Lisa's Barn

I was headed to the river, I knew there was a big old barn there that I had photographed before. As I drove past my friends drive way I looked down the path and saw their beautiful old barn and the antique tractor sitting in front of it. I drove a little further and then decided to turn around. This was too cool to pass up. Stirs up images from my child hood. My dad's cousin had an old white barn, and we used old tractors similar to this when I worked in the fields with my family.

Blessings~

June 12, 2010 Barn and Silo

Barn and Silo, originally uploaded by pictureapromise.

We stopped in a couple little towns in SD between Huron and DeSmet. This great old barn and beautiful Silo were just on the edge of town. Loved the little red tractor peeking out the door!

Blessings

Wild Rice River in Winter January 27, 2010

Wild Rice River in Winter, originally uploaded by picturethepromises.

Another sunshiny day here in North Dakota and quite cold. I took a run to town and on my way home I stopped to shoot this beautiful barn: http://www.flickr.com/photos/9199449@N08/4309902879/ I also took some of the Wild Rice River that the farmstead sits next to. As I was going thru the photos and playing with the black and white on some I got to thinking about how the river and the barn would look in spring. That thought led to planning to shoot both in each season. There are other ordinary spots, fantastic trees,old barns, buildings, parks and so on that could be photographed each season. I'm going to start a list and if I need inspiration for my pic one day I can just check my list.

This pic a day project has been great so far, early into it yet I know. I always have my camera and both lenses with me. If I hadn't today, I would not have driven back to the old barn and the river bank. It's a peaceful, quaint spot to visit and today, just what I needed. Shooting in manual has become much more comfortable. I even figured out the little meter in the viewfinder and I can change my settings without taking my eye away from the viewfinder! I have much to learn and for me doing is the best teacher.

Blessings~

Somethings Missing December 29, 2009

Late December Day, originally uploaded by picturethepromises.

After a Christmas Blizzard we were finally able to drive to northern MN to celebrate Christmas with my mom, dad, sister and her family. We arrived before lunch and that afternoon I needed to go for a little walk. (Mom always feeds us very well!) It was cold, but a beautiful afternoon. A couple years ago I took a similar photo but this year there were a couple things missing. The beautiful barn that had been there finally lost it's battle with gravity. Here is a shot taken on a blustery day. http://www.flickr.com/photos/9199449@N08/2144179488/in/set-72157603198719734/ and this is a closer look http://www.flickr.com/photos/9199449@N08/2162139649/in/set-72157603198719734/. Also missing is this wonderful old pickup http://www.flickr.com/photos/9199449@N08/2039768268/in/set-72157603212215570/.

Looking towards a new year you may notice some things that just aren't there anymore. Children off to college, a job no longer yours. Broken relationships or loved ones passed on. Our stuff gets old or we have too much so we sell it, throw it or give it away. Sometimes it can be a good thing to remove "clutter", sometimes loss is just plain painful. When I look at this scene, I know what is missing and there is sadness for what's been lost but I also see beauty and potential for the future. Sometimes we can work to restore what's missing, like a broken relationship. Sometimes we have to accept the reality of loss and move forward. It is my prayer for you that as you let the past year slip away you'll find beauty and potential in the year to come.
Blessings~