Dan Antion

Barn Doors – Thursday Doors

This post contains two important announcements!

Welcome to Thursday Doors! This is a weekly challenge for people who love doors and architecture to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos, drawings, or other images or stories from around the world. If you’d like to join us, simply create your own Thursday Doors post each (or any) week and then share a link to your post in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time). If you like, you can add our badge to your post.

There isn’t much to say about barn doors. You either love them or you don’t. I do, and I’ve been collecting quite a few. I thought I’d share them today because I have two announcements. Both are important to door photographers, but the second post should also be of interest to writers.

First, as you may have noticed, I’ve kinda-sorta suspended one of the long-standing rules of Thursday Doors. Norm established, and I both appreciated and continued the notion that Thursday Doors should be a standalone challenge. However, I’ve noticed several posts which are targeting multiple challenges, and I haven’t wrapped anybody’s knuckles with a ruler, sent a note home to their parents or dropped their grade from an ‘A’ to a ‘B- or C‘ – No, I’ve looked the other way.

As I thought more about this, I realized that in the years this challenge has been running, the blogscape has changed in several ways. First, there are many more challenges today than there were several years ago. Second, and correspondingly people who participate in one challenge are often running a challenge of their own. Third, people have their own schedules. I, for example, like to avoid posting several days in a row. You might notice that although I participate in the We Are The World Blogfest, I rarely put that post up on Friday. That would have me posting four days in a row – six if you consider the Thursday Doors Recap announcement to be a post.

So, if you want to include your Thursday Door(s) with another challenge, that’s OK. Please keep it light – no politics, social commentary, religious proselytizing, etc. People come here to see interesting doors, so let’s make sure we give them what they want.

The second announcement is for the Thursday Doors Writing Challenge. Oh, heck, let’s be aspirational and call it the First Annual Thursday Doors Writing Challenge (TDWC). This one is easy. Next week, April 29th, I invite door photographers to designate one of their doors as a subject of the TDWC. This designation is important because by designating a door, you are giving permission to others to include it in their writing challenge entry. If you aren’t planning a doorscursion between now and then, feel free to designate a previously posted door. If you don’t want to participate, then do NOT designate a door.

I will gather the designated doors and put them in a separate gallery post for writers to peruse and ponder. Doors will be listed in the order they were linked to next week’s Thursday Doors post. I will include the photographer’s name, blog URL, and anything else (within reason) the photographer includes about the door. I will assemble that post for publication after the Thursday Doors window closes.

One month later, on May 27th, I am inviting writers to post a story, poem, song, open letter, or book (hey, we’re being aspirational) and to link up with Thursday Doors that day. All you have to do is include an attribution for the door you decided to use.

Overgrown and in disrepair, but I still like it.
This barn has seen better days. I hope someone gives it the attention it deserves.
It’s not much of a door, but…
One of my favorite barns. This it Trinity Farms – it’s where we get dairy products that include nothing but moo.
Barns and outbuildings.
Two barns and a garage.
Red, the perfect color.
Perhaps this one is being used more like a shed, but I like it.
It looks like this horse has a pretty good life.
This barn seems to be all that remains on this lot. I think it’s nice enough to build a house around.
Maybe this year the barn will get a coat of paint.
Small but I’m sure they serve a purpose.
A different look at the horse home.
I suppose this is technically a garage, but I had to include it.
A small barn and a tobacco barn.

If you are in a hurry and don’t wish to scroll through the comments, click to Jump to the comment form.

147 comments

  1. I do like barns doors (and barns), Dan. I think my favorite is the one by itself. I’d check back to find a better description bot as I’m on my iPad, I’d then lose my comment. 😉. And writing about a door? Aren’t you Mr. Wild and Crazy Crossover Guy?? So we pick a door next week for people to possibly choose to write about and then we write about any door on the May date? Correct? Sounds like a plan.

    See you soon with a pingback and a link before I leave for Southern California tomorrow morning.

    janet

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  13. Beautiful photos! I love old barns (and their doors!). Living in the Mid-West, every car ride is an adventure into the world of small farms and barns. Thanks, Dan!

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  15. Hi Dan – all barns here are snapped up to be revamped into appropriate dwellings … many having lots of loops to jump through to comply with planning permissions … but they are gorgeous. This selection is delightful to see – lots of history there. My #WATWB posts tend to waver around the last Friday of the month – and this week will appear at the weekend … so be it- being involved is the main thing. Glad to see you’re spreading your wings – I’ll be around … cheers Hilary

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    • I can only imagine how much work it would take to convert a barn, but the idea of a spacious living area, or perhaps a nice loft does sound attractive. Not many around here get converted. I think it’s due to the hoops you mention. WATWB will be next Friday, although I probably won’t get a post up until May – Since Friday will be the last day of the month, I might try.

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  19. I do not participate in the door challenge, but I certainly do enjoy looking at them. To top it off, you and I seem to like the same styles. So onward with your challenges, Dan!!

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    • Our version of that is “you couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn” – I think I like yours better.

      Keep wandering down that street, you’re finding some lovely homes.

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  22. I think I love the red ones the most too, especially that garage, but also the plain brown ones at the beginning. So next week I should designate one of my doors for the writing exercise? I’ll keep it in mind.

    Today is a good day to finish my Torre Alfina series. It was such a wonderful end of that day and of all my daytrips. They will be back.

    https://mexcessive.photo.blog/2021/04/22/day-22-thursday-doors-22-4-21-torre-alfina-4/

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    • I do think barns should be red, but I like the washed out white one. Your doors are all nice, but I was able to pick a favorite today (I usually can’t choose just one).

      Yes, if you designate one of your doors next week, you may be giving a writer a chance to participate in the Thursday Doors challenge.

      Liked by 1 person

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  24. I love barn doors! Particularly old and stained and weathered ones. What tales they could tell… I like the idea of your Writing Challenge. I might have a thought or two. I wonder.

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    • Depending on the number of doors offered for the challenge, Pam, that weathered one might be in the group. I hope you can join us. It won’t have to be about the door, it can be about the house (and I know you’ve done that ;)

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  25. I have loved barns all my life. Always wanted to live in a barn converted into a home. Your collection today is super. It breaks my heart to see barns that are about ready to fall down, yet to me they still have a special beauty about them. And yes, they look so sad and lonely. Their doors, if they still have doors, no longer welcoming in the farm animals that used to dwell inside them. Our loss.
    Ginger

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    • I, too, have liked barns all my life. We used to visit relatives in Virgina that had a large farm. They had active milk barns, and less active barns as well. I loved playing in those barns with my cousins.

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  27. These are beauties–all of them. In the ‘Two Barns and a Garage’ photo, is that barn on stilts? If I had the money, any one of these would be wonderful made into a home. In my dreams….. And now you are lowering grades–you’re a hard taskmaster, Dan!

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    • No, Lois. I would never lower grades. I’m a softie. That barn does look like it was raised. I’m not sure if that’s the case, or if they just replaced some rotted wood, but it looks odd to me.

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  29. I love these doors, Dan. I’m just repeating what Janet said to get it firm in my mind — We pick a door next week for people to possibly choose to write about. Then we write about any door on May 27. Sorry. It helps my memory if I write it down. Plus WordPress will email me when you reply, and I can save that as another reminder. Yes, I’m that scattered! LOL.

    I’m offering a few wagon doors at my place: https://teagansbooks.com/2021/04/21/wednesday-writing-thursday-doors-wagons/
    Hugs on the wing!

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    • I really liked your wagon doors, Teagan. I think they go well with my barn doors. And yes, you have the challenge correct.

      Designate a door next week that anyone (including yourself) can use as inspiration. It can be a door from a post next week, or it can be from a previous post, I just need a link to the door image.

      If you want to participate in the writing challenge, pick any of the designated photos and go to work. The writing doesn’t have to focus on the door, it can incorporate the entire scene.

      I’ll have more about this on Sunday with the recap.

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      • It’s fun to see how you have made Thurs. Doors “your own!” Have been walking around for a month thinking to scale back with blogging in general, because I have too many projects going on that take much time (in last stages of a book-writing), taking on an new art to learn: working with clay, and I know the regularity of the blog world will keep me back, but I will announce it in a post not too long from now.

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  36. Ignore the “in a new tab” – since the new block editor it sometimes shows up, but not when I’m publishing the post and I don’t know yet how to avoid that …yet, Jesh

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  38. Got it. Your revised rules and new challenge sound great. I rather like your photo of the barn in need of paint. It seems timeless– and just waiting for you to go back to photograph it again, after it is painted. ‘Cuz you know you will.

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  40. How I love barn doors! I am currently working on my doors post and will have it up soon. The challenge sounds fun and will certainly be a challenge for me right now but I am going to give it a try! We have been pretty busy since landing here, between grandkid cuddles and adventures and appointments, oh my! We are getting into a routine so that is nice. We once lived on an Emu ranch that had one of those large barns you can have put up on your property. We both lusted after the possibilities it afforded as a home. This barn was big enough to house a couple of elephants. 🤦‍♀️

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    • I’m glad you enjoyed this, Deborah. It’s interesting to see newer, well maintained barns on the page with some that are failing. New England is a tough place to be a barn.

      That is one lucky horse.

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    • Thanks, I’m glad you found some barns that you like (and that you like some of the features I like).

      Your contribution is very nice. I’m so glad to see that the building has been adopted by the town.

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  54. HI Dan, thank you for the barn doors pictures. I like all doors and buildings of every sort. I like your idea and will do my best to participate. I am a doors fan and my poetry book is called Open a new door. My forthcoming poetry book is called Behind Closed Doors and Teagan designed the cover [which is magnificent!].

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  60. The old barn at the top is interesting. I wish the people would put a little effort into maintaining it, but…

    I saw yours yesterday. I actually added the link above because I didn’t want people to miss them. Thanks.

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  64. Oh, I LOVE the writing challenge! And I love all the barn (and barn-ish) pictures. Did you know that science posits that red was the first color humans sorted out from shapes and shades and named? Because your brain doesn’t “see” (i.e. interpret) a color you don’t need to know. Red is kind of important, because blood. That’s the story, anyway.

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  66. As a resident of Lancaster County, PA, I think it’s required that I love barn doors. In fact, before I became a teacher, I used to work at a restaurant called…The Barn Door.

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  69. Dan, Your gallery of barn doors is fantastic. The red barns are classic but how good is it that you get all your dairy products from Trinity farms. Thank you for revising the rules. I’m guilty of writing one blog and participating in more than one photo challenges. I’m preparing a post and will have an entry for Thursday Doors this week. The Writing challenge sounds interesting. I see more blog reading in your future :)

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    • Thanks Natalie. I was swayed by the number of challenges that are out there. I hate for people with a good looking door to skip sharing it with us. I can only read so many posts, but I’ll try and keep up.

      Like

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