Monday, April 18, 2011

Baths, Barns & Balls

These Simmentals are very fastidious animals.  Every 10 minutes they are giving each other baths.  Gracie (on the right) gives all her family members a bath frequently.

Even when it is -10 degrees,  or  in a blizzard, she gives baths.



She gives her aunt,Wanda, a bath.




Wanda loves it.





Gracie gives her mom, Google, a bath.






As the sun sets, Gracie bathes her baby boy, Guy, for the 6th time today.





I had a busy week travelling all over Vermont and up to the Canadian border.

I got to see a lot of landscape..and barns of every size.

In a rural village I saw this unusual building and inquired about its history.




It was originally built as a barn by the earliest settlers in the early 1600's.





The livestock lived below and the humans upstairs.





Then it was a tavern.





Now it is a storage for supplies for the nearby general store.






As I was walking around this beautiful 300 year old building taking photos and touching the old hardware, I was being watched:






Notice the cow in our state emblem.... a red one....


There was also another set of eyes watching every move I made:







I headed North and into "BarnLand."





The roof was ripped off in the Match blizzard and repairs were underway.





A newer barn with a great view.





A very busy dairy farm.




The milk truck is backing in to pick up all the fresh milk.




I rounded the bend and found this fatality of the winter.




Hundreds of barns collapsed in each New England state this winter.

New ones, old ones, red ones and blue ones.












The milk house collapsed from falling ice from this barn.




Luckily, this barn remains for another season.





This barn remains too.




A small dairy farm with a nicely designed, efficient barn.






I would like to have a barn like this.




A newer barn.





This is the Crown Jewel of barns in this area:




Round.





For the true Round Barn lover, there is a list of ALL the round barns in Vermont:
http://www.dalejtravis.com/rblist/rbvt.htm  ---- with photos!!! Including photos of this barn (Irasburg).




This is a very scenic barn on the Connecticut River and has been featured in many Vermont magazines and calenders.




They raise red and white Ayrshire dairy cattle.










Another old barn that I first saw last fall covered in colorful leaves.














I went to visit a friend on the way home and saw that a large maple tree had fallen on her strawberry shed and her chicken coop.





Roof damage.  At least the windows didn't break.    No chickens inside.





I see many unusual things in my rural travels, and this is the winner for the week.


The Ultimate bowlers lawn ornament:




Hope you have enjoyed the tour.

20 comments:

  1. Hi Janis I love your cows how sweet and I so enjoyed all your pictures on your travels. I loved those pictures they put a big smile on my face, Thanks Cheri

    ReplyDelete
  2. thanks! It was a lovely tour, I am always happy to see old barns still in use. Too bad about the casualties of winter, there were a bunch here too

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great photos Janis, I love looking at barns!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great pictures, the bowling balls are hilarious as was your post title! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. I did enjoy the tour. I have always been fascinated with old barns. On the little farm where I grew up we had an old barn. Our house had been built in 1890 and we only the second family to own the farm. Regretfully we sold the property and it was up to me to over see the demolition of the old barn. Modern urban-ites don't have an appreciation for those old buildings. Great photos.

    ReplyDelete
  6. LOVED the tour!!! Maybe, when it's not Mud Season you can take me on the tour. Love the 1600's Livestock barn/people home/tavern!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Wow, those are some wonderful barns and some of the most amazing scenery to boot! What a beautiful area! We don't see much if any collapsed barns in our area but I'm sure there aren't as many to begin with. I definitely enjoyed the tour and the bowling balls made me smile. : )

    ~Andrea~

    ReplyDelete
  8. I need to come back here....what a post!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nice collection of pics.. I love the round barns, they are so unique!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Now, that was a lot to take in! LoL! =)

    I always get excited to find homes & structures around here built in the 1800's, even if at the end of that century, I can't imagine living amongst all those old places up there... I love history, but I think my head would explode if I had to take in all the history there is in that area!!! =) It would definitely be exciting... a barn built in the 1600's... WoW! Fantastic!

    Thanks so much for joining... great post!

    ReplyDelete
  11. This is an awesome series of barn shots with some cows thrown in for good luck. What a fabulous look into the dairy industry of New England. See those wonderful barn doors make me think I MUST get ours replaced. I bit the dust years ago, but I really would like to replace it. The lat round structure is amazing, and the view of the water is gorgeous. Thanks so much for sharing this great collection from your area.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Oh wow I enjoyed the tour. I can get enough with these beautiful scenic. Get sad to see how the winter harsh weather did some of the barn. Hope it would be restored. Thanks for sharing!
    Barn Charm

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow! I think New England must be a treasure trove for barn hunters!

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a lovley tour you took us on! You found a wonderful collection of barns. It's sad to see that this winter took its toll on some of them, and I'm sure more will fall in the next few years.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love all your cows names! The old barn pics were good too!

    I am on the barn hop from Homestead Revival. Stop by MY BLOG when you get a chance...... I am having a giveaway!!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I loved these pictures, and those barns... how they tug at your heart! It hurts to see an old barn in disrepair, uncared for by the people who live near it now. I loved the barn directly behind the house!

    ReplyDelete
  17. That round barn is cool, it's hardly "flat"

    ReplyDelete
  18. Woweeee! What a wonderful display of barns. I feel like a diabetic who just ate an entire bag of peanut M&M's!!! Wonderful post. You know so much about these. I just point and shoot at them as we drive by. lol And the bowlers lawn ornament! What a laugh! That looks like something we would have around here!!! Great post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are too funny! Great description of a "Barn High."
      I take lots of photos during my weekly barn marathons.
      Every month I post some, with many more in the summer when I am driving the back roads for my job working with farmers. I have another barn extravaganza coming soon.
      Happy potato month!

      Delete