Peek A Boo Pony

It's been a while since I have posted. Here is a shot I took a couple years back while in California on Route 395.

Vineyard Martinez California

This is a vineyard in Martinez near the John Muir House.

Banjo Creek Farms Revisited

I have shot Banjo Creek Farms in winter in the post Banjo Creek Farms. Here is a shot during the summer. I like to visit the same place at different times of the year to shoot a completely different feel, like the post This Old House would not be the same at any other time of the year. Not that you can't get a good shot during a different time of year just a different feel. 

Old Barn and Mount St. Helens Revisited (6 months later)

I visited this barn in early February 2013 the image is in the post Old Barn and Mount St. Helens. I am amazed at the amount of decay the has happened in such a short time (6 months). When you compare it to the post Barn in Washington on 97 to Barn in Washington on 97 Winter the time span is almost 7 years and the decay is barley noticeable. What is different the barn taken with Mount St Helens is on a high flat plain compared to a valley in the barn on 97. Was the wind on the flat plain able to knock the whole exterior wall down or did a group of teenagers help that wall fall? The population is greater around and closer to the barn taken with Mount St Helens. Is one barn built better than the other? Is one barn older than the other or was there more snow fall in the area that had greater decay in a shorter time? I like to watch things change over time that's why I find it interesting to revisit places at a different time of year or years later and think about what is different. If I did not take photos I would not notice the subtle or drastic changes. Photography has taught me to slow down take a step back and notice what is around me look at what is different from yesterday. If I travel what's different here than at home and take time to enjoy it. I have enjoyed watching the colors of fall this year, I got and early start when I was in Tahoe and shot the aspens in the post This Old House. It reminds me of the quote "Stop and Smell the Roses" I did research and could not find the author of the quote.

When I saw the clouds surrounding the peak of Mount St. Helens I could not help but think how similar it must have looked to the around the time when it erupted on May 18th 1980. I remember going to my Grandparents orchards a few months later it was amazing to still see the ash on the ground about 3 to 4 hundred miles away.

Red Barn U.S. Route 395 Oregon

I saw this red barn on U.S. Route 395 south of Burns Oregon, as we drove past this I did not have to say anything to my wife she knew I was stopping. As I tell the story when I see things like this I say I flat spotted the tires (from breaking hard). I made sure to stop safely and found a spot to turn around, but I will admit I was a little exited and jumped an electric fence seen in the bottom image before I realized what it was. I confirmed what it was when I saw the battery sitting on the ground with wires connected to it. It looked like the barn was still in use and I heard loud banging especially while I was inside the electric fence. It was probably a piece of corrugated metal banging around, but you know how your imagination runs away with you in my mind it was a big old bull. Probably the one that made the big hole in the corner of the barn in the bottom image (just kidding) but you know how your mind runs away with you sometimes.

Barn U.S. Route 395 Oregon

I found this on barn on U.S. Route 395 north of Burns, Oregon. U.S. Route 395 had very little traffic you would not see anyone for hours. The day before we drove and we were running on fumes we had not seen a gas station for quite a while. Then we saw gas stations with great prices we would pull in and the pumps were all locked up, we even saw a house that had a pump in the yard. It was about 7pm on Sunday and they had closed at 5pm then we came to Lakeveiw Oregon and saw another gas station that was locked up also. We saw a police officer talking with some locals and stopped to ask where a gas station was and there was a Chevron less than a 1/4 of a mile down the road. The funny thing about U.S. Route 395 was you would not see anyone for hours, stop your car and then people came out of the wood work wanting to know how your car was running (which was comforting because of the lack of cell service) and if you knew how to read the no trespassing signs. Then someone else would drive by and you had a funny feeling that they had just talked to the last person that drove by. Someone stopping was the news of the day. I do not trespass if there is a sign and most people relax when they see the camera I have even had people say I could go in if I did not disturb anything. That is what I am trying to do with the camera preserve the past and show people what is out there if you look around. The last thing I want to do is destroy it. Imagine if someone had destroyed this barn and its beauty.

Barn in Washington on 97 Winter

I have passed this barn on US Route 97 north of Ellensburg Washington for years mostly during the summer months and have a previous post during the summer. It is actually closer to the ghost town of Liberty just to the south. I had a chance to shoot it during February of this year. I find it interesting to note the changes of time like the fence that is falling over or the building on the left that is leaning. It has been seven years in between the images and the changes are really not that great when you consider the time that has passed.

Banjo Creek Farms

This is Banjo Creek Farms in Manson Washington I have seen it change hands many times. It has had a simple petting zoo, a restaurant with live music, sold antiques and had exotic animals like Clydesdale horses and Texas Longhorn cattle. It seems no one can make a business survive in this location. My wife loves the place and has dreams of owning it one day.

Old Farm and Windmill

This hay farm is located just north of Shaniko Oregon and south of Grass Valley on Highway 97. The windmill was in great condition it was made by Aermotor Wininmill of Chicago the only windmill manufacture in the United States that was founded in 1888. The house was home to hundreds of pigeons.  It appeared that the farm was still in use, there were tire tracks and the barn had fresh hay in it.

This house was two stories but you would have to be very brave to tackle the battered staircase. The house also had a rock foundation.

Old Barn and Mount St. Helens

I passed this barn with bison being back lit by the sun years ago and I was in too much of a hurry. I will get it next time only to never see that again. I have regretted that ever since. So when I saw this shot I took it. The barn is on Highway 97 just outside Goldendale Washington just inside the southern border just north of Oregon. The mountain in the background is Mount St. Helens.

Barns of Ellensburg Washington



These barns are in Ellensburg Washington, I have passed by them for more than 40 years I finally stopped and checked them out. The reddish brown cow in the foreground was up against the fence with its udders being lit by the sun. That was the picture that I wanted but the cow walked and looked away as I approached. I had a wide angle lens which tends to exaggerate distance so I got as close to the fence as I could and decided to include it in the picture as the cow walked away.



Barns of Petaluma

Here are a few of the barns I saw in Petaluma. I am sure you could spend a lot of time there shooting many others. This is just from a couple of days shooting. I just took off and drove around during sunrise and sunset. No plan just luck.

I wish I could of got the shot I saw when I drove up! I almost did't process this shot because the shot I missed. This is a single shot from a RAW file. I did it from a single file because of the movement. Thats why I always shoot RAW when I am doing HDR. You just don't have enough information when you shoot .jpeg files to process a single file.

This is the first barn I saw and could not wait to get a shot of it.

This isn't a barn, but when I passed it I could hear my wife Carol saying I want that house even though I was not in the same car. When we stopped she told me that she wanted the yellow house in the vineyard. I grabbed this shot on the way home. I did not spend enough time on it. I wish I would of moved in closer to the fence and trees and got another shot.

Barn in Washington on 97

This is a barn I have passed many times in my lifetime. I have seen it at all times of the day and  definitely had better chances to photograph it. My wife was driving and I had my camera in my hands so I had her pull over. I was mid day, when I saw the results I was less than impressed and forgot about it. Today I was looking for another image when I found it. It was taken in 2006 and a little over exposed and flat I don't know if it was the tolls in Photoshop CS or my lack of trying.  I started to play with it in Photoshop CS 4 and it started to come to life so I thought I would post it.