This weathered barn door is in Landaff – White Mountains of New Hampshire.
To the person driving by on RFD#1, it looks like a lot of other barn doors in the area – old and in need of repair.
This particular barn door calls to me.
For many years, it was my grandparents’ barn door. Hay for the small herd of dairy cows was brought into the barn through this door, and my grandfather parked his Doodlebug inside.
The Doodlebug was a navy blue truck with no roof, doors or bed. It was like a really old farm truck convertible. It would screech as he tried to shift the gears which only added to the adventure. There was a long hay wagon parked out behind the barn that attached to the back of the Doodlebug for use during haying season.
I spent every summer of my youth on the farm, and when a neighbor called that the cows were out, I’d beg to go in the Doodlebug to get them back in. I loved riding in that old machine.
The current barn door looks like it could be the original one, but if my grandparents still lived there, I can guarantee you it would be in better shape.
My grandparents didn’t have a lot of money, but they had pride and they knew how to work hard. Brook Side Farm was their pride and joy, well along with me of course. 🙂
Linked to Norm Frampton’s Thursday Doors – October 22, 2015.
NewEnglandGardenAndThread 
Interesting. Isn’t it weird how the old barn door sits on something otherwise new looking? Strange juxtaposition there.
The old picture of it agrees with you, it’d be in much better shape if cared for by your grandparents.
Thanks for sharing your memories of the Doodlebug — that’s cute!
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Smacks of Eric Sloan’s – The Age of Barns
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Now, I need to go check that out. Thanks. 🙂
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Also look for – A Reverence for Wood 😁
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Thanks for sharing this special door and your memories… it made my morning!
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You’ll get me with a nice weathered barn door every time – good choice Judy.
The Doodlebug story reminds me of a beat up ole pick-up I used to ride around in with my granddad when we visited his friends farm when I was little. There were floorboards missing and I remember staring down and watching the road fly past underneath us – scary and fun for a six-year-old 🙂
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Oh my gosh, Norm, that brought a chuckle and a memory. You could see the road flying by between the floorboards in the Doodlebug, and I totally forgot. Exciting times when you are a kid and great memories as an adult. 🙂
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What great memories, Judy. I have similar memories of my grandparents’ farm in Nebraska. When I was little, I didn’t realize how much work a farm was. I just enjoyed being there.
janet
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Truer words were never spoken. 🙂 I remember not understanding why they wouldn’t buy me a horse. It made me laugh at myself when I got older because who was going to feed and care for a horse nine months out of the year when I was home and in school. And, all those fresh vegetables and meat – I just knew they was in the freezer but never stopped to appreciate all the work to get it there.
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Thanks for sharing this memory, Judy. We ‘of a certain age’ share at least one barn door in our family lore. Nice writing and photos.
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Such a lovely story, Judy.
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I think you have the right to tell them to paint it. At least print this post and stick it in their mailbox.
I spent time every summer on a farm (mother’s cousin) and I have similar fond memories. There’s something about that kind of hard work that makes you feel good.
Nice selection this week Judy!
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That’s a beautiful area of NH. I particularly loved a bookstore that was in Littleton…25 years ago now. I don’t know if it is still there. I have many NH ancestors…Warren, Lebanon, Manchester, Greenland, etc.
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The bookstore is still there, it is just smaller. 🙂 The New England area is just a great place to call home.
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It definitely is!
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Brook Side Farm was the carefully tended enterprise of a good stock of people – ones who valued hard work, cleanliness and honest business practice. I’m sure they were as proud of you as you are of them!
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A grandparents’ love is unconditional, and I grew up with that. Your entire team of grands, near or far, certainly get treated to that kind of love daily. They are lucky children and will have tremendous memories of their adventures as they mature. 🙂
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I love the door but love your memories even more! What a fabulous way to spend summers with your grandparents. And the Doodlebug sounds awesome!
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Can you imagine letting a child ride in a motorized vehicle with no roof, no doors, no seatbelt and cracks in the floor today? LOL Oh my gosh, no way. 🙂
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I know! I recall bouncing around in the back of our Country Squire station wagon as a kid, in the “way way back” with no seatbelts, etc. So fun!
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Yes of course you 🙂 When I first read Doodlebug I thought it was going to be the nickname of a VW Beetle! 🙂
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That first look looks imposing.
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What a wonderful family story, doodlebug and all.
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Is it hung on a house? That building doesn’t look like a barn. I would have wanted to ride in the Doodlebug, too. 🙂
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It was a typical New England barn located on the left side of the house. You could walk from the kitchen through the back room (would be a mud room today) and walk right into the barn. The lower level was where the cows were stationed, the main level was where the Doodlebug was parked and the upper level was the hay loft. 🙂
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Beautiful. I love how barns are connected to houses in New England. You never see that here in Virginia.
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It is a great idea in the dead of winter with the snow falling, and you can still make it to do your chores in the barn. 🙂
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Do you like bluegrass music? There’s a band called the Gibson Brothers, from near here in upstate New York. They wrote a song called “My Farm of Yesterday” about the family farm they grew up on and how it shaped their lives. I know our family farm shaped mine, too. You could find the song on YouTube.
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Thank you! I went right over and listened. Those five gentlemen put out some nice music. Lovely song for all of us who spent time on a farm long ago. My grandparents’ farm was bought up by the neighboring farm which certainly was bigger and had more cows. 🙂
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Oh, I’m glad you liked it! We go see the band a couple times a year when they come back here and that song always gets to me . . .
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Would love to have seen the original version Judy, looks like a fine old place!
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What wonderful memories. I do wish that the old barn from my childhood was still standing but I can still see it in my head. Thanks for sharing yours.
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