Abandoned

On one of our walks along Walker Road we followed a dirt and gravel driveway and came to an abandoned barn, which Susan said was a favorite building of hers. I could see why. Part of it was the surprise of finding the clearing setting off the grand structure. Approaching the building the drama of its and slightly curved roof was reminiscent of some Thai country temples, but the roofing material instead of flat interlinked tiles was corrugated metal.

Matt Connelly on the left and Kit Coyle on the right are admiring the simple structure. The barn is the remains of a collection of buildings that cover more acreage than the Connelly have including a pump house that has an existing roof, so there maybe somebody using the property. Susan says the house which is closer to the road and further toward the bridge has wonderful and surprising spring flowers including daffodils, lilacs and some very old apple trees that put forward blossoms on craggy limbs. She says the intervening landscape is filled with ancient ropes of poison oak and that keeps everyone away.

Across the road from the driveway we took to the abandoned barn is a substantial growth of very healthy marijuana plants. Oregon legalized pot before California. This crop is in open fields which is against the law, all commercial cannabis is supposed to grown in a building.  But Walker Road is far from civilization, and there is a question about the passion of enforcement.