This is the only farmhouse I have ever seen completely covered in vines. The farmhouse was built in 1862 and is located NE of Roland, Iowa. It has a somewhat spooky quality to it, and yet the vines give it a distinctive character.
The day I shot this photo I visited with a farmer who stopped to chat with me as I parked on the gravel road. This farmer turned out to be the owner of the house and farm, and we had a good visit. He and his wife lived in the house for many years, and it is still structurally sound, other than roof cave in. He likes it because it has personal significance to him, and also for the same reasons that I found it intriguing.
He tells me the vines are green in the mid spring, and in the summer they are joined by lots of yellow lilies in the front of the house, which have been growing there for over a hundred years. In the fall the green leaves turn red and that too will be a wonderful image, so eventually I will have a series of seasonal images of this house as it sits there as a sentinel of time, and ages one more year.
For now here is the winter photo, although I may take more of them if we get snow or ice on the vines. To visit with this man was incredible for me, and his wonderful story made the house seem more alive than decaying. He is not planning to change anything but to let it continue to be abandoned in place, and reflect the changes of time.
1 comment:
we used to call such barns 'Hitchcock houses"
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