Barn Break

I've been working on a writing assignment for Wesleyan Publishing the past three weeks, which has kept me on my computer but away from my blog. :(

Sometimes one just has to take a break and reconnect with one's blogging friends, so here I am. . .

breaking and reconnecting.

The barn photo is from my Nebraska file.

You can see Scottsbluff in the background

Hope your Tuesday is progressing nicely.

Linking up with Barn Cham #121

Lone Barn

This is the second barn in my 

Scottsbluff, Nebraska collection.

It sits in a corralled area all by its lonesome.

No other buildings.

No livestock. No signs of life, save a few birds in the trees.

I didn't get a sense that it's abandoned.

Although it's elderly, it's still in good shape.

As is the fence.

Quite a bit of character, I'd say.

Sharing today with

Barn Charm #116

Homesteader Barns

The barns I'm showing you today are closer to home than usual. This one is across the street from our neighbor's horse corral. We're told this was the barn for the original homestead where we live now. This is a side view.

This is the front view of the barn.

And another front view.

This is the barn on our property which originally started out as a log cabin for the homesteaders, who also built the barn shown at the top of this page. (Still with me?) If you look closely you'll see the loft door. Story has it the loft and the barn doors were added later, after the homestead was sold to  Estes Park Dairy.

We converted the barn to an art studio for my husband, removing the barn doors to install a window. I love this shot because it shows the reflection of the mountain in the glass. By the way, we reused the wood from the barn doors to build the wall for the window. We wanted to maintain the barn's integrity.

This is a view of the studio/barn interior.

Hope you enjoyed the tour.

Blessings,

Nancy

Today I'm joining all the wonderful bloggers @ 

Barn Charm. 

Sashay on over there and catch the barn fever.

and Our World TuesdayGet an Eyeful of Great Photos from Around the World

Barely There Barn

I'm joining Barn Charm today.

Dennis and I love barns. The older, the better. This may not be everyone's idea of a barn worth photographing, but we flipped out when we saw it outside of Lyons, Colorado. I'm sure at some point it will wind up in a Dennis Reinke painting. 

Thanks to Tricia @ Bluff Area Daily for hosting Barn Charm. If you like barns, then hop on over to her site and check out the blogs linked there. Wonderful photographs of barns await you.

"Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!"

Luke 12:24

Nancy

Fall at the Homestead

Fall has descended on the Reinke homestead. We feel it in the cool morning air, as we pull on our sweaters. The deciduous trees have made a wardrobe change, too, with their splendid yellow and orange leaves. After months of blending in with the conifers, they now triumphantly stand out from the crowd. 

Steaming mugs of coffee seem even more inviting these days. And soup? Well, even Campbell's will suffice when there's a chill in the air. 

I enjoy all the autumn signs here in Estes Park, but the one that stirs my heart the most is the Fall rut. There's nothing like it. To see our magnificent bull elk this time of year is breathtaking. 

Tuesday morning Dennis and I took a short drive and discovered this bull grazing in a field east of town. Dennis whistled at him, hoping he'd look up so I could get a good photo. Mr. Elk kept right on eating. Then Dennis honked the truck horn. That did it. The bull raised his head and began sniffing the air. Content that no opponent lurked in the area, he returned to his grazing. But not before I got this photo. (The dark areas on his body are wet spots from an apparent dip in a nearby lake.)

Smoke from the barn's chimney is another sign of Fall's arrival.

Workers installed the new wood-burning stove in the studio yesterday. The blue and white square behind the can is the top of an empty milk carton. Dennis says waxed cartons are great for kindling. I had no idea, but I'm glad since Estes doesn't accept these for recycling. (One of these days I'll do a blog on the bag trash program we employ at the homestead.)

I'm just as excited about the barn's rebirth as I am the cabin remodel. Dennis' paintings seem to belong here. . .

Studio Entrance South Wall

Studio Entrance North Wall

North Wall

North Wall

Southeast Corner

South Wall

Southwest Corner

West Wall

Is it just me -- or do these photos suggest "Fall"?

I think I need to add some pumpkins. Maybe some cornstalks and Indian corn, too.


We'll be ready for the Estes Park Art Studio Tour this Saturday.



"Autumn burned brightly, a running flame through the mountains, a torch flung to the trees." --

Faith Baldwin


Nancy

Aye, 'Twas a Fine Week

The 2011 Longs Peak Scottish-Irish Highlands Festival is over. Dennis and I were there on Sunday, he painted plein air and I volunteered in the Cultural Arts Council tent. In honor of our celtic friends, I offer these photos taken that last day. 

"Captain, there be camels!"

This gentleman and his Irish wolfhound were very dignified.

A Scottish Royal Guard posed next to his portrait. Fine looking lad, wouldn't you say?

This handsome couple in tartan plaid graciously allowed me to photograph them.

Irish entertainer Seamus Kennedy caught me readying my camera for a shot and stopped in the middle of his performance for this photo. A good sport, funny and very talented.

Another talented artist -- my husband Dennis Reinke -- painting "Bill Colby" plein air.

Here Bill stands beside the finished portrait.

This was the first year the Cultural Arts Council of Estes Park was asked to participate in the festival. Dennis joined other artists in documenting the event with paints and canvas. We had a wonderful time and hope it will be the first of many more to come. 

Work continues on Dennis' studio. The carpenters re-sided the area around the front window, using the boards from the old barn doors. . .

Dennis' hard work in salvaging the boards paid off. . .

Drywall around the storage room has been completed. . .

Electrical and lighting installation is finished. . .

Now Dennis is applying a textured finish to the drywall. The new wood-burning stove is scheduled for installation on September 23rd, just in time for the Estes Park studio tour on the 24th.

Even with all they had to accomplish on the barn this week, the carpenters still found time to install the new door on the front of our cabin. . .

Remember how the old door looked?

Big improvement, don't you think? The glass in the door opens up the dining room, making it appear larger. . .

New trim around the door will finish it off. 

Thanks for checking in. I leave you with this Celtic blessing. . .

Blessing Of The Three

The Sacred Three 

My fortress be 

Encircling me, 

Come and be round 

My hearth, my home.

Fend Thou my kin 

And every sleeping thing within 

From scathe, from sin. 

Thy care our peace 

Through mid of night 

To light's release.

Nancy

Born-Again Barn

“If a farmer fills his barn with grain, he gets mice. If he leaves it empty, he gets actors.” Sir Walter Scott

Mention that you have an old barn on your property and immediately the listener's eyes light up. There's just something about barns -- especially old barns -- that appeal to most people. Interest really ramps up when you add that you're turning your barn into an artist's studio. 

When we left our downtown Estes Park apartment to move into a renovated 624 sf cabin, we also left behind Dennis' art studio in The Courtyard Shops. Our plan was to convert the 150 year-old log barn on our property to a studio, after we completed the cabin remodel. Now that the cabin is finished, the born-again barn project has begun. 

Last week the contractor removed the double barn doors and replaced them with a triple window. Dennis has salvaged the boards on the doors to use for siding over the Tyvek.

A beautiful view of Mt Olympus can be seen from inside the studio, through the new window. 

Wishing to retain as much of the barn's rustic character, as possible, the existing back door becomes the studio entrance.  

The exterior door (right rear in the photo) opens to a small foyer. Framing of a new wall, part of the storage room, is seen on the left. 

The storage room is ready for drywall.

Dennis will have a nice area to work in, once the storage room is finished and his art supplies are stowed away. 

The studio will be featured in the 5th Annual Estes Park Art Studio Tour on September 24, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m..  A self guided tour of Estes Valley artist studios, the free event is coordinated by the Cultural Arts Center, 453 W. Elkhorn Ave., Estes Park. For more information, call 970-586-9203. Email info@estesarts.com. Website: www.estesarts.com. 

Nancy