New England Barns

Desperately searching for talking points, my friends' awkward parents always ask me, "...So, how is New England different from the Northwest?" I usually fire back with a stock answer like, "Well, most people are much more socially conservative, and the whole preschool thing was completely new to me," and thus dodge a prolonged conversation. Regardless of my poorly-masked lack of enthusiasm for discussing cultural differences with uninterested, Xanax-infused housewives, I ponder their question long after dinner is over.

After spending countless hours driving to and from remote colleges around the New England countryside, I finally have an answer worth listening to. It's the barns.

The Northwest doesn't have old, beautiful barns. The wet climate rots wood and the harsh wind chips paint and rips off shingles. Most barns are textureless extensions of a suburb made from prefab trusses with synthetic or aluminum siding and roofs, and cement floors. New England barns transversely, are old wooden, structures who sag and chipped paint only makes them more enduring.

Here are some photos taken on the side of New England roads that embody the weathered beauty of a good barn.

Here are some more links,
Barnsaver.com (Thanks Sam).