Do things look spookier in black and white?
Let's try this same old barn in color:
Less spooky, but . . . still not someplace I'd be brave enough to wander into.
On Sunday, I convinced my husband Howard that we should tootle
along the back roads of western New Jersey until we found a great big
barn filled with amazing old stuff that we could not live without.
Luckily, this was not the barn I was looking for.
This was that barn:
Also old, but huge, and packed with stuff.
Every inch of it.
Looking at these shots that I grabbed in my hasty tour, as I fought off
claustrophobia, it occurs to me that the barn looks pretty good inside.
In the pictures.
But up close and personal . . . it was overwhelming. There were places I didn't take pictures
because I didn't have the room to move my arm enough to bring my camera out of my coat pocket.
Two huge floors of, well, all sorts of things from sinks to doors to furniture to restaurant china,
to old lamps, moldy old books, and things that I could not identify. Covering all was thick dust.
In the end, we didn't find anything that we couldn't live without, so we left
and retraced our steps back to the land of strip malls and traffic.
But we did see a part of our state that we've barely explored.
It's not all oil tanks on the New Jersey Turnpike, our state.
And that barn at the beginning of this post? It was on the same property as the big barn.
A side view:
Can you tell I am fascinated by this old barn? I love it's natural air conditioning. How green!
Places like this make me wish I could paint.
(Pictures, I mean, not walls or furniture. That I can do!)
We had parked next to another outbuilding.
I swear, these old places defy gravity.
On Mondays, I recommend visiting Mary at her beautiful Little Red House blog, for Mosaic Monday.
She's another Jersey girl who often captures the beauty
of The Garden State in her images.
And she does it way better than I do!
Click here for some lovely browsing.
And at Bluff Area Daily Blog, it is time for Barn Charm, a weekly blog party.
And at Bluff Area Daily Blog, it is time for Barn Charm, a weekly blog party.
See you tomorrow! -- Cass
Posts
Oh, this is a wonderful post!!! You should link it up tomorrow to Barn Charm!!!
ReplyDeleteNew Jersey has so many pretty places - and old barns. Are you SURE there was nothing there that couldn't have used your special treatment?
ReplyDeleteOh I love old barns and all the fabulous character they have. Hugs, Marty
ReplyDeleteI've been to places like that old barn -- you know there are treasures but you just can't join the hunt because the place is getting to you! Wonderful pictures of your state!
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful to come across old treasures like this barn! I always imagine what they looked like when they were used for their original purpose, with the farmer and his livestock and equipment. How they stay up, with so much damagge from weather and neglect, is a total mystery.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had pretty weather to explore in. I use to rummage around in places like that, but not as much now. I also get claustrophobic.
ReplyDeleteI love old barns. I would love to hear the stories of things they have seen. I would have loved to poke my nose in the barn with all the treasures. Was that your van out front. I have it's twin but mine is blue. V
ReplyDeleteI do believe in the saying "don't judge the book by it's cover" lol! The barn looks really old but the inside geez I see beautiful dishes my eyes just popped out lol!
ReplyDeleteKim,USA
Cass- You know, that is NOT what I think of when I think of New Jersey...but oh~how neat it is! LOVE those pictures of the old barns. Gotta tell you- although I love junk shops I am not crazy about the ones that are just stuffed full of real JUNK. I just don't have the wherewithal to poke around for hours looking for a "treasure" anymore. Have a great week! xo Diana
ReplyDeleteps. If you didn't get a chance yet, pop over to my blog and sign up for my BLOVE giveaway (yesterday's post) xo Diana
Cass - love the photos! What town is that in? It really looks like the middle of nowhere!
ReplyDelete-Shelley
Nice Mosaic. Lovely post.
ReplyDeletePat
I love these old barns! Amazing and old and beautiful. Imagine trying to find something in the big barn to purchase. The antique store I frequent is like that minus the dust. (I don't know how he keeps it clean!) Great photos.
ReplyDeleteWow! So people just open up a barn and then use it like a "store" for antiques? Cool! Nothing like that where I live here in deep south Texas. Lucky you!!
ReplyDeleteKaren
Ladybug Creek
What beautiful old barns! I love to photograph them too. Sometimes when we travel I will see just an old fireplace standing in the middle of a field ..makes you wonder who lived there, what kind of things they did. How fun...getting off the beaten path! Enjoyed your post!
ReplyDeleteMiss Bloomers
Looks like you had a great adventure! Good shots!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I felt like I was "tootling" along with you! I love that first barn and it was also great to see the inside of that other barn, packed though it was.
ReplyDeletePS - You have a beautiful old house too!
Love your photos ... even the first "scary" one! Visiting you from Barn Charm. Great photos!
ReplyDeleteYou must have found some treasures there? !
ReplyDeleteFun post! I love the first old barn and I think it's even spookier looking in color. It doesn't look any too safe to go exploring inside. The other barn is so crammed full of stuff you'd really have to work to find any treasures there.
ReplyDeletei really think it looks spooky in black & white ... just a great barn. (:
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this visit...love the old barns and would love to ramble through the one...with all the stuff.
ReplyDeleteI just love that first picture!
ReplyDeleteThis was a fun "barn" post.
ReplyDeletewow. that barn is a good one - the 'naturally air-conditioned' one. :)
ReplyDeleteAmerican Pickers might be interested in this place!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post.
ReplyDeleteI like your first (black and white) photo very much.
Regards and best wishes
How sad that you couldn't find anything calling your name in among all that stuff.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to Barn Charm! =)
ReplyDeleteYou're not lying about these old barns defying gravity... I truly don't understand how some are still standing!
Gorgeous shots & love the top one in b&w... I'm sure it would be creepy at night, esp on Halloween! LoL! We rarely ever get to see inside these old barns that we shoot, so to see all that stuff is so neat. I wonder why the owner has left it out there for people to get into? It would be neat to be able to rummage thru it all... Love all the stonework!
Thank you very much for sharing these beauties w/ us here at Barn Charm =)
Glad you captured some of these barns while they are still standing. :))
ReplyDeleteLooks like a real adventure. Richard from My Old Historic House.
ReplyDeleteReally great barns. I would love to poke around in the one filled with junk.
ReplyDeleteI love old barns!! Oh just think of all the treasures you might have found if you had dug a little deeper. Of course, I would have carried a big stick and made sure that Howard forged a path in front of me ;)
ReplyDeleteThose old barns are fantastic and I always say, oh if those walls could speak, the stories they could tell;) What treasures some of them held!
ReplyDeleteCass ~ The first thing I thought of was American Pickers. They would do an episode that included this barn if they came across it. I was very envious to see the photos. I absolutely love old barns. I have a great photo on my latest blog of See Nancy Run but it is not filled with treasures. I don't know you, but like most of your followers, I feel like I know you well. Sure wish you lived closer to Michigan because I'd love to scope out old barns with you when Howard isn't feeling inclined to "go barning". Keep posting your finds and I'll keep getting jealous.
ReplyDelete~Nancy~
I would love to go ther and take some photos. Could you let me know where it is?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Larry
I'd be happy to, Larry, but your "anonymous" status and "no reply" on your comments means I can't reach you. Email me your email, OK?
DeleteCass
I have been to that old barn in Stewartsville..it is full of treasures, but sadly, too many of them have succumbed to moisture, mildew and dirt. Most of the items (at least the wooden furniture) are beyond the redeemable. The mother and son who run the sale (every weekend), have set prices that would be fair for the merchandise if it were in perfect condition, but not based on the actual current condition. Nice people, and some really beautiful small items, though.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean -- it is sad to see so many truly lovely pieces damaged pretty much beyond saving. I did not meet the owners, but judging from the online listings I suspect they have what dog breeders call "kennel blindness" -- in thinking that what you have is better than it really is.
DeleteI wish I had explored deeper into the cubbies filled with smalls, but I truly did get claustrophobic!
Thanks for visiting -- I can't write to you as you have posted as Anonymous -- but I love to hear from other Jersey folks!
Cass