To boldly shoot where no photographer has been shot before

One day a few weeks ago, Madison and I took a drive down some old dirt roads that I had wanted to explore for some time. The weather was perfect and since Madi and I were out of school for spring break, it was the perfect day for a drive. I've always loved to drive/ride down old dirt roads. I think this is mainly because I love old stuff; old churches, land, houses, barns, cemeteries, farm equipment, bridges, and so on. Dirt roads always seems to lead to at least one of these treasures. Madison was kind enough not to complain when I told her what I wanted to do for the day. She knows that taking a drive usually means that Mommy is going to be stopping to take pictures. A lot! But thankfully, for now, she likes to go places with me and is always up for an adventure. I try to make it fun for her and try to engage her as much as possible in what I’m doing. Sometimes I see a spark of interest, but mostly I see a twelve year-old who gets bored and wants to DO something. She hasn’t learned to be patient, which is pretty much a requirement when you’re taking pictures. But, she’s a kid and wants to do kid things, which I totally get.

Bella also came along for the ride. No complaints from her either! She loves car rides and trips down dirt roads, just like her Momma. She’s a great car rider and is very well behaved. She usually just sticks her head out of the window sniffing the air and looking curiously at the people and animals as we pass; her beautiful amber eyes always watchful and inquisitive. She usually brings a smile or a laugh to the people we pass, which in turn, makes me smile or laugh. On this particular dirt road trip, we found lots of interesting things to take pictures of. I will confess that I am sometimes afraid to stop and snap pictures of people’s homes/property because I’m fearful they might come out with a shotgun pointed at me. I like to think that I’m pretty brave, but I’m not totally fearless. I’m definitely fearful of a shotgun and whoever happens to be holding it. I think that’s pretty normal. So sometimes I don’t get the picture(s) I want because of that fear. Sometimes I boldly get out and take pictures (boldly only if it is completely deserted), sometimes I sit in my car and try to be inconspicuous and sometimes, no matter how much I want that picture, I keep driving.

These pictures were taken from within the car. There was a possibility that there was a person in the house or on this property…a person and a shotgun.

~If you look close enough at this picture, you will see a little bird sitting on the steering wheel of the tractor.... ~Here's the same picture cropped to get a closer look at it. Wow, right?!? Madi and I never even saw the bird. In fact, I didn't notice the bird until just before I loaded the picture unto this post! Jack thinks it's an Eastern Bluebird and from the pictures I've looked up, that seems right. It's beautiful and I wish I would've seen it when I was out there taking pictures so that I could've gotten a close-up picture of it.

~I love birdhouses. I thought the color of this one was gorgeous. I played with this shot in order to really make the birdhouse pop out.

I was able to get out of the car for these...

~I'll also admit that I don't know much about farm animals, so I thought this might've been a buffalo. Go ahead, I know you want to laugh... ~ This longhorn was a little apprehensive about me, but went back to grazing after a brief stare down. ~At first, this calf was a little shy. Then his curiosity got the better of him and he came in for a closer look at me and the weird thing in my hand. ~this longhorn was taking advantage of the beautiful day, perfect for lazing around. ~I just thought this was an awesome site. I didn't see a house close by, just acres and acres of farm land. The flag was positioned on the tallest point of the land, obviously so that people could see it. Pretty cool.

After driving down just a few different dirt roads, we stopped at a piece of property that was for sale close to our favorite hiking spot, Dana Peak.

~This old water well is what drew my attention to the property and what made me stop for a closer look.

I pulled into the drive thinking I would just park and get a closer look at the well, but as I pulled around the drive, behind the well, I noticed that the property was full of abandoned stuff. There was no house, just a foundation where a house had once been. Apparently, the house had burned down.

The property was pretty big with lots of neat abandoned things to check out. Madi was just as excited as I was to find it! And since it was for sale I figured I could explore it as a "potential buyer" and not as a trespasser! ~ old mailbox and crape myrtle tree.

~close up on the old water well. It looked as if it actually caught on fire too. The wood was charred and the plastic pulley was melted. It was odd to me because the house and the well were pretty far away from one another.

~I can imagine how these old, broken-down and abandoned bird feeders might've looked when they where new, but I'm glad I found them this way. I love their old wood, chipped paint, lose nails and rusty metal.

~I found these little purple flowers here and there on the property. It's probably a weed, but it's pretty to me. ~an abandoned barbecue grill.

~a slide on a makeshift hill

~the abandoned swing set ~ an abandoned dog (I think we'll keep her).

She's patiently waiting to move on to the next exciting thing this place has to offer.

~ I took a picture of this knowing that at one point it served as a flower bed, but didn't realize what it was made from. Jack pointed out that the container/holder is an old tire! Not something I would have laying in my yard, but I have to admit that's pretty thrifty!

Here's the FUN part. A little way down from the house Madi and I found an old rope swing, hanging from a large oak tree....

~Madi walks over to it and taps the rope...

~she checks out the rope to see if there's anything on it, like a bug or bird poop,while Bella stands guard...

~She looks up at the tree to see if the rope is really attached.

~I asked her to pose with the rope. She did. Cute. I think this picture is adorable.

But, she wouldn't swing on it for fear that it would fall. I was dying to try it out and with no hesitation jumped right on! and boy was it fun!!

Once Madi saw me do it, she was ready. It took her a few try's before she got up on the rope, but once she she did, she had a blast and was all smiles and laughter. It was really cute to watch.

We spent hours exploring this place and swinging on the rope. We had a blast! Now, if I could just get Jack out there for a few pictures of him on the rope swing. Something tells me that will never happen. But, if it does, something also tells me he'll be wearing nothing but a loin cloth and a knife in his teeth. Scandalous! :)