The Back Roads with my Dad

               

Down the lane we followed the blue sky with its white cotton candy clouds.

               

My Dad said, "Hop in! Let's go for a drive." He drove his pick-up truck on the back roads towards the horizon.

               

Along the levees we drove. Talking about nothing, yet everything. I asked him if he could show me some old barns.

               

He knows the back-roads by their first name, and the history of each barn down to the weathered planks. Telling me who's who, what is what, and details of the forgotten past.

               

We talked shop, "Almonds are in bloom this time of year. Walnuts are not... and what do you think about rice fields turning into orchards?"

               

Then he laughs and points, "Look over there. Silos with their heads in the clouds, and their hearts planted underground."

               

Under a sky of blue a barn sits counting the sheep overhead.

               

Dad told me tales about cows stepping out, and barns barely standing, "There's Ole Mr. Hank's barn, he died a few years ago..."

On and on we drove as stories rolled.

               

Singing ballads, Faded blue truck do you know your way home?

               

Symbolic barn church. Sacred ground I do kiss. Dad feels good today. Abundant harvest.

Photos: The colors of rice green, grey paved back roads, toiled dirt, dry rice stuble, tint of pink almond blossoms and the ever changing sky. Places I call home.

Comments

[Sue McG]

This is such a beautiful post - not just because of stunning photos and exquisite details, but because of the dialogue between you and your dad, wonderful.

[Marilyn]

Such gorgeous images. You didn't tell me your Dad's a poet... ;)

[Jenny]

Good hearts belong in a good truck on a country drive. Thank you for sharing your sweet time with your Dad and this splendid land and sky. ps this looks like Kansas except for the almond trees! :)

[missy j]

thanks for sharing the beautiful afternoon.

[simple me]

Those are just amazing images that took me into a wide country which many times I have read in books. So glad you gave me the opportunity to experience a ride with your dad through country roads.

[Irene]

So vivid colors,full of life, like the people who lived more intensely and penetrated their surroundings.

[Alex]

Touching.
Those pictures are pulling me in... the skies, the space - amazing.

[gracie]

Reading this post is a real treat... your Father has a great imagination and warm heart - just like you!

[Jenny Rebecca]

OH what BEAUTIFUL pictures and story!!!

What kind of camera do you use?

[Miz Carla]

Oh my! These are the most gorgeous photos ever! Sounds like a wonderful time with a wonderful dad!

xoxs
C

[Lori Witzel]

Ah, Corey, what a wonderful ramble. I am of two minds when I'm out catching pics -- the Thing Itself, broken and majestic and forlorn that hooks my attention, and then the part I see here, the story of the people behind the Place and Thing. So many layers bleeding through each other like tissue paper collages.

[Anastasia]

Your dad is adorable and what wonderful pictures!!
thanks for taking us along in the pick-up truck....

[Francoise]

ces moments passés avec votre papa sont formidables ! et puis je suis heureuse de voir quelques photos de ta région, pour changer de la France : c'est beau toute cette immensité à perte de vue ...

[katkat]

Those pictures are breath taking.

[Holy Experience]

Barns. I love barns. My wedding pictures were taken in a barn, light shining through old planks. I pulled up my wedding dress and walked a beam in my bare feet that day. When you live close to dirt, barns become part of you. Barns and Dads. You make me want to go call my Dad, Corey. Talk about crops and dirt, barns and beams... and living under that big ole sky and rains down His blessings. I'll call him, Corey... and he'll send his thanks...
All's grace,
Ann

[Cat]

A day that will last forever.

[zUzU]

=^..^=

Boy o Boy Corey ...
Your pictures read: Wish You Were Here ... Big time! Yum. The right time to visit is now. (of course you would know about the window of delightfulness here.)

Yes. The beginning of springtime ... More that a whisper. Ready to burst at her seams. Blue skies ... Crisp and clean from the rain ... and a weekend ahead that is more than promising to be exquisite!

We did our best when we knew you were coming ::giggle:: Pulled out all the stops for you to have lovely memories of your visit. After all ... You have given us so many lovely days of France through your eyes.

Welcome (again) to California!

=^..^=zU 95927

[sarala]

Beautiful photos and post. I'd love to go for a drive in your neck of the woods. Those beautiful clouds, barns and blue sky. Unfortunately it's blizzarding here or I'd head to Wisconsin for some farm therapy.

[Toni Mason]

Everyone says your Dad is adorable!!! I can tell you all that he is, that he is!!

[Lisa Oceandreamer]

Oh what a glorious drive you took with your dad....a soulful adventure among some breathtaking scenery and sky so blue it looks painted. Those are moments rambling along that become treasured snippets of time recorded in our hearts memory. I never really did anything like that one-on-one with my dad and looking back I so wish we had. Being his only daughter I don't think he knew just how to go about relating in that way. You are very blessed and I know it had to mean a great deal to your dad as well. There you were,listening, looking, taking photos and drinking in that time like the finest thirst quencher it was. The thirst for connection to home.
XOXO
Love,
Lisa

[rel]

Corey,
A beautiful snapshot of your life and it's environs.
rel

[Marie-Noëlle]

Well, Corey, I 've enjoyed that drive with your dad and you along those backroads of your country...
I've watched all the spots he pointed to... a field, a barn, a home, a tree, a life,... I could even see you two talking, telling, laughing, smelling, sharing together...
I couldn't hear the song though, completely unknown to me! So I was rocked in the back of the pick-up, hearing :
"Moi dans mon camion,
Vieux compagnon,
je rentre à la maison..."
(=I, in my truck,
my old chum,
I'm driving back home...")
- an old tune of Hugues Auffray's -.

Thank you very much for this good drive!

[tinker]

What breath-taking photos! The skies are so big, and I almost feel as though I could feel those puffy white clouds if I touch the screen. Thank you for sharing your ride with your Dad.

[meredith]

I'm so glad you got to share such a beautiful day with your Dad.

[Steffi]

Wow...beautiful pictures!

Greetings,Steffi

[bluevicar]

Corey,

I forgot what part of the USA you hail from...can you remind me? Because I admit, these photos give me pangs of homesickness but they don't look like the rolling hills of Virginia nor the foothills of Colorado. That sky with those puffball clouds...viewed with your dad while riding in the truck. So much to see...so many stories that could have been missed. Good for you...and us!!

Meilleurs voeux!!

[Regina Clare Jane]

Oh, your daddy is so cute and wonderful! Hold onto him fast, Corey dear...

[Veronica TM]

i love, love the almond trees and that sky! your dad is a poet too.

[kim]

great photos!!

what type of camera do you have?? it's wonderful!

[tommiea]

what a beautiful sky!

[Julie]

Amazing clouds! You were born to inspire!

[Jann]

Such a great way to pass the time with your dad-drive on!

[krystyn]

Simply beautiful.

[Cousin Linda]

I once took a girlfried to Willows for a visit during rice harvest about 30 years ago. I remember it like it was yesterday. Here's the scene: we drive down the lane at the ranch and my dad is driving "big red" (his harvester) across the field towards us. I stop the car, we get out and watch "big red" traverse along the rice check. Dad jumps down and walks toward us -- I give him a hug and hand him a beer. I swear, it was like something straight out of a movie. The big harvester and the silhouette of the handsome and rugged farmer walking across the golden fields -- a field of dreams to be sure. Hugs and kisses to my Uncle George.

[candy]

Your dad looks like a story waiting to be told. Tell him I love him and I'm praying for him here in Texas. LOVE the photographs!! They are exquisite!

[cruststation]

Thank you for taking us on a drive with your dad, beautiful scenery and wonderful weather. Breathtaking::love the almond blossoms, thank you for sharing, must have been a lovely drive.

[Jeanne]

Gorgeous my sweet and lovely friend.
Love you
Jeanne

[Di Overton]

What a fabulous post. I was there with you all the way.

[sognatrice]

Those clouds are incredible! And so is sharing your drive with Dad...thanks :)

[Colette]

Your Papa is a poet.

xox

[Kit]

Gorgeous photos, Corey, I love the cloudscapes, they're stunning. Glad you're having a great time with you Dad.

[Franca Bollo]

The backyard of my childhood. If the first image doesn't scream "Glenn County" I don't what else would. Give your dad a hug and tell him Molly Brown is thinking of him. And Aunt Chocolate Marshmallow Cookie, too. xox

[Blue]

Those skies....
I long for clear, vivid, fluffy skies like these. Winter is so very grey!
I can't wait until my skies open up like yours and show me the sun.
xo
Enjoy that trip!Thanks for showing us Dad, and your fun driving views.

[Bronwen Davies]

Soooooo beautiful! What a sky! Thanks for sharing!

[CathyC]

AAhhhh, so it's your Dad that you get your story telling genes from. You'll miss him when you go back to France. That's how it is with parents that you love.

[sandra miller]

Corey What a day that must of been how lucky for the both of you. Your dad looks like a content farmer eyes forward and hand on the wheel. I think I recognize one of the barns near Jacinto Grange on Road 39. The sky was just beautiful that day and so were all the photos. Sandra

[kristen robinson]

A bounty of beauty to behold...a true moment to cherish.

XO
Kristen

[Julie Holvik]

It was great to wake up and see Uncle George on your blog. The pictures were great, the sky was beauitful, it makes you want to lay on your back and just take in the view. Hope to visit you before you leave. Julie H

[Brother Mathew]

Good for the both of you. I am so glad you came to visit this time of year. This post has and will boost spirits in all.

[Paris Parfait]

Such a delightful expedition. Thanks for sharing it - and your beautiful photos - with us!

[susanna]

Thanks for taking us on your trip with your dad. It's interesting to see where other people live. And those blooming orchards! In March! There are a few little Spring shoots coming up in my neighborhood but it'll be at least another month 'til we see blooms. Glad to see you are having a great time back home.

[Acey]

love the turquoise sky above the almond groves. Love their blooming spells!

[stephanie s]

there is nearly nothing better than driving familiar old roads in a pick-up truck. i'll bet you felt like you were 12 riding along side of your dad. thanks for taking us along with you.

[Darla]

There's just no better road than a back road and no better company than a Dad.

Memories!

Darla

[Star]

This is such an amazing post, Corey. I'm sure that having you and the kids there lifts his spirits.

I'm so jealous of your blossoming almond trees. We are having sleet right now and are headed for another blizzard. Maybe I'll just keep this post in front of me and imagine I'm there with you :D

[Anna]

Such moving words, beautiful photos and most tender feelings.....so generous of you to share.

[patpaulk]

Corey, such a beautiful ride and commentary. Thanks for sharing!!

[Danielle Muller]

truly heartwarming. thank you for the glimpse of this precious love.

[Jill]

What a lovely part of California! Love those skies. Your dad is like my husband's grandfather - he could drive the meandering roads through the countryside of Indiana and always know exactly where he was!

[AnnieElf]

Dearest Corey, These picture are just fabulous. I feel like I am in my very own backyard. I must admit though, the silo is unexpected. I don't recall any around here.

So glad you and your dad got out. Hope you have a few more days like that.

[pam aries]

THese photos are so peacful . It's as if time stood still. I want to enter those pictures and feel that serenity..smell the earth, see the clouds....

[ParisBreakfasts]

Absolutely perfect post today Corey!
Those sky shots..
Lovely secquencing..
The sense of the familiar and the celestial all mixed up together..
All breathtaking !
Memorable...

[Vanessa]

Your dad is adorable! And the photos!! This looks like dreamland. The sky the barns the trees. I am speechless. I kept looking and looking.. The photos look alive. Like a fairytale-land. What memories you are making, treasured moments with loved ones...I am sure you are embracing each tick of the clock....Hugs. Vanessa

[diana]

ooooh I feel so honored to go on a ride with you and your daddy... and I truly felt like I was there...xoxo to you and your daddy and to my daddy up in heaven.

[carolyn]

A delightful post of love. Made me wish I could have my dad for one more day. Where would we go, what would we talk about. It's so good you have this time home with your family Corey.

[berrie]

This is the stuff! & your photos are so wonderful I can't even relay it here in words...I'm speechless over it all really...but here I will try...this day reminds me of the day I had with my own daddy in the snow covered mountains in California..a memory that for me is most cherished...a day I regret had to end...we did a lot of singing I remember...your papa is a gift a real Gift and you have been the blessed recipient forever and ever! xoxoxoxoxox

[susan]

so glad you are having time alone with your dad. lovely skies for you both to experience.

[constance]

Glad your dad is feeling well! Nice adventure with beautiful sky to match.

[Penny]

Beautiful sharing! Your Dad is a poet also -- must run in the family.

[Queenie]

Wonderful, thank you for sharing this with us. I feel honoured.

[andrea]

Amazing photos. I heart old barns very much!

Glad your Dad is feeling well.
a.

[ally bean]

Such blessings. Beauty and time spent with someone who cares. 'Tis lovely.

[Susan]

Wow! Loved this post.

[shabbyinthecity]

Corey I feel relief for you to be with your Dad.
In a truck, on a country lane, talking. This is the first time one of your posts has made me cry~...from the looks of things I do believe you are in Kentucky...did someone take a wrong turn to spend more time together???

[Pauline Clarke]

In the best possible way Tica, you, too, are like a silo - your heart is firmly planted and your head is always lifted to the blue, beautiful sky. This was a marvelous post! Hello and hats off to Dad.

[leanneshouse]

I can see the wisdom in everyone of those beautiful wrinkles on your Dad's face.

[nel]

I feel really honoured to have shared your day with your Dad...so tender and sweet.

[ilva]

Wonderful Dad and beautiful clouds! Really impressive! I wish I were with you to see all those things!