ephemerallife

schoolhouse rock

Schoolhouse on the Ohio back roads.

This early one room schoolhouse was found one Saturday morning as I desperately searched for a break in the clouds. I really wanted to capture a farmscape. However, I'm very happy I found the school instead. We have a lot of these schools here in Ohio. Usually they've been converted into a small home, are being used as a storage building, or are just falling down. This is the first example that I have seen withe the belfry still in place. It might be crooked, but it's still there.

No windows, it must have been dark and oppressive inside. Still, I am certain that many thousands of children received a solid, no frills, education while attending here.

Have a great Saturday.

the waist

 

In the waist of the B25, just behind the bomb bay is a position for two gunners. The space is incredibly small and it is hard to imagine the suffering that went on in the confined area. Hours were spent in very cold temperatures and in huge bulky suits.

 

 

It was indeed a very remarkable generation of young men that lived, fought and died in these tough conditions. I think about them every time I visit a museum and see the planes on display. This was the first time that I had the opportunity to climb up inside of the planes and the feeling was very palpable. The thoughts flowed from within my mind as I got to experience the space that they worked within.

 

looks like a good plan

 

Unbelievably, the museum in Urban has a complete set of blueprints for the B17G they are re-building. I can't imagine where you have to go to get them. I know some 3D modellers that would love to lay their hands on them. 

I am continuously amazed at what you can find in our little community. You just have to get out and look.

 

we can do it

 

We Can Do It!

This sign was hanging on the dissasembled fuselage of the B17G under reconstruction in Ubana, OH. I thought this was a really nice touch to the project and tied the reality of second world war manufacturing to the effort. This really brought a smile to my old face when I saw it.

Have a great day folks.

Tim

Riveting

 

Today, I had the unique opportunity to spend some unrestricted time in a shop that is rebuilding a B-17G bomber from the Second World War. I was fascinated to see the skilled craftsmen at work restoring the giant plane. While there, I also got to crawl around inside an operational B-25 bomber. You can be sure that as I work through the hundreds of images, I will post the best of the lot for all of you to see.

Meanwhile, I have a lot of post processing to do.

 

 

when I was a chief

 

That's me on the right, the last time I was in charge. My younger brother is in the middle, still wearing a back cast. My older sister is on the left. Aparently, she had something tasty on her fingers.

I had an assignment on another site that required me to post some images of myself, when I was young. I knew which one I wanted to use, but it took me a little while to find it on a little used back up drive. To be honest, it took me a little while to find the back up drive.

As usual, when I finally gave in and asked my wife if she remembered seeing the drive, she reached out and plucked it out of thin air. I think she has a little magic running throuh her as she does this all of the time. She even teased me about it. "What are you looking for? You know I'll find it right away."

And, she did. She is the boss of me now.

 

nice pipes

 

This weekend, I had the opportunity to see this wonderful 19th century pipe organ in action. I was actually there to listen to a lecture on the restoration of the church's stained glass windows, when the organist started playing. It was all too easy to sit back and imagine the church full of worship peers all decked out in their period attire.

the beauty of simplicity

Once a month, an old friend and I spend a day together with one goal in mind, to share the day talking and practicing photography. Each month, we alternate who is responsible for planning and making arrangements. May was my turn and I knew exactly where I wanted to bring my friend, Jim.

 


Three hours south of my home is a historic village settled by a religious sect called the Shakers. They are famous for their industrious work ethic, quality craftsmanship, simple design sensibility, and their religious life. Though there are only a handful of shakers left, their impact on culture and design have been enormous.





Shaker design is famous for its simplicity. Straight lines and gentle curves are featured in the furniture, buildings, and products that they make.


 


Shaker homes are orderly. Every item has a place and when not in use, needs to be stored away. Their buildings were kept spotless.





Everything must have a purpose. If the shakers could not find a basic use for any object, they had no use for it. This is not to say that the shakers did not enjoy beauty. Everything they made had beauty. However, they did not create art just for art's sake. Instead, the shakers took everyday utilitarian objects and made them beautiful.


 


The Shakers lived in large communal homes that were filled with open space and light. Every exterior wall is filled with large windows that let light stream into the room. The light leads you through their buildings from one room to another.


 


Shakers believe in gender equality, however they do not believe in procreating. Men and women are strictly segregated, each having their own building entrances and stairwells. The sect maintained its numbers through adoption, volunteers and in the early years, indenture.


 


However, as time passed by, the Shaker's belief in no-procreation meant that their congregations could not be sustained. Today, with very few remaining, the Shakers are only remembered for the beauty that they created and left behind.


 


The Shaker village at Pleasant Hill Kentucky is one of the few locations where you can see their legacy. The farm remains active, though now it is primarily staffed by volunteers. The living history museum gives you the opportunity to experience the world of simple beauty created by the Shakers.


 


The Shakers believe that making something well is like a prayer to God. Though I am not a religious person, I can easily see how the Shakers could see God in the beauty and light that made up their homes, their furniture design and in their simple lifestyles.

seeding the spelt

 

Saturday, Lee turned the field over in preparation for Sunday's seeding. He arrived early in the morning, fed the animals, and then harnessed up Charlie and Jane, getting them ready for their work day.

 

 

After driving the team from the barn to the field, Lee filled the hopper with spelt seed. If you are not familiar with the plant, it is a short grain in the wheat family. The plant has been sewn for thousands of years and was popular in the Mid East and Europe during medieval times.

 

 

Spelt is the farm's winter crop. The grain will grow until it is harvested in June. I'll be sure to post pictures during the next few months so that you can see the field in the upcoming seasons.

 

 

I enjoy watching the powerful animals working. Their muscles ripple and stretch as they pull the seeder through the field. I definitely have the sense that they enjoy the work.

 

 

At the end of each row, Lee turns the team around by hollering Haw... Haw... Haw. Hee for right, Haw for left. The horses know just what to do and coordinate their efforts around the turn and back down the field.

I watched the trio in action all morning, and when Lee took a break, we talked for a while. I could smell the turned earth and the fallen leaves. There was a cool, chilly breeze early on and then the sun warmed the morning up. I know that later this winter, when the cold and snow has forced us indoors for far too long, I can draw upon my memories of this day and hear, smell, and see Lee and crew in action. It's these kinds of memories that carry us northerners through the long winters.

 

 

sorghum syrup

 

A couple weeks back, we took a look at sorghum growing in the field and I told you that it used to be turned into a sweet syrup back in the old days before cane sugar became so cheap. You can still find it in the south but it is no longer mass produced. I thought you might like a recipe for making your own sorghum syrup. I will assume that you probably have an acre or so of the sorghum cane harvested and ready to go.

 

 

The first thing you should do is pick a nice cool morning and get up early. The process is pretty hot so you won't want a warm day. If your mules are already awake in the pasture, you probably over slept. 

 

 

 

 

Your set up should look something like the pictures shown above. Waggons full of sorghum cane, water wagon and steam engine. You can use your draft horses to pull everything into place. You do have draft horses don't you? A friend to help is a good idea. Pick somebody with a weak mind and a strong back for the best results.

 

 

 

Next, you will want to fire up your steam engine. You do have a steam engine don't you? You don't? You sure you are really dedicated to becoming a sorghum syrup maker? Maybe you can borrow your neighbors steam engine. You will need it to press the canes and boil the juice. Go ahead and get going, I'll wait.

 

 

if you reach up and fiddle around with these valves every few minutes, you will make people think you really know what you are doing. They don't really do anything, but part of the process involves looking cool.

 

 

Keep an eye on the oil level as well. If you begin to run low, you can add some from your oil can. Be sure to use authentic steam engine oil.

 

 

When your engine has a good head of steam, give it a test run to check that everything is working to order. If your neighbors are sleeping, give a tug on the rope and blow the steam whistle. They will probably appreciate that you are looking after them. Nobody likes to sleep in.

 

 

 

If everything is running ok, connect your steam engine's drive wheel to your press using a long leather belt. Give the engine some steam and your are ready to go. Start feeding in your sorghum canes.

 

 

The press will crush the sorghum canes and free up the juice. You will want to collect the juice in a clean bucket. At this point he juice is a watery sweet liquid with a slight grassy taste.

 

 

Once you have collected the juice, pour it into your steam boxes and use the steam from your engine to heat the steam boxes.

 

 

The heat will boil the sorghum juice down to a syrup. Every once in a while, skim off the green stuff. You don't want the green stuff. Green stuff is bad, it looks ugly and tastes like grass.

Once you have the syrup all cooked up, you will have enough for the next year. Enough for you and your neighbors, friends, relatives and people that you don't really like, but you have to be nice to, because you work with them.

Now have your favorite cook person make you a big stack of pancakes and biscuits because you have syrup and nothing to put it on! Go on, get going, we are done here.