Roamin' the Back Roads of Schoharie County

Friday, October 27, 2017
As you know from previous posts, Schoharie county holds a special place in my heart.  I talked about my history with Schoharie county in my previous post, Discovering Treasure Under the Nose.  In the past two months, we've enjoyed the scenery of Schoharie county four different times.  Two of those times were solely for the pleasure of driving the dirt roads and enjoying the view.  If you hate the country and get bored with old barns and dirt roads....now's your time to walk away.  Even my mom recently said, 'after a while, barns get old'.   Not to me!!  Even the oldest barns make my heart skip a beat!   On one of these trips, I learned a valuable lesson and I'll share that lesson here today.
In the meantime, sit back and enjoy the view as we explore the dusty, dirt roads of beautiful Schoharie county.









It's not unusual for us to pull off onto the shoulder of a dirt road to take a photo.  As you can see, the photos are often of a barn, or a home, or a farm animal.  It's obvious to me that the reason I'm capturing this scene, freezing it in time, is because I'm drawn to whatever the subject is. It's because I love whatever it is.   Well, for the first time recently, a property owner took offense to my fascination.
When I see a barn like this one, I'm immediately captivated.  I imagine all the stories these walls could tell, the stories that live on in the memories of the family members who experienced life here on this farm.....clearly a life lived many years ago.  The barn is in a sad state of existence today, but still standing compared to the other buildings that joined it on this family estate.  As we were stopped and I was shooting photos, an elderly lady drove up to our car and stopped right alongside of us, her window wide open.  Obviously not the least bit afraid of who she might be approaching, this feisty little woman told us in no uncertain terms that she knew we were 'marketing' her property like others had before us.  I tried as hard as I could to sweetly tell her that I LOVED her property and that I photograph old barns and write a blog.  'BS', she responded. Duh.... she had no idea what a blog was, I should have realized that before the words escaped my mouth.  When I asked her how old her farm was, after a long silence she replied, 'why do you care'?   She never did answer me.  There was no fear and no sign of weakness in this proud gal.  She had no intention of  backing away or backing down.  She was standing up for her beloved property, no matter what.  It was clear I was not going to convince her of anything, so we drove on.
As I thought about her later when I uploaded the photos, I realized that this was a proud woman, a woman whose entire life was probably spent on this once pristine farm.  I suppose that now, embarrassed by the state it has fallen into, not unlike her own physical state, this independent woman felt we were making a mockery of the place she still proudly calls home.  No wonder she was angry.  I felt sad for several days after this incident that I'd upset her.  I wished I could go back and bring her flowers and show her my blog so she'd see my passion for old farms.   After speaking to a friend from Schoharie though, I learned more about this woman and learned that those attempts would be fruitless.  Still, I long to sit with her and hear her story.

Not every barn I photograph is old or beyond its heyday, some are pristine and alive.  I love them all equally.  If I've photographed your barn or that of a friend, please know that I'm not mocking it, I'm memorializing it.  I fantasize about days gone by and the stories those barn walls could tell.










 Look at the difference a few weeks can make in the foliage....




Can you see why I love Schoharie County?   If you own a smart phone, you have no excuse for not getting off the main roads and exploring!  The map apps show where you are and help you navigate back to main roads.  All you need to do is ask for directions 'home' and the app will guide you back to civilization.  As you might imagine, this is only a fraction of the photos I took on four trips.  Maybe I'll share the rest in a second installment.........In the meantime, take time today to enjoy your view!
If I've photographed your farm...thanks for sharing it with me.  If I photographed the farm of a friend, please share this with them!  If you enjoy this post and want to see more like it, consider subscribing to this blog.  Each post will be delivered directly to your email. Click Here to Subscribe

3 comments

  1. Beautiful as always. I'm glad u do what you do because I love it and do it too but not as wonderfully as you. I have a love for barns and though I take them, I am no where near as good as you. So I'm so pleased that you do what you do! How I wish you were out here in AZ to see the enchanted pumpkin festival. Oh what pictures and stories you would have captured. Thought of you the whole time! So glad I met you! Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Awww you are so sweet! I’m glad I met you! It’s easy to see wher Hal gets his charm. I’m glad you ‘get’ the whole barn thing. I’m powerless over it ;)

      Delete
    2. Someone who just liked my Instagram post happens to have posted 2 pics from the Enchanted Pumpkin Festival in AZ!!! Small world!

      Delete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Life As I See It Header

Never Miss A Post - Follow by Email

Sign up here to get the latest blog post delivered to your inbox.
Never miss a post again!