Brookberry Farm Updates

The silence is deafening

2007-06-28T16:51:00.001-04:00

There are no more turkeys, no more deer, no more coyotes. Just opossums and raccoons raiding the neighbors since they no long have a home. The construction site that has become my backyard is deafening from 7 to 5, but the lack of wildlife noises as night is much scarier.

Dismantling

2006-03-05T18:57:00.000-05:00

Barn
Originally uploaded by Mandie | CBM.

Other than the dismantled section in the back, this barn looks as if it could still be in use. This was taken at sunset, and the moon was shining just up and to the right of the silo.

A View from Above

2006-01-22T08:44:00.000-05:00

satellite
Originally uploaded by Mandie | CBM.

This screen capture was taken from Google Earth a few years ago. You can see the buildings that are no longer there, and my thought-provoking names for them. The Dairy Barn and office are the only things left standing. Even the road through here does not exist anymore. There are a few houses being built through here now. I will save another screenshot showing the entire farm area and post it soon.

Secret pond

2005-11-20T09:55:00.000-05:00

bbsecretpondreflection
Originally uploaded by captivatedbm.

This pond still remains on the farm, surrounded by a network of paved streets now. Standing on the bank, you can see the fish jump and hear the frogs croak near your feet. The new streets and cul-de-sacs are named Osprey Ridge and Heron Ridge and Summer Hill, and the list goes on. Realtors signs litter each lot on the road in. The edges of the streets are lined with stone curbing. Orange barrells line Meadowlark alongside the utility trucks and men in white hardhats.

My only edit to this photo was a saturation adjustment. It really did look like this when I took it.

Tree in the Bottoms

2005-11-14T16:28:00.000-05:00

brookberrybottom
Originally uploaded by captivatedbm.

This photo has taken this summer, just outside of the construction zone.

Sunset

2005-09-30T12:48:00.000-04:00

Taken September 15, 2005, two years and one day after my first photo capture of the farm.

The secret lake... not so secret anymore - there are people fishing on the opposite bank.

The barn and silo on Meadowlark side, next to the roofless farm house.

Corn Harvest

2005-09-11T15:06:00.000-04:00

Dusk falls

2005-08-11T09:46:00.000-04:00

Meadowlark Drive is being widened at the front entrance. The roads are gravel now, and some are even partially paved. The cul-de-sacs are even formed on a few roads - nowhere near where the old road beds sat. The pond is full again, and muddy because of the downpour last night. Anyone who had seen it before would not recognize it now.

Big Pond Gone

2005-02-06T19:31:00.000-05:00

The big pond has been almost completely drained. The roads are muddy, especially after the recent rains. It's the first time I've been over there in months, and it was just as I expected - muddy and depressing.

The big pond far end.

Bobby walks along what used to be the banks.

Pipes line the lake, waiting to be installed.

Scars line the banks where water and gravity move the earth.

Over the mud and through the straw is where my truck sits waiting.

Waiting on the dark.

At least the sunset is still pretty.

Bad Updater

2005-01-12T09:35:00.000-05:00

So sorry I haven't updated in so long, but it breaks my heart everytime I look over there. I haven't been on the farm at all since the last blog. They have taken all the windows out of the house across the street, and the house beside the entrance is supposedly going to be moved soon.

I will go on Brookberry if something major changes, but with the bad weather, I'm not going to update constantly like I did through the summer.

Red Clay

2004-10-04T20:08:00.000-04:00

It was raining today. The farm was streaked in red.

This is the new and improved entrance.

This is the rest.

Finally!!

2004-08-17T23:52:00.000-04:00

I think parts 1-6 are to my liking!! There is never any "done" in webdesign, as I still have plenty more pictures to post, but as far as design and implementation, I have the template down pat.

I have only been to part 7 of the farm once, and it is the section that is divided by Ketner Rd, Allgood Rd, and the new Beltway that is coming through.

This picture was taken on July 29th looking towards the dairy barn from the bottoms.

Feel free to leave me comments or questions!

Late night coding

2004-08-17T01:34:00.000-04:00

I have finally come to a stopping point for the night - you can see some of my hard work on Parts 1-4. Most of what I've done tonight are behind the scenes coding, right-click protecting, favorites linking, and all around mind-boggling madness. I also took out the crazy frames on Parts 5-7.

It's late. To bed I go.

Updates

2004-08-15T22:35:00.000-04:00

I redid part 1 and 3 today, for your viewing pleasure. More grading at the farm, updating soon!

Barn Standing

2004-08-11T01:40:00.000-04:00

I redesigned the Part pages so that my pictures would be easier to view. As of this morning, I'm only momentarily satisfied with parts 1 and 3. The rest will come this week as I decide which pictures to post and which will remain in oblivion.

I took a walk today across the street to the abandoned houses. They are in a bad state of disrepair, and will probably not be around much longer. I walked around the last barn, smelling the air, still littered with cow dung and hay. The birds with a nest near by swooped dangerously close to my head as I walked through this long barn, so I hurried on my way.

There was a gorgeous sunset just over the hills, almost close enough to reach out and grab.

I wish I could capture the feeling of running carefree through the soybeans into the pastures and woods beyond. I would share, promise.

Dog Walking

2004-08-09T22:09:00.000-04:00

That's what I do some nights. Walk the dogs.

Tonight, after driving down the blank road, passing the earth movers, and onto the dusty earth gashes, I pass the fallen trees and stare across the once undisturbed pond.

The pond has become a contained spot of natural peace and quiet, but only from 5pm to 8am.

Destruction

2004-08-04T22:20:00.000-04:00

I've updated this page a bit more, added a few more pictures to the Part pages.

Yesterday I walked the dogs, then came back for "destruction" pictures. I did capture one shot that seemed preserved.

Here is what a large section of Part 1 is looking like today:

First

2004-08-02T20:15:00.000-04:00

I updated with some limited pictures today and formatted more pages.

Part 1 is currently being graded. All of the buildings in Section 1 have been destroyed, including the silos, except for the "dairy barn" and the office. The stakes are in the ground all over the farm, rendering picture taking nearly impossible. A section of trees above the "big pond" have been cleared, blocking its main access. There is so little left of what was.
I saw a large snake crawling across the skinned ground yesterday near the "big pond", and even though it was the first I had seen there, I couldn't help but wonder where it could go. There were other people taking their 4x4s into the fields and doing doughnuts in the remaining grass.

All fall down

2004-07-03T21:26:00.000-04:00

Went down to the silos, and sure enough, they are gone. Just one big, messy pile of rubble remains.

My, how quickly things change.

We continued down to the barn, where I finally got up the nerve to take pics of the hay loft above the dairy barn.
Too bad it was raining and they didn't turn out well.

As we were leaving, I noticed something walking across the road way up in front of us.
As we got closer, I realized what it was, and got Bobby to snap a picture before it got away.

It was a turkey. Female. Wild. Wow.

Boom

2004-07-01T22:24:00.000-04:00

A big boom shook the house. No word on what it was yet.

Went down to the farm, and the guy there said the they were imploding the silos.
The explosives he put in them weren't even enough to knock a hole in them.
There were enough in them to shake our house, a half-mile away.
And they didn't knock a hole in the silos.
God is telling you something.
He said they would try again tomorrow with double the explosives.
Someone check our foundation for cracks, please. ;-)

Silos

2004-06-30T17:50:00.000-04:00

On our daily walks with the dogs, I decide to take the camera and take "after" pictures of the farm destruction.
I focus in on the silos, since they are the tallest and most prominent buildings that remain. The architecture intrigues me.
These things are made out of concrete at least 3 inches thick all the way up.
The bands that hold them together are so rusted that they'll never give. I'm glad they have stayed.