I was inspired by the window exercise, "What's In A Window," by Margaret Rome Baltimore 410-530-2400. There's something intriguing about old windows that I've always admired. I even have some photos of broken windows from abandoned farmlands I took and framed on my wall.
Whenever I visit my son in the country where dairy farms and abandoned barns are common, I take pictures. And then, reminisce about the past and how different things look today than many years ago. Wherever I go, I seek beauty and a purpose for how I use my day.
For this exercise, using NightCafe, my prompt was: old abandonded barn+ 16 panes + broken windows+missing windows+windows with reflections of farmland + scenic beauty. The result was the main feature photo. It wasn't exactly what I wanted, but isn't that how life goes? In this feature photo it reminded me of a barn and farmland I saw in Montana while exploring different cities near Glacier National Park. The focal point was the bottom center pane with the mountain in the background. Funny how things work out. I tried again, specifying old red barn and once again, the results were beautiful and intriguing, at least to me!
The image above that I created still using NightCafe reminded me of being in a Toastmasters Club at Abbott Park, Illinois. Steven Turcott was the Toastmaster and he inspired me by a speech he wrote about his Uncle's farm in Vermont when he was a young boy. As he spoke, I pictured an old red barn with boards on the ground after his uncle passed away from a tractor accident. By the time Steve was a man, who had moved from Vermont to Illinois to work at Abbott, many years had past but the farmland stayed in the family. Steve's Uncle was very handy with tools, and wood making crafts. As the story goes, Steve thought to himself, what would my Uncle do with those boards? That night, he had a vision. He decided to recyle the boards and make wood projects for people to buy. And so he did. Steve sold everything he made and used the money to help his Aunt pick up the broken pieces of her heart to sell the farmland and she profited with the sale of her land. Steve succeeded.
Here's one more story that came to mind by trying NightCafe tweaking my instructions. I was pleased with the result! Here's the backstory. When I lived in Illlinois and my children were little I wasn't a very good driver. But I packed a lunch with boxes and bags of toys and found some old country roads. Each new day, I found a different route to get-away from it all and to seek beauty in all things. Without a map or navigational tools, I always said to myself, I can't be lost, because I don't know where I am going. I made up stories from the heart without storybooks painting images in their head. As they matured, I did too. I found simplistic things to appreciate, like wild animals who never have to buy food, pay for a mortage, pay rent, cut the grass, or do home maintenance. Animals simply adapt! And I said to myself.... I can too!
I hope you enjoyed my storytime!
Creativity copyrighted by Patricia Feager 8/8/2024. Images: NightCafe. Not for AI use, nor was AI used to write my story for ActiveRain.
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