Before The Rain #14750

The Story

As an oncoming afternoon summer thunderstorm rolls in, an old farm building sits by the pond away from and down the hill from the barn. The light over half the landscape is beginning to go dark although the summer afternoon sunlight is still glowing on the old shed. Deep heat in the Maryland farmland easily brings these summer thunderstorms.

Time has masterfully weathered the white paint on the old farm building that is going gray with age, with the white staying whiter up under the protecting eaves. The old gray siding boards under the thinning paint have gone a little wiggy over time and have been patched up in places.

The shed has been here a while, yet the roof is made of metal, a modern improvement to keep this old farm building well protected. Although the newcomer, the roof too has been there long enough to begin to rust where the paint has thinned.

It’s just a small shed whose purpose isn’t really clear. Poking around, the double door on the opposite side wasn’t open to look into. Perhaps it’s been used for keeping a small fishing boat to use on the pond. Seeing only little use if at all these days, no path is worn through the tall grass, so no clues there.

As I photographed here, the heat and humidity were rising as the sky was quickly turning darker and a more foreboding deep blue and black. The sky grumbled and heavy rain could be seen falling in the distance, making it clear there was no doubt about a change in the weather. I took a few shots of the shed in the remaining sunlight as the thunderstorm darkness slid in across the land, then headed back up the hill to the barn for some cover. There wasn’t long to wait until the summer thunderstorm went over and dropped heavy rain by the bucketful!

Location: a rural landscape in Frederick County, Maryland. Picture and story © Andrew Dierks