The Barn Series - Day 8 - Great Smoky Mountains

Cade's Cove is on tap today for The Barn Series journey. A beautiful, peaceful valley with old farmsteads and historic, one room churches dotting the landscape. This old barn is one of my favorites. I love to photograph it in all of the seasons with the mountains looming in the background. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the largest national park east of the Mississippi River. Visitors flock here every year in the tens of thousands. The park is located in eastern Tennessee and is actually in Tennessee and North Carolina.

Cade's Code is one of the main attractions with visitors. In this valley, you can go back in time, as you travel the winding road. View first hand how these farmers plied their trade throughout the decades. The moment you enter this park you know you are in an amazing place. The forests are thick and lush with gorgeous trees and plants and wildflowers. Rushing rivers wind through the park as they make their way down the mountains into the valleys. The flora and fauna of this national park is like none other you will find across the nation, because the Smoky Mountains is also a rain forest. Witness that first hand as you drive throughout the park or hike the trails. Water is paramount here.

I hope you are enjoying The Barn Series. Wonder where we will end up tomorrow. ENJOY!

Linking to Metamorphosis Monday

The Barn Series - Day 6 - See Rock City

Today I am sharing a vintage barn featuring the SEE ROCK CITY logos. You can find these logo barns all over the South. You can find this barn outside the gate entrance to Maker's Mark. While we are in Kentucky, I wanted to share a little bit about Rock City which is situated atop Lookout Mountain, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and features massive ancient rock formations, beautiful gardens, a waterfall and caverns. You can walk on the Swing Along Bridge or hike the Enchanted Trail, or if you fancy it, visit Mother Goose Village to shop and dine. It's an experience to see the least!

If you take the state road from Loretto to Louisville, in Kentucky, just pat Bardstown sits another Rock City logo barn. I admit I have never been to Rock City. It is on my list of places to visit in Tennessee, I would love to photograph the waterfall and take a few snaps of the overlook on top of Lookout Mountain where you can see 7 states in that one spot. Impressive!

Stop back by tomorrow for another barn in our Barn Series. You never know where we might end up. And I love having you along for the ride, as much as I love reminiscing about these old barns I photographed over the years. Have a wonderful evening. ENJOY!

A Weathered Barn Story

A while back I got to thinking about a silent movement taking place in America. In order to confirm my suspicion, I took a short drive to the outskirts of the tiny town of Portland, in north central Tennessee, about thirty miles north of Hendersonville. I turned my car down a narrow country road where fields of vegetables and hay are harvested every year. Below is the barn I was in search of taken back in 2016. It was still in its original condition, minus a plank here or there, sitting in the middle of a farm field bringing charm and beauty to the landscape around it.

Below is the same barn two years later as I photographed it a few weeks ago. Notice the distinct difference in the appearance of that beautiful, old weathered structure?

A barn wood trend has taken over the remodeling industry and especially in middle Tennessee. Barn wood doors, barn wood tables and more are all the rage. I thought perhaps a storm had come through partially destroying it. However, there's another barn right across the street from this one with whole sections missing. The barn wood trend has reached out and stripped these two old structures of their original form. I pray this trend doesn't take out all of our vintage barns dotting the landscape. They bring such charm to our surroundings. I love to drive down an old country road and look over to see an old weathered barn sitting in the middle of a field. Who doesn't love that. I wanted to share this story as I knew before I took that drive to capture new images of that old barn that I might find it in a different condition. Time changes everything, but only if we let it. ENJOY!

Red Barns of Sumner County

There are so many winding roads here in Sumner County where I live. Every now and then I take one because many of them criss cross Old Hickory Lake and I like to see if there are any wildlife viewing spots around. On this day I had taken a road that actually had quite a few farms on it. Here are a few barns I captured on that drive. I don't know if the three x's have any significance on this first barn.

Further down the road I discovered this old red barn with it's peeling paint. The owners even decorated it for the holidays with a wreath. I absolutely love that. Who doesn't love a red barn. I'm starting to notice there's a fair amount of red barns in this county. Wonder if there's anything to that. I hope your week is off to a good start. Mine will be very busy with end of year work related meetings. Back soon. ENJOY!