My Obsession with Cows, Barns & Rusty Trucks

This past weekend, I decided to visit my Mom for Mother's Day. It was a quick trip. I'll break it down...21 hours travelling (thanks to being stuck in Philly for the night) and 27 hours visiting. It was a short visit. However, even a quick escape from Miami to upstate NY brings me to the quieter and less hectic side of life.

I used to give my Mom a hard time about her move up north to a place I could not pronounce, Oneonta. Let me help you "OH KNEE ON TA". Actually, she lives on the outskirts of Oneonta, in the Village of Morris. It is as small as it sounds. Quaint, quiet and Rockwellesque are good descriptions of this part of the world. For those baseball lovers, it is very close to Cooperstown, NY. Home of the Baseball Hall of Fame and Doubleday Field.

I digress. The one thing I like most about visiting is the scenery along the route to her home. For years, I have learned landmarks on how to navigate my way up the mountain. Looking for those familiar signs that I am getting close. The truck on the left hand side of the road that has been there for years. When I see that, I know I am getting ready to turn. Signage is hard to find, but the barn on the corner is where I turn. I actually missed my turn this past weekend because they tore down one of the barns. I quickly U turned and made my way back. What I saw this time was the tire swing. Another landmark for a return trip.

I look for the cows that live in the field on the road leading up to her house. I don't see them right away but I know they are grazing in another field. I will catch them on my trip out of town. Another mile up the road, I see a pond of cattails. It's a sign that winter may be gone. New Yorkers had a rough winter, so any sign of spring is welcomed.

Finally, one of my favorite houses on her road is the one with a beautiful barn and silo. I have taken so many photos of this neighbors barn, it's almost embarrassing. On this trip, I see the owner outside as I pull over to take more pictures, she smiles, I wave hello. I must not be the only one.
She continues on with her gardening.

By the time I pass this barn and the house with the wood stacked high, I know I am almost to Mom's house. I find myself signing the theme song to "Green Acres"....and if you are too young to know what this is, Google it.

She lives on a hill. Not a lot of cars on the road. So we enjoy the warmish weather with a drive into town for lunch. The pets are happy. They get some sunshine on the back patio. Changes in latitude, changes in attitude.

 

I love the familiarity of this route after all these years. On this trip, I took pictures to remember how nice it is to see the quieter side of life. No such thing as rush hour or rushing for that matter. It's a place where the waitress at the local restaurant wants to sit and chat. There is a Main Street...it's at the cross streets of Chestnut Street and Church Street. It's also a college town. Home of SUNY Hartwick. I seem to always visit when school is out, making it more quiet than usual. You won't get lost. Just ask anyone for directions.

If you are ever in the neighborhood, stop and take a walk around. If you love cows and barns, you will love this place. The cows (and horses) don't even seem to mind if you take a picture or two. 

Color My World

As a part of my photography class, I was charged to develop a thematic project. I was channeling the Mission Impossible music as I read the instructions. Find a theme....mind is whirling now. So many possibilities..animals, food, flowers, people. This is hard! Then it happened. I was driving home from work and I thought about colors. What has more color than a box of crayons. This is getting good I thought to myself.


I thought about my childhood and the importance of crayons. Crayons are creativity. They have a magic way of bringing out the kid in you. Every Christmas morning, there were a few things I could depend on in my stocking....Lifesaver Storybook, a new half dollar coin and my box of Crayola 64. I remember the smell of a brand new box. All the perfectly poised sticks waiting for me to dive in.


It was obvious that I loved my crayons. Every time I unearth a box of goodies from my childhood, I find drawings of rainbows, butterflies and flowers. So it all came together, my thematic project would be about the color of crayons. I am calling this project, "Color My World"...

The assignment is simple and complicated. Take one picture a week for a year. I have 64 crayons and 52 weeks. The possibilities are limitless. Once a color is used....it will be retired. This project will allow me to explore.

 

If you were wondering what all the colors of the box were, I did a little research. It was all quite fascinating actually. Colors come and go. Some are retired. Some are voted out. Some are voted in....but as of now, here are the current 64.  Apricot, Asparagus, Bittersweet, Black, Blue, Blue Green, Blue Violet, Brick Red, Brown, Burnt Orange, Burnt Sienna, Cadet Blue, Carnation Pink, Cerulean, Chestnut, Cornflower, Dandelion, Forest Green, Gold, Goldenrod, Granny Smith Apple, Gray, Green, Green Yellow, Indigo, Lavender, Macaroni and Cheese, Magenta, Mahogany, Mauvelous, Melon, Olive Green, Orange, Orchid, Pacific Blue, Peach, Periwinkle, Plum, Purple Mountain’s Majesty, Raw Sienna, Red, Red Orange, Red Violet, Robin’s Egg Blue, Salmon, Scarlet, Sea Green, Sepia, Silver, Sky Blue, Spring Green, Tan, Tickle Me Pink, Timberwolf, Tumbleweed, Turquoise Blue, Violet, Violet Red, White, Wild Strawberry, Wisteria, Yellow, Yellow Green and Yellow Orange.

Tickle Me Pink is officially retired...only 63 more colors & photos to go!

"Tickle Me Pink"