover like me, you might enjoy one of my favorite books called An Age of Barns by Eric Sloane.  He researched all kinds of barn styles and types and then sketched them and painted some and put them in a book.  Eric Sloane inspired one of our sons to draw -- in particular barns and buildings -- and he was good at it.  If you'd like to take a look at some of Eric Sloane's work, take a look here.

We have a dilapidated barn that will one day need to be replaced with something else.  I'm hopeful that we can build an old style barn that will be beautiful to look at and yet very functional too.  I've always thought it would be neat to have a barn with an upper level for storage and for roller skating, for barn dancing and maybe a workshop of some kind.  I also think there should be a rope hanging down from the upper level to climb and swing on.  I would like Hubs to have an office out there too.  A girl and her barn dreams.

 Then our sons in their youth

will be like well-nurtured plants,

and our daughters will be like pillars

carved to adorn a palace.

  Our barns will be filled

with every kind of provision.

Our sheep will increase by thousands,

by tens of thousands in our fields;

  our oxen will draw heavy loads.

There will be no breaching of walls,

no going into captivity,

no cry of distress in our streets.

  Blessed are the people of whom this is true;

blessed are the people whose God is the Lord.

~Psalm 144:12-15