Since I had an old windmill yesterday, I thought maybe this week would be an ‘old’ theme. And this barn fits right into the old theme, even though this view looks fairly good, the other sides have not fared as well since there are missing or broken boards.
Besides the old boards, the foundations of the older barns are interesting and vary from area to area, from round rocks in cement, to limestone rocks or all wooden foundations. And the function and location of doors vary so greatly too.
There are less of the old style windmills gracing the landscape around my area. Some that I used to take pictures of are now gone, but most in my area were the Aermotor windmill, with the name proudly stamped on the tail. I didn’t realize Aermotor Windmill has continuously manufactured windmills since 1888 and is the only windmill manufacturer still left in the USA.
The Aermotor only sold dozen windmills the first year and was called mockingly by competitors as the new “mathematical” windmill. But the new “mathematical” windmill incorporated principles learned from previous experiments and had great lifting power due to the back gearing which allowed the wheel to make about 3 revolutions for each stroke.
By 1892, Aermotor sold 20,000 windmills and the “mathematical” windmill’s image had changed from a joke to a true necessity and was on its way to becoming the dominant windmill dotting the landscape.
Mass production helped lower the price and enclosed gear case introduced in 1915 reduced maintenance to once a year instead of weekly.
Aermotor’s founder, La Verne Noyes, donated nearly two and one half million dollars in 1918 to establish scholarships at many colleges and universities for veterans of the World War. These scholarships are still available today.
After Noyes died in 1919, the company was left to a trust and over the years, was acquired by different companies and moving the manufacturing site to different states, until it settled in San Angelo, Texas in 1986..
I know this windmill is older than I am since it still has Chicago stamped on the tail by the name, but even if it’s old, I love looking at them since I love old, rustic things (except when it is my old, creaky body).
The fall like weather is providing more colorful sunsets again. It always amazes me the variety of colors which can appear for a few minutes before the sun retreats for the day.
The image and history of the old west tug at many hearts. I know it tugs at mine, whether it is because of the image of western scenery, the hard working cowboys that had grit and stood their ground, or the quietness of the range filled with the sounds of cattle grazing instead of motorcycles, cars and planes roaring loudly in a hurry to get somewhere. It was a simpler time, even though living conditions were harsher and required a lot of physical work, but you knew your neighbors and helped each other when trouble happened.
And trouble could happen if a cowboy got hooked by a longhorn. Countless cowboys perished while working; the stampedes, thrown from a horse, range wars or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. But I suppose they rather would like to go out in the blaze of glory than to be an old crippled cowboy who could only ride a rocking chair.
But for all the glory of the old west, I’m not sure I would want to push a herd of longhorns on the trail. I have had my share of bruises just from little calves without horns!
Since the sun came back out after two cloudy days, I figured a bright cheerful flower picture was needed to end the work week. The flowers were still a little damp from the passing rain shower but they glistened in the sunlight once the sky cleared.
While looking at milkweed plants in search of a Monarch caterpillar, I spotted these caterpillars that looked like variegated yarn instead. They were munching on the milkweed and when I looked them up later, I found out they are caterpillars of the Milkweed Tussock Moth so I guess that is why they were on my milkweeds.
Both the Milkweed Tussock Moth and Monarch caterpillars have similar color scheme of black, yellow / orange, white stripes. The colors advertise to predators the toxin they incorporated from the milkweed diet.
But I much rather see a Monarch butterfly flying around than a Milkweed Tussock Moth so these little pieces of yarn better save some milkweed for the Monarch caterpillars since the Tussocks are communal feeders and will feed in large groups. I guess I was lucky that I only spotted three that day before finding one Monarch caterpillar.
Cooler temperatures have finally arrived after an unusual hot summer. It finally is cool enough to spend time outside watching birds again but some birds have already left for the year. I guess the snow is coming soon since the wrens, grosbeaks and orioles have disappeared in the last week.
It was a special year for watching orioles as one built a nest with some of the red strings I had put out and it was low enough to the ground that I was able to mount my camera on a long pole and by turning the video on, I was able to peek inside the oriole nest and see what the eggs look like. It was the first time I saw oriole eggs and later I found a ladder tall enough to peek in the nest at the babies.
I spent one day putting the babies back in their nest but it was apparently their escape day as they didn’t stay long in the nest and I was trying to watch out for them so they didn’t get eaten by the stray cats. But apparently they survived without my help as the feeder was full of baby orioles last week, apparently filling up for the trip south. I sure will miss their bright colors until they arrive back next May.
After I left the area where I was shooting photographs of the barn and headed home, the skies turned dark but no rain. Later in the evening I figured there would be a nice sunset since there were clouds in the sky but I was wrong since the sun was mostly buried by the clouds. But when I looked behind me, I found color in the clouds to the east as they were catching the glow of the sunset.
Coming back from an appointment in town today, I took some back roads and I was on the lookout out for farm scenes that might be photogenic in the fall when the leaves turn. But there are some rustic barns that don’t need colorful leaves to make them stand out, especially when the sky is filled with a variety of clouds.
On Sundays, I sometimes post a sunset picture or something that might tug at your heart. Well today’s subject might not have tugged at my heart, but it sure tugged on my shoe laces and camera strap so it was a difficult job taking a photo, especially since I was double tagged team by two cute puppies.
