The Barn Series- Day 4 - Maker's Mark

Every barn tells a story. This story began as Burks Distillery way back in 1953, in the tiny town of Loretto, Kentucky. However, in 1953 the story changed when a Kentucky gentleman, Bill Samuels, bought the distillery.

Five years and much ado later in 1958, the first run of bourbon was bottled at Maker's Mark Distillery, complete with the dipped red wax seal, and a star was born. Maker's Mark is a global brand renowned as one of the best bourbons bottled. Having visited Maker's Mark multiple times, I have to say the one thing I love, almost as much as the barrel laden vintage wagon that sits in the yard, has to be this stark black barn with its distinctive red shutters that lends a hand to the Maker's Mark brand.

The story doesn't end there though. My father, Joseph Mattingly, was born right up the road from Maker's Mark, before it even became the renowned distillery it is today. Furthermore, if you were to travel the back roads surrounding Loretto, Springfield or Bardstown, Kentucky, you couldn't throw a stone without hitting one of my ancestors.

As vintage barns go, the barn at Maker's Mark is definitely one of my favorites for obvious reasons. Seriously, one minute we were in the heart of the Bluegrass State and the 'Horse Capital of the World' and nary a minute later we are in the 'Bourbon Capital of the World' and we didn't leave the state of Kentucky. Amazing!

It's Day 4 of The Barn Series and we are still traveling in Kentucky. If thoroughbreds and horse barns didn't peak your interest, I hope this little splash of spirits from Maker's Mark did. Let's get back in the car and head on down the road. Hey, you suppose we'll make it out of Kentucky? ENJOY!

Linking to Metamorphosis Monday

The Barn Series- Day 1 - Manchester Farms

In the beginning, when I started this blog, this was the very first image I posted. An image captured with my old manual Pentax camera, which has long since been retired, using old school Fuji slide film. The camera where I taught myself to shoot the light and how to capture the best perspective and most of all, how to enjoy photographing nature.

The day I photographed this image I hadn't spent much time in the Bluegrass Region of Kentucky. But in the beginning days as a nature photographer, this was high on my bucket list, the beautiful fields and fence line and horse barns at Manchester Farms in Lexington, Kentucky. I drove the back roads of the Bluegrass Scenic Byway from Midway to Lexington to Manchester Farms. I meandered up and down the road traveling back and forth and stopping at many places to check the perspective I was looking for. I found it and here's the proof. To this day this image is still one of my all time favorite images, if for no other reason, than because it was one of the first ones I truly longed to captured. Lucky me, the thoroughbreds were grazing aimlessly in the fields on this sunny, Summer's day.

If only I had known then just where my travels would take me on this photographic journey, I am sure I would have thought, "no way." Yet, I have traveled thousands of miles all other the north and south and eastern United States capturing scene after scene in all types of weather and in every setting. From fields to forest, from lake shore to sea shore, from quaint Amish farms to gorgeous Bluegrass horse farms, from mountains to valleys. I have traveled in earnest seeking that image. That image that tells the story of why I was there.

I have traveled to Cape Cod and Nantucket Island in Massachusetts, to Mid Coast and Down East in Maine, to the Great Smoky Mountains in eastern Tennessee, to the tiny shore towns along Michigan's lake shore, to Assateague National Seashore in Maryland to Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge in Virginia, to Gibbs Gardens in Georgia and to Hocking Hills State Park in south central Ohio. Finally, least we forget, I have traveled countless times to visit Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest in Clermont, Kentucky, to Mustatatuck National Wildlife Refuge in south central Indiana. Both places only a stone's throw away from home. And yes, I have traveled many times along the Bluegrass Scenic Byway, which often referred to as 'my back yard.'

Throughout so many of these journeys there was one image I always stopped and took the time to photograph. Barns. Whether the barn was an old or vintage or dilapidated or, even, brand new. It mattered not to me. I stopped and walk back and forth and looked through my viewfinder for that perspective I so wanted to take away with me before I left that barn to live on in history.

From barns with logos painted on them to barns with quilt placards to barns nearly falling down to barns famous and steeped in history. I captured images of barns. And now I am leaving to take you on an adventure for the next few weeks as I captured barn image after barn image. I'll tell a story and weave a web about history. The only question now is, 'are you coming with me?" ENJOY!

Linking to The Barn Collective and Metamorphosis Monday

Christmas Season

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that Saint Nicholas soon will be here. Rocking around the Christmas tree, it's a happy holiday. Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Silver bells, silver bells, it's Christmas time in the city. I'm dreaming of a White Christmas with every Christmas card I write. Dashing through the snow in a one horse open sleigh. I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus under the mistletoe.

Just a few of the opening lines from the Christmas Carols you are listening to this holiday season. Note the word "Carols" as my name means 'joy'. How appropriate. The most magical time of the year is upon us. I hope you are enjoying the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping, wrapping the gifts, baking Christmas cookies and decorating the Christmas tree. Here's a vintage barn bedecked with a Christmas wreath. ENJOY!

Vintage Barn

As I searched fervently on a winding country road for the rumored yellow Canola fields blooming just north of Nashville, I happened to pass this vintage and pretty dilapidated barn sitting near the edge of the road. As I stopped and turned around, knowing I had taken a wrong turn to find the Canola fields, I stopped a good distance from the old barn to capture several images.

It couldn't have been a more perfect day to stop and snap a few images of a vintage barn out in the middle of the countryside. I love the tan grasses in the field and the gorgeous blue sky with the white fluffy clouds. It's the perfect contrast. I like the way the old vintage conveyor was still perched up against the loft almost as though it had just been used. I don't think I have ever seen an old conveyor still in place. I wonder why the farmer didn't take it down. This area of northern Tennessee is filled with flat farm land and so beautiful. There's nothing like vintage America to make you appreciate times gone by.

It's a rainy, rainy weekend here which meant a postponed photography workshop. Aside from the last two weekends, every weekend for months past have been rainy here in middle Tennessee. This Spring has been exceptionally wet which has kept me from scheduling any other workshops and no meetup group outings. I hope May proves to be a dryer month so I can get outdoors a tad more. Enjoy your weekend all! Back soon. ENJOY!

Stable Barn, Long Hollow Pike

After Friday's major snowfall, I finally made my way out to the grocery today. Before heading home, I drove along Long Hollow Pike to view the landscape. There are several farms along this road. The road runs parallel to Main Street in Hendersonville.

This beautiful red barn caught my attention as I came upon it so I pulled into a subdivision to take a few images. Something about snow and barns. A perfect mix. There is a large pasture to one side of the barn where several horses were grazing.

This barn is very small, but I love the shape of it. I think it's a stable barn as best I can tell from Google. What I like about it most were the cupolas on top of the barn. There were three cupolas with the center one housing a weather vane of a horse perched above it.

Keep in mind when driving after a snowfal, there are less places to pull your car over to stop and take photos. So you have to pick the time and place wisely. Hope everyone is safe and warm especially those folks in the States who have encountered Jonas. ENJOY!    Linking to the Barn Collective

Barn, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum

Several years ago I paid a visit to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and on my visit I captured several images of this beautiful old Barn sitting in Boat Yard #1 on the museum grounds.

I remember the day well. It was a sweltering 90 degrees, but the humidity wasn't painfully bad. And aside from the heat, wished I could be right there at the Maritime Museum taking in the Chesapeake Bay on the beautiful Eastern Shore of Maryland in the small town of St. Michaels. Before I leave you today, I wanted to mention I finally got around to changing my hometown on my profile. I guess you could say the transition is official, I'm a Tennessean. But you and I both know, I am Kentucky woman at heart. ENJOY!

Linking to the Barn Collective

Old Dairy Barn

As I perused by archives tonight I ran across this image I captured this past weekend and wondered just what style of barn this was. I realized those were vents on the top of the barn, and more than likely it was an old dairy barn. As luck would have it, it is a dairy barn. Although it may not be used for cows any longer as there were several horses in the pasture nearby.

There is something about barns that draws us to them and more so 'we' photographers. I photographed this fine specimen as I wandered through Brentwood's back roads Saturday on my way to Belle Meade Plantation. It is a beautiful old barn that is still being used, fortunately. I gave it a tad bit of a watercolor effect just for fun. Here is a thought to contemplate. Why do dairy barns have vents while horse barns have cupolas typically? Is the cupola a status symbol for the horse barn as opposed to vents for the dairy barn. Is this a case of Mercedes versus Cadillac I wonder. Just saying!! Hope your week is off to a good start. ENJOY!

Linking to Barn Collective

Red Barn & News

It is a beautiful red barn that you will find as you walk the grounds at Jim Beam Brands. The company transformed this old barn into one of the centerpieces on the distillery grounds. An old well sits just in front of the barn, while an old distillery building filled with whiskey barrels going through the aging process, sits directly behind it. This distillery is a great place to visit and tour. There is also a huge new grey barn with Jim Beam logos which is now a Stillhouse where visitors can wander in and out. You are welcome to walk the grounds and check out all of the beautiful buildings. Believe it or not, the distillery sits a mere quarter of a mile down the road from Bernheim Arboretum, my favorite stomping grounds.

And just a quick note to all of my friends and followers across the globe. As you may or may not know, I am based out of Louisville, Kentucky, home of the Kentucky Derby and home to the Bluegrass Region with its beautiful horse farms. But soon I will living in Nashville, Tennessee, as my job as been transferred and I chose to stay on with my company and make this move. While this is not how I had planned to spend my January, pulling up stakes, and moving three hundreds miles south, I am looking at the positives. I will be two and a half hours from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park which cuts that drive almost in half. And I will be able to visit the beautiful town of Franklin, south of Nashville, which is known for its rolling farm fields and quaint small town with wonderful shops and restaurants. And I will even be closer to the Land Between the Lakes which is in southwest Kentucky, but will be a shorter drive for me living in Nashville. There are many other positives too, I wanted to travel to Charleston and Savannah in the next few years on a photo trip. Well, now I will be able to drive there as it will be close enough to drive in an easy day's time. I hope that all of you will wish me well as I make my way South to the Country Music Capital of the World. ENJOY!

Linking to Barn Collective
Linking to Wednesday Around the World

Landscape, Cade's Cove

Beautiful and serene Cade's Cove sits tucked away in southwestern Great Smoky Mountains National Park just a few miles from Townsend, Tennessee. Within this valley nestled between two mountain ranges, lies many a cabin, as well as several churches and homesteads. Reminiscent of a tiny community standing alone in this broad valley, Tipton's Place, which I wrote about recently was one of those homesteads. As I slowly traveled this back road making my way along the valley floor, I would stop to capture scenes that caught my eye, forever to be chronicled in my archives.

Deep in the valley now I stopped to take several images. When I turned and looked out across the valley I found this scene. Immediately I sat about to capture it to show you the larger landscape as I looked out across the fields. The simplicity of it was overwhelming. The abandoned barn sitting far off in the distance was surrounded by layers of fields with brush and trees between. The mountain provided the perfect backdrop while subtle hints of Fall foliage dotted the landscape adding yet one more layer. It is life from a simpler time perhaps the best of times. ENJOY!

Barn, Bluegrass Scenic Byway

Fall scenery as I drove the Bluegrass Scenic Byway was so beautiful. There are still a few trees that hadn't turned, but by next week I'm sure they will be in their peak.

This week and next the weak colors will be everywhere.

I passed this tree with beautiful orange red leaves and finally decided to stop as I drove back and capture a couple of images. Right outside my own back door, the maple trees have turned bright red. They are late turning this year compared to the past few years. I hope you are able to get out and take some in the Fall foliage. ENJOY!

LINKING TO http://rosestreetreflections.blogspot.ca AND AMYS BARN LINK UP!
LINKING TO:

Barn, Myer's Cabin

Every now and then I find myself perusing my archives for just the right photo to 'play' with. A texture here, a texture there. An artistic effect, a pencil sketch. It's a guessing game just what one will create. And yes, you have seen this barn before as I have photographed it several times in the past and posted it. But let's face it, even the vintage never really gets old. So here is another photograph.

And I am pretty certain if I search the world over I might not find a barn I am more in love with than this barn that sits behind Myer's Cabin which is located in the very back of Mustatatuck National Wildlife Refuge. It is not only vintage and weathered, but there are three tall slender trees sitting right in the perfect juxtaposition for photography. And did you notice the vintage, and quite rusty, farm implements sitting in front of the barn that make for a perfect complement. Have a fantastic Sunday. ENJOY!

Weathered Barn, Charles Olsen Historic Preserve

As you travel the main state road around Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, you will pass Charles Olsen Historic Preserve situated in Port Oneida. In 1918, this old weathered barn was built up against the hillside. Today, along with the adjacent farmhouse, it is part of a project to preserve these structures by Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear. Charles Olsen, the original owner of the farm, built this type of barn structure to house cattle in the lower section and hay in the upper section. Normally I see these types of barns out west where cattle ranchers are more prominent.

The day before I took these images, I saw this old weathered barn and got a glimpse of the historic preservation sign and was a tad curious. On my drive south from Leland the next day, I passed the barn and decided to capture a few images when I noticed these beautiful wildflowers blooming in a field nearby. I have to say I tire of taking the standard barn image as barns are a staple everywhere you travel, so finding this patch of wildflowers was a plus.

Charles Olsen raised cattle, but he was also was an avid horseman. He actually maintained state road 22 which traverses this area around the dunes before the highway department took over.

As I got out of my car and walked a short way back to the wildflower field, I wondered what flower this was and discovered online today that they are Everlasting Peas or perhaps you might call them Sweet Peas. I was amazed at the many, many Everlasting Peas growing in abundance along the two main state roads near Sleep Bear Dunes. They are so beautiful I just had to get a close up to share with you.

It has stormed here since last evening. The lightning and wind was atrocious around 10 p.m. last night. Thunder kept me awake and then woke me up again this morning. I'm off to finish a home decor project. Have a wonderful Sunday. ENJOY!

Linking to Barn Collective

Rustic Barn, Leavenworth, IN

Alongside the rural route which leads to Leavenworth, Indiana, situated way back off of the road, sits this rustic old barn and lean to abandoned long past its usefulness.

Literally and figuratively put out to pasture. Bygone days find many old barns such as this one still standing long past their prime. And yet, discovered by a photographer who understands simple beauty. Seasons continue to weather its wooden planks. Rainy days further erode away its metal roof. Time slowly carves away at its exterior. Yet, its bones hold fast to the earth as though fastened there just yesterday, not wanting to let go of life just yet. ENJOY!

Old Barn, Scenic Southern Indiana

As an outdoor photographer, I envision myself with brush in hand drawing my images either with pencil or watercolor paints onto a very large canvas giving them new life. And then sadly, after much reflection, I am brought back to reality. I am a photographer. I can't draw a lick, and seriously, I've tried. Last Sunday, I drove the scenic route along the back roads to Leavenworth, Indiana. At Leavenworth, standing high up on a hill, you look down at the scenery and see the Ohio River as it snakes a horseshoe bend in the southern Indiana and northern Kentucky landscape. I promise I'll share images I captured of this landscape later. Today, however, I wanted to share with you an image I captured of an old dilapidated barn which is situated next to the road along this scenic route.

Having faced the reality that I'll never be an artist, I still have my imaging software, which at times, comes close to the effect I aspire to draw on canvas. My software of choice on this day was Paint. Keep in mind Paint is limited, in my opinion, but a worthy opponent in the image editing software arena. As you know, should you follow my blog, I have an affinity to old, dilapidated barns. So I appreciate your allowing me, yet again, to share one more image of an old barn. Have a fantastic weekend. For those of you along the eastern seaboard, please take cover and take care the next few days. I'll pray Sandy doesn't do the damage that Irene did in a previous year. ENJOY!

Fall Arrives

Oftentimes I post images of the 'Byway' around the horse farms of Midway and Lexington, Kentucky featuring the horses and the barns so I figured one more barn image couldn't hurt.

This uniquely 'purple and white' barn stands in contrast to the green bluegrass fields around it. This is the same farm that has the purple and white cow I posted last year. I'm thinking the owner of this particular farm has a purple thing going on. More importantly those red leaves on the trees. So striking against the beautiful blue sky. ENJOY!

Bluegrass Early Fall

One of the images I took on a brief drive through the Bluegrass Region around Midway, Kentucky, today.

I've photographed this barn once before, but today surrounded by a sea of yellow I wanted to share a photo of it again. It was so beautiful. I'll post more images of my drive later this week. Hope you had a wonderful weekend. ENJOY!

Barn, Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill!

There are several black barns at Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill. And they are really nice structures. I really liked the original image of this barn but wanted to see if I could replicate the effect I gave the old barn from an earlier post this week. So I gave it a shot. I don't think it's as vintage looking only because this barn is not as vintage looking. Yet I still like it. We've got lovely rain and fog here today. I hope tomorrow is better. I'm not big on shooting in the fog but I just might try it to see what comes out of it. Have a great weekend everyone. ENJOY!