Monday, March 10, 2014

A small barn adventure

This post is for Sharon, who asked about Bicentennial barns in Ohio.  Leading up to Ohio's 2003 bicentennial celebration a commission undertook to have a unifying logo painted on one barn in each of Ohio's 88 counties. The barns were selected to be near highly traveled interstate highways.



I needed a plan for photographing the Summit County barn; the logo is on the back, facing the expressway. The highway is destined to be an interstate in a few years, but for now is merely a sixty-five mile per hour freeway with standard state route berms. Hmmm.

I pulled off, but had little confidence in my agility exiting the driver's door and getting around the car. So, I went over the console. Got back in the same way. This strategy will never be used again. The pictures were worth it, however. Look what I found.



Over to the left, another low building with another folk art carving. The woman dwarfs the building, making it appear a doll house, and her a doll.




So, over the console and back up top to see the barn from the road. That is the freeway I used for the pictures above.


 

The barn from the other side. It's an old bank barn. Judging from the first pictures, the foundation is in good repair; the failing blocks apparently replace by masonry blocks.


This more modern barn is also on the property. The smaller outbuilding announces a machine company. I believe there is no activity; I haven't seen cars here in forever.

I remembered seeing the bicentennial logo on another barn nearby, and went around to take a picture. There were two horses looking at me over the fence, but moved along as I stopped to adjust a minor annoyance with the camera.



 I looked the internet over, and cannot see this round logo was ever official. Probably a fun addition when the barn was painted last.


I did notice greenish grass where the paddock manure is seeping under the fence. I believe we have only one more storm before spring. 



23 comments:

  1. Hari OM
    Wonderful buildings evocative of eras other. Finally got the etherwebs up and running over here!!! YAM xx

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  2. I love the carving of the woman with her small barn. Please don't get yourself run over while taking photos of barns.

    Love,
    Janie

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  3. Love those carvings.

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  4. I keep wanting to take photos of the ones on I-71 between here and Cleveland, but I never remember that until I'm buzzing past them. Thanks for climbing over the console for us :) The photos are worth it!

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  5. Your barns are lovely much nicer than the tin sheds they have here.
    Merle........

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  6. What a great story about how you captured your barn photos. I thought no one else did crazy things like me trying to get just the right shots of something. Nice discovery of the carvings. Funny how the unexpected can turn up. Enjoyed -- barbara

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  7. I used to live in Summit County, but I don't remember these barns. There is a barn I've noticed around here, since it is falling down.

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  8. Love that carving. And the barns. Megathanks.

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  9. I love the barns, Joanne. The carvings are cool!

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  10. Great pictures, Joanne. I have a feeling it was no easy task to maneuver around there with the snow still around and to get those pictures for us. They are neat to see and I thank you for that.

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  11. You went ... over ... the console ...TWICE ... It took me awhile to digest the awesomeness of that, and move on to the rest of the post ... which was also interesting, but honestly - I haven't been able to get over my console for many a year. Of course, it is a pretty small car. Now I need to know, how big is your car? My self-esteem depends on your answer, but - no pressure! LOL

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    Replies
    1. My midsize car was not big enough, even with both front seats all the way back.I could only think it looked like I was in a death struggle with an unseen adversary.

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    2. Perfect description, I think ... and I don't feel so bad anymore :)

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  12. All great pictures; I loved the woman carving by the barn! How neat is that!

    betty

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  13. Dear Joanne,
    I looked up whether I understand "bicentenary" right - I did: wow - such a long time to last for a barn! (Though I do not understand why they paint the logo on the barn - wouldn't a sign in front of it be sufficient?)
    I marvel at your determination to get those pictures - they are lovely, thank you!
    When the call of the rural country gets too strong for my (gardener's) heart, I read 'Cold Comfort Farm' by Stella Gibbons - than I laugh and know: my imagination got too romantic.

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  14. I love seeing these iconic red barns. Thank you for the effort you made to show us !

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  15. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! You may be a contortionist, (which comes in handy when trying to get a good shot) but you sure made my day with the Ohio Barns. That paint has held up pretty good for 11 years. I did get a chuckle reading the comments... as you know, it's OHIO that was celebrating 200 years of being a state, not the age of the barn. And in SE Ohio there are quite a few barns that were selected to be painted with the logo. Sure beats Mail Pouch!

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  16. There's no logo on our garage, but it does look like a small barn in its way, so I wish I could look out the back window right now and see you skulking around in the piles of snow, angling for a great shot. Maybe my dented 1997 Camry would make it into the picture!

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  17. I wonder what were the stories of the carvings? So well done. Would make a good story.
    Our barn was a bank barn as well, and looked also exactly like this. This one looks to have a good roof, which is the secret to keeping old things going. Literally and metaphorically.

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  18. Those carvings are amazing. I would be tempted to take them home with me. Just kidding. Kind of.

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  19. I think I like the carvings more than the barns. But the barns are still beautiful.

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  20. I've always loved barns. When I was in high school, I had to park my car in the barn in a stall at the end. In order to get out of the barn, I had to walk through it and would often stop to listen to all the animals (horses, cows ready to birth soon, pigs, chickens and one very noisy donkey) and then I would step out into the night to try to find my way in the blackness towards the house. It was so dark that I could barely see my hand in front of my face and often walked with my arms extended like a blind person until I either bumped into the well, a fence, some bushes or the house. I do remember one night when the Winter sky was so bright with stars that I just stood there in awe, looking up. No streetlights, nothing. Just those cold chips in the sky in that freezing Winter air.

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  21. To be honest I love barns. One of my dreams is to refurbish and old barn, making it into a house for us to live in.. :) Loved this!

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