As a child, I had chores to do. Every day after school, I'd put my muck boots on, grab my runner sled and hike to the barn. It was a short trek across the yard and through the woods. I'd cross a small chasm balancing on a one foot wide plank spanning an eight foot wide stream of swiftly flowing water. Believe it or not, I never fell in. Not once!
As I walked along, I'd see the summer garden to the right. It was a large field of dried vegetables and rotting fruit. Spring was coming, and that would be work for another day. Turning to the left, I'd maneuver beneath the electric barbed wire fence and climb a large, a very large hill on which our barn was perched.
There was an old stone well at the top of the hill, from which we'd gather water to quench the horses. There was no pump on the well. Water was retrieved by straddling the well with a bucket and a string. One would take aim dropping the bucket such that it would hit the water with a deep thud, thus producing a full load. Water was drawn by hand. It was a tiresome job. Sometimes the string would break. At which point, I'd climb down into the well, ten feet or so, and use my foot to fish the bucket out. The challenge was climbing out using only two hands and one foot, while hoisting the bucket with the other foot. It was more difficult in winter when the rocks on the the inside of the well were covered in ice. Again, I never fell in. Nor would I want to, the water was fridgid cold. Even in summer!
After feeding the horses and mucking the stalls, I would begin my journey home. The sled ride down the hill was fast and furious. On a good day, I could make it all the way to the stream. Life was hard, but I look back with fond memories now.
This model is a tribute to my growing up on the farm. I hope you enjoy.
Creating this model was a two step process. The barn was created first and the silo was added second. Here's a few images showing the process. The barn could be built as a stand alone construction, however there's not enough 208B/210B roof tiles to cover the complete structure. That was the motivation behind the silo.
There was no silo attached to our barn, but having one sure makes the construction look more like a barn.
Here's the building plans.
3 comments:
Bill;
Have just finished your barn. Very cool model. I have a few sets plus extra pieces so adding the missing stones was no problem. I like your plan layout as it was very easy to follow up to step 7. It became a little confusing. Do not understand the meaning of the small yellow stone on the roof in step eight. Will be publishing pictures on my blog this afternoon. I would like to see you put together a plan booklet an offer it on CD. I am sure you would find enough buyers to cover the cost.
Don http://donshobbykeep.blogspot.com/
The 34G stone on step 8 is no mistake.
If you look at step 9, you'll see another 34G stacked on top of the 34G stone from step 8 (ie: two 34G stones stacked on top of each other).
I'm glad you liked the model. Although it's not a close resemblance to my childhood homestead, it brought back some good memories.
William;
Got it!. its part of the silo you don't see because its hidden in the frontal view. I put the stone there and didn't even realize it.
Don
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