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One of the most enduring images of Americana is the old crumbling barn. Driving down a lesser used two lane country road, you pass by a field where there is an old abandoned structure, a barn, or even a house, that leans precariously on the verge of tumbling down. You are compelled to look closer. It is not an ultra modern grandiose structure, the most recent design by I.M. Pei, but we are beckoned to pull over, park, and stroll across the field to take a closer look. Perhaps our curiosity of such structures is fueled by a notion, that the American ideal is rural in nature. The old barn represents not just our roots as a Nation, but the very soul of our culture. We see a simpler time. A time of honest work, close family ties, and living off of the land. Perhaps to hear the voices of those who once lived and struggled here and most likely eventually failed. And we are reminded that all that we have built, the Earth eventually will reclaim.
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