Tuesday, December 29, 2009



Sunny chose the second picture of the smaller barn......

It has been decades since I held a shotgun in my hands but years ago, the chance to go hunting with my dad was a great thrill for an 11 year old. One of the areas we hunted in was just behind this barn in an open field with just the right brush cover. Even then, this barn needed painting.

Hunting is a desire that left me years ago but the memories of those times with dad and my cousin are priceless to me. I was an only child...me and my cousin were inseparable. Thanksgiving was one of the biggest days of the year for this 11 year old and Mac, my cousin...not because of the Turkey and dressing and the gathering but because it was the day that dad always woke us at 4:00 am to get started. Our yearly hunt had begun. The guns, the boots, brier proof pants and king were all part of the ritual each year. King was our hunting dog...at least to me he was a hunting dog. As I look back now I realize that hunting was the farthest thing from King's mind..it was being with us that he enjoyed and the feeling was mutual.

Some years it actually snowed on Thanksgiving Day...this made the day even more special. It doesn't seem to snow around here anymore on Thanksgiving but snow or not...those hunting trips are ever present in mine, my dad's and my cousins mind at the gathering.

At 85, dad can't get out into the fields anymore and King died in 1965...so we don't hunt anymore...it just wouldn't be a hunting trip without dad and King.

21 comments:

Mersad said...

Love the first HDR. Almost like a painting. The colors turned out great.

aurbie said...

I love a man that shoots with a camera and not a gun. And your catch lasts forever.

Beautiful photos.

Dan Felstead said...

Mersad...thank you and I am glad you jumped on board the other blog as well! Thanks for visiting.

Dan

Dan Felstead said...

Patty...nice play on words! Thanks for the comment and they do last forever as long as you can keep up with changes in modes of storage. I have some old photos on zip drives but they may be forever entombed there since my zip drive stopped working and I don't think you can buy them anymore!

Dan

septembermom said...

What wonderful memories of your hunting trips with your Dad and King. Really nice photos, I love the color. Do you have any photos of King? I'm curious to see this famous hunting dog:)

Cynthia L. H. said...

Beautiful, Dan.
;^)

Kateri Joe and Jonathan said...

Wow, you've managed to make one of my LEAST favorite subjects (barns) interesting! How refreshing! :-D In Arkansas, it seems like the only subject in ALL forms of art is that of barns...so I guess you can't understand my annoyance? But this...this doesn't annoy me at all! Beautiful!!

-Kateri Joe

Constantin Gabor said...

Amazing! Going hunting with your camera makes more people happy!

DawnTreader said...

Barns like the one in the first picture immediately say "America" to me. I think it must be the shape of the roof. The second one, though - that photo might just as well be from somewhere in the Swedish countryside. I like that picture because of the way you see right through the buildning...

Dan Felstead said...

Septembermom...Yes I do have an old photograph of King. It is obviously old and black and white and I have scanned it into the computer...I will try to locate it and post it. He was mix of a German shepherd and a golden retriever...not your best rabbit hunting dog! But like I say...to me he was the greatest!

Dan

Dan Felstead said...

Thank you Cynthia...I am sure there are plenty of barns like these in Oklahoma as well.

Dan

Dan Felstead said...

Constantin...shooting with a camer is a lot less dangerous than with a gun! Unless of course, your shooting with a camera on some of your treks! That could get dangerous as well!

Dan

Dan Felstead said...

Dawn Treader...here is an interesting link about the history of different American barns...thought you might be interested.

http://www.gono.com/vir-mus/village/bwemporium/history/barn%20emp%20history.htm

Dan

Dan Felstead said...

Kateri...I am laughing right now! I enjoyed your post about the plethora of barns in Arkansas. I am sure this is old hat to you...seeing these barns everywhere!

It is like the old farmer that we once bought an old farmhouse from...(our first house when we were married). He told stories of burning piles of old crank type telephones...the kind that would hang on the wall and you would put the receiver up to your ear and talk into the voice piece on the phone...you have seen them in the old movies.

To him...he grew up with these phones and they meant nothing to him..to me..they were part of history and what a shame to have them go up in smoke!

Dan

Sunny said...

Having seen your barn pictures, it took a lot not to sign up to be your 100th follower! LOL
These pictures are gorgeous! (You know how I love barns!)
I always enjoy reading your narrative, thank you for sharing your memories.
Sunny :)

Dan Felstead said...

Sunny..thanks for the comment...yes...it is taking a while to get over the 99 to 100 hump! I share the love of barns with you...lets keep the images alive because in the not so distant future...many of the old barns will no longer exist.

Dan

Kateri Joe and Jonathan said...

Haha, yes, I believe my feeling is much like that of the old farmer and the crank phones. Barns, barns, barns...every drive out of town forces me to pass at least three of them. lol :-D That's incredible though...don't you wish you could have spared on of those old phones? Man, that would be an awesome treasure.

-Kateri Joe

Dan Felstead said...

Kateri...yes if not for the historical value but for the monetary value!

Sunny said...

If you think this looks great on the computer...you should see it in person! It's really terrific!
Sunny :)

Dan Felstead said...

Thank you Sunny...I am glad you like it!

Dan

septembermom said...

Sunny made a great choice!