Comments on: Were you raised in a barn?

By: Frodo

Frodo — Mon, 21 Sep 2015 16:55:03 +0000

@Emerald63: That's true. Anything can be used as a weapon, including a car. It's generally not wise to bring a knife to a gunfight and when people threaten your life with unsafe driving, you don't have a lot of options. Bigger (gas-guzzling, polluting) vehicle? Honestly, I didn't put my life in harm's way in the Marines (I'm a combat vet, although I thankfully didn't see much) only to come home and engage in deadly battle on the roads. I have a wife and kids to work for and need to keep myself alive for that.

By: Emerald63

Emerald63 — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 19:57:46 +0000

@Frodo: Being "an old Marine" I'll bet you know some non-weaponized ways to take down the bad guys anyway. Semper Fi, dude.

By: Emerald63

Emerald63 — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 19:55:55 +0000

@Marty E.: Ah, gotcha! Never even noticed. Too busy gawking at the pretties. :D

By: Frodo

Frodo — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 03:09:37 +0000

@Emerald63: Yeah, the tolls are another thing. As for firearms, I'm an old Marine so I'm no stranger to them. Oddly, I don't actually own any. My little area of the countryside is mostly populated by friendly country folk who are well-armed (mostly hunters). So even the handful of illegal drug peddlers in the trailer park around the corner keep their cool. I'm not a big hunter so with a low violent crime rate I really haven't had the need to spend the money to arm myself.

By: Emerald63

Emerald63 — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 19:37:34 +0000

@Frodo: Never been there myself and no immediate plans to go. It's just that being from Kansas (with ancestors from Arkansas) I'm too familiar with blanket dismissals (at the most kind) of entire states. It's rarely, if ever, the case. I've known a couple of people from up that way who've described the literal highway robbery that occurs just trying to pay the tolls to get the hell out of the urban areas and that's what I thought you referring to. Until you mentioned... firearms. (O_o)

By: Marty E.

Marty E. — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 19:37:26 +0000

@Emerald63: It’s always been the phrase I’ve heard used when someone leaves a door open. “Were you born in a barn?”

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/Were+you+born+in+a+barn%3F

By: Emerald63

Emerald63 — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 19:33:20 +0000

@Marty E.: A nice collection, Marty, but I'm a bit confused about the title. I did see some "quaint" attributes in some of the entries, but many look top notch throughout. So... why "born in a barn"?

By: Frodo

Frodo — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 03:09:57 +0000

@Emerald63: Yeah. I know NJ has some nice areas, especially in the southern part. I've just heard horror stories about driving there. I'd be inclined to drive with a couple of loaded firearms within reach to defend myself if the stories are true. So it's best I just stay away from NJ.

By: Marty E.

Marty E. — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 20:34:34 +0000

Somewhat related... I have a nice collection of real estate photos called "born in a barn."

By: Emerald63

Emerald63 — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 20:25:01 +0000

@Frodo: I’m pretty sure this barn came from New Jersey to begin with. The listing info states that it was rehabbed by the NJ Barn Company (http://njbarnco.com/).

Believe it or not, NJ isn’t just a bunch of obnoxious, brain dead, New York wannabes, as television would have us believe. There’s a huge amount of history in NJ, dating back long, long before the Revolution. There are also quite pretty areas, not just swamps. Its state nickname is “the garden state” after all. Take a look at the website. This company has done a lot of amazing and very extensive work. I’m not sure I’d call all of it rehabbing, more like recreating, but still, the results are lovely.

As for the map, plugging the address into google maps will take you directly to the correct location. :)

By: Frodo

Frodo — Tue, 15 Sep 2015 15:44:37 +0000

New Jersey!?! Why in the world relocate this to New Jersey? Did it come from New Jersey? Why keep it there? Oh well.

The property marked on the map is the wrong one. The driveway is right next to the entrance to a state park and borders the power lines to the south. Look for the top of the silo and you can’t miss it.

The entrance to the driveway is pretty unassuming. You wouldn’t expect this place to be at the other end of it. Stick this place in a similar location in my area of North Carolina and we have a deal. I like the character of this place, although the tractor yard art is not uncommon in my area. Many times you’ll see a “For Sale” sign one that is freshly rebuilt and sports a shiny new paint job. Maybe I would put in a fanciful watering trough with a fountain in it feeding a pool underneath.