Remembering Barns

In the July 19 storm of tornadoes and straight-line winds that hit our area, I rode out the storm in my car. It was 5:30 p.m. and I was on my way home from working that day at the art gallery. When I turned north off the main highway, it started to spatter rain, and as I came to a clearing in the woods, I could see the sky had changed dramatically. A black arch of clouds stretched across the northern sky and under this dark band, the sky was a weird teal color. It was too late to turn back and by the time I crossed the Apple River, the winds were whipping trees around and it was raining so hard that I could only see the center line of the road. I intended to pull into one of my favorite farms – they had a beautiful 3 -story barn and were in the process of remodeling their farm home. Unfortunately, it was raining so hard I couldn’t see their driveway, so I continued on for about 1/8 of a mile and pulled in behind another stopped vehicle. It was a surreal experience – sitting in my parked car, praying out loud, listening to the wind and watching the fury of the storm through the windshield wipers. Unbelievably, I sent a couple of texts to Paul and he, from the basement at home with our terrified critters, responded. I sat on that road for about 40 minutes while the storm raged. At one point the winds were so strong, I felt all four wheels of the car lift off the ground for a few seconds and then gently settle back down on the roadway. Thanks be to God! When the storm finally eased, I backed the car up to turn around in the farm driveway and saw a horrifying sight. The roof of the farmhouse was torn off and all that was left of the barn were remnants of the first-floor block foundation. One of the two concrete silos that stood next to the barn was also gone with concrete rubble strewn in a broad path all the way up to the road. It was a long journey home that evening. With downed powerlines and huge trees on the road, it took a tremendous effort by friends and neighbors with chainsaws and another three hours to go the last few miles to home. And it is with a grateful heart that I share this - knowing that, despite the overwhelming and widespread damage, no lives were lost and we were all brought through safely. 

We lost several classic and round barns in our area this summer due to storms. This week’s painting, Before the Storm, 9” x 12” on 300 lb. watercolor paper, offers a tribute to the loss of these wonderfully built barns.