Old Buildings

One of the things that I like best about wandering the backroads are the old buildings. Old buildings seem like they have grown out of the ground. They have been there long enough for lots of things to happen to them and they seem to me like they are just begging to tell me their stories. Unfortunately, they don't speak English and I can only get a glimpse of their stories from the side of the road.

By contrast, new building are just plain boring.


Barns are great. Born of function, yet they seem to have interesting, simple architectural shapes. So much more than a house, they seem to grow out of the ground. And when they get old, they lean and sag and talk to us of the hard winters and heavy loads.


Sometimes, they are split from the house and other barns by the road, almost like no one ever thought there would be more people and traffic when they were built.


Then there are the curiosities. When you built this house, how did you think you were going to get into the attic?


I like this. The whole barn has been without paint for a long time but the window is painted blue. Also, note the car radio antenna rusting away outside the window.


Finally, there are little gems like this cute little barn. It just makes me want to climb into the loft with a good book and take a nap.