Farm Fresh

Loft, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

A vintage powered lawn mower. I have no idea how old it is, or who made it, or what kind of engine is on it. All's I know is that it's in one of the upstairs stalls in my great-uncle's barn. Which totally sounds like I'm making it up, but it's true!

Farm Fresh

Chevrolet, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

The term "barn find" has come to mean some sort of old car that's been sitting, forgotten, for a number of years, to the point where nobody's sure where it is or how long it's been sitting. But they're not always in barns anymore-garages, warehouses, old gas stations, and garden sheds are all typical hiding places.

Sometimes, though, you get a literal barn find. This '62-ish Chevrolet coupe has been sitting for a good long time, in a ramshackle grain crib in rural Illinois. I have no idea if this is a rare car, with a big block and a four speed or something, but the skinny tires sort of make me think it's packing a straight six and a three on the tree. Nevertheless, this would be a neat car, restored. Whether it could be I don't know.

Faux Retro

Fading Glory, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

It's that Cadillac again. I pass it fairly frequently when I'm out in the countryside, and I often stop and shoot a couple of frames, just for kicks. This despite having literally hundreds of different photos of it, taken over the last couple of years. I like to use it to test out new toys or techniques, but also, I've learned that you never know when something you like will disappear. So shoot it when you see it.

Barn

Barn interior, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

The hayloft at the farm.

Snowy Glory

Snowy Glory, a photo by William 74 on Flickr.

The Old Rusty Cadillac, wearing a fresh coating of snow. I seldom manage to get out here first, before other people walk around it and leave footprints or wipe the snow off. It was nice to do so, just this one time. I tried to not leave footprints all over the place.

I also like how the melted bits on the windshield and grille form a smiley face. It was a fleeting smile, too, as it warmed up and rained the next day.

Star

Barn, originally uploaded by William 74.

This old barn-and I use the term loosely, it's more of a shed than a real, live barn-sits just off the Lincoln Highway, just outside of DeKalb. It's abandoned in the sense that it's kind of decrepit, but still in use in that there's stuff in there, things like rusty bits of machinery and old seed signs. It's in a field, and I like the way the sun sets behind it during the winter months, but I'd never really looked at it till recently. Mainly because it's no longer winter, and the field is now muddy rather than snowy.

I'm glad I did, though. The brackets for the sliding doors have stars on them. I've never seen ones like that-I'm glad I made the effort to get my shoes dirty.

Lincoln Highway

Lincoln Highway, originally uploaded by William 74.

We've visited the Lincoln Highway before-in fact we've shown you this exact same road marker-but I think it bears revisiting. The Lincoln was a major east-west route for many years, winding through cities and towns, and spearing through the farmlands of the Midwest. It was important, and should be remembered.

I also just think this is a cool, old timey picture.

Little Sweden

Simon's-Chicago, IL, originally uploaded by William 74.

Andersonville is a neighborhood in the Edgewater area of Chicago's north side, and was once a sleepy little village with a large Swedish immigrant population. That history is alive and well today, as Andersonville is home to the Swedish American Museum, as well as several Swedish delis and bakeries. It's a really cool neighborhood, with a very diverse population and an awesome mix of restaurants and shops in it's commercial district. In fact, the commercial district along Clark Street is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Simon's is an Andersonville institution, a classic bar that-naturally-features a few Swedish favorites like Pripp's Lager, aquavit, glogg, and of course, Schlitz beer. It's been there since the 30's and features decor inspired by the S.S. Normandie-it's said that most of the clientele of Simon's couldn't afford to sail on the famed liner, so the bar was styled to allow patrons the feeling of being onboard. It's an excellent tavern, very homey.

And, this being Neon Friday, it has an awesome sign hanging out front, in blue and yellow of course. Oh, and the fish with the Martini? Pickled herring. Geddit?

Through the Viewfinder Tuesday!

Barn TtV, originally uploaded by William 74.

I seem to have skipped a week, so here's the return of Through the Viewfinder Tuesday!

This week's subject is a barn and silo complex in rural Illinois, along the Lincoln Highway. I've passed this place numerous times, but have never managed to get a really good shot of it until recently. The recent heavy snowfalls and cold temperatures have left an excellent blanket of the white stuff along the fields. I think it's a remarkably pretty scene. The buildings appear to be abandoned-the nearest one is open on the sides and appears to contain only garbage, although the snow had drifted mightily so I'll probably have to go back and investigate again when it's warmer.

This is an interesting TtV shot. I don't usually shoot into the sun with this setup, because the plastic lenses of my trusty Spartus Full-Vue craze badly, and tends to show up the weird double reflections of the crazed mirror. But I was trying to do a TtV version of a photo I'd taken earlier-I'm not sure if I quite succeeded, but I do like the outcome.

ETA  link.