DAY 56 - Horses for Sale

DAY 55 - Wreaths on Barn Doors

This decorated barn belongs to the hay bale reindeer from yesterday's blog.

DAY 54 - Christmas Reindeer

Finally, a new posting to my barn blog. I've been very remiss in posting -- just haven't had the time to drive out into the country to search for winter barn shot. But I thought this would work -- this farmer has turned one of those huge round bales of hay into a reindeer for Christmas. Around Thanksgiving, it was a turkey.

DAY 53 - Another Old Farm

Landscapes look so bare and bleak now that the trees have dropped their leaves.

DAY 52 -- Big Farm House and Silo

I just love big old farm houses. . .

DAY 51 - Better Days

This group of farm buildings has certainly seen better days.

DAY 50 - Through the Woods

Literally over the river and through the woods. . .

DAY 49 - What is it?

I'm really not sure what this piece of farm machinery is. . . any ideas??

DAY 48 - Old Tractor

Every old farm needs an old tractor. . .

DAY 47 - Another Old Barn

We took this shot earlier this fall before the leaves turned and fell. The arrangement of the windows on the side wall seems a little strange to me.

DAY 46 - Corn Field with Red Barn

Three days in a row of cold and dreary, rain and now snow. This old barn overlooks a cornfield in need of harvesting. I'm not sure what the story is on the little rounded structure on the left.

DAY 45 - Old Everett Barn

Another gray, cold day. It was spitting snow this morning -- a tad of accumulation is expected tonight.

DAY 44 - Rainy Day on the Farm

Gray, wet, dreary day today. . .

DAY 43 - The Hayfields Are Brown Now

The hay fields are browning now -- first snow of the season is expected tomorrow. Summer goes by so fast. . .

DAY 42 - One Big Barn

What do you think? How many times has this barn been added onto?

DAY 41 - Gentle Giants

Amish draft horses in Holmes County

DAY 40 - Look Up

The roofs on these old barns are interesting -- patterned shingles, cupolas, lightening rods -- such character. . .

DAY 39 - Weather Vane

Finally, a new looking barn. It seems like so many of the barns in the area are old and in need of repair and paint. Now, don't get me wrong. . . I really like the character of those vintage barns. But this one with the bright red roof, little cupola, and weather vane was a breath of fresh air.

DAY 38 - Old Tractors

A couple weeks ago we happened by a display of old farm equipment at this 4-story barn outside of Dresden.

DAY 37 - Pumpkins Anyone?

This farm we passed by the week before Halloween still had two big wagonloads of pumpkins and gourds for sale.

DAY 36 - Hay Hay Hay

This farmer's ready for winter with his rows of plastic-wrapped hay bales.

DAY 35 - Perry's Ponderosa

This white barn has a sign on it for "Perry's Ponderosa."

DAY 34 - The Roof

You have to look hard, but you can still find some of the patterned roofs on old barns in the area.

DAY 33 - Lightning Rods

I don't think the plethora of lightning rods are really necessary on this poor old barn any more.

DAY 32 - Power Lines

This old barn sits up on the hill just down the road from us. The power lines snake up the hill, almost like a spiderweb. Not too many leaves left on these old trees. . .

DAY 31 - Combining

There's a tractor and combine hidden in this shot -- so much dust is expelled when harvesting this grain field that you can barely see them.

DAY 30 - Ivy's brown now

This old barn is looking pretty bare now that the frost has killed the ivy leaves.

DAY 29 - Cornfields Are Dry Now

The cornfields are brown and dry now, trees are getting bare. . . winter's a'coming.

DAY 28 - Farm Silos

Three farm silos in Amish country

DAY 27 - Trees Don't Look Like This Now

I shot this picture in September, before the trees changed color. The only green now are the pinetrees, the other trees are on their way to their winter bareness.

DAY 26 - 4-Story Barn

This 4-story barn sits in an open field off of Routes 16 and 60, north of Dresden. The day we were there they were having a big farm show with lots of old farm and construction machinery.

DAY 25 - Out House

This old out house off to the side of a newer garage caught my eye on this farm. I love the little tractor and trailor yard decoration on the retaining wall.

DAY 24 - Old Mail Pouch Barn

This is another of the area's aging barns with the Mail Pouch advertising. This is second generation advertising; look closely, and you'll see the older, faded advertising above the new lettering. This barn is on Rt. 40 East, between New Concord and Norwich.

DAY 23 - Why are so many barns red?

Have you ever wondered why so many older barns are painted red. I did a little googling, and here's what I found out:

If you've ever driven through a rural area, it's likely that you've seen the red barns that speckle the farming landscape. There are several theories as to why barns are painted red.

Centuries ago, European farmers would seal the wood on their barns with an oil, often linseed oil -- a tawny-colored oil derived from the seed of the flax plant. They would paint their barns with a linseed-oil mixture, often consisting of additions such as milk and lime. The combination produced a long-lasting paint that dried and hardened quickly. (Today, linseed oil is sold in most home-improvement stores as a wood sealant). Now, where does the red come from?

In historically accurate terms, "barn red" is not the bright, fire-engine red that we often see today, but more of a burnt-orange red. As to how the oil mixture became traditionally red, there are two predominant theories:

Wealthy farmers added blood from a recent slaughter to the oil mixture. As the paint dried, it turned from a bright red to a darker, burnt red.

Farmers added ferrous oxide, otherwise known as rust, to the oil mixture. Rust was plentiful on farms and is a poison to many fungi, including mold and moss, which were known to grown on barns. These fungi would trap moisture in the wood, increasing decay. Regardless of how the farmer tinted his paint, having a red barn became a fashionable thing. They were a sharp contrast to the traditional white farmhouse.

As European settlers crossed over to America, they brought with them the tradition of red barns. In the mid to late 1800s, as paints began to be produced with chemical pigments, red paint was the most inexpensive to buy. Red was the color of favor until whitewash became cheaper, at which point white barns began to spring up.

Today, the color of barns can vary, often depending on how the barns are used.

Thanks to http://people.howstuffworks.com/question635.htm for the info.

DAY 22 - Harness racing horse barn

Harness racing carts rest against the horse barn at the Muskingun County Fair Grounds.

DAY 21 - Brownsville barn

Another red barn off one of those little country roads in Licking County. Do you ever wonder why so many barns are painted red?

DAY 20 - Another Amish Farm Complex

This Amish farm complex is outside of Berlin in Holmes county. Many times, Amish farms will have several houses in which families reside -- the patriarchs in the big house, and married children with their families in others.

DAY 19 - Old Farm House in the Fall

Big old farm house in Morgan county -- don't you love the trees!

DAY 18 - Amish draft horses

The day's work was done for these magnificent draft horses on an Amish farm in Holmes county.

DAY 17 - Old Silo

This old silo sits on the edge of a corn field. There's nothing around it but fields. If there had been a barn close by, it's long gone now.

DAY 16 - Better Days

This old barn has seen better days. I'm not sure what that is in front of it -- what do you think??

DAY 15 Old Barn on the Corner

I pass this old barn whenever I drive into town. As I've noticed with alot of old barns in the area, it needs a good coat of paint, some new windows, and other repairs. But, you know, it just has a certain character as it is that paint would erase.

day 14 - Red Horse Barn

This horse barn sets of the road south of Zanesville. There's a little track area in front where kids practice on their horses. I believe it was called Star's Arena, but that sign is gone now.