A Trip Back in Time

As I began my small road trip to Red Oak II my anticipation of adding new photos to my portfolio starting growing.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect but as I round the corner towards the end of a long country road I was not disappointed.  Though I waited a little too long to get a lot of great light I was still able to capture some fantastic shots.  Like this one

Here's a little background to what Red Oak is.  A local artist named Lowell Davis grew up in small town America.  When he came back to the town after traveling as a youth he returned to a sad sight.  So he decided to purchase some land near a town called Carthage.  He then moved some of the old buildings from his home town and also found some other great buildings throughout the mid west and added those to his collection.  The result is a cute town set in 1940's Americana with a little bit of modern thrown in.  It's a miniature city complete with a one room school house, old church and boathouse (pictured above) They are slowly renovating the old buildings to be fully functional and hope to have more up and running soon.  Each building is owned by different people who are then in charge of the up keep.  Not only do you have wonderful structures restored to previous grander but, because Mr. Davis is an artist, there are wacky little sculptures and jokes everywhere if you have a keen eye. While I was there they were setting up for their annual Farm Girl Days.  Completely free it consists of crafts, food and fun for the whole family. If you are ever in this area I would most defiantly make a trip to this little diamond in the rough.

To go back to my inital discoveries.  It was great to also find some fun old cars situated in picturesque spots.

I really loved this next one too.  Notice the bullet holes in the rear window. I'm not sure if those are kinda of a joke (Joplin area is known for it's run in with Bonnie and Clyde) or just what happens when you get bored in a small country town



Well that's all I have for now.  I'll have some more shots as more get developed.  I do have a couple of plugs to make if at all possible.  I was recently featured in a blog of a fellow etsian and would love for you to check it out and comment.  I also have some friends who are trying to win a poll to be featured on the front page of a new photography website.  So if you have time in your day please visit the following links.

Thebeachcomber631

And

Vote for Alex and Beth

And here is your freebie for the day.  If you have a RedBox in the area don't forget to sign-up for the newsletters.  I'm not 100% sure that they are still doing this but I haven't heard otherwise.  If you sign up in exchange, you are sent an email for a free movie rental for after your first purchase.  You still have to have it back the next day by 9 but its totally worth it. Only a dollar a day!  Good luck and thanks for reading!