Red barn near Red Mountain, AZ~ABC Wednesday 111710 and Barn Charm 121410

I stopped this RED barn near (of course...) Red Mountain. Red Mountain is near Flagstaff, AZ. I stopped, jumped out of the car, and took these photos. It was windy that day and cold! I wish I'd had the time to get a closer look, but maybe I can on our next trip! ABC Wednesday for November 17, 2010. I also just discovered "Barn Charm" and I've posted it there, too. To visit Barn Charm, please visit: http://bluffareadaily.blogspot.com/2010/12/week-11-name-change-barn-charm.html

Scenic Sunday~Flag on Barn 091910

this past summer, when hubby and I drove to Medford, Oregon, we saw this barn painted with an American flag and eagle and slogan. It wasn't quite all the way to Medford, but was slightly to the south. Of course, I had to stop and photograph it! Scenic Sunday for September 19, 2010.

Medford, OR barn~Scenic Sunday, Sunday Stills Challenge 080110

Hubby and I saw this scenic barn and graffiti when we pulled off near Medford, OR to take photos of another barn. We hadn't seen this one from the highway, but saw it as we were leaving the side road. I can't even imagine how long or how dangerous it was to do this! Scenic Sunday and Sunday Stills Challenge for 080110.

"B" is for Barn~ABC Wednesday 072810

Hubby and I drove to Julian, CA last weekend just to get out of the desert heat and I saw this renovated BARN. Of course, I had to get out and take photos. I wasn't sure if it was open for business (it was a restaurant/bar), but it was closed and deserted...sigh...what an incredible place! Look at the doors and windows! I wonder what it was like as part of a ranch? ABC Wednesday for July 28, 2010.

Red barn door~Window Views and Doors, Too 072210

I was intrigued by these handles on a red barn in the Dry Creek Valley of northern California. Actually, they were at one of the wineries there! Aren't they cute? Window Views and Doors, Too for July 22, 2010. For other participants, please visit: http://windowviews2.blogspot.com/

Barn mailbox~Outdoor Wednesday 072110

Hubby and I found this cute barn mailbox outside of Medford, Oregon, on our last vacation. Of course, I spotted it out of the corner of my eye and did a u-turn to go back and take a picture. The photo isn't edited or cropped. This was "straight out of the camera". Outdoor Wednesday for July 21, 2010. For other participants, please visit: http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

Framing a photo~old barn~Sunday Stills Challenge 070410

This is the barn over at the old Bayley house, in Pilot Hill, CA. While the house needs restoration, the barn is in good shape. The community has several fundraisers here at the barn and we just missed the one last month. It was early afternoon when we arrived here and the sunlight was very bright, so I framed this shot with one of the trees on the property. Sunday Stills Challenge for July 4, 2010.

Old shed windows, Bishop, CA~~Windows and Doors, Too! May 20, 2010

When we visit Bishop, CA, we like to take a side road which is outside of town. There are several ranches along this road and this old shed was on one of them. I love these old buildings, wherever they are. Windows and Doors, Too for May 20, 2010.

Barn near Bishop, CA~Sunday Stills Challenge 051010

This barn is outside of Bishop, CA. Hubby and I pulled off on this side road on our way home in February, during the Presidents' Day 4-day holiday. There were many mules out in the field and we decided they were probably wintering down in Bishop, from the higher elevations. Just look at all the snow on the mountains! BRRRrrrrrrrrr!!!!! Sunday Stills Challenge for May 10, 2010.

Circles~Brenda's Photo Challenge 050810

This wheel and the nearby halters are at Shiloh Horse Rescue in Sandy Valley, CA. Hubby and I went there last weekend for a mustang training clinic. We enjoyed our morning at Shiloh Horse Rescue and viewing all its animal inhabitants! Brenda's Photo Challenge for May 1, 2010.

Red barn~Sunday Stills Challenge 042510

This is the barn from my childhood. My parents bought this 10 acre ranch when I was about 8 years old and kept it for about 8 years. They bought it as an investment and never had horses there. Instead, it was their weekend getaway from the chaos of Los Angeles. We went down there almost every weekend. I remember the barn roof when they bought it. It was full of holes. There were owls in the barn! My father decided to install an aluminum roof on it (I guess that was his project). I'll always remember when he and my uncle were on top of that barn, pounding in the nails to hold the aluminum panels, perched up there with a rope tied around their waists in case they fell. Yes, my dad and uncle reroofed that entire barn!!! I would go off exploring the 10 acres and sometimes more. At that time, during the 1960's, there were only a couple other ranches on the road. There was a ranch right across the street and I became friends with the young man who lived there with his parents. His grandfather also lived on his own house on their spread. I used to hike in the hills and my dad would find rattlesnakes all the time (there was a reservoir at the top of the hill), and I heard many of them in the bushes. Finally, when my parents sold the ranch, but kept the second trust deed, I would go riding in those hills bareback, borrowing a horse, and hear the rattlesnakes, or the horses would! The hills were crawling with them at that time. Now, those same hills are developed (or over-developed.) This ranch is in Vista, California, not too far from Camp Pendleton and on some afternoons, we could hear the goings-on at the Marine base. Because it is close to the ocean, the fog would roll in sometimes and I remember how the clouds would hug the hills until about 10:00 a.m. During the summers, however, it could be quite warm (not HOT, like our desert, but "warm") and on those lazy days, sometimes I would just read a book. There was another white barn higher up on the property, but it was pretty run down and I didn't like to poke around in it alone. This red barn has been refurnished. The original tack room is gone and the inside has been redone. But, the aluminum roof that my father put on it so many years ago remains intact. I used to roam around this barn, as a kid, and smell the tack room smells, sniff the odor of long-gone hay, and try to imagine that someday I would have my own horse. Now, as an adult, I have 5 horses of my own, but no barn to put them in! Ahhhh.....someday! Of course, I would love to have a barn modeled after this one, the barn of my youth, but I don't think that will ever be possible! I hope you have enjoyed this tour of the red barn! Sunday Stills Challenge for April 25, 2010. By the way, there aren't many barns left like this one in Southern California, especially this size! It is indeed a unique barn! My quest, in this blog, has been to discover those barns. If anyone can point me in the direction of another one, please let me know! If you wish to know where this barn is, please email me. And yes, it is now a working equestrian training center.

Update re red ranch 022710~End of an era~Scenic Sunday 022810

In April of 2009, I posted my first post on this blog. It was about a red ranch house in my town, Palm Desert, CA. Now, for those of you who know Palm Desert, you know there aren't any ranches left. It is nearly wall-to-wall housing or hotels. So, I have kept my eye on this red ranch. Here's the link to that first post: http://southwestbarns.blogspot.com/2009/04/red-ranch-palm-desert-ca.html So, you can imagine my horror when, as I drove by it today, I glanced over from the freeway and it was GONE! I got off the exit and drove up. It was lightly raining, the sky was dark, and it was a cold day. Our local mountains had disappeared behind the storm clouds. Very forboding. It was with a sinking heart that I drove up to the ranch. Yup. Gone. Neat piles of debris. One massive tree was lying on its side. Two others were still standing. I still remember the hawk that flew by me on one of my visits. I hope that the trees will remain, but I doubt it. The hawk will have to find a new territory. I posted some photos that I took of it in December of 2009, on one Saturday morning when the desert had a winter storm. The clouds parted and I caught the top photo, with the sunlight shining directly on the ranch house. This was and is one of my favorite photos. Two rainy days with two entirely different objects to photograph! I will miss this ranch. Scenic Sunday for February 28, 2010.

Lone Pine ranch and barn~Scenic Sunday 022210

Hubby and I took a side road outside of Lone Pine last weekend and discovered a pasture full of mules and horses. And, beyond that pasture was this wonderful BARN! I haven't seen a barn this nice in quite a while! In fact, I haven't posted for quite a while...sigh...This was our first vacation since last August and I've pretty much exhausted the supply of barns near our home. Time to get out and explore! Scenic Sunday for February 22, 2010.

Sunday Stills Challenge~Best photos 2009

While the red barn of my youth is still my favorite, I combed through my photos to find two different barns or ranches. The bottom one is what I call the "red ranch" which is actually located in Palm Desert, CA! YES! A ranch here in my home town! While it doesn't have a spectacular barn, I love driving by the ranch house. It is in a state of...disrepair...and I'm sure it is scheduled to be torn down, so I try to stop by it every now and then. I like this photo because it shows its "disrepair". At one time, I'm sure it was a lively, thriving ranch. Now, only the wind whispers in its empty shell. Very sad. The top one is a barn near Bridgeport, California. It IS a working ranch and barn and hubby and I stopped there in June, when the fields were blooming. One sad, vacant ranch and another one which is alive and vibrant! Sunday Stills Challenge for January 10, 2010.