This is the first of a three part series on the Annapolis Valley. This one is on barns. All were taken while we were at our daughter's place in Morristown, which is between Berwick and Aylesford on the Aylesford Lake Road. I wandered the Hall Road, Victoria Road, and Harmony roads over to Greenwood, stopping here and there for a late morning/ early afternoon summer session.  

 There seems to be a lot of subject matter to shoot over there as there is in most rural communities. This was a particularly warm, cloudy summer day, with lots of humidity.  

The peace, tranquility and beauty of the idyllic rural farm life is in a juxtaposition with the reality of the difficulties and harshness of the realities that farm life can sometimes offer. Barns have a lot of charm, yet suffer the ravages of time as the barn boards take on all the weather that summers and winters and wind and rain and snow can offer. And yet, they seem to stand the test of time as very few people can remember when the old falling down barns were brand new and full of hope for the farmers and animals who inherit the luxuries of new surroundings.

I love the sight of the faintness of the old red style barn that seems to say: "You have forgotten us - look, you haven't even put a new fresh coat of red paint on my boards"...

I wonder what stories these old barn boards could tell us, if given the chance. As I stand and observe, and enjoy the peacefulness of the warm summer tranquility, I get filled with wonder and curiosity with what's inside these old structures and what their story would be.  

As the year's pass, the green grass  and hay grow and the trees and fruits and gardens flourish in the heat, sun, and rain of the lush Valley weather. But as the plants flourish, the man-made additions to the natural world take a beating. Perhaps they are not meant to remain forever - as a powerful reminder of the role nature plays in the order of mankind.

Some barns (and old vans) are closer to the end than others. It's a good thing we don't have a pool on when these old structures will finally collapse to the ground - it could take years. It has taken a long time for some of them to acquire the state in which they currently exist.