Yesterday was a rare and treasured gift, my dear husband and I spent some time driving the back roads of our Ozark Mountains. We have had an extremely long, hot and dry summer and after working from dawn to dusk, day after day all summer long.....a country drive, just the two of us, seemed like a gift. I took along the camera because I wanted to share some of these rare seen sights with those of you that have never been to the Ozarks. Each region of this world has things that can be found all over the world and they also have other things that are unique to that specific region. Ours may or may not be unique, but they are extremely Ozarkian in nature. One can still find extreme isolation in these mountains
if you know where to look and it so happens that these areas surround our homestead.Now I'm not sure what the wildflowers pictured above are called, but they are standing proudly all over the riverbanks and dirt road sides....if anyone knows what they are, please tell me :) Maybe it's time for me to get an Ozark Wildflower book. It would be nice to get a local herb book too I'm thinking....
You can't get very far down these old dirt roads without running across many old Ozark style barns.
This one seems to have a face on it!
Let me give you an idea of what traveling down our back roads actually looks like...
Here is an old root cellar made of rocks off the land....
A typical driveway down in the hollers.....
The leaves are beginning to turn.....
And one of my favorite finds are the hidden horses, donkeys and mules down in the woods.....
Next time we're bringing horsey treats!
Ozark mules...
And my most favorite of all....she even posed for me!
And a back roads drive would not be complete without finding a new swimming/fishing hole!
And then we come out of the hollers and over the ridge top to see for miles.....
We are truly blessed with God's beautiful creation here in these Ozark Mountains and if you ever get a chance to come visit, be sure to take the time to travel down one of our dirt roads.....you never know what you might find! I hope you have enjoyed a quick glimpse into our neck of the woods...it's not perfect, but it is our little piece of Heaven on earth.
I just love the Ozarks!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this drive! We no longer have dirt roads in my neck of the woods. Those are the places you see the best views in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteI love the old barns and the horse and, of course, our Missouri Mules.
WE do those day trips too now and then. Lovely to not be going anywhere, but just enjoying the drive.
It is so nice to be able to just meander down the dirt roads, we found a beautiful little homestead hidden away and the folks were SO nice. They really had everything in place working a great little section of land. It's amazing what you can learn from others. Just when you think you have a small idea of how something works, you learn a better way from others! The one thing I continue to learn is that I have MUCH to learn!
ReplyDeleteI love those rusty roofs on the barns...the barn with the face is great! There is nothing like driving down a dirt road...
ReplyDeleteBefore I even read your words I thought that the barn had a face on it. Pretty cute. It was interesting looking at all of the photos. There were similarities and differences. We have root cellars like the one here and we have barns back in the brush forgotten and falling down. We have round hale bales and you all do, too, though they are usually not one every few yards down the property line. That was pretty funky. All in all this is a fabulous collections and l enjoyed the barns, the landscapes and the animals. genie
ReplyDeleteWelcome to Barn Charm!
ReplyDeleteThat swimming hole looks very similar to what I used to call 'Tricia's Creek'... we used to swim that old creek every weekend in the summer til they messed it up w/ a concrete bridge... but it doesn't wash out, now, so that's good for the folks living nearby!
The barns are gorgeous, of course, & I love love love the stone foundation in that 1st shot! WoW!
Gorgeous scenery of which I'm very familiar with in these parts, too! Crossing shallow rock bottom creeks, farms, barns, numerous critters, & those old root cellars & spring houses... the countryside is truly beautiful in Missouri...
Thanks for joining this week's Barn Charm =)
I just found your blog at Barn Charm. Your pictures are gorgeous! I love them all. I love traveling down back roads and taking photos of barns, old buildings, and whatever else you might find there. Thanks for sharing yours.
ReplyDeleteI am your newest follower.
Barb
Enjoyed your trip down the back roads. I do that frequently here in East Texas.
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