Old Barns

I got my first darkroom in 1969. My camera was a 35mm Canon FT. None of that matters, except that the photos I took were precious to me. I began my photography in Okinawa, and it was like an addiction. I began to notice that there were certain things I couldn't resist photographing. No matter how many shots I had, whenever I saw a barn or an outhouse, I needed that picture. Some of my outhouse photos are probably already on this site. I'll make sure another time. For now, I'd like to concentrate on the barn.

I've never known why those old barns so captured my imagination. I vaguely remember visiting a great aunt and uncle in Wisconsin on a farm when I was very little. She made doughnuts for us. He had cheeks that looked like apples. I remember they had a barn, but don't remember what it looked like, other than big. It certainly wasn't falling down, as far as I remember. After years of capturing old barns on film, I heard a song. Can a song explain something that your heart has known for years?

I'd like to introduce you to a group called The Ringling 5. It's a band from up in Montana, and they haven't put out an album yet that I don't have. My old Pastor (thank you, Master Stan) introduced me to their music, and I'll be forever grateful.

The Ringling 5 is composed of about seven math challenged but extremely talented musicians. Most of their music is very funny, but I want to just copy down the lyrics of one that's not. It's called Grandpa's Barn. Their website is http://www.ringling5.com. The guitar picking on this album is sort of the style I use myself when I play, so it makes me feel really comfortable when I listen to it. The words rock my soul.


Grandpa's Barn
by The Ringling 5

As Grandpa sat beside the barn,
Ninety years of living lined his face.
He said, "Lord, the sights I've seen, and
Lord, the dreams I've dreamed!
They're all wrapped up in this old place."

I built this barn in 1901,
The first year that I moved onto this place,
With trees from down the draw,
I worked that hammer and saw,
'Til the sweat poured off my face.

His life is reflected in the boards of this old barn.
They're weathered and they're splintered,
But they haven't lost their charm.
It stands in quiet solitude through good times and bad.
It holds all the dreams he ever had.

"The first time that I kissed your Grandma
The harvest moon was shining through the door.
Her eyes sparkled and they shined.
I've seen 'em a million times.
God, if I could see them just once more!"

Grandkids played up in the hayloft.
The neighbors came and danced across the floor.
The horses in the stall,
The harness on the wall,
A batch of kittens sunning 'round the door.

His life is reflected in the boards of this old barn.
They're weathered and they're splintered,
But they haven't lost their charm.
It stands in quiet solitude through good times and bad.
It holds all the dreams he ever had.

Time can tear a building to the ground.
Roads can take a young man far away.
It seems like when you're gone
It hasn't been that long
But Grandpa passed away in '68.

When you're traveling down a rutted road,
And some old barn shows up in your mirror,
Take a moment—look around,
Even though it's falling down.
Someone's dreams were kept in there.

Their life is reflected in the boards of that old barn
They're knotted and they're splintered
But they haven't lost their charm.
It stands in quiet solitude through good times and bad.
It holds all the dreams they ever had.
It'll hold all the dreams you'll ever have.