The “Quiet Path” series of books I am publishing are to instill Americans to stop, slow down, enjoy life and take pleasure in the smallest, minutely spectacular things God has given us to benefit from.  “Visions of North America” is a collection of images from this exquisite continent we live on.  How very fortunate we are to have deserts, valleys, mountains, plains, and oceans to inspire us.  Inspire us to be good people.  To give, to be thankful for the vast diversity given to us right before our eyes.  Inspire us to work hard and appreciate what resources we do have and glorify their presence by our appreciation of such wealth.  Yes, wealth.  Indeed we have a prosperous country in which to live, but we are so much richer than that.  And it doesn’t take a lot of money.  Take a moment to sit under an oak tree and talk to a friend.  Look at the tall grass of summer and feel the warmth of the wind on your face.  It is all around us.

I am fortunate enough to have visited many of these beautiful places.  We weren’t rich.  We camped.  Both as a child and as an adult.  Packed up like a bunch of gypsies, we took off every summer with two small children and went to the mountains or the great lakes.  But when we are visiting theses terrific places, do you know what we like to do the best?  Take a ‘moment’ and pause.  Pause and stare at one particular sight.  One to remember, and one to carry us on until that next precious moment.

Marsha Williamson Mohr

I don't proclaim to be a historian. Where the idea for round barns came from, no one really knows.  Perhaps from Europe.  The agricultural experiment such as these barns brought prestige to those brave enough to build one.  For the purpose of sheltering livestock and reducing the labor involved with feeding and caring for the animals was why these buildings were though ever initiated.   Built for ergonomics.  The best, easiest design for the farmer.    But soon it was found that the structures were, in fact, left vulnerable to the elements, leaving a lot of repairs necessary.  More wood was required to have such a building, and with the changing economy for the agriculturist, too expensive to maintain.

Aesthetically speaking the round barn has been admired and photographed throughout Indiana since their beginning.  Usually more memorable, or perhaps because only about one fifth of one percent of Indiana's farms ever had one.

I know very little about the past, but I do know one thing.   My love for rural.  Rural scenes.  Rural people.  With round barns soon becoming a thing of the past, my passion brought me to photograph as many as I could.  They are fascinating.  Seen usually from a distance, the feel of the upcoming visual is difficult for me to explain.  I am sure my heart rate increases.  If you ever get a chance to see the inside of one of these buildings, I strongly encourage you to do so.  To me, it was like seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time.  Mesmerizing.  However, should you not be able to travel as frequently as I, the series of my books entitled "The Quiet Path" are for this exact reason.  Traveling without leaving your living room.  Enjoying sights, through these books, perhaps most of us don't have time for.

I added some information about each barn in the text, but should you hunger for more information I greatly credit "A Round Indiana" by John T. Hanou and foreword written by my father, Maurice L. Williamson.  Another source I used was a web site, www.dalejtravis.com.  This man is something.
 

Living in the Midwest has one definite advantage - changing seasons.  Due to the tilt of the Earth’s axis we are able to feel the of warm spring air, the heat of summer and all it has to offer.  The smell and colors of autumn as we favor new cool air, and newly fallen snow blanketing us.  We can cherish children playing as they hide Easter eggs behind colorful tulips, jump into the lake, play in the leaves and sled down a winter hill.  So many activities in each climate.  So many grand recollections.

The purpose of this book is for the reader to value those past times as well as look at each page and concentrate on the joys each season presents to them.  To anticipate the upcoming season.  To decide which one is actually their favorite.  To visually compare the scene in each time of year, to feel, to anticipate the reasoning behind their joys or dislikes of each.  I want them to sense a warm, good feeling as they browse through the images.

For the narrative I directed the reader to the extent of work this book undertook.  Funny, true life happenings I encountered during the path.  The poems are to capture the imagination of rural and urban individuals both, and to enhance the scene I am presenting in this book.  A hopeful favorite for families to share with their children.  To review time and time again.

My favorite season is autumn.  But oddly enough, in some of the images I am partial to the summer or winter photos.  Maybe it was the lighting, or the particular crops in the field.

One can only imagine the efforts taken for such a project.  Sometimes the lighting wasn’t even close to what I wanted, or the field had a different crop planted.  In a rush, I traveled to the location praying a supermarket or neighborhood wasn’t being built in the field in front of the chosen scene, which I had already photographed, in one or even three different seasons.  Now and then after traveling for miles a key tree was cut down and the scene ruined.  Several locations I photographed one season three or four different times.    Or redbud trees I saw once never made a show, four different years to that location for no avail.

In order to enhance the season in each photograph I chose not to stand in the exact spot in some of the scenes.  At the same exact location the redbud tree would not be in included in the scene, or the bright red maple would be left out.

Due to the Earth’s rotation, lighting posed to be a problem.  Perfect in some seasons, not so perfect in others, which made it impossible to have each time of year with ideal illumination.  Not a surprise.
 

I have produced the series of "Quiet Path" books, not because I am a quiet person, but because I treasure mementos to share with others perhaps not so fortunate to experience all I have experienced.

Through the eyes of my camera I want to express my gratitude for our life here on Earth, specifically the great United States.  The prestigious Purdue University, not only because I am a graduate, but because it's buildings say, "Proud, academy, strong, hard fought, and strength in our future," was enjoyable to photograph.

Being one of the top universities in the United States, I am hoping to, through these photographs, either share to others the sites maybe unseen by some, or recall proud moments from the past.

Founded in 1869 after benefactor John Purdue, it started with only six instructors, 39 students and a strong mission to provide agriculture and mechanic arts education.  Now, in 2007, the West Lafayette campus enrolls close to 39,000 students (stat from 2005), and students from 50 states and some 130 countries.

It is one of the top universities in the nation for engineering, pharmacy, Veterinarian Science and Krannert School of Management, to name just a few.