Tag: Windmill

More Relics in Rural America – Part 5

This is a continuation of photography of old, abandoned homes or other structures that I’ve found, while traveling in middle America.

Stone House in Tall Grass

It is unusual for me to come across such finds as this late in the day with the sun low in the sky or with such great clouds in the sky from a clearing rain storm. I had to walk through tall grass to get near enough to shoot this old homestead in Middle America.

Tiny House in Tall Grass

This tiny house (or storage building?) is behind the bigger house (first image).

Maybe a Bath House?

Walking around to the back side of the tiny house, I found this pile of rocks from the collapsed structure, an old cast iron bathtub and other debris.

A Prince Came Calling

The title for this image is inspired by the small object I spotted in the upper left corner of the door frame. I know that object might be too small in this image for a viewer to identify, but it is an old Prince Albert tobacco tin. Prince Albert tobacco is still produced and it was very common and popular, when I was a kid growing up. Empty, discarded tins like this were common litter items back then.

Abandoned Prairie House and Windmill

There are two abandoned houses at this homestead, the one in the first image and the one in the image above.

 

Abandoned House, Windmill and Bathtub

Shooting the windmill from another direction, shows the first house and the tiny house in the background.

Like a Jigsaw Puzzle Scene
The Backside of House 2
One Side of House 2

 

Past and Future

There are modern electric power generating windmills on the far horizon in this image, indicating the continuity of wind energy in Middle America from the past into the future.

Open and Shuttered

Thanks for following,

Ken

 

Road Trip Photography Between Destinations – September 2022, Part 3 – Abandoned Farm Homes

This is a continuation of road trip photography of September 2022.

Prairie Home, Nebraska High Plains
The Gate
Homeward Lean
Still Spins

After shooting and driving away from this abandoned Nebraska home, I realized that I should have used a slow shutter speed to capture the motion of the windmill.  The windmill still spins, but the pump is disconnected.

Old Prairie Home
Stormy Horizon
Duplex Model 55

This is apparently a popular pump gear box that is or was used with windmills.  In researching this item, I found online listing for parts for this model gear box.

Listing Porch Roof
No Panes
Distraught Tree

The evergreen tree on the left seems to be distraught about the dilapidated condition of this abandoned farm house.  Maybe children once played around that tree.  This image was chosen for Flickr’s Explore Page.

Hanging On

Even more road trip images in the next post,

Ken

Abandoned Ranch Buildings, New Mexico, March 2021

I spotted old, abandoned ranch structures and a windmill set back some distance from a highway, as I was traveling through the high plains of New Mexico a year or two ago.  I resolved to stop and photograph the ranch scene on my way back through, since I was on a travel schedule, when I first noted these old structures.

I watched for that old ranch and windmill on my way past the area a couple of times, but I did not spot it again during those trips.  The mental picture I had made for the ranch location was not accurate or maybe as time went by my memory became fuzzy.  However, on my way home from the Great Sand Dunes of Colorado, I passed this way again and I spotted the windmill.

Abandoned ranch structures and old windmill on the high plains of New Mexico.

The ranch was, indeed, miles from where I had thought it was.  I had made a mental note of the next town I went through for location reference, after first discovering that ranch.  That town was miles away, but over time I became convinced that the ranch was just on the outskirts of that town.  Consequently, I only began to look for it as I approached that town.

Lesson learned: even though my mental recollection is usually good, I should make written or recorded notes and/or GPS locations for places that I want to get back to.

Abandoned ranch structures on the high plains of New Mexico.

This area was volcanically active in ancient times and I’m fairly sure that is an old volcano cone in the background.

I had to shoot from a fence line with the house far on the other side.  I considered shooting with an 80-400mm for which I have a 1.4x extender to get close up shots, but I think the shots with a 24-70mm at 70mm give a much better indication of the setting in this wide open landscape.

More abandoned structures down the road from here will be in the next post,

Ken