This morning on FaceBook a local posted a pic of the “Jesus Barn”, a landmark here on the Island. It was beloved, if sort of taken for granted, by everyone. I say taken for granted because I think that we all thought it would last forever but no it collapsed I think in the 90’s. My Rebecca and I remember it in it’s hayday during the 70’s and 80’s. I don’t know the history of it. Maybe it just dropped out of heaven.
But the pic is gorgeous! Hayday shot if I ever saw one. You are looking directly north and the afternoon sun is over your left shoulder. The grass is all dried so it must be late July or later, high summer or better. It speaks of sustained sun and the heat it brings when we locals finally are able to uncurl our bodies locked in position still from the long winter.
Sometime the county came along and imposed it’s will on us and laid a grid down on the landscape and gave it all numbers of streets and avenues. I still don’t know the numbers, refusing to learn. It’s oppressive, like the Romans rolling into ancient Israel. But some of the original names have persisted like, “Bank Road” which is the road the savings bank is on. And there is a pond on Bank Road and the pond’s name is, you guessed it, Bank Road Pond. See, easy peasy.
But what is really interesting is that if a landmark somehow disappears as in the case of the Jesus Barn you still call that spot or even area the “Jesus Barn”. This is why outsider city people tend to look at us funny. Well, there are other reasons too I hear. Anyway, just thought I would bring this to you this Tuesday morn.
Maybe all us old timey Isand carpenters could get some kind of fancy grant to raise it, to reconstruct it again. You know I didn’t even write of the quality of the calligraphy. Someone really busted butt on that. Thank you, whoever you were. And thank you Jesus Barn in totality, teaching us that you are there just like Jesus even though we can’t always see you.
OK, have to go, miss you, love you, Felipe.
Beautiful posting and photo, Phil. I absolutely love old barns and I love Jesus so this particularly touched me this morning.
Joy ~ hi. So glad you are reading along with us. Yes, it is a beautiful pic which fuels our hearts. Hope you had a happy Thanksgiving. Come walk with me next time you are in the neighborhood. I am trying to keep an accurate and updated schedule on the blog. Felipe.x
Actually, I created the stencils for the original letters painted high up on the old barn on the Sherman Place in about 1970-71. It seemed a bit weird to me to put that up there, but my hippie husband talked me into it.
My first two children were born in that fine old house, and I also saw many farm animals through their births there. It was good farmland. I raised veggies, miked a couple goats and cows, and had a flock of laying hens. Our little hippie family of 5 moved out in about 1978, to another wonderful family farm east of the North Cascades. Still, Vashon was where I began learning how to live in harmony with the land, and live a lifestyle respectful to this Planet, and so, is a place of significance to me.
Karen ~ thank you so much for the history lesson. How did you find us here at Caminoheads blog? I reposted the original post from 2016 along with your comment today. Where do you live now? Thanks again. Felipé.x ps – I will email you and we could communicate via email also.
Hi Karen, We were the family that moved in after you. I have to say that farm was the best of my childhood. We would put on plays in the far right of the barn. We played in the creek behind the barn and caught frogs out of the pond in the back of the pasture. We had two shetland pony’s and boarded a giant clydesdale for the neighbor, who used him to clear land. We have many pictures of our time on the farm. So sad to see the barn gone.