Eight Sides

This octagonal barn was built in 1905. We pass by it every time we go on our 25 mile trip for grocery shopping. It’s located on the Woodburne Farm Road in Dimock Township, Susquehanna County. For many years I’ve wanted to take its picture. I think it is an oddity and unconventional. The traffic on the road is usually too much to stop but today we had a chance and I went for it. When I arrived home I did a bit of research and see that others have photographed this same structure. From what I observe, it has been kept up pretty well for its age. This barn has white horizontal siding, sectional conical roof and a louvered cupola. Do you have one in your state? I learned that we have more round barns and homes and we have hexagonal homes as well. 

 There is a road that goes down in front of the barn. I felt lucky to get the backside view.

The pictures below were taken by several others through the years. It is a nice old  barn, isn't it!

Mike MacCarter

 Trish Kane

  Trish Kane

"Tigerpasko"

 William Wellman

Susan Kelly

Please click on image to view larger

CCC=Cookie Cutter Craft

New Year's Day Project

Today, I had great plans to take down, wrap and store the Christmas and holiday decorations and ornaments for another year. Of course, I was derailed again, as I unusually am! My mind demanded that I act on an idea that just popped into it and that I act immediately! So, the beds are not made, the ornaments and decorations aren't put away and I'm working on a craft project. Now, it's not one that is detailed, or really done with much talent at all. It is one I have done previously, but this time is a little newer and different.

My grandmother's gingerbread man cookie cutter was temporarily stored in a junk drawer (everyone has one of these) to make room on the upright beam between the kitchen and dining area to hang an ornament. As I took the ornament down, I remembered what I had there in the first place and grabbed Mr. Cookie Cutter.

After designing 3 men, I retraced my star and then designed a new fish. I then made the templates you see here on posterboard. My next step will be to go the craft store and buy some 1/4" foam sheets on which to trace the designs and cut the shapes. The next trip will be to purchase some inexpensive CD disks.

For some reason that I can't really explain, I love to see these hanging and spinning in the wind, sparkling with the rainbow colors and flashing when the sun hits them in a certain way. They can be mesmerizing. And fun to make!

Nail Polishing

I'm experimenting with old nail polishes that friends have donated to me.

This is my first painting just completed today. It's on white construction paper.

It's a good thing the cabin is very dry inside because it didn't take forever to dry hanging up from the wagon wheel lamp fixture.

I scanned the actual result but kind of like the first photo I took better.

I may or may not create more of these because I have other ideas spinning around.

(The nail polish odors mingled with my crock pot pork roast and sauerkraut dinner. Interesting combination, don't you think??)

I Shot a Turkey!

Last night while washing supper dishes, for some reason I turned and looked out the living room window and saw this elusive turkey in my yard. I have been trying to get a shot of this little jake for a couple of weeks. He is an extremely cagey critter, always sees me first and dashes away. He usually comes to visit during the very early morning on grassy the side of the cabin. I would have to take his picture through the window that has a screen and that never works.

Well, they tell me the best shots are when you seize the moment so I dried off my soapy hands, snatched the camera and "viewfinder eyeglasses" and even turned the camera on before prancing quickly, in bare feet, to the front lawn and shot him! YES! Got him! 6:38 PM the deed was done. I'm so pleased to be able to share his visit with you.

After the Rain........

7:45 PM

Click on all pictures to view larger

I want to show you my view from in front of Cabin Tranquillity. I dashed out onto the lawn when I looked out of my kitchen window while washing dishes and this is what I saw! Magnificent! It was, at first a double, but, by the time I got my camera, put on my "camera eyeglasses" and got out there, the double had faded. This is the largest rainbow I have seen in many years.

7:50 PM

It didn't last long, but I have it for keeps.

Today's Discoveries

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

°

First of all you MUST listen to the songs sung by Max Bygraves! A wonderful discovery this morning after my wander to take photos. Below is the link to his biography. I just bought - via iTunes - his album entitled, "Singalongamaxbox." There are 30 songs and 2 1/2 hours of happy happy. He is dozens of well-known singers and entertainers all put together into a very special gentleman!! Even if you don't lean toward this type of easy listening music, listen anyway. You can't help but be elated and joyful like me! ¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯

http://www.maxbygraves.com/index2.htm

Now for the earliest part of my morning........

I went grocery shopping early and returned as usual past a home with flowers in the yard. I guess I've never really REALLY looked at that yard. WOW! I just rushed home, unloaded the cold stuff and went back - this time with my eyeglasses and camera. No one was home so I boldly drove up into the drive and snapped away. You will soon see why. I absolutely LOVE taking pictures, especially when I'm alone and no one is watching. I'm a very happy person today. It ALWAYS pays to "stop and smell the roses" and especially if you love Mother Nature and Her beauty.

And I Know Why........

First a rant............

This early morning I rushed to town with my two baskets of laundry to get it washed before the laundromat became crowded. I have been doing this since 1997 when we moved into the cabin.
I'm lucky to have nice weather today and they will dry on the line well. It's a beautiful day!

Usually, I stay in the small laundromat, reading, but this morning I decided to sit in my car while listening to the radio. The laundromat is 5 miles from our place at the lake and I don't often go into town except for laundry and grocery shopping chores. That may be why I never before noticed how many gas drilling trucks travel to, through and from our little town. They sure caught my attention with their oversized loads and number! And it is SUNDAY!

I observed these huge and invasive, to my thinking, carriers traveling fast and furious on the main avenue. They were all in transit hauling water, frack sand, frack fluids, fracking pumps, residual waste and more.

Some call them soup trucks or kettle trucks and I call them AWFUL. Their stacks emit black stuff to pollute my air. They're noisy. They cause damage to the roads. Some nearby counties have had their roads put off limits to natural gas drilling trucks by PennDOT until the roads are repaired.

The natural gas extraction in my area has grown and I don't like the activity at all. People jumped at the chance to earn money by leasing their land and now the cost is very evident.

In 1900, 1,827 people lived here, and in 1910, 1,914 people lived here. The population was 1,664 at the 2000 census. A 2007 estimate states that the population is 1,843. This town of Montrose was laid out in 1812 and incorporated as a borough on March 19, 1824. It sure seems a shame that it has changed so much in the name of "Progress."

The truck that was involved in yesterday's accident is owned by Casa Grande, Arizona-based Southeast Directional Drilling LLC according to the Times Tribune. I noticed that many of the tags are also from Texas, Wyoming and others.

Fatal Crash

By WBNG News

July 30, 2011

Updated Jul 30, 2011 at 5:18 PM EDT

Liberty Township, PA (WBNG Binghamton) A Susquehanna County man has died in a crash near the state line.

Pennsylvania State Police say 57 year-old John Jones of Brackney was killed when a Mack Truck used to haul natural gas drilling materials overturned on to his car.

The accident happened around 8:00 p.m. Friday night on Route 29 near the intersection of Laurel Lake Road in Liberty Township.

Jones' passenger was an unidentified seventeen year old. She sustained moderate injuries.

50 year-old James Hoffpauir of Montgomery, Texas was driving the truck for Southeast Directional Drilling, based in Arizona.

State Police are continuing their investigation.

Man Killed in Susquehanna County Crash

• By WNEP News

9:04 p.m. EDT, July 30, 2011

We now know the name of a man killed in a crash in Susquehanna County.

According to state police, John Jones III of Brackney died Friday night when a mack truck overturned on his vehicle.

It happened around 7:00 p.m. on Route 29, just north of Montrose.

The driver of the mack truck was injured.

Troopers are still investigating what led to that deadly crash in Susquehanna County.

Back for a Bit .....

Well, as can probably be expected, I've not been in the mood to write anything. I've been obsessive/compulsive about making computer generated movies and slide shows, using my personal photos. I don't have a movie camera so are all taken with my regular snap camera; (wish I had a zoom lens). It takes a great deal of persistence to learn how to do this and complete them so they are pleasing and interesting - at least to me - and hope others can have fun too.

I'm a slow learner when I teach myself, so bear with me. Some of the movies really mean something to me, such as the Hawaiian wedding of my girlfriend's daughter. She eloped unexpectedly 25 years ago and it is a successful and productive marriage. The couple liked my work and that brought us all enjoyment. The Yummy show used photos she sent me from HI and she didn't realize she had taken so many to show us "mainlanders."

The flying whirlygigs are an important part of living here because they are my imaginary friends. Everyone needs those. "Alvin" is the special one.

I DO love bugs, beans, and other such things. So........

My other obsessive actions this month seem always to involve my love of music. Today I uploaded many Leon Redbone renditions of old songs that I especially like. I just float away on his wavelength! It's hard to control my wants and "needs."

The weather here has been muggy and miserable so I have stayed indoors - with my friend, iMac.

By the way, James celebrated the 4th with a new outfit and then went fishing with another.

Oh, and....we just might have pink ducks and geese and also black flamingoes next year here at the lake. We have had company on the lake's floating log.

Try to have a good time with the 8 new movies here. I did!

Music is my Heartbeat.

Seriously, I have always believed that music is a wondrous creation that actually DOES soothe the soul. I know it for a fact, personally. Today I'm playing the classics. The internet has given me the opportunity to REALLY enjoy myself while I work. It makes me feel good when the day is dreary and cold. It makes me feel just fine when life seems boring. I don't even have to dig into the CD collection. I have donated my cassettes and old LP, 78 and 45 records away to others through the past few years. It was a painful decision, but the need for space rose above the hoarding instinct and I'm not sorry.

Have you ever thought about which you would rather have if you had your "druthers?"I swing back and forth between the sense of sight and the sense of sound and still haven't come to a conclusion. I'm so lucky to have both working so efficiently still.

Now I can swing and sway and dance and tap and clap and also look outside my primitive abode to enjoy the sights of nature as well. Won't you join me?

I have a great selection pegged of almost all types: classical, opera, film, orchestra, instrumentals - organ, piano, guitar, saxophone, drums - rock and roll, country (the "old kind"), blues, ragtime, folk, gospel, dixie, jazz, marching bands, children's and almost all others. My playlists contain HUNDREDS of my hand picked selections. I don't care for hip hip or rap. Maybe it's my age.

For instance, "Peter and the Wolf" is a wonderful narration with music that brought back my childhood memories. If you have never heard of Kitaro, just listen to his. WOW!

I even have a manifest of my favorite crooners and singers, and perhaps some of them are on your list as well.

A hint: Wear large and wonderful headphones to really lose yourself and you won't bother others in your nearby surroundings.

Try making your own.

http://www.playlist.com/