This old barn, stubbornly remaining upright despite years of neglect, stood just off Shull's Mill Road near Blowing Rock. For over eight years, my route to and from work took me past this spot morning and evening, five days a week--sometimes six or seven. Deer and wild turkeys often roam the pastures in front of the barn; more commonly and less interestingly, the blank stare of a munching cow is the sight that greets passing motorists. And hurriedly pass is exactly what most motorists do, noticing little of beauty or interest in the dilapidated old structure.

I have always found the scene intriguing. To me, the rough character of the old barn echoed the ruggedness of Grandfather Mountain, in whose shadow the barn stood. On many occasions, I have paused on the road's shoulder to watch the sun dip behind Grandfather at day's end, or slowed to glimpse warm early morning light raking across the barn's face, as it does in this photo. The night before this particular January morning, a snow storm blanketed the ground with several inches of white, but high winds swept winter's branches free of the snow's coating. I arrived before sunrise, just as the thin clouds were being painted by the soft pinks and purples that sometimes precede the sun's daily arrival. The cloud color was faintly repeated by the highly reflective snow, with clouds and snow combining to bathe an otherwise monotone scene in pastel shades only nature can produce.

Readers might notice that I have used the past tense in referring to the barn--"stood" instead of "stands," for example. In 2006, not long after I made this photo, the barn was demolished. Now, there is only an empty pasture below the ridges behind. Though this is one of my best selling photos, it is more meaningful to me because it preserves and documents the memory of one of my favorite scenes.