The sun was shining, the air was warm, and all was right with the world. It was the perfect day to grab my keys and take a drive through the country. What could possibly go wrong on a day like that?
The alarm bell should have gone off when I couldn't find the library that I had passed regularly for years. (I'll explain that one later.) On my second pass up the road, I saw it: the quintessential symbol of rural Pennsylvania, a centuries-old stone barn. It is a magnificent structure. For years I have fantasized about getting the perfect photograph of this stately bastion of Pennsylvania history. Unfortunately, there is only an eighteen inch wide "shoulder" on that road. It is a narrow, winding two-lane path that was never meant to accomodate the number of drivers that careen madly over it's surface today. Frustrated that I couldn't find my chosen destination, I caught sight of "my" barn and a seeming lunacy overtook me. I pulled off the road and into a field. The barn beckoned to me from it's perch high on a hill. Checking quickly to be sure I didn't get flattened as I exited my car, I grabbed my camera and ran into the field. I was almost giddy as I shot frame after frame. As I was shooting, a nagging little voice whispered in my ear. It was sort of like the one that Wiley Coyote must have heard while chasing the Roadrunner, when he realized he was no longer on terra firma - just before he plunged 1000 feet into the canyon. I ignored the voice and kept shooting.
Finally, when carpal tunnel set in on my shutter finger, I packed up my gear and returned to my car. It should have occurred to me. A Mitsubishi Lancer was never meant to go off-roading. I started the engine, stepped on the gas...and went nowhere, as clod's of mud and grass rained down on my hood and roof. After a few fruitless attempts, I resigned myself to the inevitable: I had to call my husband at work. As my car sank up to its axles, I pondered. How exactly does one say, "I'm stuck in a hole on the side of the road, honey."? More importantly, how do I explain how I got there? I had to call the company's emergency number, so needless to say, my husband's entire company knew.
We eventually freed my poor car with the combined brawn of my husband, my son, and a good samaritan who stopped to help. Hours after I had started, I returned home with my family, toting various digging implements, pick-axes and my once beautiful car caked with mud and unidentified organic material. Mercifully, my husband and son washed it, removing all evidence of my stupidity. BUT: I GOT THE SHOT :) Would you like to see it?
Actually, I have a few more :)
Before I got into trouble, I had found another barn to photograph.
Fortunately, there was a safe place to pull over for this one!
I had planned to share photos of a rug-hooking exhibit at the library, but I didn't make it there until today :) I'll do a post on that at the beginning of next week. I hope you enjoyed the tale of my photography adventures. I pray you will have a blessed and wonderful Easter celebration. Be safe, and we'll meet again soon.
Until next time,
