Around the Homestead-Fall

I haven't been out of the house much lately, but it was so pretty outside a few days ago that I took a short walk over the little hill behind our house to my grandparents old home place, a walk I've made hundreds of times during my lifetime at Rabbit Hop.

Walking has become a little difficult for me, especially on ground surfaces, so I walked slowly, just taking in the sunshine, breathing in the fresh air, listening to the sounds of nature, remembering my parents and grandparents (I inherited many of their things and both places) and childhood friends, who walked and played with me in these same woods and fields. My trusty camera went with me on this short journey, as usual. Here are a few pictures!

The old oak tree across from our kitchen door, which lightening struck several years ago, then the electric company cut a huge limb off of it to put a new light pole in, which is totally in the way of cars backing out of our driveway. It has been slowly dying for a few years now. Sad.

Also, across from our kitchen door, a mixture of my dad and grandpa. The large building was my dad's workshop, where he loved doing woodworking projects and repairing his farm equipment, etc. The old backhoe, which no longer runs, and the oil barrel are also daddy's, and he brought in the old camper from a sale somewhere for some project that he never got around to. 

The old school bus served as my maternal grandparents shoe repair shop for many years after they moved their business from town. My dad brought it here after they died, with all the machines and supplies still in it. He later sold the machines, but the old bus remains, full of memories. You can't see it in this picture, but Papa painted an orange rectangle on the side with the words Shoe Shop in big black letters on the side. They had moved back closer to town in their later years, and the bus sat next to their house, on a busy for a rural area road, and they did a good business as long as they were able. 

The old barn daddy built when I was little, in the fifties, also across from our house, as you start up the small hill on the way to Papa's farm, which daddy bought from Papa when he was no longer able to care for it, but he would still go out there and potter around as long as he could drive. He and his siblings were raised there, so tons of memories for him. They have both been gone for many years, and it's sad to see the things they built now so deteriorated and almost gone too. No matter how badly you want to, you can't hold on to people or things. It all slips away with time. 

Some golden leaves that struck my fancy against the blue sky.

The old oak trees, where a gate used to be across the road, which I barely remember. Just past the gate, an old dirt road, now impassable veers to the right through the woods. The main road goes to Papa's house. Hubby and I are no longer able to keep things up, so the whole place is quickly growing up on us. Heartbreaking.

Close up of the old oak tree trunk, and oh, the things it has probably witnessed over the years!

Sun shining through the old oaks limbs, warming its old bones and rings, and I love it!

The old homeplace, which is as ingrained in me as it was Papa, and as much a part of me. Many happy memories here with my cousins!

Close up of the front living room/bedroom window, showing shafts of light where the back part of the house, where the original kitchen and bedroom/dining room was, has separated and falling down. The floor is also rotted out. 

Same window from farther back.

Close up of the old chimney for the living room fireplace, also crumbling.

Window in the end of the living room/bedroom and part of the chimney.

I was going to make more pictures, but hubby followed me, and he couldn't be quiet, so I couldn't think. 😁 I was getting tired anyway, so we came back to the house.

By the time I walked, very carefully, back over the gravel road hill to the house, I was done for the day, and commenced to hold the recliner down for most of the evening!

To the right is the kitchen door to the main living house, which was a family project that us and our dads built. This end was added on several years after we moved in. The second story with no stairs, on the left, was built for me a workshop/studio and the bottom for a bigger living room (my dad's idea), which never materialized. I did use the studio, which does have a door and inside stairs, for several years, until I couldn't, but that's a whole different story for another time. 

Hope you've enjoyed my short excursion down memory lane. I sure did! I never know which trip will be my last. I'm not getting any younger or healthier...