barns – Denise Bush's Photo Blog

Road Trip Relics

On a recent overnight road trip, Brent and I discovered some fascinating relics. I enjoyed exploring to find and shoot them! Each one has its own imagined story, since there is little to no information about why the inhabitants vanished. I hope you enjoy seeing my latest captures below. These relics may not be around much longer!

And speaking of relics, it’s come to my attention that the theme used for this blog is no longer supported and needs updating to a ‘responsive’ theme (template). I will be studying the best way to do this and am hoping there won’t be too many kinks. I am concerned images uploaded before August 2021 may not look acceptable as they were sized very small. I’ve been sharing my images and thoughts about photography since 2009 and this theme has served me well. Blogging is a wonderful way to archive work and including this entry I’ve posted 452 times. Most often posts display several photos following a topic of my choosing, and I’ve posted 3,121 images to date. Thanks very much for following along … and please stay tuned!

UPDATE: I pulled the switch and this is my new theme. I chose something similar and think it worked out well, and without any apparent glitches … yay!

An old brick house glows in the golden hour sun below beautiful clouds. — ‘The Brick House’ © Denise Bush

Barns and sheds part to reveal a mound in the distance. — ‘A Distant Mound’ © Denise Bush

The sky blue color and unusual siding call attention to this little relic. — ‘Diamond Sided’ © Denise Bush

An old Dodge sits on top of a foundation providing a covered storage space. — ‘Storage Solutions’ © Denise Bush

A little house sits abandoned long ago on the plains of the west. — ‘Little House On The Plains’ © Denise Bush

A shelter built from adobe bricks and mud holds onto history with a weathered patina. — ‘Adobe Shelter’ © Denise Bush

A little house, quaint adn new at one time, weathers with age. — ‘Gone’ © Denise Bush

Old weathered buildings are in a perfect setting below Colorado's beautiful mountains. — ‘Relics Below’ © Denise Bush

An old barn stands out with its red weathered siding. — ‘Red Barn & Silo’ © Denise Bush

A windmill and some old tractor wheels make an intriguing rural scene under ominous looking storm clouds. — ‘Windmill & Wheels’ © Denise Bush

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Wintry Mix

This post is an assortment … an array, medley, potpourri, etcetera, of recent images I decided to process! It includes some that didn’t fit into previous post themes, and others that I found reviewing folders from the past 2 months. Spring arrived on the calendar but it doesn’t feel like it here in Colorado. March is typically our snowiest month and it’s no surprise to us if we get some in April. We’ve learned to hold off putting our shovels away until late May! It’s all good … we just need to be a little more patient and appreciate what the snow brings to our forests and rivers. It’s a gift that will slowly melt off the peaks now through summer. Although ready for a change, once gone I will undoubtedly miss the unique photo opportunities the snow creates.

A fresh coating of snow coats a mountain in Ouray County, Colorado. — ‘Frozen Landscape’ © Denise Bush

Three gambel oaks are a frequent subject for this photographer ... in all kinds of seasons and at sunset and sunrise. — ‘Tree Trio’ © Denise Bush

An old fashioned barn graces the mountainside in a nostalgic winter scene. — ‘Picturesque Barn In Winter’ © Denise Bush
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In the mountains of Colorado one of the first signs of spring is the willows waking up with vibrant yellow, orange and red. — ‘Vibrant Willows’ © Denise Bush

A stand of aspen trees stand out in in a winter scene of white — ‘Aspen Row In Winter’ © Denise Bush

A line of bare aspen trees with only sky behind them creates a beautiful winter statement. — ‘Wintry Row’ © Denise Bush

The day comes to a close with its last light upon the north end of Cimarron Ridge, near Ridgway Colorado. — ‘Days End Over Ridge’ © Denise Bush

A barn in the mountains makes an idyllic winter scene. — ‘Serene Scene’ © Denise Bush

The Turrets are a ridge of smaller pinnacles and spires in the Cimarron Range, a subset of the San Juan Mountains and Rocky Mountains. — ‘Turrets To The East’ © Denise Bush

A line of trees on a distant hillside stand in mornings warm light while the mountains remain in cloudy shadow. — ‘Morning Line-up’ © Denise Bush

A ranch gate acts as a frame for the distant mountain in this winter scene. — ‘Gated Sunset’ © Denise Bush

Smoky Mountains Mills & Barns

The Great Smoky Mountain National Park is loaded with historic structures; mills, barns, schoolrooms, churches and many cabins. It was both interesting and a fun exercise to stop at each site and create some compositions. Even though the light was not always ideal, I tried to make the best of things, worked the scenes and came away with some images I’m happy with. At Mingus Mill the long water trough created a nice leading line. The smoke coming out of the pipe added an accent to the mill whose water wheel was concealed inside. The cantilever barn and old wagon made a fun subject and it was a good time to bracket in order to capture both the shadows and highlights. We stopped at another mill that was as quaint as could be and so was the miller who would frame himself in the window from time to time. Back on the Roaring Fork Motor Trail the Little Tub Mill was bathed in green from the moss growing everywhere and the light filtering through the young green leaves. I’ve always loved anything old fashioned and walking into these sites and structures was like walking into the past.

Framed By Another — ‘Framed Barn’ © Denise Bush

Little Mill — ‘Little Tub Mill’ © Denise Bush

Meandering

West Virginia’s Back Roads
There were times during our trip to West Virginia when we did not have a specific plan so we ‘meandered’ the back roads for whatever caught our eye. I looked up ‘meander’ in the dictionary and a definition was ‘to wander at random’. We encountered an abundance of beautiful scenery along the way and made several stops too. In and out of the car, unfolding and folding our tripods my friend came up with the idea for an automatic tripod. (Our poor little fingers were getting tired!) What really excited my girlfriend and I were the old abandoned barns. We gasped for air in all our excitement when we came upon one! I pointed out while most woman get excited over diamonds and shopping, for us, it was old barns that did it. Even here at home I enjoy meandering the countryside. I can usually find a few things I need to capture!

'West Virginia Haunted House I' © Denise Bush

WV Haunted House II — 'West Virginia Haunted House II' © Denise Bush

Forgotten Homestead — 'Haunted Homestead' © Denise Bush

Down in the Valley — 'Down In the Valley' © Denise Bush

Amber Waves of Grain

Day Three
Up before sunrise we drove to Steptoe Butte State Park & National Landmark which is the highest point in the area at 3,612 feet. It rises about 1,000 feet above the surrounding countryside which is on an elevated plateau. Sunrise was at 5:36 am and we arrived early, in time for the deep orange glow. It was something like I had imagined since first wanting to come here years ago. What surprised me was that the land seemed to possess a spiritual energy that is hard to describe unless you are there to hear the silence. Unique and welcoming, I instantly fell in love with the place. More about the Palouse in my next post.

D Bush_A Bend In the Road-2 — 'A Bend In the Road' © Denise Bush

D Bush_Distant Grain Elevator — 'Distant Grain Elevator' © Denise Bush

Circular Boundry — 'Circular Boundary' © Denise Bush

D Bush_Recycled Perimeter — 'Recycled Perimeter' © Denise Bush

'Leaning Storage Solution' © Denise Bush

New Hampshire Barns

No week-long photo trip in the country would be complete without at least a few barn images. So, here they are: ‘Old Barn Door’ and ‘Barn with Cupola’ was the same barn I had captured on my trip back in 2003. The interesting old tow truck was no longer beside it so I chose to focus on the roof peak and a weathered old door I had not seen before. On the way back to the White Mountains from the North Country another barn caught my eye. This one, near the border of Vermont was one of many in what looked like rich farmland.