𝕜𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕪

OLD BARN № 083

This barn is definitely not old, but is a rather newer construction. However, I happily added it to my Old Barn Project because it is so pretty! Instead of a reddish-hue, like the last pair, or white, or just natural, bare wood, this one is a delightful shade of burnt-orange!

As I've stated before, most of my barn photos were taken from my car while sitting in the driver's seat. Only rarely have I exited the car before snapping the photo. Despite this, I have been eyed suspiciously several times while pausing to photograph a barn.

This time, though, I was paying so much attention to the barn — and trying to stop the car in just the right spot on the roadway to get the best photo — that I did not notice the landowner was nearby. When he saw me pause in front of his property, he came running towards me at top speed, yelling, "What are you doing there? Why are you stopping beside my property?" 😬

I was quite surprised at his defensive attitude for such a minor thing as pausing on a public road in front of his land. Heck, maybe my car had stalled, or I had become suddenly ill...? Instead, apparently the only thing he could imagine was that I was somehow up to no-good. His questioning only slightly softened when he got close enough to realize I am a woman, but still demanded in a very firm and sour tone: "Can I help you...??? " 😳

So, I told him the truth, that I was passing by, saw his barn, thought it was pretty, and wanted a photo. He glanced back at his barn, apparently surprised that I thought his barn to be pretty, then looked back at me. His demeanor lessened but a smidgen, and he hesitantly said, "Okay..." Then, I smiled, wished him a good day, and slowly pulled away.

At least that is [probably] the worst that would happen in this area, being challenged verbally by a landowner. I know an even more remote area (in an adjacent state) which has a long history of clandestine moonshine making, where one is likely to be met by rifle-fire for stopping outside one's property, no joke. One resident of the area cautioned me one time about this, and he was deadly serious when he said it. I heard other stories, later, which corroborate his advice.

^{screenshot from BING Maps}

The above aerial photo shows where the barn is located. Nearby are a couple of other barns already featured in my blog — 055 and 054 (the latter is one of my favorite artistic renderings of barns). I did not photograph this barn when I snapped the other two, however, because it wasn't old. But then I had a change-of-heart later and came back to get it, along with another one nearby (noted by the white dot).

Here is the original shot from that day. Off-screen to the right and a good ways further from the road is where the landowner's house is located.