Shooting with Chris

This retirement thing is OK.

One of the really good things about retirement is being able to spend some quality time with your extended family. 

Like the other day when I was able to take Chris to the Farmer's Market so he could buy a knife. We decided to bring our cameras and stop along the way at a small lake by the road and get some pictures.

Now, that's a good time. Out, taking pictures and spending time with my Grandson.

Chris borrowed his Mom's camera and we were off to visit a Farmer's Market and see some Maryland countryside.

First stop for Chris and I was the private lake off the side of a four-lane highway. We pulled over and I got these pics from the side of the road.

        

You find beauty in the most unlikely places. Michelle's lived here for over four years and knows of the lake but never really has looked at it. 

Chris and I spent a good amount of time here. He even climbed down to get a better angle. It was really special for me to go shooting with him. 

Next stop was the Market. It was an open air, run-down, collection of Amish venders along with the local farmers.

The Ol' Boy who worked this stall had a strong Southern accent. I forget that Maryland was part of the Post-Bellum South. The Souther Counties of Maryland never really wanted to stay with the Union.

Lots of fruit at pretty reasonable prices. At least I thought they were.

Then we got to the reason we were here. Knifes! Chris wanted a specific type and, fortunately, we didn't find it. Thank goodness he has the maturity to stay away from these things.

Couldn't help myself. This vendor and I both agreed about Hanoi Jane. I'm not into buying patches and putting them on my jacket but if I were.....these would take pride of place.

Afterwards, we went for a drive through the countryside. We passed a couple of barns and were finally able to pull over alongside this ol' barn. A lot of the barns here are unpainted. Some are red and some white but the majority of them are unpainted. No one seems to know the exact reason other than they didn't feel they needed to spend the money on the paint. 

You know what color my barn would be, right?

The barns are three-stories tall. On the inside the ceiling is crisscrossed with heavy beams so they could hang the tobacco leaves out to dry. That pretty much meant that after the farmer stopped growing tobacco these barns were much good for anything else other than what could be done on the ground floor. There was no other storage available.

So a lot of the barns, painted and unpainted, have been left to rot.

Another barn left to time.

And yet another abandoned barn.

Same barn, different angle.

I can't answer for Chris, but I had a great time with him. We got to talk while we shot the barns and drove around Southern Maryland.

Man, this retirement thing is OK.