May 23, 2007

•    ….I had to take Stan’s lunch to the field. He was chopping haylage, working hard to get ahead of the rain that is predicted for tonight and tomorrow. So, how did it take 2 hours for me to make a 30-minute trip? I made one simple mistake…I took my camera with me. There it sat, on the kitchen counter, just begging to go along, so how could I resist?

                                         

  So off I hurried, to a part of the farm that is about 8 miles from where we live. I found my hungry husband, handed over his food and headed back down the dusty county road. At home there was dirty laundry, floors to be swept and a garden in great need of weeding. But that camera on the seat of the truck beside me had other ideas.

                                 

  At the end of the county road, I stopped to take a quick shot of the old Brixey store. Until last fall, when the postmistress unexpectedly passed away, this old structure had served the community as country store and post office for ever and ever. The lighter-looking spot above the porch is where an official red, white and blue sign proclaimed, “Brixey, Missouri 65618.” But the passing of the postmistress also signaled the passing of Brixey, as well. The postal service decided to close the post office out, relegating it to history. This place resonates with memories for scores of folks who remember when the country stores were busy places of commerce.

  

  By now, I have decided to take the ‘scenic route’ home. It’s just too beautiful a day to not explore some of my favorite places. (Above,the Lower Brixey schoolhouse is another decaying landmark. My mother-in-law attended 8 grades here and then taught for several years as a young woman.)

                                                

  A beautiful bluff marks a bend in Spring Creek.

                                        

  An angler brings in a Rainbow Trout.

                                        

  Rockbridge, Missouri, was the first county seat of Ozark County. Now it is privately owned and is a trout fishing resort. But the beauty that drew early settlers to the place is still evident. The old grist mill, above, is a proud reminder of the days when pioneers would line up for their turn to have corn or wheat ground. My husband’s great-grandfather was one of those early ones; my mother-in-law remembers her father going to the mill when she was a girl, about 70 years ago.

  

  This special place is the only one I’ve found where wild azaleas grow in our area. It’s a steep hillside, literally covered in these beautiful plants. This year, the late freeze curtailed their blooms for this year, but today I found two plants, each with a single bloom. Can you see the delicate pink?

  

  The prettiest little butterfly was happily working on this daisy patch along the roadside.

                             

  My roundabout trip home brought me by the little church and cemetery where my father-in-law was buried last February. What a sweet and special place this is! This cemetery dates back to the 1880s; some fieldstones mark graves of Native Americans who were some of the first buried here. My husband’s great-great-grandparents are also buried here. I love to wander around, looking at the names and dates and admiring the unusual grave markers.

                          

  There are several like this one, crafted of native stones and inset with granite name plates.

                                 

  This stone is quite elaborate, at least for this cemetery. Dr. Haynes died in 1890; “he was loved in life and lamented in death.”

  

  The decaying cupola on this old barn speaks of more prosperous times, although Ozarks settlers were seldom very prosperous. It was hard to make a living in these rough hills, but people worked hard and persevered and built solid homesteads. I wish this barn could have been saved. I love old barns!

                                          

  So I’ll finish with one last old barn. This one is just down the road from my house and belongs to my good friend, Marie. It has been the subject of many paintings and photographs through the years but looks as if it may be beginning to sink into the ground. It’s so hard and expensive to maintain old buildings that inevitably they come to the end of their road. And I’ve finally come to the end of mine, too….hope you enjoyed going along with me.

                                           

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

   

  • 4:41 pm
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