art.of.a.rock

Tag: barn

Rewind Time with Savannah

While driving along the roads of Vermont, you will no doubt pass by antique stores and possibly wonder what’s inside. These buildings are filled with local history pertaining to daily life, and there is no way of knowing what you might find until you stop in and take a look. They provide a sense of place in the world, allowing you to take a step back in time and see how life once was. Up until a few weeks ago, I had only visited one antique store. Rewind Time was the second.

I had finished an incredible powder day at Smugglers’ Notch. After making my way across town, the steering wheel and dash of my Subaru were shaking to no end. I pulled into the parking lot at the Rewind Time to assess what might be going on. I could assume there was an abundance of snow in my wheel wells, so I kicked out as much as I could hoping to solve the problem and I could head home with a smoother drive.

Since I was basically at the front door of the antique store, I walked inside wearing my large jacket and baggy snow pants. I was greeted by a woman who offered me gingerbread cookies. She said I lucked out because they usually aren’t open that day. I roamed around the downstairs which was very clean and organized, with many nice but pricey items covering all bases. She mentioned there was more to see through the double doors and up the stairs, but it still held the cold from last night.

I was eager to see what the upstairs held, so I headed up and felt like I traveled through time. I was inspired by what this gigantic barn had to offer. Between the magnitude of space and the items that filled it, I could walk around looking at antiques until dinnertime! Ultimately I headed back down and said goodbye, but the vision of Rewind Time stayed with me.

Photos from my first visit:

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I didn’t immediately think of having a photoshoot here. While discussing possible ideas with Savannah weeks later, the idea resurfaced into my mind. There was so much visual interest in the massive room that it seemed like a no brainer to try a photoshoot here.

The day of the shoot had come. Like usual, there was no plan set in stone. We drove to our first location and began the adventure inside Rewind Time. The owner allowed us to take photos, so we headed upstairs to the second floor. It seemed colder up here than it was outside, luckily not cold enough to see our breath. My main goal was to find the best lighting and the most interesting areas and items to have in the photos. We roamed around from setting to setting, working with what we saw. Savannah would see something neat and we would find ways to use it. Working with her is a professional and amusing process as we are both still learning, yet it seems to go well no matter what.

Enjoy the art!

Savannah found this shag rug was draped over a chair half onto the ground. We couldn’t pass it up!

THANK YOU REWIND TIME!

PART TWO COMING SOON!

February 3, 2018
Reflecting Trees of Snow, A Barnwood Pink Glow…

Savannah and I left the cold abandoned bus in hopes of warming up along the car ride. By the time we got back to the paved road, there was a long forgotten Christmas tree farm on a hill across the way. I turned onto this road, but we kept driving until we were ready to leave the car and start shooting again.

I passed slowly through a covered bridge, and ultimately decided to turn onto a rode we had both never been on before. It came to an end at a house with farmland. With our windows both rolled up to retain the warm air, two wide and stout shepherds greeted us. As I was turning around to go back from where we came, the barking dogs were an entertaining duo.

Once we came to the Christmas tree farm again, we decided it we were ready to walk into the tree darkened cover through the single wire fence. There was a wide and slightly lit passageway, so naturally we walked to it.

Savannah with her bedroom mirror in hand and fur vest mentioned reflecting the trees into the mirror like she’d seen before, so that’s what we attempted. I think it was a success!

Whenever you see a mirror, you’re looking in to it…

We also attempted a some from a distance, but I find that the mirror isn’t as effective this way, plus there is a snowflake overload!

With the temperatures still dropping and snow beginning to pick up, we left the overgrown tree columns and ventured back to my car parked on the snowy roadside. We then began to drive, discussing where we should go next. Our words led us to turn up a separate dirt road where a small barn lies abandoned. When we ultimately drove up to it, “No Trespassing” signs were posted.

It’s never a good idea to trespass… It can be tempting to do what a sign tells you not to do, but no good usually comes from it. Signs are made for a reason 😉

We kept driving up the road, trying to figure out what to do. Savannah mentions getting photos of her laying in the snow, so we are each scanning around to see any good spots as we drive past them. Nothing appears. We could go to the swimming hole, we thought next. I was getting ready to find a turn around spot, and up on the left comes an old brick farmhouse with a dilapidated red barn to it’s near right. I reverse and crank my wheel to make fresh tracks into the driveway hidden amongst the deep snow. This place has been abandoned all the times that I’ve ever gone past it. Additionally, there aren’t any “No Trespassing” signs present. We contemplated whether or not we should check it out. The ultimate conclusion was that, yes, it would be appropriate to check it out. I silenced my rumbling Subaru with key turn, and gathered my bag full of gear. We opened our doors and made way to the barn.

Walking toward the structure, I saw an opening in the sparse winter bushes that could be walked along to the barn. A substantial white capped log lies across the path. I climbed up and over and Savannah soon followed. As we got close, I scoped it out and found a crouched opening through a hole in the structure and around the corner. We entered the mess of this previous horse home and began looking around at the dated object scattered around us.

A calendar from 1970 and a telephone from who knows when… worth a few poses!

There was a separate room passed through a wide open rectangle and dropped down three feet. I hopped down and looked around. Definitely an interesting room, but I wasn’t going to have Savannah jump down… She wasn’t having that either, Too sketchy!

Instead, she stood in the rectangle, a slightly safer place to be inside this troubled barn.

Our presence in the barn also brought on some most helpful lighting…. =P

It wasn’t as cold in the barn, considering the wind wasn’t blowing, but soon after this, we agreed to call it quits. So we exited through the same hole that we came in. As we follow our bootprints back to the pathway and once again come to this log, I ask Savannah if she would sit so we could get a few last shots. I didn’t feel bad asking her sit on a snowy log considering she already mentioned laying in the snowy entirely.

She eagerly agreed, so I hopped over the log and had her face me so I could capture the wooded area and vague pathway that behind her.

At this point we were actually finished. Back into the car and into town we went. What a cool experience it was, going from location to location and figuring out everything along the way.

Comment! Which one is your favorite… Do you have any questions… What should I do next? Thanks for viewing, and thanks again to Savannah for being such a champ!

P.S… It was a light orb.

November 30, 2017
A Spontaneous Drive to Calais, Vermont

On Thanksgiving Day,

I didn’t have much going on until 6pm. Having the entire day off for the holiday meant I’d have to find something to do. Since everyone else was busy with family, I decided to go for a photo drive with Brixton, while also finding places to let him run around along the way. I feel like this is Vermont at it’s core, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Driving for many miles on dirt roads, seeing different areas of the state, and just wondering what actually goes on in these towns kept me interested. There are always surprises along the way

One of the first actually stops was a brook to the side of the road. Brixton and I were there for about 20 minutes, slowly traveling upward. It was neat to see the new ice formations and getting close up with them. The way light interacts with the glimmering clear solid can be fascinated. Navigating the brook can be tricky at times with the secretly iced over boulders, but we managed just fine.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I really like older the look of older vehicles. There is something about them that is genuine in nature. New ideas were being tried out for the first time, and they just rolled with it. The Saab in off white parked center with the barn really caught my eye. The three vehicles lined up in the slideshow were apart of a classic car graveyard that was fenced in. If I could have gone down there, I would have spent way too much time taking photos, I know it. I think it would also to use the cars and a model for a photoshoot. Maybe one day it can happen, I’d just have to get the courage to ask the landowner, who seems pretty strict his gated drive and No Trespassing signs with images of security cameras on them.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I drove by one of the many bodies of water in the area. I’m not sure if they were deserted because of thanksgiving or the lack of summer. Nice reflections though!

While on a dirt road and unsure if I was in the right area, I saw a large pond coming up. As I got further, I saw this building with water streaming down beside it. I immediately thought it was amazing, so instead of driving on past, I pulled over I felt good about it. It is the Robinson Saw Mill, built in 1803. It’s one thing I know I’d like to see again, because of how one of a kind it is.

Further down this same road, I saw the snowcapped mountains of Northern Vermont in the distance. In the field before me were some quite clean and happy looking cows. I kept driving since there was a truck behind me, but once I got a chance to turn around, I did. I wanted to get a photo of the cows grazing with the mountains in the background.

Instead, when I pulled up next to their fence and got out of my car, the came over and greeted me. So interested in whatever I was doing at their fence, they just stood and watched while I took photos.

After doing a lot of stopping but not being able to let Brixton out, I saw an old wooden sign that read “Maple Parking.” I looked to the other side of the road and saw there was a trail that led up into the woods. It seemed like an ideal spot to stop, so again I turned around and pulled into this “parking spot.” I had to slowly make my way into this pull-off, not to skid off down the hill, since it was large enough for one.five cars at most.

The woods called Maple Hill, had were nice to be in after being on the road for awhile. The clouds were unique, being able to look straight up made for a cool perspective with the trees and branches.

Go out and see something new, now matter what it may be! There is a world unknown to you out there, might as well check it out! You don’t know what you might find.

P.S. On my way home, I grabbed some eggnog from a store that was open. I had a nice thanksgiving dinner with my family a couple hours later to end the night.

November 25, 2017