56 this morning, clear and breezy. Right now it's 84. I planted 3 rows of lima beans and 2 of Tenderette green beans, our favorite. Larry is planting early corn as I write. I tilled a new herb garden and rose garden, now just need plants to fill them. We tore out a dead rambler rose and cut down daylights to get at the insidious and invasive honeysuckle that was taking over that area. Still more work to do there to get rid of it but it's a start. I also spread more mulch and lime, pulled weeds and generally stayed busy in the gardens until just now.
But back to the covered bridge, the subject of today's post. This one was very sad.
By the time we reached this one it was raining pretty steadily. Larry elected to stay in the van while I took photos and got soaked.
O wonder if there are any plans to restore this sad bridge, or if it will be left to continue deteriorating?
We saw many elegant old barns too, but again, a lot of them were no longer in use or falling down. Traveling this road was like stepping back in time in some ways, with so many relics of the past. We saw many signs of the big oil and gas drilling activity that once brought hundreds to this area, although today most of the wells are inactive.
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Along our route we noted 3 former General stores, a testament to the days when the area was more prosperous and populated. We also saw several former one-room schoolhouse either in disrepair or converted to other use, and one abandoned high school. Below are photos of two of the old store buildings. Can you just picture wagons coming across a covered bridge and pulling up to one of these stores? Ladies in bonnets, gents in black suits and hats, coming to stock up on coffee, sugar, fabric and other essentials? Perhaps they traded eggs, butter, and other produce for their shopping.
This one showed more recent innovations, like lights and a place for gas pumps.
But there were modern farms too, lush hayfields and fat cattle. So while some of the old ways are gone, life goes on, just in a different way.
Many sad old buildings, which won't last another 20 years probably. I'm glad you were brave and got photos of the old covered bridge remains. I remember going along back roads in Georgia and Florida and seeing those old stores all closed up...back in the 80s. Since that's now 40 years ago, I bet they are long gone. Yes, time goes on and new things are happening all around us.
ReplyDeleteRubdown buildings are often interesting photo subjects.
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