State Route 209 is the main artery between Stroudsburg and Milford, Pennsylvania. It was once a country road that followed alongside the Delaware River while passing through farmland which had been passed down generation to generation from the early days of US history until the mid-70's when a government program to dam up the Delaware for recreational purposes took over the land and forced families to relocate. Eventually public uproar over the environmental impact of this plan caused the "Tock's Isalnd Project" to be scrapped. But the damage had already been done as most of the families were gone. In her glory days the Grand Old Lady was a self-sustaining dairy farm from what I can gather of her buildings. Today, most of them are succumbing to time and weather, but there is still an air of majesty around her due to her enormous size and height. Besides the double-winged Lady, there are three other smaller buildings; two smaller barns and a stone farmhouse. Each one has its own character and charm thanks to peeling paint, weathered clapboard and broken windows, all of which can be photographed to the heart and eye's content. What I found interesting on the side of this barn (one of the Grand Lady's children as I like to call them) was the effect that the shutters once had. Apparently they fooled someone into not painting behind them because since their departure, the wood that used to be under them has weathered faster than that which was painted. Lines, squares, and texture accentuated by the bright sun of noon made for a classic shabby-chic barn picture and the second stop of my film shoot.
Love the worn and weathered look - I find these types of places interesting. Cool shot. I've mentioned before we used to have a vaca house in that area (Hemlock Farms).
@michaelelliott Yes- I remember! We almost bought a house there many years ago. The elderly couple that lived there was being encouraged by their children to sell, but in reality they really didn't want to go. They ended up pulling out of the deal and it was a big heartbreak for me, but in the end, it wasn't meant to be. Who would have known that 20 years later, we'd end up a bit south of Hemlock Farms, but still in PA. Thanks Michael!
Wonderfully caught showing the aging process. I'm a lover of shutters and so this is really a statement of what decays first. Nature has time and all man-made things eventually succomb.
i can picture a young lad peeking out at the young girls far into the fields. what stories the grand old lady tells. the lines from where the shutters used to be say so much about the history of this structure. lovely!
Thank you everyone for enjoying the history and film shots of the Grand Old Lady. I hope I am doing her justice. I wanted to get at least a week's worth of pictures from her for the challenge, and I did, so you'll be seeing more for the next few days. I hope you like them and have a wonderful weekend!
I love old buildings! You have captured the Grand Lady well. We are planning a trip to the New England states one of these days/months and I hope to capture lots of history in the old buildings.
They say that the eyes are the windows to one's soul, but this is "windows that appear as eyes to a building's soul." I really do see eyes....do you? That must have really torn up those families who'd taken such pride in their land.....sad. Lovely shot though.
@memphis Thank you Samantha! @espyetta Thank you MaryBeth- yes I believe I do see them. And yes it was a major fiasco in the long run. @allie912 It was a disaster and the worst part was that when it finally fell through no one could move back in.
I really like how you focus on the windows as they alone can tell a story. I need to think about doing this. For some reason I tend to like taking pictures of the landscape.
@tklein Thank you so much Tina! @pandorasecho Thank you Dixie- yes it was a disaster all the way around. @geertje Thank you Geertje! @alia_801 Thank you Alia! @mrssmith Thank you Carla. You take beautiful landscapes- I think that is true to your style. Looking at details is a good exercise in stretching the way you think about a photograph- and it will enhance how you look at a landscape too. @jenp Thank you Jennifer. I wanted to give this film series a little flare and character of it's own and hopefully a little different from my usual 365 commentary, so it's got a little more history than usual.
@la_photographic Thank you Laura! @eudora Thank you Diane!
Thank you both for taking the time to look at this photo- I really appreciate your comments!
@adobewaters Thank you Adobe! I joined in the film challenge started by C and LJ. I wanted to take a series of film shots on one subject so that I could post them together. The barn was a logical choice. But the project has turned into a wonderfully creative outlet for me. I'm glad you're enjoying it.
@steeler Thank you Howard!
@karenann Thank you Karenann!
@summerfield Thank you Vikki!
Thank you everyone for enjoying the history and film shots of the Grand Old Lady. I hope I am doing her justice. I wanted to get at least a week's worth of pictures from her for the challenge, and I did, so you'll be seeing more for the next few days. I hope you like them and have a wonderful weekend!
@inertie Thanks Inertia!
@httpgeffed Thanks Colleen!
Thankfully she's in good shape for photos at present.
@seclark Thank you Stephanie!
I really appreciate your comments!
@espyetta Thank you MaryBeth- yes I believe I do see them. And yes it was a major fiasco in the long run.
@allie912 It was a disaster and the worst part was that when it finally fell through no one could move back in.
@pandorasecho Thank you Dixie- yes it was a disaster all the way around.
@geertje Thank you Geertje!
@alia_801 Thank you Alia!
@mrssmith Thank you Carla. You take beautiful landscapes- I think that is true to your style. Looking at details is a good exercise in stretching the way you think about a photograph- and it will enhance how you look at a landscape too.
@jenp Thank you Jennifer. I wanted to give this film series a little flare and character of it's own and hopefully a little different from my usual 365 commentary, so it's got a little more history than usual.
@eudora Thank you Diane!
Thank you both for taking the time to look at this photo- I really appreciate your comments!